"Young at Heart" is a reworking of the 1938 film "Four Daughters", though in the process one of the daughters was inexplicably lost and so there are only three in this remake. Plus, this time it is more of a musical. Both are quite pleasant films but not a lot more.
The film begins with a musical family--a father (Robert Keith), an aunt (Ethel Barrymore) and three daughters (Doris Day, Dorothy Malone and Elisabeth Fraser). They are quite happy but now that the daughters have grown, love and marriage are bringing change. Gig Young plays the sort of role you'd expect for Ralph Bellamy--the nice guy who ends up, inexplicably, losing the girl. Just like in the first film, it's really not clear WHY Doris Day's character would jilt Young for Frank Sinatra's character since he isn't particularly likable. Still, despite this central relationship and the chemistry not working, the film does make up for this, a bit, with very nice songs. Day is very good but Sinatra's theme song is among his very best, so it's hard to hate the film. However, don't be surprised at the very end of the film--it was NOT the same ending from "Four Daughters" as apparently Sinatra hated this ending and insisted it be changed. Worth seeing but not especially memorable except for the title song...now THAT is terrific.
The film begins with a musical family--a father (Robert Keith), an aunt (Ethel Barrymore) and three daughters (Doris Day, Dorothy Malone and Elisabeth Fraser). They are quite happy but now that the daughters have grown, love and marriage are bringing change. Gig Young plays the sort of role you'd expect for Ralph Bellamy--the nice guy who ends up, inexplicably, losing the girl. Just like in the first film, it's really not clear WHY Doris Day's character would jilt Young for Frank Sinatra's character since he isn't particularly likable. Still, despite this central relationship and the chemistry not working, the film does make up for this, a bit, with very nice songs. Day is very good but Sinatra's theme song is among his very best, so it's hard to hate the film. However, don't be surprised at the very end of the film--it was NOT the same ending from "Four Daughters" as apparently Sinatra hated this ending and insisted it be changed. Worth seeing but not especially memorable except for the title song...now THAT is terrific.