Road to Paradise

Drama, or maybe it's a comedy, I couldn't really tell, has Loretta Young as a down-on-her-luck urbanite with two crook pals, who stumbles on her wealthy absolute lookalike at a speakeasy, where the trio contrive to rob her. From there it's ludicrousness upon ludicrousness, with poor Loretta also being telepathic (she's able to intuit the safe combination out of the other, unconscious Loretta), escapes and coincidences that would never happen, and a finale that reveals why the two Lorettas look so alike... can you guess? Her leading man, Jack Mulhall, is dullsville, and our loyalties are confused; if poor Loretta is engineering a jewel robbery, how on her side can we be? The double exposures involving the two Lorettas are reasonably well faked, and it's over mercifully fast. What this has to do with any road to paradise, I'm stumped.

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.

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.

Ten stars for a double dose of Loretta Young, one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen. Now deduct one star each for the awful script, dialog, acting, directing, cinematography, sound, and plot.

It seems as though Hollywood thought audiences would be so enamored with the new addition of sound in these early talkies that they wouldn't notice the exclusion of all else a movie needs to hold their attention.

No action, combined with a feeble plot and too many implausible coincidences and plot holes simply adds up to a complete boor. Except - and this is a massive exception - except when the screen is filled with images of the lovely Miss Young, albeit at a still tender age and not quite yet adjusted to the pacing of the new form nor yet yet displaying the artistry she would develop just a few years later. Still, she is the ONLY reason to watch this stinker. And that is reason enough to give it a peek even though you've been warned not to expect much else.

"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.