Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

"Young at Heart" is a reworking of the 1938 film "Four Daughters", though in the process one of the daughters was inexplicably lost and so there are only three in this remake. Plus, this time it is more of a musical. Both are quite pleasant films but not a lot more.The film begins with a musical family--a father (Robert Keith), an aunt (Ethel Barrymore) and three daughters (Doris Day, Dorothy Malone and Elisabeth Fraser). They are quite happy but now that the daughters have grown, love and marriage are bringing change. Gig Young plays the sort of role you'd expect for Ralph Bellamy--the nice guy who ends up, inexplicably, losing the girl. Just like in the first film, it's really not clear WHY Doris Day's character would jilt Young for Frank Sinatra's character since he isn't particularly likable. Still, despite this central relationship and the chemistry not working, the film does make up for this, a bit, with very nice songs. Day is very good but Sinatra's theme song is among his very best, so it's hard to hate the film. However, don't be surprised at the very end of the film--it was NOT the same ending from "Four Daughters" as apparently Sinatra hated this ending and insisted it be changed. Worth seeing but not especially memorable except for the title song...now THAT is terrific.

At the time they made this movie, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day were both on the cusp of filling out the iconic images they'd become in a few short years and show remarkable chemistry as (potentially...seemingly?) ill-fated lovers in a picture-postcard Connecticut town who get married and move to a tenement in Manhattan. It's too bad they didn't make another film together. YOUNG AT HEART (1954) is an oddball family drama, incredibly downbeat in parts, with an ending that's 180 degrees away from the one in FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938) which, like this film, was adapted from Fannie Hurst's novel, "Sister Act." (Sinatra plays the part John Garfield played in the earlier film.) Except for a beach scene, it was all shot entirely on Warner Bros. soundstages and backlots. Sinatra and Day sing a lot but don't duet till the end. Sinatra sings more than Day and gets better songs, including some Gershwin and Cole Porter standards. Sinatra's solos are quintessential Sinatra. It's just him sitting at the piano, with his hat on, playing and singing to his heart's content, usually in a shabby club just before closing. Musically, it rarely gets better than this. I wish there'd been more of these numbers. The strange but colorful supporting cast includes Ethel Barrymore, Gig Young, Robert Keith (Brian's dad), Dorothy Malone, Lonny Chapman, and pre-Skipper Alan Hale Jr. These actors are all fine, but I would have preferred to see the two stars in something that wasn't cluttered with so many other people. This was only the second film Sinatra made after his incredible Oscar-winning comeback in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953). (In the interim, he'd played a presidential assassin—part of a hit team working for a high-level conspiracy—in SUDDENLY, 1954.) Sinatra's still a notably skinny guy here and looks much younger than his 38 years. He plays a talented musician who doesn't believe he has a chance at success. He mopes a lot and browbeats himself and resents others' success and always has a cigarette dangling from his lips. Plus, he keeps his hat on in the house. Doris almost weds Gig Young but dumps him at the last minute for his much needier friend, Sinatra. She tries to change the grumpy Sinatra, to make him happier. Good luck. Why didn't these stars ever reteam? Especially late in life, guided by a master director at the top of his game. What a film that would have made. YOUNG AT HEART's director, Gordon Douglas, went on to direct Sinatra in four films in the 1960s, including two of the star's best, ROBIN AND THE SEVEN HOODS (1964) and THE DETECTIVE (1968).

FRANK SINATRA followed up his "From Here To Eternity" triumph by starring opposite DORIS DAY in a musical remake of "Four Daughters" called YOUNG AT HEART. He gets even better song material than Day, including memorable versions of "Young at Heart" and "One for My Baby", but Day is compensated by a nice dramatic role that gets her brand of warmth and sincerity, as well as a duet with Sinatra on "You, My Love".ETHEL BARRYMORE is the elderly aunt and ROBERT KEITH is the father, while GIG YOUNG plays the young man that Day almost marries until she discovers that her sister is broken-hearted over their upcoming marriage. Instead, she runs off with the loner, Barny (Sinatra), and has a rather tumultuous marriage that she's determined to salvage. This version of the tale has her succeed, avoiding the downbeat ending of the original in which the John Garfield character (played by Sinatra)died.It's pleasant, nostalgic and the kind of musical they never make any more. Particularly sensitive performances from Sinatra, Day and Gig Young under Gordon Douglas' direction. Worth seeing for fans of Day and Sinatra especially.The only big difference between this and the original is that color and music have been added. Otherwise, the script is pretty close to the 1938 version directed by Michael Curtiz.

Having just watched the original, "Four Daughters", made in 1938, I was struck by the fact that this 1954 remake follows the original script nearly word for word. And that's good because the script was excellent, with fast repartee and well-built drama. But it is unusual that a script tailored for the 1930s could still be as entertaining and relevant almost 20 years later. I have read that Warners intended the original Fannie Hurst story, "Sister Act", for a Bette Davis vehicle--it boggles the mind! Can't imagine it at all, given the story. Wise Bette turned it down, thank heavens. Instead, Warners cast the Lane sisters, Priscilla, Lola, and Rosemary, plus Gale Page as the fourth sister. (The fourth sister was dropped in "Young At Heart".) A rare case of two movies made from the same script, years apart, and of equal quality, this remake stands on its own and is just as entertaining as the original, if a little more light hearted. After all, the original had a tragic ending, which they didn't use for the remake. It is practically the only thing in the movie not a duplicate of the first movie. Even the sets look much the same. And "Young at Heart " added popular songs. Ethel Barrymore took over for May Robson, but it was the kind of caustic aunt role she had played many times. I missed Claude Raines in the newer version, but preferred Gig Young to Jeffrey Lynn. In fact, the cast of each film was really first rate. I could happily recommend either or both films!