User Reviews

I was eager to watch this film since it's only aired once on Turner Classic Movies. My guess is that it is currently prevented from being broadcast due to ownership issues. It's not a must-see film, but I found it rather charming and full of merit. Especially since I am a fan of Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton.

Warner Brothers had previously put the stars together in HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (1944). In that earlier outing, Miss Leslie played herself and Mr. Hutton was a fictional soldier who won a date with her at the aforementioned canteen. It was a lot of bunk, really, but provided some nice escapist entertainment.

This time around, the studio has cast them in a more conventional wartime picture. They play teen newlyweds who are too young to know what marriage is about, hence the title. She is not ready to settle down and prefers going out with her friends. Meanwhile, he is arrogant and unable to understand his wife's 'growing pains.' Just as he is drafted into the service, they have a huge quarrel and decide to divorce.

Time passes. While serving in India, he runs into a mutual friend (Dolores Moran) who drops a metaphoric bombshell on him. It seems that he's the father of a toddler that was born after the divorce and has been given over to foster parents. Since he is unable to think about anything else, he gets an 18-day furlough and flies back to California to meet his son.

While Hutton is on his way back home, we have an extended flashback that fleshes out the marital conflicts that had occurred. We again see Moran in these flashbacks, since she was a pal of theirs, and often sang at parties. One scene has Miss Moran crooning the classic tune 'It's Only a Paper Moon,' and it is a real highlight. A shame she didn't have a longer career in motion pictures.

After Hutton returns to American soil, he reconnects with his folks (Rosemary DeCamp and a slightly miscast Arthur Shields). He also turns up at his ex-wife's apartment and gets the wrong idea about her current lifestyle. Increasingly frustrated with her reasons for keeping the truth about their son from him, and giving the boy away, Hutton ends up seeking legal advice.

There are some excellent scenes that involve the troubled couple and a kind-hearted judge (Harry Davenport). Some of the dialogue the script writers give Mr. Davenport's character is a bit preachy but certainly well-intentioned. Imagine Lewis Stone in the Andy Hardy movies, and you get the idea. Of course, the judge is able to convince the two exes they still love each other. Since they are now both more mature, they are able to place the welfare of the child ahead of their own.