The Young Lovers (1964)

Interesting facts

The Young Lovers is a 1964 black-and-white American romantic drama film. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in November 1964. The sole directorial effort of its producer, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., it stars Peter Fonda and Sharon Hugueny, with second leads Nick Adams and Deborah Walley. Scripted by George Garrett from a 1955 novel by Julian Halevy, the film was shot in September–October 1963 and released a year later.

Production

The film was based on a novel by blacklisted screenwriter Julian Zimet, writing as Julian Halavey, which was published in 1956. It was optioned as a Broadway play but no stage production resulted. Goldwyn purchased the screen rights in March 1957, intending to make it after The Proud Rebel. Robert Dozier wrote the first script and Goldwyn launched a talent quest to find 100 young lovers, who could appear in the film.

The film took a number of years to be made, in part because Goldwyn was unhappy with the scripts he had written. "None of them caught the spirit, attitudes or the idiom of young people," he said.

The script was eventually written by George Garrett, an assistant professor of English whose prose Goldwyn admired. It was his first screenplay.

Goldwyn decided to direct himself because he "wanted total control".

Goldwyn wanted Richard Beymer for a lead part. Peter Fonda was cast on the basis of his stage performance in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole.

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