Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

Based on Cornelia Otis Skinner's book about her misadventures in Paris during the 1920s, as she and Emily Kimbrough embark on an unchaperoned visit to Europe where they are to meet up with their parents at a later time.

Right from the start, the misadventures start--all tinged with humor as the naive girls cope with all manner of happenings, including an overnight stay on a Notre Dame balcony when they are locked out. Some of it seems a bit far-fetched but presumably much of it is based on real life events.

It's rose-tinted nostalgia and a fine period piece. It gives DIANA LYNN (as Emily) and GALE RUSSELL (as Cornelia) some wonderful bits of business that reveals they had a talent for light comedy. CHARLES RUGGLES, JAMES BROWN and BEULAH BONDI shine in supporting roles.

Trivia note: Gale Russell and Cornelia Otis Skinner would be re-united on screen in THE UNINVITED, in which Cornelia played Miss Holloway, the woman who hides a dark secret and keeps Russell locked away in a sanitarium.