''The Younger Generation'' is a 1929 American

part-talkie A part-talkie is a partly, and most often primarily, silent film which includes one or more synchronous sound sequences with audible dialog or singing. During the silent portions, lines of dialog are presented as "titles"—printed text briefly ...

drama film directed by

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

and starring

Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...

. It was produced by

Jack Cohn Jacob Cohn (October 27, 1889 – December 8, 1956) was a co-founder of Columbia Pictures Corporation. Early life Cohn was born in New York, the son of Joseph, a tailor from Germany, and Bella, from Russia. He had three brothers, Maxwell (1888� ...

for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. It was Capra's first sound film. While mostly silent, the film has talking sequences, as well as a synchronized music score and sound effects. The screenplay was adapted from a 1927 Fannie Hurst play, ''It Is to Laugh''.

Plot

The child of Jewish immigrants, Morris Goldfish (Ricardo Cortez) finds success as an art dealer. He moves his family to Fifth Avenue and changes his name to Maurice Fish. There, he finds his family to be damaging to his

social status Social status is the level of social value a person is considered to possess. More specifically, it refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference accorded to people, groups, and organizations in a society. St ...

. In the end he finds that there is more to life than money.

Cast

Jean Hersholt Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is best known for starring on the radio series '' Dr. Christian'' (1937–1954) and in the film '' Heidi'' (1937).Obitu ...

as Julius (Pa) Goldfish *

Lina Basquette Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette; April 19, 1907 – September 30, 1994) was an American actress. She is noted for her 75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a gi ...

as Birdie Goldfish *

as Morris Goldfish *

Rex Lease Rex Lloyd Lease (February 11, 1903 – January 3, 1966) was an American actor. He appeared in over 300 films, mainly in Poverty Row westerns. Biography Lease arrived in Hollywood in 1924. He found bit and supporting parts at Film Booking ...

as Eddie Lesser *

Rosa Rosanova Rosa Rosanova (June 23, 1869 – May 29, 1944) was a Russian-born stage and film actress. She appeared in numerous American films as a starring or supporting actress in the 1920s and 1930s Biography Born in Russia, Rosanova completed he ...

as Tilda (Ma) Goldfish *

Syd Crossley Syd Crossley (18 November 1885 – 1 November 1960) was an English stage and film actor. Born in London in 1885, Crossley began his career as a music hall comedian. He appeared in more than 110 films, often cast as a butler, between 1925 an ...

as Goldfish's Butler *

Joe Bordeaux Joe Bordeaux (March 9, 1886 – September 10, 1950) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1914 and 1940. He was born in Colorado, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' Mabel at the ...

as Crook (uncredited) *

Ferike Boros Ferike Boros (3 August 1873 – 16 January 1951) was a Hungarian-born American stage and movie actress. Biography Ferike Weinstock was born in Nagyvárad, Austria-Hungary, in 1873, Boros was on stage starting in 1893. She moved to London in 19 ...

as Delancey Street Woman (uncredited) *

Clarence Burton Clarence Forrest Burton (May 10, 1882 – December 2, 1933) was an American silent film actor. Biography Burton was born in Fort Lyon, in Benton County, Missouri and started in show business at the age of 5, playing stock and musical comedy ...

as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited) * Paul Ellis as Crook (uncredited) *

Otto Fries Otto Hugo Fries (October 28, 1887 – September 15, 1938) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1920 and 1938. Biography Fries was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in 1938 in Los Angeles, California a ...

as Tradesman (uncredited) *

Julia Swayne Gordon Julia Swayne Gordon (born Sarah Victoria Smith; October 29, 1878 – May 28, 1933) was an American actress who appeared in at least 228 films between 1908 and 1933. Early years Gordon was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Louis and Anna Smith and wa ...

as Mrs. Striker (uncredited) * Donald Hall as Minor Role (uncredited) *

Leon Janney Leon Janney (April 1, 1917 – October 28, 1980) was an American actor and radio personality from 1920 to 1980. Career Leon Elbert Janney was born in Ogden, Utah, to Nathan Haines Janney and Bernice Rebecca Kohn. The names of his parents are co ...

as Eddie Lesser as a Boy (uncredited) * Julanne Johnston as Irma Striker (uncredited) *

Virginia Marshall Virginia Elizabeth Marshall (October 1, 1918 – January 30, 1982), also known as Little Virginia Marshall, was an American child actress in the silent film era between 1924 and 1930. Biography Virginia Elizabeth Marshall was born on October ...

as Birdie Goldfish as a girl (uncredited) * Jack Raymond as Pinsky (uncredited) * Bernard Siegel as Minor Role (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * 1929 films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films 1929 drama films Films directed by Frank Capra Transitional sound films American drama films Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien Films based on works by Fannie Hurst Early sound films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films {{1920s-drama-film-stub