Idilio transcontinental

To escape an arranged marriage, wealthy New York heiress Wendy Barrie (as Diane North) stows away in a long trailer belonging to impoverished doctor Gene Raymond (as Lawrence "Larry" Smith). Interestingly, she does this wearing her slip - so, we could say she slips away… There isn't as much wit in the script. You should expect, of course, the leading players to fall in love. Then, her true identity could threaten their future happiness. This might have been a big hit with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the leads. As Mr. and Mrs. McGuillicuddy, a re-make might have starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The old formula includes Hedda Hopper (as a mother) and veteran comic Billy Gilbert

***** Cross-Country Romance (7/12/40) Frank Woodruff ~ Gene Raymond, Wendy Barrie, Hedda Hopper, Billy Gilbert

Gene Raymond, bright and adventurous young doctor, is leaving for San Francisco pulling a camper-trailer behind his car. He stops on the way out of town to present a thank you gift to rich Hedda Hopper, who can't see him at the moment because it's her daughter's wedding day. About that same time…

Would-be bride Wendy Barrie changes her mind, rips off her wedding dress, sneaks out of the house – and hides out in Raymond's camper.

When Raymond discovers the stowaway, the story proper kicks into gear and they hit the road, with Barrie determined to tag along and Raymond just as determined to get rid of her. It's pretty obvious from this point where it's all headed, but it's a fun ride and the pair encounter some lively characters along the way:

Billy Gilbert has a funny bit as a diner owner who desperately wants customers to try his blue plate special. Berton Churchill and Joe Dugan are hilarious as a couple of threadbare crooks who have dastardly plans but limited brains. "We must proceed with finesse," Churchill pronounces with great seriousness, "Always remember that. Finesse. The secret of my success." –He certainly doesn't look especially successful, but he does manage to make a small score off of poor Gilbert with the old "Give me two tens for a five" trick.

Raymond and Barrie are fine leads and the whole thing moves at a pretty good clip. Overall it's fun if silly.

If there was one thing Hollywood had a bumper crop of it was movies about runaway heiresses. I think someone figured out that after It Happened One Night it was the wish of the American male to find some runaway heiress and romance and wed them so they could escape the grind of the Depression. I'm sure off the top of any reader's head they could think of at least ten films with runaway heiresses from A pictures right down to this one from RKO, Cross-Country Romance.

The heiress is Wendy Barrie who is feeling trapped by a marriage her mother Hedda Hopper has arranged with G.P. Huntley, Jr., one gigantic drip of a human being. Doctor Gene Raymond is on his way to San Francisco to catch a boat to China, but as his last official act for the hospital he's working he agrees to drop off a scroll thanking Hopper for her charitable contributions. Coincidentally on the day of Barrie's wedding.

Barrie takes the opportunity to sneak out and hitch a ride in the trailer that Raymond has. If you've seen It Happened One Night and a few dozen other films you know exactly where this is going.

Although this has all really been done before, I wouldn't be surprised if there were two or three other heiress pictures in release when Cross- Country Romance was in first run. The leads are easy to take and RKO did get them a nice supporting cast which also included Billy Gilbert in a part as a hash house cook, something he seems to be repeating from On The Avenue, Berton Churchill and Tom Dugan as a pair of conmen, and of course Hopper who was really hitting her stride as Hollywood's favorite gossip columnist as her movie career became more of a sideline.

Look quickly toward the end and you'll see Alan Ladd as the first mate of a China bound ship. Cross-Country Romance is not bad for the genre of heiress pictures.

"Love on a Bet" was a cute movie about Gene Raymond and Wendy Barrie falling in love during a cross-country chase. The public must have liked it too, because the studio decided to make it again--the same theme and the same leads. But they didn't bother this time to get an amusing script. How's this for a variation--at the beginning of "Love on a Bet," Gene Raymond has to appear in public in his underwear; at the beginning of this movie, Wendy Barrie does. And how's this for exposition--Barrie tells Raymond when they meet, "I'm an heiress. I have loads of money. I'm running away from a marriage that my mother arranged for me." Yes, there's a bit of "It Happened One Night" thrown in too.

Not only is the script uninspired and lame, the direction limps as well, holding a shot too long or starting one too early. Hedda Hopper is unpleasant and boring as Barrie's mother, and Barrie and Raymond have no chemistry--there is no justification, in the script or their acting, for either one to suddenly fall in love with the other.

This movie should have been titled "Let Well Enough Alone."

Wendy Barrie plays Diane North, a wealthy heiress who is set to marry a dull man. Diane's mother has arranged the marriage because the stiff her daughter is to marry has even more money than they do. Diane decides to rebel and secretly hides in a trailer, driven by Dr. Smith (Gene Raymond). Dr. Smith is driving the trailer cross country to San Francisco. Dr. Smith is shocked to find her on the trailer, but Diane manages to convince him to let her stay for the ride. Of course, a romance slowly blooms.

Barrie's character is nutty, but likeable. Think of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy, but wealthy as well. Gene Raymond's character is a serious, somber fellow, who puts work before personal relationships. Diane continually tries to "help" Dr. Smith during their journey and continually gets him into some wild trouble.

Future super star, Alan Ladd, has a bit part as the First Mate near the end of the film. Frank Sully and Cliff Clark play not too bright policemen. And Billy Gilbert, billed forth, has a small role as a cafe owner. The two stars do most of the work here and perform a splendid job as one would expect.

I often shake my head on the rating scores here on IMDB. Every film made in the last 10 years seems to have an 8.2 rating. While older films seem harshly rated. This breezy little comedy is currently rated 5.7! I have been a film buff all my life. I enjoy silent films, foreign films, everything. The high watermark for me is the 1930's and 1940's. And if this solid little B' film only rates a 5.7, well give me a 1940's 5.7 all day long.