| Life Begins at 17 | |
| Director: | Arthur Dreifuss |
| Producer: | Sam Katzman |
| Starring: | Mark Damon Dorothy Johnson Luana Anders Edd Byrnes |
| Cinematography: | Fred Jackman, Jr. |
| Editing: | Saul A. Goodkind |
| Studio: | Columbia Pictures |
| Runtime: | 74 minutes |
| Country: | US |
| Language: | English |
Life Begins at 17 is a 1958 American drama film starring Dorothy Johnson, Mark Damon, Edd Byrnes and Luana Anders.[1]
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.
It was known as The Teenage Story during production.[2]