Life Begins at 17 is a 1958 American drama film starring Dorothy Johnson, Mark Damon, Edd Byrnes and Luana Anders.[1]

Life Begins at 17
Elaine Peck (Dorothy Johnson) and boyfriend Jim Parker (Edd Byrnes)
Directed by	Arthur Dreifuss[1]
Written by	Richard Baer[2]
Produced by	Sam Katzman
Starring	Mark Damon Dorothy Johnson Luana Anders Edd Byrnes
Cinematography	Fred Jackman, Jr.
Edited by	Saul A. Goodkind
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	July 1958 (1958-07) (United States) August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (Los Angeles)
Running time	74 minutes
Country	US
Language	English

Plot

Carol Peck, a 17-year-old from Indiana, has an older sister, Elaine, who is a beauty queen. Carol wins a local pageant, to the delight of her parents Virginia and Harry and her dependable, mild-mannered boyfriend, Jim.

A smug, prep-school boy, Russ Lippincott, openly declares during the beauty contest his intention to date the winner. Elaine is intrigued, but declines. Russ is determined to make a conquest, so he uses her little sister Carol, pretending to be interested in her instead. Elaine wins the title of Miss Indianapolis, then takes up with Russ, insisting he tell Carol the truth.

A misunderstanding leads to a false assumption that Russ and Carol have been intimate, compounded by a broken-hearted Carol claiming she is pregnant. Russ is threatened with expulsion from school and possible arrest for sex with a minor. When she confesses her lie, Carol wins newfound respect from Russ, who becomes genuinely interested in her while Elaine returns to Jim.

Cast

• Dorothy Johnson as Elaine Peck
• Mark Damon as Russ Lippincott
• Edd Byrnes as Jim Parker
• Luana Anders as Carol Peck
• Ann Doran as Virginia Peck
• Hugh Sanders as Harry Peck

Production

It was known as The Teenage Story during production.[3]

References

External links

• Life Begins at 17 at IMDb
• Life Begins at 17 at the TCM Movie Database

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