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Dalene Young

Dalene Young

Writer, producer and actor · Died May 9, 2025, aged 85 · Hawaii, USA

Dalene Young (June 29, 1939 — May 9, 2025) was an American screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor. She was best known for writing the coming-of-age comedy-drama Little Darlings (1980), featuring Tatum O’Neal and Kristy McNichol, and the Mary Steenburgen-starring drama Cross Creek (1983). Young received a Daytime Emmy nomination for co-writing the Showtime children’s special Locked in Silence (1999) and landed a Christopher Award and a Humanitas Prize nomination for her work on the NBC telefilm Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted (1992).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 29, 1939
Died
May 9, 2025 (aged 85)
From
Hawaii, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 8% in 30 days

What are Dalene Young's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
33%
Bonds
25%
Survival
20%
Society
9%
Morality
7%
Ideas
5%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 14 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 12 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Warm
10
Melancholic
7
Hopeful
8
Contemplative
5
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dalene Young's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dalene Young's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Pig(2021)

    as Jezebel

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Grimm(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Charlotte

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Baby Luv (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Theatre Play · Writer · as Elizabeth

  • The Last Dance(2000)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Going Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Co-Producer · Teleplay

  • Silk Hope(1999)

    Co-Producer · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Locked in Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Writer

  • Cab to Canada(1998)

    Co-Producer · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Evidence of Blood(1998)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Journey of the Heart(1997)

    Co-Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Baby-Sitters Club(1995)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Is There Life Out There?(1994)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Yarn Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Co-Producer · Writer

  • A Message from Holly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Co-Producer · Teleplay

  • Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted(1992)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Living a Lie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Co-Producer · Story · Teleplay

  • I Love You Perfect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Co-Producer · Writer

  • Sonny Boy(1989)

    as Doc Wallace

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The People Across the Lake(1988)

    Co-Producer · Story · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Why Me? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Writer

  • Cross Creek(1983)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Will There Really Be a Morning?(1983)

    Writer · as Hairdresser

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Little Darlings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Characters

  • Pale Horse Pale Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Writer

  • Marilyn: The Untold Story(1980)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Little Darlings(1980)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Plutonium Incident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Screenplay

  • Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze(1979)

    Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Teen Lust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Mother

  • Deadman's Curve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Screenplay

  • Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Panic in Echo Park(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn(1977)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway(1976)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Juke Box Racket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Betty

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles from 1960 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Little Darlings (1980)

$34M worldwide

Highest rated

Pig (2021)

Midcredits 80th

Film career

  • 2021Screen debut· Pig

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 35: 5 only acting, 2 with another roleWriting30 of 35: 19 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thProducing9 of 35: 0 only producing, 9 with another role

35 titles, 11 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s7 · 1 acting · 6 crew1980s11 · 2 acting · 10 crew1990s11 · crew2000s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew2010s1 · acting2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Dalene Young's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · writer

Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted (1992)

77th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

The Last Dance (2000)

Midcredits 86th · 72% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 49/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dalene Young's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 19 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Dalene Young work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dalene Young's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Beth Polson shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles