You're Never Too Young

You’re Never Too Young
You’re Never Too Young
Directed by	Norman Taurog
Screenplay by	Sidney Sheldon
Based on	Sunny Goes Home; 1921 story in The Saturday Evening Post; by Fannie Kilbourne; Connie Goes Home; 1923 play by Edward Childs Carpenter
Produced by	Paul Jones
Starring	Dean Martin; Jerry Lewis; Diana Lynn; Nina Foch; Raymond Burr
Cinematography	Daniel L. Fapp
Edited by	Archie Marshek
Music by	Walter Scharf
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	August 25, 1955;
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$3.4 million (US); 2,202,595 admissions (France)

You’re Never Too Young is a 1955 American semi-musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring the team of Martin and Lewis and co-starring Diana Lynn, Nina Foch, and Raymond Burr. It was released on August 25, 1955 by Paramount Pictures.^[3]

Plot

A valuable diamond is stolen at a Los Angeles hotel and a man guarding it is killed. The thief, Noonan, hides it from police, first in the jacket of a customer, Bob Miles, and then in the pocket of a barber's apprentice, Wilbur Hoolick.

Wilbur, boarding a train to go home to Blitzen, Washington, pretends to be an eleven-year-old in order to purchase a ticket for half price. Noonan sits beside him, still trying to retrieve the stolen jewel. Wilbur gets the impression that the thief is a jealous husband. He hides in the compartment of Nancy Collins, a teacher at a private girls' school. Feeling sorry for "young" Wilbur traveling alone, she allows him to stay there for the duration of the train ride.

During a stop-over, Gretchen Brendan, the jealous daughter of the school's headmistress, boards the train and finds out that Nancy is sharing her compartment with "a man." Gretchen hurries to the school to let Nancy's fiancee, Bob, in on this news, then tries to get Nancy dismissed. In order to protect Nancy's job and reputation, Wilbur must continue the charade of pretending to be a child. He accompanies "Aunt Nancy" to the all-girl school. The jewel thief follows them.

Along the way, Wilbur falls in love with Nancy, although she still thinks of him as a little boy. Noonan pretends to be Wilbur's father and regains possession of the diamond. But the police have arrived and a speedboat chase ensues. In the end, the thief is captured and Wilbur's identity is revealed. Nancy still loves Bob, but he is off to join the Army and discovers that Wilbur is his barber.

Cast

Dean Martin as Bob Miles
Jerry Lewis as Wilbur Hoolick
Diana Lynn as Nancy Collins
Nina Foch as Gretchen Brendan
Raymond Burr as Noonan
Tommy Ivo as Marty
Nancy Kulp as Marty's mother
Veda Ann Borg as Noonan's wife
Mitzi McCall as Skeets
Emory Parnell as Train Conductor
Margery Maude as Mrs. Ella Brennan
Milton Frome as Lt. O'Malley
Bobby Barber as Train Station Newsstand Clerk
James Burke as Pullman Conductor
Hans Conried as Francois
Robert Carson as Tailor
Franklyn Farnum as Man in Ticket Line
Bess Flowers as Extra in Lobby
Tommy Ivo as Marty
Tor Johnson as Train Passenger
Hank Mann as Train Passenger
Peggy Moffitt as Agnes
Paul Newlan as Husky Man at Train Station
Emory Parnell as Train Conductor
Isabel Randolph as Teacher
Dick Simmons as Professor

Production

You're Never Too Young was filmed from October 18 to December 27, 1954. This film is a gender-swapped remake of another Paramount film, The Major and the Minor (1942), directed by Billy Wilder — his first American film as director — and co-written by Wilder and Charles Brackett. Both films were adapted from the play Connie Goes Home by Edward Childs Carpenter.

Diana Lynn previously appeared with Martin and Lewis in their first film, My Friend Irma (1949), as well as its sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950). She is also featured in The Major and the Minor, which You're Never Too Young is based on.