... and as a result, through the years, I've just remembered it fondly. This film is a remake of 1938's Four Daughters which had Priscilla Lane in Doris Day's part and John Garfield in Frank Sinatra's part as the morose pessimistic musician who believes if not for bad luck he'd have none at all. This one has not been televised in years because the elements are apparently in shabby shape and need restoration. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. The film follows the plot of "Four Daughters" pretty closely, with Laurie (Doris Day) eloping with melancholy Barney Sloan (Frank Sinatra) in order to clear the way so that the man she really loved and was planning to marry (Gig Young as Alex) might fall in love with older sister Amy. Laurie decides to do this after she realizes Amy is in love with Alex.
These attempts at manipulations of the heart seldom work out well, and such is the case here. Instead, Amy starts to see her long-time beau - who has always loved her - as the man for her precisely because of the way he takes charge of the chaos at the wedding after it has been discovered that Laurie has eloped with someone other than the intended groom. Thus Amy becomes engaged to her boyfriend, Alex is left unattached, Laurie is unhappy and trying to make the best of a bad situation, and her actual new husband Barnie is left feeling more like a failure than ever because he just knows he was second best plus now he feels like his bad luck is being imposed on his wife as well as himself.
Where Young at Heart truly splits from Four Daughters is the ending. Barnie attempts suicide just like in Four Daughters, but Amy brings him back from the brink of death by telling him she really loves him plus one other secret which I'll leave as a surprise if you ever get a chance to see this movie. Another odd departure - there are only three daughters in this film, not four as in the original.
These attempts at manipulations of the heart seldom work out well, and such is the case here. Instead, Amy starts to see her long-time beau - who has always loved her - as the man for her precisely because of the way he takes charge of the chaos at the wedding after it has been discovered that Laurie has eloped with someone other than the intended groom. Thus Amy becomes engaged to her boyfriend, Alex is left unattached, Laurie is unhappy and trying to make the best of a bad situation, and her actual new husband Barnie is left feeling more like a failure than ever because he just knows he was second best plus now he feels like his bad luck is being imposed on his wife as well as himself.
Where Young at Heart truly splits from Four Daughters is the ending. Barnie attempts suicide just like in Four Daughters, but Amy brings him back from the brink of death by telling him she really loves him plus one other secret which I'll leave as a surprise if you ever get a chance to see this movie. Another odd departure - there are only three daughters in this film, not four as in the original.