Age of Indiscretion (1935) User Reviews

Father and son

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 13 July 2006]

Robert Lenhart, the publisher of quality books, is facing a financial downturn in his business. No one seems to care for the material he prefers to give the public anymore. His wife Eve, who clearly doesn't love him, decides to move on when he tries to reason with her in trying to economize. Eve walks out leaving Bill, her young son, with Robert, who clearly adores the boy, for the rich Felix Shaw.

Robert's business takes a great turn for the better, when Jean Oliver, a bestselling romance author decides to bring her new novel to his firm. Robert's secretary, Maxine, who secretly loves her boss, dotes on Bill, because she realizes he misses his mother. It's no wonder Robert also begins to see his assistant in a new manner.

Eve, who has married into the wealthy Shaw family, couldn't care less about Bill, as long as she is having fun. Her mother in law, Emma Shaw, meets the young son, and immediately takes to him and wants Eve to sue for custody. Things are complicated as Emma goes to the cottage where Robert and Bill have spent Chrismas with Maxine. Emma takes the matter into her hands, but realizes at the end that instead of getting young Bill's affections, she is being unfair.

This forgotten 1935 film, directed by Edward Ludwig, was seen on TCM recently. It's a story typical of the times. What Mr. Ludwig accomplished was to tell a richly detailed story in 80 minutes that seem even shorter as one gets involved in this movie.

Part of the success must go to Paul Lukas, who plays Robert Lenhart with his usual style. His Robert shows a tremendous love for Bill, who depends on him for everything. Madge Evans is perfect as Maxine Bennett, the secretary who falls in love with her boss, but would not do anything to jeopardize the father-son relationship. May Robson makes a strident Emma Shaw, a selfish rich woman, who comes to her senses when she realizes what she is going to do. There is a delicious moment in the film when Catherine Doucet, the romance novelist, comes to visit Robert Lenhart in his office. David Holt and Helen Vinson also make valuable contributions to the picture as Bill and Eve.

"Age of Indiscretion" is an enjoyable movie that reflects the tastes of the times in which it was made.

Obscure Glossy MGM Soaper with Good Performances

[HarlowMGM · 7/10 · 21 November 2013]

THE AGE OF INDISCRETION is a surprisingly frank post-code soap opera from 1935, given the full MGM polish despite no box-office names in the cast, being a programmer ground out to fill the desire for new pictures every week. The end results are a satisfying if not overly memorable film.

Paul Lukas stars as a book publisher whose catalog of serious literature isn't paying the bills. His shallow, money-loving wife Helen Vinson is having an affair with Ralph Forbes and when Lukas gently requests she cut the spending sprees what little affection she has for him and their son David Lee Holt quickly disappears as she decides to ditch them for the wealthy lover. Trouble is after the divorce and remarriage Helen discovers Forbes is a mama's boy whose mother May Robson controls the family purse strings and isn't too fond of her new daughter-in-law. Arch-conservative Robson is appalled that Vinson has abandoned her son and pushes for her to seek custody, meanwhile Lukas tries to move on with his life and raise his son with some help from his devoted secretary Madge Evans.

This movie is very well acted and has a good script although Robson's character isn't particularly credible, hard to imagine this cold, penny pinching old miser would insist on her son's social climbing wife adding her kid to the family particularly when she hasn't even met the boy (it would have been far more probable this character would have insisted her son and his wife supply her with actual blood grandchild.) When Robson and Holt finally do meet, on neighboring cabins in the mountains it's not clear if this is a coincidence or Robson snooping on Lukas. The scene where Robson walks in Lukas' cabin and is furious to find him and his secretary pillow fighting in his bedroom in their pajamas (they'd been sleeping in separate rooms, mind you) is a stunner and the following court case is quite blunt about what presumably has been going on between the couple (so much so that this film was banned in Canada because of the courtroom scenes). The resolution alas comes off little too rushed. The cast is terrific although Lukas' Viennese accent occasionally makes his lines different to understand.

MGM had tried to make Madge Evans, a pleasant but unmemorable actress into a star for almost five years at this point and was soon to let her go after this film, the irony being she is better in this film than I've ever seen her before as well as at her peak in beauty. Helen Vinson is a memorably cold wife and May Robson is superb as always although her courtroom confession seems a little incredible, who wouldn't believe something scandalous for the day was going on after that scene she walked in on? Little David Holt was a quite good child actor of the time, he may be best known for his funny performance as Tom Sawyer's sissy cousin in that 1938 classic which happened to reunite him with Miss Robson yet here he's equally terrific as a more all-American boy type (though Southern accent comes through strongly on occasion making him a bit incredible as Lukas' and Vinson's son). Obscure character actress Catharine Doucet has a terrific cameo as a late-middleaged, best-selling "trash" romance novelist who has set her cap for the newly unattached Lukas. Movie buffs will want to watch for future Paramount starlet Shirley Ross in a small part as Evans' roommate and former silent star Mary McLaren playing the maid at the Robson estate.

TCM seems to only show this vintage soaper once or twice a decade, likely due to it's lack of big names. While not a classic, it certainly deserves more circulation than that.

Some Great Acting In The Final Scenes

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 6 May 2024]

A strait-laced published is married to a beautiful woman who is discontented due to his focus on his business. When he confesses there are financial exigencies that require frugality, she abandons him and their son.

Paul Lukas plays the published, Robert Lenhart. And Helen Vinson (soon to be married to tennis champion, Fred Perry) plays the wife, Eve. This is great casting, but the entire cast is impressive in their roles. Madge Evans plays the secretary, Maxine Bennett, whose dedication to her employer, Lenhart, goes well beyond professional consideration. When Mrs. Lenhart leaves, Maxie spends time with little Bill, the son (played by David Holt). In short order, Eve remarries.

Though Robert never stops loving his wife, things stabilize, until Eve's new mother-in-law (May Robson), who controls the purse strings with a gruff dedication to always getting her way, demands that Eve sue for custody of her son. An emotional courtroom scene follows.

Though the story is somewhat plodding in its early scenes, it gathers momentum, and concludes with some wonderful action in its final moments. The production is blessed with some great performances. Watch for Catherine Doucet, who plays the eccentric authoress, Jean Oliver, with great energy. And May Robson puts on a show as the demanding mother-in-law, culminating in a courtroom performance that would steal the film, if not for young David Holt, who himself acts beyond his years in the final scenes.

Life with father...and without mother.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 23 June 2022]

A surprising switch for the usual women's film theme, sending away a very selfish woman (Helen Vinson) from struggling businessman husband Paul Lukas and their young son, David Holt. Vinson remarries (to the extremely wealthy Ralph Forbes), and it's only after her new mother-in-law, the demanding May Robson, demands that she bring her son for a visit, that Vinson goes to see him. But the relationship between father and son has become very close, so Holt declines, and by chance encounters Robson while sledding on Christmas vacation in the mountains.

Of course, in stories like this, there's always the loyal secretary standing by, and it's Madge Evans, billed second to Lukas, and as she becomes her boss's confident, the inevitable occurs. The highlight of the film is the comical encounter between Robson and Holt where the feisty old lady gets on the sled and laughs in joy when she flies head first into the snow. This is definitely Grandma's second childhood, typical of the types of roles that Robson and other loveable senior actors inevitably were cast in.

So while this is not a great film, it is a fun one, sincerely acted, and showing a divorced couple in communication as they should be. Like the same year's "I Live For Love" (with Joan Crawford), there's a comical version of "Silent Night", surrounding a great holiday sequence where Lukas and Evans discover their growing love. Comparisons to "Kramer vs. Kramer" cover the basic plot, but they are two very different films. Robson's obsession with Holt becomes rather perplexing since she is absolutely no relation to him, and seems rather forced. In spite of that, there is genuinely good acting, maybe not one of MGM's top A films of 1935, but pleasant.

Almost like "Kramer Versus Kramer" decades and decades earlier.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 17 February 2013]

Robert Lenhart (Paul Lukas) is a publisher who is having hard times with his business. His 'loving wife' decides that she doesn't want to be shackled to a poor man and a child, so she leaves and marries a millionaire. Surprisingly, Lenhart's business turns around and he and the boy make a good life for themselves. However, the wife's new mother-in-law (May Robson) likes the boy and decides she MUST have the child--so the mother and step-father return and try to take custody of the boy. What happens next? See the film.

This film is an unusual tear-jerker because it's an awful lot like "Kramer Versus Kramer"--but almost 50 years earlier. While the final courtroom scene is a bit contrived, it is also heartfelt and satisfying. Overall, a nice old film that I enjoyed from start to finish. Better than I expected.

Lenhart Vs Lenhart

[ramawv · 9/10 · 14 March 2013]

Helen Vinson plays as an unfaithful woman married to Robert Lenhart (Paul Lukas), the book publisher. A fight for the custody of their only son Bill Lenhart (David Holt) is the main theme of the Lenore Coffee's story scripted by Otis Garret and Leon Gordon: May Robson and Madge Evans offer splendid performances in the supporting roles.

When Robert Lenhart asks his wife, Eve to be careful about spending; she refuses and walks out on him with her boyfriend Felix Shaw and later marries him. Emma Shaw (May Robson), the new mother-in-law of Eve meets her son Bill and encourages Eve to sue Robert for custody. In the meantime Robert's business gets better, and his friendship with his secretary Maxine Bennett, played Madge Evans, grows into a healthy relationship.

Paul Lukas does his job wonderfully in the number one spot. His dedication to his family and his good friendship with his secretary is wonderful. She is very understanding not to hurt the father-son relationship. This is a great movie and fun to watch.