The Wrong Road

Everybody in this movie is "nice". The cops are nice, the criminals are nice, heck, even Lionel Atwill is nice! How can you describe this one, it's in a class by itself. The film is basically a "crime does not pay" lesson, typical of the era, with a twist. The twist is that the authorities inexplicably go out of their way to give the perpetrators of a one hundred thousand dollar bank robbery every opportunity to get off with a slap on the wrist.

But to analyze the plot of this one is really a waste of time, since there is very little sense to it. Really, the main premise has to rank among the most preposterous of all time, in a class with 'Reefer Madness' and Ed Wood's 'Jail Bait'.

But if you don't take it seriously (how could you?) you might get some enjoyment out of this one, at least a few laughs. The acting is actually not all that bad, and includes an intriguing early performance by Horace McMahon as a hardened criminal (actually, the one character in the whole movie who is not really "nice"). Lionel Atwill is interesting to see in an uncharacteristic role as a merciful investigator. And Marjorie Main, too, as a pleasant middle-aged lady.

For all the criticism I am throwing at it, I must admit it entertained me, and I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy unintended humor.

When they graduated from college, they had high hopes, but now Richard Cromwell and Helen Mack are disillusioned. He's just been fired from his teller's position, so he stole $100,000. The two of them figure they'll spend some time in jail, then collect the money. Kindly insurance investigator Lionel Atwill tries to talk them into returning the money, but they're stubborn. Two years later, at the urging of Atwill, they're granted parole and go for the money.... with Atwill and bad man Horace MacMahon after them.

It's a well-meaning story with a strong moral component, and Atwill is excellent, as is Miss Mack. Cromwell's line readings are a bit droning. Director James Cruze does a competent job here, with some fine performances in the supporting cast. He was near the end of his rope, though. He had been a leading director in the 1910s and 1920s, but had stumbled at the coming of sound. His brief renaissance of a few years earlier had dribbled away. The following year, he would direct three more movies, all of them Bs verging on exploitation, then nothing. He would die in 1942.

The Wrong Road is an outlandish film which lacks a shred of realism. The leads are attractive and do their best - Helen Mack is appealing and Richard Cromwell does his stalwart best (even though those of us who saw "Lives of a Bengal Lancer" remember him as the jerk who got Gary Cooper killed). And, playing against type, Lionel Atwill's character is cheerful and avuncular, which is a jolt.

But the plot itself is chock-full of holes and non-sequiturs and takes turns that rail against logic. Try as you might to give it a chance it defies you to suspend your disbelief. For instance, they get sent away to ADJOINING PRISONS and meet each other? After a while, another question arises; did they hire 10 year old screenwriters in Hollywood during the 30's?

When jimmy and ruth are scraping by, they agree to rob the bank where jimmy worked, until he got laid off. They are ready to go to jail, knowing they will have plenty of cash when they get out. As robert burns told us, "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley." finding the money when they get out turns out to be harder than they planned. Keep an eye out for chester clute, as the auctioneer. Clute and lionel atwill (the insurance man) were supporting actors in so many films. And of course, the awesome marjorie main is in here... one of her seven films, released in 1937! This was ten years before main was ma kettle. My favorite role of hers is in "the women", the 1939 version. Wrong road's story itself is no big deal... even gets kind of preachy by the end. But it's fun to see all these actors just getting started in h-wood. Directed by james cruze. He only directed a couple more after this, and died young at 58. Richard cromwell and helen mack had both been around for a few years when they made this. Mack had done mostly uncredited silent roles, but their careers took off in the talkies.

Wrong Road, The (1937)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A man and woman (Richard Cromwell/Helen Mack) who plan on being married are having a hard time with life so they find a get rich quick scheme. The two plan on stealing $100,000 from a bank, hide the money, turn themselves in, stay their prison term and when released, they'll have the money to live on for the rest of their lives but things never work out how you have them planned. This is a half way decent film that remains interesting throughout it's short 52-minute running time. The performances by the two leads are good and Lionel Atwill adds great support as a detective. This seems like a feature version of Buried Loot, which I watched earlier in the year. This was directed by famous silent actor James Cruze who played Jekyll & Hyde in the 1912 version.