Road to Paradise

Road to Paradise (1930)

** (out of 4)

Incredibly far fetched drama about a young woman (Loretta Young) who helps two criminals rob from her look alike. This is certainly a film you'd have to see to believe because the story is so far fetched that you can never take it serious. The screenwriter made the mistake of making this a drama when it probably would have worked better as a screwball comedy. The ending is so out there you can't help but laugh when it's supposed to be dramatic. Young gives a good performance in her duel role but the rest of the cast is pretty dull. Directed by William Beaudine.

"Why, she looks more like me than I do myself."

This pre-Coder has not one but two young Loretta Young's, and at age 17 she's as composed and radiant as ever. I wish I could say she was put to good use, but the premise to this one is about as farfetched as they come. Twin sisters have been separated at birth, and one of them has been raised by thieves (but has an honorable streak "a yard wide," to their consternation), and the other has been raised in affluence. The former is persuaded by her "fathers" to help rob from the mansion of the latter one night, after a little surveillance work in disguise as an inspector has resulted in the butler blatantly telling them that they have no burglar alarms. Oh, and did I mention that the twins are psychic too, literally able to read the minds of others if they concentrate and repeat the saying on a little charm they have on their necklace? We find this odd fact out for the crooked sister early on, and while it's unused for the longest time, naturally it will play a crucial role in the story later.

Aside from how ridiculous this is, the investigation which follows when the burglary is botched grinds the film to a crawl, and there are repeated instances of questionable character motivations. The ending is also all tidied up in a way that's most unsatisfying, particularly when you think of the possible directions the story could have taken. Certainly don't watch this if you expect the title to mean anything either, because it doesn't; it's just another example of the studio marketing departments that seemed to work with particular zeal in 1930-31 to find ways of enticing customers to go to the cinema in the early years of the Depression.

The story is at its most interesting in the beginning, when we get little bits like the less well off Young character informing her fathers that she had to leave her job for the same old reason, that her boss had gotten "fresh" with her, calling out harassment in the workplace while at the same time informing us of her virtuousness. We also get a Chinese American waiter saying tersely, without a stereotypical accent, that they don't serve "seagull" in response to a snarky comment. Those are just little tidbits of course, and during the bulk of the film there isn't snappy dialogue, pre-Code naughtiness, or any other little things from the period peppered in which might sustain interest. It's just Loretta Young, who certainly ain't bad, but even fans of hers should keep their expectations low for this film.

Please make an effort to view this early talkie drama even if you're not a Loretta Young fan. Here is a fluidly filmed thriller showing an overlooked director at the height of his great powers.

Before you glance back at the top of the page and go "William Beaudine? No way!", I know this is the guy whose name appeared in big, cursive letters before the Bowery Boys did their stuff. Yes, this IS the director of "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla", "Green Hornet" TV shows, and finished his career with the unforgettable "Billy The Kid vs. Dracula". I couldn't believe it either, but after watching 1925's "Little Annie Rooney", I was so impressed that I checked his biography. Not only was the same man, his numbers were amazing. Beaudine directed over 250 feature films in 51 years, numerous TV shows (including 70 "Lassie" episodes), and at the time of his death was recognized as Hollywood's oldest active director. I then purchased and viewed Mary Pickford in "Sparrows". The performances he coaxed from these children was only surpassed by the splendid visuals he arranged. And on the strength of this, I chose to view "The Road To Paradise".

The film concerns itself with two crooks [one high-line, one common] who have raised an orphan girl. While discussing their next caper, she ARRIVES. A perfectly composed frame fills with a face both radiant and smiling as though she's surprised by a best friend. I've seen Loretta Young all my life, but NEVER have I seen her look so natural and personal. George Barraud and Jack Mulhall as her crook 'parents' comport agreeably and soon draw their ward, Mary (Young) into their latest scheme. While discussing the crime, Mary reveals one of her para-normal talents to be that of mind reading (made possible by her highly empathetic nature). I won't discuss the plot further, but should point out Loretta has a dual role which is handled flawlessly. Don't waste your time trying to catch a split screen or double because you won't. I still framed sequences and can assure you, the director has gotten away with it.

The film creates unrelenting tension throughout. Unlike other early talkies, "drawing room" scenes are broken into many different set-ups with the viewers' perspective constantly changing. These shifts are small and you never get lost in the room. Another plus is a very nice rooftop sequence with many different set-ups.

Mr. Beaudine filmed this as "Cornered", a 1920 silent. Write me if you know where I can see it.

Mary Brennan (Loretta Young) hangs out with her unsavory friends, Nick (Raymond Hatton) and Jerry (George Barraud). She's an orphan who doesn't know her past and seems to be a mind-reader. Socialite Margaret Waring (Loretta Young) and clinging suitor George Wells (Jack Mulhall) arrive at the same Chinese restaurant as Mary and her friends. Jerry spies Mary and Margaret are lookalikes. Jerry and Nick convinces Mary to impersonate Margaret so they can rob her mansion.

What a fascinating and unusual premise. I don't think that it would work now. Twins don't have identical fingerprints. During this earlier era, people don't usually get fingerprinted. The psychic ability is a little odd. Otherwise, this is an interesting puzzle box of circumstances. I couldn't guess at where the story is headed. The ending is a little rushed. At the very least, I expect Mary to be taken to the police station after Jerry gets identified.

"I could never understand this desire for respectability. It always seemed kind of morbid to me."

So says one of two crooks who raised respectable, honest "Mary Brennan" (Loretta Young) as an orphan girl and can't understand where they went wrong in raising her! Poor Mary, though, winds up out of work and needs something, and winds up joining these guys in a scheme after they discover has an amazing twin, a rich woman named "Margaret Waring" (Young, playing two roles in this movie). These guys also discover that Mary has amazing mind-reading talents.

This movie turned out to be disappointing because it got more and more ludicrous as it went on. I found the last 25 minutes extremely frustrating and an insult to anyone's intelligence. There are so many holes in this story it would make your head spin. It reminded me of the old Superman TV series, with one thing after another that had no credibility. Unlike Superman, which was fun to watch for a number of reasons, there was only one thing to keep my interest here: a young and beautiful Young.

However, after admiring her looks for about a half hour, I needed the story to make some sense and keep my interest....and this made NO sense. Also, "Mary," who was supposed to be so honest, lied throughout the film. I wonder how Loretta viewed this role in latter years.