Robert Young

After appearing on stage, Young was signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)—a movie studio that, at the time, was known for holding contracts with a large number of stars —and, in spite of having a "tier B" status, he co-starred with some of the studio's most illustrious actresses, such as Margaret Sullavan, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Helen Hayes, Luise Rainer, and Helen Twelvetrees. Yet, most of his assignments consisted of B movies, also known as "programmers", which required two to three weeks of shooting (considered very brief shooting periods at the time). Actors who were relegated to such a hectic schedule appeared, as Young did, in some six to eight movies per year.

As an MGM contract player, Young was resigned to the fate of most of his colleagues—to accept any film assigned to him or risk being placed on suspension—and many actors on suspension were prohibited from earning a salary from any endeavor at all (even those unrelated to the film industry). Read Less