The Truth About Youth | 1930 | Drama Romance

Title: The Truth About Youth | 1930 | Drama Romance Director: William A. Seiter Studio: First National Pictures / Vitaphone Corporation Starring: Loretta Young, Conway Tearle, David Manners, Myrna Loy, J. Farrell MacDonald, Myrtle Stedman, Harry Stubbs, William Bailey, Yola d’Avril Based on: Play *When We Were Twenty-One* by Henry V. Esmond Release Date: 1930 Runtime: 69 minutes Format: Black and white with sound Country: United States Language: English Genres: Drama Romance --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Phyllis and Richard Dane’s engagement expectations 00:10:00 Dane’s nightclub visit and dropped note 00:20:00 Misunderstandings between Phyllis and Carewe 00:30:00 Dane’s proposal to Kara 00:40:00 Kara’s realization and rejection 00:50:00 Revelations and romantic realignment --- Summary: The Truth About Youth is a 1930 American pre-Code drama romance about entwined affections and moral conflict among a group of friends and lovers. Phyllis Ericson, daughter of a housekeeper, is expected to wed Richard Dane upon his twenty-first birthday, but Dane becomes infatuated with Kara, a nightclub singer whose ambitions and allure complicate the planned engagement. Misunderstandings and schemes involving letters and social pretense draw Phyllis into emotional turmoil and provoke unexpected romantic shifts between the characters. The film explores themes of youthful passion, social expectation, and the contrast between sincere affection and self-serving desire against the backdrop of vibrant early sound cinema. --- Background: Directed by William A. Seiter and produced by First National Pictures in the early sound era, The Truth About Youth adapts the 1900 play *When We Were Twenty-One* by Henry V. Esmond. The cast features rising stars of the period, including Loretta Young and Myrna Loy, and reflects the transitional storytelling style of pre-Code Hollywood as studios experimented with dialogue, music, and complex adult themes. --- Trivia: Myrna Loy appears in an early role as Kara, a nightclub singer whose performance in the film showcased her musical and dance talents early in her career. The title refers to the romantic entanglements and misunderstandings among characters grouped around the age of twenty-one. Loretta Young was 17 at the time of filming, portraying a central role that foreshadowed her later stardom. The film survives intact and has been preserved at the Library of Congress. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: 1930 Original Studio / Distributor: First National Pictures / Vitaphone Corporation Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Not applicable --- Hashtags: #TheTruthAboutYouth1930 #LorettaYoung #MyrnaLoy #DavidManners #FirstNational #PreCode #ClassicCinema #PublicDomain