Outside of Paradise

This 1938 Republic film has an interesting, if familiar plot decades later. An American inherits a castle in Ireland. In this case, he's a small-time band leader, and he only gets half the castle. Another cousin owns the other half.

Republic was a notch above the Tin Pan Alley studios in the thriving years of the Hollywood studio system. But, it also was not in the first two tiers of the Big 5 or Big 8 studios. So, one wouldn't expect to see big names in most of its films. Phil Regan as Daniel O'Toole and a couple of supporting actors who made it through the studio system are recognized here. They are Leonid Kinskey and Peter Lind Hayes. But most of the rest of the cast are not known in the 21st century.

The plot is mostly a device to hold together some song and dance numbers. Although, the comedy romance angle does have more meat to it than most films of this type. The problem is with the level of talent. Regan was fair as a tenor singer, but the rest of the singers in this film are easily forgotten. The best performances are a couple of nicely choreographed dance numbers toward the end.

The film also is billed as a comedy, but what's supposed to be funny most of the time isn't. The production quality suffers in "Outside of Paradise." This isn't a film to rush out and buy or rent. But, those who enjoy musicals may enjoy it on a rainy day if it shows on TV.