Young and Willing is a 1943 American comedy film made by Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 (as Cinema Guild Productions) and distributed by United Artists

United Artists

United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....

. It was produced and directed by Edward H. Griffith

Edward H. Griffith

Edward H. Griffith was an American motion picture director, screenwriter and producer. He directed 61 films from 1917 to 1946. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia and began his career in motion pictures as a screenwriter in 1916, and advanced to the position of a director of two-reelers...

 from a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp based on the play Out of the Frying Pan by Francis Swann

Francis Swann

Francis Swann was a playwright and novelist, and a film and television writer. He was born in Maryland and died in California. He wrote several Broadway plays, most notable of which was Out of the Frying Pan. He wrote a number of screenplays for Warner Brothers and other studios...

.

The film stars William Holden

William Holden

William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...

, Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...

, Eddie Bracken

Eddie Bracken

Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...

, Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley

Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor...

, Florence MacMichael, Martha O'Driscoll, Barbara Britton

Barbara Britton

Barbara Britton was an American film and television actress.She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television on the pilot program, Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show with the role taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film...

, James Brown

James Brown

James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

 and Mabel Paige

Mabel Paige

Mabel Paige was an American film actress. She began acting at age 4 and went on to appear in over 50 films between 1914 and 1953...

.

The story is based around young struggling actors (three males and three females) cohabiting an apartment to make ends meet. This scenario is pretty daring considering the conservative and censorious attitudes of that period. The landlady provides a play to the actors which turns out to be left behind long ago by a former destitute tenant (Robert Benchley) but now a successful theater producer and playwright who has recently taken a room in his old haunts to recharge his creativity and try to rewrite his first play which the landlady had kept when he was evicted. The young actors attempt to sell his own play to him. Complications are made by Cousin Muriel (Florence MacMichael) visiting and discovering the sinful cohabitation and tattling to her folks who charge over to investigate and drag the daughters home. Silliness and mayhem ensues propelled by Muriel's actions highlighted by her unique little girl tattletale voice.

The play on which the film is based opened at the Windsor Theatre, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 on the February 11, 1941 with Alfred Drake

Alfred Drake

Alfred Drake was an American actor and singer.-Biography:Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Brooklyn College...

, Barbara Bel Geddes

Barbara Bel Geddes

Barbara Bel Geddes was an American actress, artist and children's author. She is best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as matriarch Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing. Bel Geddes also starred in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the role of Maggie...

, and Mabel Paige.