''This Reckless Age'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Frank Tuttle Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 (''The Cradle Buster'') to 1959 (''Island of Lost Women''). Biography Frank Tuttle was ...

and starring

Charles "Buddy" Rogers Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers (August 13, 1904 – April 21, 1999) was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend". Life and career Earl ...

and produced and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The film is based on a Broadway play ''The Goose Hangs High'' by Lewis Beach. One of over 700 Paramount films controlled by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, which in 1948 purchased most of the 1928-1948 Paramount library.

Plot

Donald and Eunice Ingals' lives revolve around their children, Bradley and Lois. They have sacrificed and scrimped to give their kids the best, and the kids, thoughtless and young, give little in return except for a smile and thanks now and then. When Christmas vacation comes, Bradley and Lois pop in on the family. Bradley has come to tell his father he is marrying Mary Burke, which is received rather badly by both parents, while Lois, prankish and impish, spends more of her visit home partying with school friends. But when Donald finds himself being blamed for a business scandal, the children make serious efforts to save their father's reputation.

Cast

as Bradley Ingals * Richard Bennett as Donald Ingals *

Peggy Shannon Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon; January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s. Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway produ ...

as Mary Burke *

Charles Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

as Goliath Whitney *

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film ''An American Tragedy (film), An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known ...

as Lois Ingals * Frances Starr as Eunice Ingals *

Maude Eburne Maude Eburne (born Maud Eburne Riggs, November 10, 1875 – October 15, 1960) was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles. Early years Eburne was born the daughter of John and Mary Riggs, in Bron ...

as Rhoda *Allen Vincent as Pig Van Dyke *

Mary Carlisle Mary Carlisle (born Gwendolyn Witter; February 3, 1914 – August 1, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her roles as a wholesome ingénue in numerous 1930s musical-comedy films. She starred in more than 60 Holly ...

as Cassandra Phelps * David Landau as Matthew Daggett *

Reginald Barlow Reginald Harry Barlow (June 17, 1866, – July 6, 1943) was an American stage and screen character actor, author, and film director. He was a busy performer in Hollywood films of the 1930s. Early life A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts ...

as Lester Bell * George C. Pearce as John Burke *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Sutton was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the son ...

as Stepladder Schultz *Harry Templeton as Monk Turner *

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law at nigh ...

as Banker *

Leonard Carey Leonard Carey (25 February 1887 – 11 September 1977) was an English character actor who very often played butlers in Hollywood films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He was also active in television during the 1950s. He is perhaps best known f ...

as Braithwaite (uncredited)

Critical Response

As reviewer Clara M. Sawdon opined in ''International Photographer'': "Pictures such as this are rare because they are much more difficult to produce than sensational or spectacular ones, but they are welcome innovations, especially when accomplished with such satisfactory coordination of effort as herein evidenced."Sawdon, Clara M. "When Seen Through Feminine Eyes." ''The International Photographer'' Vol. 3 No. 12 p34. February, 1932. Accessed 7 May 2023.

References

External links

*
''This Reckless Age'' at AllRovi
1932 films American films based on plays Films directed by Frank Tuttle Paramount Pictures films 1932 comedy films Films with screenplays by Joseph L. Mankiewicz American comedy films 1930s English-language films Films scored by John Leipold 1930s American films English-language comedy films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub