Ticket to Paradise

Wendy Barrie and Roger Pryor Jane and Terry Terry loses memory after accident he tries to get his picture in the paper--maybe someone will recognize him sound not good crazy stunts to get in papers not positive he's not married

When the film begins, Terry (Roger Pryor) enters a cab and insists the driver go as fast as he can to get him to the train station. However, there is an accident and when Terry pulls himself out of the cab, his memory is gone. He knows he was on the way to the train station but cannot remember why or who he is. So, he goes to the station--but cannot remember where he was going from there. So, he just takes the next train and ends up in New York. Still not knowing who he is, he takes a job as a cabbie but soon meets a nice young lady, Jane (Wendy Barrie). Jane takes pity on 'Mr. Doe' and his plight and decides to try to help him figure out who he is.

Their journey takes them on a variety of kooky adventures--especially when they get the bright idea that if he got his face in the papers that someone would recognize him. Unforatunely, the scheme backfires repeatedly. Later, when Mr. Doe IS recognized by a business rival, the rival decides to try to derail their search and try to convince Doe that he is a criminal! What's next? See the film.

"Ticket to Paradise" is a very good film--with nice chemistry between the characters, a wonderful performance by Jane's father (Claude Gillingwater) and an interesting script. However, the DVD print from Alpha Video is just horrible. This is not unusual for the company and they release a lot of obscure and public domain films that no one else will--but they also never do restoration work on the DVDs and you have to take what you can get.

The promising screwball premise is unfortunately undone by a ragged script and a miscast male lead. So who exactly is Jack Doe (Pryor)? A wild ride in a taxi at movie's outset leaves him minus a memory or any inkling of who he is. So, he spends the rest of the hour tracking himself down with the help of rich girl Jane (Barrie), as they bounce from one madcap situation to the next. Too bad her killjoy dad's such a bear and no help.

Fortunately there're a lot of screwball set-ups which means some are bound to produce a chuckle. But on the whole, they fail to build or intensify, more like beads strung on a string. Then too, director Scotto seems to have little feel for the material, filming in a flat style that adds nothing. But maybe most crippling is actor Pryor. He goes through the antic motions but in an expressionless mode that flattens the efforts at humor. Too bad Scotto didn't give him better coaching.

On the plus side is a winsome Wendy Barrie who's given little to do but tag along as eye candy. But most of all is that opening wild taxi ride down and around crowded urban streets. It's hair-raising, and if there were any process shots, I couldn't spot them.

Anyway, the basic material looks good enough for a modern re-do

Roger Pryor is discovered wandering around the streets of Chicago. Since he has no memory of anything, psychiatrist Luis Alberni gets him a job as a taxi driver, since that is apparently the qualification in America. He annoys Wendy Barrie, but they fall in love. Her father, Claude Gillingwater points out that Pryor may be married.

Director Aubrey Scotto clearly know he has a situational comedy here, but the situations are not very funny, and it's hard for the movie to be charming with Gillingwater's patented grouch act around. Miss Barrie is charming as always, just the right role in a good movie away from stardom... which she never really got. Mr. Pryor was another matter. He got many a chance, including with Mae West, but in his own words, "I never felt I was very good and in seventy-two features I don't think I improved very much." He retired from acting in 1947 and went into advertising. He died in 1974, aged 72.