Road to Paradise

There is nothing of highways or of heaven in this film, so I don't know why it was named as it was. Loretta Young plays a foundling raised by a couple of thieves who decide to rob rich girl Margaret Waring, who looks just like Loretta's character, Mary Brennan, trading on the fact that the two are physically identical. Unfortunately once inside the rich girl's darkened mansion things begin to go awry. The rich girl's boyfriend shows up (Jack Mulhall) and Mary must make him believe she is the real thing - she does all too good a job of it. Then the real Margaret Waring reappears at the house unexpectedly, there's a shooting, Mary's accomplices desert her, and the police arrive at the scene to find two Margaret Warings, one of whom is unconscious.

So what's goofy about the plot besides what I've mentioned? Well, there's a rather far-fetched mind reading plot device that figures heavily into matters, the fact that the police are examining every tree for evidence yet manage to miss the forest, and that Jack Mulhall's character can fall in love based on three sentences from someone who is - at the time - just trying to get rid of him.

The whole thing is a rather suspenseful yet fun mystery/comedy of errors. It really is one of Warner's better early talkie efforts. What's really amazing here is that Loretta Young was only 17 when she made this one yet she can hold her own with any of the older leading actresses of the day that made such drawing room dramas.

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.

"Road to Paradise" is a 1930 film starring Loretta Young in a dual role.

Mary Brennan is a lovely young woman who is in with thieves who raised her. One night at a Chinese restaurant, they all spot her lookalike, Margaret Waring, who is very wealthy. The cons decide to go to her house while she's out, using Mary as her double, and rip her off. Of course, things don't go off without a couple of hitches.

This film, even though it's short, seems long as it moves slowly. It's a very early sound movie, and the actors hadn't yet perfected the speech rhythms.

Loretta Young is luminously beautiful - here, she's about 17 years old. She does a wonderful job of differentiating between the two women as well. Worth seeing for her, not much else.

Completely bonkers story, weird hammy acting but on the plus side, two Loretta Youngs! Even as a comedy - which I hope this is meant to be - this is a dreadful pile of nonsense. It shouldn't be but inexplicably it's quite a fun watch.

Although director William Beaudine is best known for the Will Hay comedies, his main body of work was churning out literally hundreds of cheap quickies like this. Clearly the maker of WINDBAG THE SAILOR must have had a sense of humour and that permeates all the way through this. The only way for Beaudine to turn such a ridiculous story into a picture without dying of boredom must have been to subversively make it as an absurdist comedy. Either that or he was just a terrible director?

No, he's not a terrible director - the visuals, the fluidity and even the sound recording is pretty reasonable. Considering this was made on Warner's cumbersome old sound on disc equipment, you have to concede that he showed quite some skill. Despite these excuses, it's still a pitiful story.

Because nobody really takes this seriously you can simply enjoy the fun everyone clearly had making this. With a plot where a bunch of armed robbers shoot a guy's girlfriend then that guy instantly falls in love with one of the gang who tried to murder his girlfriend because she looks like the her, how could anyone imagine this was a proper film? .....but gentlemen , if Loretta Young robbed you and was responsible for the attempted murder of the love of your life, wouldn't you fall in love with her? Come on - it's Loretta Young!

Don't let your brain stop you from watching this, just lower your expectation bar to zero and you might just enjoy it.

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.