Youth on Parade
Cast & Crew
Albert S. Rogell
John Hubbard
Ruth Terry
Martha O'driscoll
Tom Brown
Ivan F. Simpson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Gerald Payne, a psychology professor at Cotchatootamee College, irritates the students with a teaching experiment in which all students are referred to as numbers. Payne's system, which attempts to prevent favoritism, requires much hard work and restricts dating, and so the students decide to ruin Payne by creating a false student. They pool their papers and soon their creation, number 79, has won all the academic awards for the semester. Number 79, whom the students have named Patty Flynn, is to receive an award at a school assembly, and the co-eds, led by Sally Carlyle, are chuckling over their victory when they are overheard by Payne's secretary, Agatha Frost. Agatha, who is known as Frosty, tells the girls that Payne will be fired and they will be expelled if their scheme is revealed, and so Sally calls New York, where fellow student Bingo Brown is picking up orchestrations for the music he composed for the upcoming school show. After Sally tells Bingo to hire someone to play Patty, he approaches would-be singer Betty Reilly. At first Patty refuses his proposal, despite his assertion that she could be discovered by Broadway producer Max Hillman, who will be at the school show. Betty changes her mind, however, when her bumbling brother Eddie and his pal, Nick Cramer, reveal that they "borrowed" a race horse, entered it in a race in her name and are now wanted by the police. Betty goes to the college to hide out and arrives at the assembly just in time to collect the award for Patty Flynn. Payne is astonished by Betty's slang-filled speech, and in order to substantiate the charade, Betty convinces him that overwork due to his experimental system has caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She further convinces him that only relaxing his edicts about dating will prevent the other students from suffering a similar fate. Betty arranges for Payne to escort Sally to an upcoming dance, and after he kisses Sally during a rehearsal for the show, they realize that they are in love. Eddie's arrival ruins everything, however, for when he is picked up by the police, he is taken to Payne, to whom he reveals Betty's true identity. Furious about the deception but wanting to protect the kids, Payne resigns without telling Dean Andrew Wharton about their scheme. Payne then breaks up with Sally and castigates the students for their interference. He also tells them that they must stay in college rather than rush to join the military and fight in the war, for gaining knowledge is serving their country as well. The contrite students confess to Wharton, who agrees to reinstate Payne and expell them. When Wharton forbids them to hold the show, Payne and Frosty conspire to distract him while the kids perform. Wharton hears the music, however, and is about to cancel the show when the kids' final number, "You Got to Study, Buddy," wins the approval of two visiting military officials with its theme of staying in school. Wharton signals his approval, Payne and Sally are reconciled and Betty is a success.
Director
Albert S. Rogell
Cast
John Hubbard
Ruth Terry
Martha O'driscoll
Tom Brown
Ivan F. Simpson
Charles Smith
Lynn Merrick
Nana Bryant
Bruce Langley
Chick Chandler
Marlyn Schild
Paul Fix
Johnny Boyle Jr.
Eddie Acuff
Bud Jamison
Sue Robin
Ruth Daye
Jack Boyle
Ivan Miller
Edward Earle
Betty Atkinson
Harry Hayden
Maurice Cass
Walter Soderling
Boyd Irwin
Walter Fenner
Alfred Hall
Elmer Jerome
Frank Coghlan Jr.
Barbara Slater
Ric Vallin
Ben Lessy
Warren Ashe
Crew
George Carleton Brown
Sammy Cahn
Albert J. Cohen
Cy Feuer
Phil Ford
Frank Gill Jr.
Dave Gould
Russell Kimball
Ernest Miller
Howard O'neill
Adele Palmer
Otto Siegel
Jule Styne
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Song
Quotes
Trivia
Martha O'Driscoll's singing was dubbed by 'Whiting, Margaret' .
Notes
The working titles of this film were Broadway Goes to College, Say It with Music and Chatterbox. According to a January 22, 1942 Hollywood Reporter news item, Mary Lee was originally set to star in the film, which would also feature "other youngsters under eighteen on the contract list." Hollywood Reporter noted that Sue Robin was to be included in the cast, but her appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed. Martha O'Driscoll and Charlie Smith were borrowed from Paramount for the production. A September 2, 1942 Hollywood Reporter news item stated that "as a result of audience reaction to work of Ruth Terry in Youth on Parade at a sneak preview, the studio has reopened production on the picture to build up her role." Filming of added scenes began that day. According to the Motion Picture Herald review, the film's finale, "You've Got to Study Buddy," which advocates college students continuing their studies until being called by the draft, was suggested by the OWI. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn were nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Music (Song) for "It Seems I Heard That Song Before," but lost to Irving Berlin (Holiday Inn), who won for the song "White Christmas."
