As with another occasional film promoted in part as a comedy, this one needs close attention to find any humor. "Those Endearing Young Charms," even in its title, may be having some sport with audiences. Is the "Young" a reference to the male star, Robert Young? The plot and screenplay would suggest that, with reference to his "charms." Or is to this guy's persona, as a young Army pilot, who sweeps the girls off their feet?
I rate this film six stars just for the performances of the four principal cast members. They do very well with roles in a story that has a number of conflictions. Were Hank Travers (Robert Young) and Jerry (Bill Williams) buddies back in school together? Or, were they just from the same home town? Were they friends, or just acquaintances? Did they ever pal around together, or was Hank more of a loner who went with lots of girls and broke their hearts?
Jerry loves Helen Brandt (Laraine Day), even though he knows Helen looks on him as a brother. Their families were close friends back in their hometown. Helen and her mother, Mrs. "Captain" Brandt (Ann Harding), are close and live together. Mother is concerned about Helen's future, after she is attracted to Hank. She tells Helen of her lost love of the past, and Helen was surprised to learn that it was Jerry's father. The "Captain" and he had met and were in love before the last war. She wouldn't marry him, and when he returned from the war he married Jerry's mother instead. Yet, Helen still loved him, even after she married Helen's father.
Now, the Captain is worried about what Helen will do, regarding Hank. Will Helen let him go, as her mother had let her lover go before? Or would she hold onto him, and not have regrets later over lost love? But what never occurs to either woman, or is never mentioned at all, is an unspoken confliction. If mother had said "Yes" to her man before, and not married Helen's father, there would be no Helen today - she would not have been born. Nor would Jerry have been born to his father and mother.
The conflictions with Hank's character alone, and with Helen and Hank are even more apparent. Was Hank always so cynical and self-centered? His seeming "charm" was mostly in a gentlemanly and polite manner. But then he would revert to a cynical comment or snide remark. Can anyone believe that such a persona would attract lots of girls, or women? Now, it's obvious that Helen is no fool, or floozie, or naive young woman who is easily swayed by a smooth operator. She's intelligent and smart about life. So, she's a good person for someone to do word play with. Hank discovers that right away. So they are able to converse and get along, each one trying to find the real person hidden within the core of the other. Helen is as much a mystery to Hank as he is an interesting man to her, because his dating and love life haven't been so selective.
Now, Jerry becomes upset because Hank and Helen are getting close. He doesn't want to see Helen hurt by being dropped by Hank as just another of his love-em-and-leave-em girls. Or, perhaps Jerry is really worried that Hank and Helen will hit it off and get married? This is another confliction because one doesn't know what Jerry is really thinking or worried about.
So, all of these portrayals are very good, in showing each person as he or she is - and conflicted. But then the plot becomes a little problematic. It moves swiftly toward the end. When Hank takes Helen to the airbase to watch the planes, they run into a couple of his fellow air officers. They kid with him and chide him and he is uncomfortable with them seeing Helen. So, he must be a real down-to-earth guy after all? At least with men, fellows he associates and works with. And Hank falls for Helen and tells her so; but to the audience it's so very hard to believe because he shows no signs of any kind of change - emotion, physical, demeaner, happiness, giddiness, etc.
And, even though Helen shows some determination and a little excitement about going after her man at the end, there still doesn't seem to be a spark of romance or love. I guess the best way to describe their relationship is the old cliched term - that there never seems to be any chemistry between Hank and Helen.
One last observation about the screenplay. It's a very "talkie" script, and that further makes this film very closely resemble a soap opera. But, again, the acting and performances of the leads here clearly raise it above that level. So, it's an interesting, somewhat mysterious slice of life film about the time and place and meeting of people during World War II. The humor is very subtle and below the surface, and the romance isn't anything like the usual, out in the open between boy and girl, man and woman. It's a more sophisticated type of love story without very much romance at all.
Some may like it for all or some of these aspects and reasons. But for others, it may just be too unusual and not very entertaining at all. I saved what I think is the one very funny line in the film for last. When Hank takes Helen to the Dipsy-Doodle for dining and dancing, the waiter (Tom Dugan) shakes his head when Hank mentions food. So, Hank orders two high balls, and he and Helen start talking while the waiter stays and listens. Hank turns to him and says, "We'll tell you what happens when you come back." The waiter says, "Oh, will ya - thanks?" and leaves as he gets the message.
