STOLEN PARADISE aka Adolescence (1940) Leon Janney, Eleanor Hunt & Esther Muir | Drama | B&W

Stolen Paradise also released as Adolescence is a 1940 youth film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and filmed in and around Coral Gables, Florida. Eleanor Hunt was married to producer George A. Hirliman.

SYNOPSIS
Richard Gordon, an 18-year-old student at St. Francis boarding school, aspires to become a Roman Catholic priest. However, his life takes a different turn when Father O'Malley informs him that his father is remarrying and wants Richard to return home to study at a prestigious university. Reluctantly leaving St. Francis, Richard moves in with his father in Florida, where he meets his new stepsister, Patricia Morrow, who is ten years his senior. Despite their familial relationship, Richard falls in love with Patricia.

As Richard adjusts to his new life, he attends college and becomes more worldly, engaging in activities like sailing and piloting. However, disillusioned after learning that he can never be with Patricia romantically, Richard joins the Air Force when World War II breaks out. Shot down in battle, he is rescued and taken to a monastery where he renounces worldly desires and decides to study for the priesthood.

Throughout his journey, Richard grapples with his aspirations for the priesthood, his forbidden love for his stepsister, and the realities of war and life experiences that shape his spiritual and personal growth. The narrative follows his evolution from a sheltered student to a man confronting complex emotions and existential choices amid turbulent times.

CAST & CREW
Leon Janney ... Richard 'Dick' Gordon
Eleanor Hunt ... Patricia Morrow
Esther Muir ... Mrs. Ellen Gordon
Wilma Francis ... Jerry Dean
Doris Blaine ... Mary Hodge
Herbert Fisher ... Father O'Malley
Roy Tracy ... Tom Trowbridge
Fred Nielsey ... Robert Gordon
Mamie Smith ... Martha
Charles Shaw ... Larry Hodge
Billy Vines ... Salesman on Train
Gilda Lynch ... Janet

Director: Louis J. Gasnier
Written by: Arthur Hoerl (scenario), Lawrence Meade (story), Robert Spafford (screenplay)
Produced by: George A. Hirliman
Cinematography: Jack Greenhalgh
Cinematography: Jack Greenhalgh
Editing: Robert O. Crandall (credited as Robert Crandall)
Music by: Nathaniel Shilkret
Distributed by: Monogram Pictures Corporation
Release Date: December 1940
Running Time: 79 minutes
Language: English