As Young as We Are

This movie is so obscure that Leonard Maltin's comprehensive film-and-video guide doesn't even mention it. Such obscurity is not deserved because "As Young As We Are," while admittedly a minor work, offers unintentional insights into its times and features several players who went on to enjoy notable careers.

Pippa Scott plays Kim Hutchins who's looking for her first teaching job but who's told she's too young to teach high-school students. Eventually she and a new-found friend, Joyce Goodwin, are hired by the small desert town of Rosario whose students have a reputation for being "tough." While driving to Rosario, Kim and Joyce have car troubles and are rescued by a local man named Hank Moore. Hank and Kim go out on a few dates. Imagine Kim's shock when Hank then shows up on the first day of school as one of her students!

Kim tries to break off the relationship but Hank persists and soon the whole town's talking about the "scandal."

It's difficult to watch this movie today without laughing because so much of it now seems hopelessly naive. The Rosario High School, for example, hardly looks like a "blackboard jungle" but instead is a clean, handsome, well-maintained building that would not be out of place in an affluent suburb. And its supposedly intimidating student body is composed of neatly dressed and groomed individuals whose average age appears to be about 25 years old.

Kim's shock that Hank is actually a high-school student is plausible -- laughable but plausible -- because Hank looks more like the school's phys-ed teacher.

Despite its dated attitudes and styles, however, "As Young As We Are" avoids being campy because of its dogged sincerity. It's not clear just what audience was in mind for this movie, but it seems to have been made with good, if limited, intentions, and the actors take their parts seriously. Watch for Majel Barrett (later Mrs. Gene Roddenberry) as Joyce and Ellen Corby (later "Grandma" on "The Waltons") as a very grumpy landlady and Ty Hungerford (later "Ty Hardin" of "Bronco" fame) as a ten-years-too-old high-school boy. (Ty has so much more sex appeal than glum leading man Robert Harland that one wonders why "teach" didn't fall for him!) And yes, this is one of those movies where the young lovers, when they turn on the car radio, just happen to tune in the movie's title song.

Young Kim Hutchins (Pippa Scott) just out of college lands a teaching job in a jerkwater town. Traveling with her friend and colleague, the two women are harassed by some men while stopped because of car trouble. A handsome young man (Robert Harland) passing in his truck comes to their rescue, chasing off the no-good louts. After fixing the minor wiring problem, he immediately takes a shine to Ms. Hutchins and confidently begins dating her on a regular basis. Her feelings for him are equally strong and the two seem to be in love. However, on the first day in her classroom she is horrified that he is one of her senior students. He has no intention of giving her up, even though her reputation and job is at stake. Will she settle for passion or mediocrity? This film was way ahead of it's time and doesn't deserve to be relegated to obscurity. Though dated, the performances are quite good. Ty Hardin plays one of the older students, an obnoxious disrespectful jock who causes her no end of trouble. But the real standout in the cast is Robert Harland, whose sympathetic portrayal of a sincere man crossed in love who won't give up is truly memorable. It's a mystery why he didn't appear in more films as a leading man.

Pippa Scott and Majel Barrett are newly graduated teachers. Given their youth, they have a hard time landing jobs, but finally get one at a school in the countryside, where they'll be teaching classes filled with the children of migratory workers; it's a rough element, but rewarding. On the way there, their car breaks down. They are rescued by Robert Harland. There are sparks between him and Miss Scott. Imagine her state of mind when she discovers he's one of her students. Despite her determination to do the right thing, Harland pursues her, causing a lot of gossip.

For a release from Paramount, this was shocking for the era in a way that, had the teacher been a man and the student a girl, it wouldn't have been. Even with the crumbling Production Code, this was a tough subject for 1958. The years have passed, though, and we've seen headlines like this, including cases in which the married teacher carried on an affair with the high-school student. Given the fact that nothing really happens, the impact has died down over the decades. As a result, it's more the portrait of an era than of two people.

This movie chronicles the story of a new young teacher (Majel Barrett) in her first job in a rural California town. On the drive there, her car breaks down. She is helped by a young man who later takes her to dinner and dancing. She enjoys her dates with the young man, but, on the first day of school is shocked to find that he is one of her students. Complications ensue, naturally, leading to a dramatic climax. It's great to see Majel Barrett in a leading role instead of a featured player (as she is usually seen in "Star Trek"). The conflict of a young teacher and her attraction to her not-very-much younger students is still very relevant today. A decidedly different view of teachers, as opposed to the "Our Miss Brooks" type more commonly seen in movies of the era.

Kim Hutchins (Pippa Scott) and Joyce Goodwin (Majal Barrett) meet while applying for high school teaching positions. They get the jobs, not knowing just how tough their new students will be.

When Kim gets mixed up with a the hotheaded Hank Moore (Robert Harland), a bad situation gets much worse.

AS YOUNG AS WE ARE is a well-made "juvenile delinquent" movie. What makes it better than many films of its sub-genre is Ms. Scott's wide-eyed, yet strong role. Harland is also very good in his seething, could-explode-at-any-second performance as Hank Moore...