The Man Who Walked Alone

Dave "Tex" O'Brien has been one of my favorites for a long time. He is best known for his cowboy roles, and/or his hapless character in the "Pete Smith" shorts, but here he proved once and for all that He Was An Actor.

Kay Aldridge, best known for "Nyoka," proves to be adorable in her city-slicker role. She was not only lovely, with an expressive face, but she showed herself perfect as a poor little rich girl, who is pressured by her family and their wealth, and always urged to do the right thing -- which is what other people tell her, not what she decides.

There is an excellent cast, including Smith Ballew in a role of the type I've never seen him in before, and he too showed a side of himself that should have had casting directors lining up. Well, he did OK as a recording artist, so maybe that was enough for him. But, to me, he should have been in more movies.

Walter Catlett, Vivian Oakland, Guinn Williams and so many others helped make this PRC production one of the best ever to come from that studio, and absolutely worthy of any studio.

There is one other performer needing special attention: Nancy June Robinson played the precocious little sister, and she was a stand-out! I have seen very few actors her age who were so natural, so expressive, so controlled, yet she made only two movies, according to IMDb. What a shame!

Christy Cabanne, that veteran, was both director and one of the writers, and he deserves mountains of praise for both roles. The other writer, Robert Lee Johnson, and Cabanne produced a charming and often downright funny script, well performed at every level by some of the best character actors in Hollywood.

Frankly, this is not what I would expect from PRC, and perhaps shame on me, for it is thoroughgoing entertainment, produced near the end of World War II, showing some of the costs of that war, and presenting a lot of very likable people we'd enjoy knowing even better.

There is a print at YouTube with a few glitches (and those obnoxious YouTube commercials!) but "The Man Who Walked Alone" is such a joy, a real treasure, you probably won't notice anything but the movie itself.

I can see this is a series B movie, with the feel of a Hollywooed blockbuster. Acting is really good, and the story, although light, is really fun to watch. Found it by surprise, but could not get past it. It would be great to have the two lead actores rediscovered, specially the lady.

This film is an amazing display of genius in story telling through motion pictures. Christy Cabanne wrote and directed this quiet masterpiece. This is one of those movies where no changes could be wanted in its structuring. The scenes follow at a perfect pace, not slow, and not too fast. The chosen actors bring to life the parts they were intended for. All were well chosen...especially Kay Aldridge who at last gets to show a fuller scope of her acting talent. The script has been composed with an intelligence that is far higher than most scripts. The interplay of banter has a natural tone common only to something composed with a high IQ. I would love to comment on the subtle representations in the film but this would end up a set of spoilers for one of the great achievements in an unusual story made believable in this superior production.

Dave O'Brien is Marion: Just home from the war, he carries his uniform in a suitcase instead of wearing it. Kay Aldridge is Willie, a rich girl on the road alone and keeping a low profile. He's hitchhiking; she reluctantly picks him up. Marion tells Willie she's got idle rich written all over her—and she assumes he's out of uniform because he's a deserter. It's the old hate at first sight setup.

Things develop, of course, and O'Brien and Aldridge make a great pair, even though not much surprises about the way their relationship turns and progresses. Together and separately, both stars look fine and appear very much at home in this easy going romance that includes plenty of laughs, some fun supporting characters, and a happy portion of patriotic sentiment.

Walter Catlett is very funny as Wiggins the butler—we first meet him in his lodge outfit, complete with cocked hat and epaulettes, arriving home from a "meeting" somewhat tipsy. Fourteen-year-old Nancy June Robinson is also hilarious as the precocious little sister out to get herself an education.

Overall, it's no classic but really sweet. O'Brien is just about right as a sort of Everyman, circa 1945—returning home from the war to a home he doesn't really know. A slight tale, yes…but warm and hopeful.

One startling and hilarious scene: Having run out of gas and walked to a station, O'Brien arrives back at the car with a gallon of gas in a jar…a clear glass jar like you would buy cider in. He pours the gas into the tank….then casually tosses the empty jar aside into the ditch.

I don't go looking at PRC movies expecting much in the way of excellence, even if they are directed by the underrated Christy Cabanne. So when I decided to take a look at this movie, I didn't expect much. Imagine my surprise when I found it a spiffy comedy in the vein of Preston Sturges' HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO.

When we first meet Dave O'Brien -- better remembered for his roles in countless Pete Smith shorts and low-grade B westerns -- he is trying to hitch a lift into his home town. All we know about him is that he is a war vet who grew up in an orphanage; his (new) home town was bequeathed to him by his fox hole buddy who hasn't made it back. He annoys Kay Aldredge, a local heiress engaged to a politician whom she doesn't love, and gets a ride from her. They are promptly thrown into jail. Twice.

I said this movie is in the vein of Preston Sturges' great comedy, but it is far more cynical. The auctorial voice in the other movie is cynical, even as the characters are stoic and steadfast; even the politicians in HAIL are well-meaning, if terribly confused. In this movie, every character is cynical: not just the kid sister and the worldly-wise aunt, but even the dithery mother. They all know they are putting on a false front, and are more concerned with appearances than the realities.

In many ways, the script of this movie offers a film noir world view hiding under the mask of a standard romantic comedy. It's filled with fine comedy veterans who underplay their roles. In the end, it offers the message that there is hope, so long as people are honest; also a few laughs along the way.