MovieChat Forums > Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) Discussion > Massey's age

Massey's age

posted 12 years ago by netshopper-2
5 replies | jump to latest

He was 44 when this was released...playing a 20 year old Lincoln. Silly casting but I liked him anyway.

[–] kw9918 11 years ago

Perhaps, but one couldn't imagine a more inspired performance, to the point where one forgets about such differences of age! (At least that's my experience of it.)

[–] mcode518 11 years ago

Walter Huston was worse. He was around 47 when he portrayed 21 year old Lincoln in the 1930 film. He clearly wore lipstick and face powder, perhaps to make him look younger. His appearance is quite laughable.

Okay, well... filibuster.

[–] vinidici 9 years ago

Massey doesn't stay "20” for very long in this. Do you suppose they should have found a 20 year old actor to play Lincoln in the whole movie? All the way from his rural days to the White House?

[–] pgharett-676-553123 9 years ago

But Lincoln was 51, almost 52 at the end. Was Massey too young for that part? And if you liked him in it, why worry about his age? I guess they could have cast someone else for the 20 year old Abe, but as another poster said, he wasn't 20 for long.

[–] vinidici 9 years ago

Frankly, pgharett, I am getting sick to death of age-correctness advocates. The motion picture industry would never have gotten off the ground if they had listened to every frivolous complaint of anal-retentive nitpickers.