The Truth About Youth (1930)

Richard Carewe (Conway Tearle) has raised his deceased best friend's son. the Imp (David Manners). In this household, there is a housekeeper and the housekeeper's daughter, Phyllis (Loretta Young). It's been assumed over the years that the Imp (what sort of name is that for a human being?!) will marry Phyllis. However, the Imp has met a seductress called 'the Firefly' (Myrna Loy) and would much rather have her. But, to protect the Imp's image, Richard pretends that HE is interested in the firefly. But the Imp is VERY insistent--he MUST marry the seductress. However, after she dumps the Imp, what Richard does next just left me baffled. But, then what happens later to Richard and Phyllis is, to put it mildly, a bit creepy and even weirder. See the film and you'll see what I mean.

There isn't a lot to recommend this film unless you are dying to see the early films of Loy or Young. Otherwise, it's very talky and silly. It also seems pretty bizarre to see Loy dressed as a she-devil and singing with a voice that's very obviously not hers. It's also not helped that through parts of the film, Manners shows how infatuated he is by just staring off into space! And, to top it off, the plot left me a bit baffled. Not a horrible film but a bad and confusing one, that's for sure.