The Unappreciated Leading Man: Robert Young (Make 'Em Laugh CMBA Spring Blogathon)

Does Robert Young come to mind when you think of a comedic actor? Well, he should.

Before we get into it further, this post is part of the Classic Movie Blog Association's Spring Blogathon: "Make 'Em Laugh" which celebrates comedies and comedic entertainers. It runs through Friday, so make sure you click the link above to read all the entries.

Onward!

I have to confess that I pondered over a topic to discuss. Martin and Lewis came to mind. So did Lucille Ball. Red Skelton. Peter O’Toole, oddly enough, which might be a stretch longer than Robert Young but you watch this scene in The Lion in Winter and try not to laugh.

But I thought: No, Jessica. Dig deeper. Who’s an actor that makes you laugh, makes you smile, makes you wish he woulda been a contender if only Hollywood coulda appreciated him more.

And then I had my answer: Robert Young.

I have never watched a Robert Young comedy and not laughed at this man. He is a pure delight. And sure, he’s not a traditional comedian. Hijinx and chaos and shenanigans aren’t his schtick. But what the man possesses is comedic timing and an aw shucks smile and the ability to make you believe that whether he’s inventing Nair for men’s beards (Married Before Breakfast) or pissing off the entire New York cab driver armada (The Bride Comes Home) or hiding a wife from you while he woos you in Paris (I Met Him in Paris), that he is wholly committed to the bit.

This clown goes toe-to-toe with Fred MacMurray and still offers him a job, even though he steals Claudette Colbert out from under him (when there’s a Why Do You Dislike Fred MacMurray Characters blogathon, my entry will rival War and Peace in length*). Why was Claudette Colbert always choosing Fred MacMurray, by the way?

Robert Young rarely gets the gal. When the bride comes home, it’s to Fred MacMurray. When the bride walks out, she walks back into Gene Raymond’s arms at the end. When the bride wears red, it’s to finally admit she loved Franchot Tone the whole time.

Robert Young should have been a bigger star. He was a heavy hitter in the studio days, appearing in half-a-dozen films a year for a while there, but he never graduated to A-list status. And what he’s most remembered for today is his dramatic television series Marcus Welby, M.D. and the bucolic Father Knows Best, which started as a radio serial with comedic roots but got turned into a sentimental family show when it moved to television, at Robert’s urging.

The unrealized dream of being a successful movie star took its toll on Robert. In his later years he attempted suicide, and dealt with both depression and alcoholism. After surviving his suicide attempt, he became vocal about his struggles in the hopes that someone else would reach out for a lifeline if they felt the same way he did. 

In the January 1939 Photoplay, a woman named Nancy Louise Couper from Baltimore wrote in with a question: “What nearsighted producers started Don Ameche and Robert Young in their ‘also ran’ Cinderella roles? Are they destined to reach a mournful old movie age vainly pressing their suits and smiling wistfully in endless romantic defeat — without once winning that girl, except in secondary spectacles?

“Two such delightful players merit assignments more in tune with their outstanding talent. Even a lowly ‘B’ picture acquires distinction with the comprehension and humor of an Ameche or a Young performance to the rescue.

“How about some super parts for these underrated actors before they are forever typed?

“Do I hear shouts of ‘A’-greement with this wilderness voice?”

Photoplay’s reply? “It is true that every so often Robert Young and Don Ameche don't get their women in the last clinch, but, as both are noted in film circles for being all-around good guys, it is to be wondered if they would want to pay the price of being known as ‘glamour boys’ even to be always starred in super-productions. We like them as they are.”

At least I'm not the only one out here wondering why Robert Young never made it big. But you make me laugh, fella, and I'll always watch a movie when I see your name in the credits!

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*I’m sure Fred MacMurray was a lovely man, I’m purely speaking about the brash characters he played. Some of those guys should’ve gotten punched in the mouth and dumped by Claudette Colbert.

All gifs by me!