The 1964 Movie "For Those Who Think Young" -- Part 7

Following Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6

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College playboy Gardner "Ding" Pruitt III seduces young women by inviting them to his luxurious apartment, where he serves them alcoholic drinks. Sandy Palmer has socialized with Ding, but she refuses all his invitations to his apartment.

When previous young women have likewise refused to come to his apartment, he employs a trick. He tells the young woman that he is hosting a 21st-birthday party for himself in his apartment and that lots of people will be there. When the young woman arrives and finds herself to be the only guest, he pretends that he did write many invitations but that his servant failed to mail them. Ding then proceeds to serve alcohol to his one guest, and eventually during that night he seduces her.

Sandy Palmer has been going steady with Ding for a few months, and she has learned that he has used that birthday-party trick on previous girlfriends. Just when she has decided that they have been going steady long enough with him, she decides that they should advance to second base, which the going-steady rules define as follows:

First base = kissing, including open-mouth (or French) kissing

Second base = petting above the waist, including touching, feeling, and fondling the chest, breasts, and nipples

Third base = petting or orally stimulating below the waist, including touching, feeling, and fondling the vagina, clitoris, penis, or testicles

Home base = sexual intercourse

However, just as she begins to communicate to him that they should advance to second base, he employs his birthday-party trick. He invites her to his apartment to celebrate his 21st birthday on the following Tuesday. Even though Sandy is wise to Ding's birthday-party trick, she accepts his invitation.

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This situation fascinates all the young women -- including Baby and Lisa Houseman -- who are watching the movie For Those Who Think Young in the summer of 1964.

The sequence of events:

1:08:00 - 1:09:40 = Sandy decides it's time to advance to second base with Ding

1:09:40 - 1:10:15 = Ding unexpectedly invites Sandy to his birthday party in his apartment

1:10:15 - 1:11:00 = The movie audience sees that Sandy knows the birthday-party trick

1:11:00 - 1:13:20 = Ding and his servant prepare the birthday-party trick in his apartment

1:13:20 - 1:14:30 = Sandy arrives and sees that she is the only guest

1:14:30 - 1:15:00 = Sandy asks to drink champagne, but pours out her glass secretly

Sandy's pouring out the champagne while Ding is not looking is the movie's key moment.

While Ding is not looking at her ....

... Sandy pours out her glass of champagne

Sandy thus teaches the movie's young female audience how to outsmart tricky playboys who are trying to seduce them. Don't drink! Don't get drunk!! Drink only soft drinks -- like Pepsi Cola !!!

While Sandy stays sober, Ding is drinking and has begun to slur his words. Therefore, Sandy has the upper hand and now will trick and out-smart Ding.

Sandy tests Ding to determine whether he really does love her.

During the period from 1:15 to 1:23:30 in the above video, Sandy pretends that she wants to skip second base and advance directly to third base and perhaps beyond. However, Ding balks at her aggressiveness. Ding now wants to follow the go-steady rules, because he has recognized the wisdom of those rules.

 Thus, Ding has passed Sandy's test. By insisting that he and she follow the going-steady rules, he has proved to her that he really does love her.

The movie's dialogue does not explicitly mention the going-steady rules or the baseball bases, but the 1964 movie audience understood that subtext. The movie made sense because of that subtext.

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The movie continues beyond Sandy's test of Ding, and the remainder continues to revolve largely around the issue of whether college students younger than 21 should be allowed to drink alcohol. Ding's grandfather, who became rich as a bootlegger during Prohibition, frames the Surf's Up nightclub for selling alcoholic drinks to minors. Ultimately, however, the nightclub is vindicated and all the charges are dropped. Sandy and Ding are engaged, and they plan to marry as soon as she graduates from college.

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When Lisa Houseman watched the movie in the summer of 1964, she loved the movie because of its subtext that the going-steady rules should be followed. During the summer of 1963, Lisa had intended to violate those rules with Robbie, but Lisa was stopped by her discovery of Robbie and Vivian together in bed.

From that 1963 experience and from watching this 1964 movie, Lisa had learned a valuable lesson about the wisdom of following the going-steady rules. In any future romantic relationship, Lisa would insist that she and her boyfriend follow the going-steady rules. As the girl in the relationship, Lisa would expect and tolerate her boyfriend's persuading her to advance to the next base, but she as the girl would agree to advancements only as her boyfriend demonstrated increasing commitment to her.

Lisa and her boyfriend both would have to follow the rules. He had to demonstrate more commitment, and then she had to allow him to advance with her to the next base.

By following the going-steady rules, Lisa eventually would become engaged and married to a handsome, intelligent, successful man who would make herself and her parents happy. Lisa would graduate from college, but then she would stay home and create a beautiful household and family while her husband earned a good living.

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When Baby Houseman watched the movie in the summer of 1964, she was more conflicted about it. During the summer of 1963, Baby had violated the going-steady rules with Johnny Castle -- and she largely had gotten away with that violation. She had enjoyed a sexual adventure with Johnny, and her parents had tolerated that adventure. Baby's relationship with Johnny never would become permanent, and she would accept the relationship's end intelligently.

Baby had gone to see the movie For Those Who Think Young largely because of her crush on the actor James Darren during her earlier teenage years. Darren had been her puppy-love infatuation since she had been 13 years old. Now in 1964 when Baby was 18 years old and was sexually experienced with an older, extraordinarily powerful and skilled man, she found that her infatuation with Darren had dissipated. Baby was not delighted that the movie ended with Darren's character being lured into marrying the movie's heroine.

Baby did not learn the wisdom of the going-steady rules during 1963-1964. Instead, she learned the fun of sexual adventure. She would continue to attend an all-women college, and then she would serve two or three years in the Peace Corps, and then she would continue her higher education, earning a Master's Degree and perhaps then a PhD. Then she would devote herself fully to a professional career.

Along her way, Baby would enjoy a series of sexual adventures that ultimately frustrated her. She would not marry until she was well into her thirties and had to settle on some boring man before it was too late for her to give birth.

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I will complete this article in Part 8.