Under Eighteen (sometimes styled as Under 18, in fact, this is how it's written in the opening title) is a 1931 film directed by Archie Mayo.
Despite the salacious title, neither Jailbait Taboo or The Jailbait Wait are featured in this film—although lead actress Marian Marsh did turn 18 just two months before the movie was released. Instead, Marsh plays Margie Evans, a young seamstress of indeterminate age in The Great Depression. Times are tough, but they could be worse: Margie's meager salary is still enough to put food on the table and pay for the dumpy apartment she shares with her mom. Margie also has an affectionate boyfriend named Jimmy, who also has managed to hang on to a job in the Depression, driving a delivery truck. Margie however is frustrated by living the life of the urban working poor, and dreams of better times. It does not help that she notices other women, like the sexy models who work at the fashion business where Margie sews dresses, accepting presents and jewels from rich men in return for sexual favors.
The family's situation gets worse when Margie's older sister Sophie (Anita Page), moves back in, along with her idiot husband Alf who was once a pool shark but saw his pool hall go under, and their little son. Now Margie is supporting a family of five, as Alf lounges around lazily and, rather than look for a job, talks about making a big score at a pool tournament. Things get worse still when unemployed Alf hits Sophie in the face one day, giving her a black eye. Margie and Sophie decide that Sophie needs a divorce, but the lawyer will cost $200. Lacking other ways to get the money, Margie decides to approach Raymond Harding (Warren William), a filthy rich cad who showed obvious interest in Sophie when he met her at the fashion store.
Tropes:
- Casting Couch: Discussed Trope. Among the things that the models in the fashion shop are getting from their sugar daddies are parts in shows. Raymond uses this for his own ends, telling the babe in his lap that he has gotten his latest girlfriend Babsy a part in a show, and more importantly, a show that is about to go on the road.
- The Cloudcuckoolander Was Right: Alf keeps blathering about how he doesn't need to look for a job or anything, because he, a prize-winning pool player, will get into a pool tournament and bet on himself and make a big score. The confrontation where Alf punches Sophie in the eye comes when he takes the fancy orchid, the one Raymond Harding sent, so he can sell it and and get the entry fee for a big pool tournament. Margie and Sophie are united in regarding Alf as a big-mouthed loser—until the ending reveals that he entered the tournament, won, collected the $1000 prize, and won $500 more from betting on himself.
- Curious Qualms of Conscience: Raymond isn't exactly evil, but he's clearly a cad who is very used to inviting lovely young ladies up to his penthouse for sex in exchange for jewels and furs and presents. He's perfectly willing to have sex with Margie and even offers her champagne in a But Liquor Is Quicker way. But after Margie, who's clearly a virgin, starts ranting about how marriage is useless for poor people and how she's going to keep an eye out for the main chance, Raymond changes his mind. He is obviously about to give her the $200 freely when Jimmy barges in and makes a mess of things.
- Distant Prologue: The opening scene is set in 1928 before the main story plays out in 1931.
- Heat Wave: It's hot in New York, which is part of the plot, as being hot and sweaty is part of what makes Margie yearn to get out of the slums. It's also the bait that Raymond uses to get her to his penthouse, with the promise of swimming in a pool.
- High-Class Call Girl: It seems like the modeling service at the fashion store is a cover for this, or at the very least, the two businesses are intertwined. Several models, who after all are prancing around wearing lingerie and skimpy dresses, wind up as the companions of the rich men who come in shopping. And specifically, Francois the dress designer also seems to be matching up his models with rich men. He gets very excited when Raymond Harding shows an interest in Margie and coaches her to impress him with a more high-class air, which means she has to stop saying "swell."
- Lingerie Scene: Lots, as befitting a movie from The Pre-Code Era. Margie and the other models in the shop are often seen in their underwear changing clothes, as is Margie towards the end when she takes off her dress in Raymond's penthouse.
- Lohengrin and Mendelssohn: The standard Lohengrin procession in the opening wedding scene as Sophie gets married.
- The Mistress: Many of the models at the fashion shop eventually become this for the rich men that buy dresses. One of the older women that works there acidly notes that the sugar daddies give their mistresses jewels and presents and such, but rarely cash, because they don't want the girls too independent.
- Naked in Mink: As close as a 1931 film could get, anyway. Margie, a seamstress, is changing her clothes in the locker room and is wearing only a slip when she's dragooned into modeling a fur coat, all the other models having left for lunch. Margie goes out dressed in only slip and coat and models the coat for Raymond and his mistress of the week. There's even a bit where the mistress demands to see the lining of the coat, forcing Margie to open said coat and show herself in her slip, while Raymond gazes appreciatively.
- Non-Indicative Name: The film is called Under Eighteen, but while Margie is obviously young, her age is never mentioned and there's no hint that there's a reason to worry about the Jailbait Taboo.
- A Party, Also Known as an Orgy: As close as a 1931 film could get. There's all the men chasing swimsuit-clad women around, Raymond's Visual Innuendo as he cavorts with a babe in the pool, and Raymond's observation that Margie has to change in the penthouse because all of the changing rooms are in use.
- Pool Scene: Margie accepts an invitation to Raymond's penthouse to go swimming, only to find the pool is the scene of a huge party where dozens of people, including a lot of ladies in bathing suits, are hanging out.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending: Things look very dark indeed after Jimmy punches Raymond in the gut, Raymond keels over, and it appears that he may be dying. The cops come and mercilessly interrogate Margie, who manages to sneak out a window. She makes it back to Jimmy's apartment and tells him to run for it, but he decides to face the music. There's a rap on the door...and it's Raymond's butler, who tells them that actually Raymond is fine, he just had a reaction to shrimp salad, and oh by the way, he's giving Margie the $200 with no strings attached. That's immediately followed by a message from Francois the designer, who's also giving Margie $200 as well as a raise and promotion to full-time dress model. And if that's not cool enough, word comes that Alf the lazy loudmouth actually made good on his boasts and won $1500 at pool, and has gotten back together with Sophie, who apparently has gotten over her black eye.
- Time Skip: Three years from Sophie's wedding in 1928, to the main story in 1931. Sophie and Margie's father died soon after the wedding, and Margie is just barely scraping by, supporting herself and her mom as a seamstress.
- Visual Innuendo: The pre-Code naughtiness gets most naughty in a scene where Raymond, in a pool, is bouncing a woman up and down—she is clearly riding an inflatable seahorse but the scene is obviously meant to also look like she's riding him cowgirl.
- Would Hit a Girl: When Sophie tries to stop Alf from selling the orchid he punches her in the face. This is what leads Sophie and Margie to look for a divorce lawyer.