As Young as You Feel (1951)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Like "Let's Make It Legal," this is another example of a stepping stone in the career of Marilyn Monroe. But, this succeeds where "Legal" doesn't. It focuses on a 65-year-old man who's been laid off due to company policy (in a bookbinding company) that prevents employees from working once they turn 65. Naturally, Monty Woolley doesn't take kindly to being put out to pasture. He's still young and fit as a fiddle. He promptly comes up with an idea to change company policy (just how I'm not telling) and in so doing, shaking things up. "As Young As You Feel" boasts a great cast with David Wayne, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Allyn Joslyn, Albert Dekker, Russ Tamblyn, and Constance Bennett, who exceptionally plays Dekker's wife, who needs to feel loved and appreciated. A great movie vehicle for Monty Woolley, this film is fun, innovative, charming and leaves you feeling younger than when you started it.

Though released on DVD as part of Fox's "Marilyn Monroe Collection", her role – playing the spirited, though obviously dumb, secretary at a printing factory headed by Albert Dekker – is actually very brief. The film is an amusing, Capraesque comedy about 65 year-old printer Monty Woolley who refuses to accept the age imposition which sends him into retirement. The plot involves him impersonating the President of the corporation which owns the factory, paying them an unexpected visit and making a speech in which he retracts the current policy – thus enabling Woolley the printer to get back his job! Complications arise when David Wayne (fiancé of Woolley's niece Jean Peters), who also works at the factory, recognizes him – but also with the attentions given Woolley by Dekker's neglected wife Constance Bennett. The film features a solid supporting cast which includes Allyn Joslyn (as Woolley's son), Thelma Ritter (as his wife, who's proud of her Brooklyn origins), Clinton Sundberg (as Wayne's ambitious colleague at the plant who could blow Woolley's cover at any moment), Minor Watson (as the real President of the conglomerate) and a young Russ Tamblyn (playing Dekker and Bennett's confused son). It's a pleasant enough diversion – adapted by Lamar Trotti from a Paddy Chayefsky(!) story – given Fox's typically polished (if fluffy) treatment.

This is among my favorite "little movies"--movies that were small budget and about everyday people with everyday problems. The lead is played by the crotchety but very erudite Monty Woolley. Monty is forced to retire from his job as a printer due to his age, even though he still feels young and vigorous. Everyone around him seems to agree that retirement shouldn't be forced upon you if you are still able and willing to work, but no one in this large company where he works seems to be able to anything about this rule--especially since the company is actually controlled by a huge corporation. They just keep saying it's company policy and they would change it if they could--maybe he should talk the the guy in charge to get the rule changed someone suggests. Unfortunately, no one seems to know exactly who that is or how to find him. Out of sheer frustration, he hatches a plot to impersonate the company's CEO and make the changes himself! Unfortunately, this relatively simple plan snowballs and lots of unforeseen problems arise.This is a brisk, cute movie that it sure to please. The acting is superb (I just love Woolley in films), the story well written and the film leaves you smiling.PS--Get Marilyn Monroe OFF the Video Cover!!! She's barely in the movie at all--if you expect her, expect to be disappointed. Stupid advertising folks!

AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL tries hard to be entertaining, and succeeds to a limited degree. The basic story is a social commentary on the errant ways of big business, and it remains somewhat relevant 51 years after the films release. It is classified as a comedy, but if the viewer is looking for belly laughs, there are none here. The main plot point (forced retirement of workers at age 65 by corporate policy) is belabored to the point of exhaustion. The film is dominated by Monty Wooley (he is in almost every scene), and if one is not particularly enamored of his acting style, the film quickly grows tedious. A notable highlight is the presence of a young Marilyn Monroe in the role of a secretary. The sexist treatment she receives from her boss, and her reactions to it, are the outstanding moments in the film, even though they have nothing much to do with the main story line.In summary, this is a dry, bland film that will tend to bore audiences of the present day. Older viewers (especially fans of Mr. Wooley) may find it somewhat appealing.