Romance on the Run

This was a movie directed by former Our Gang helmer Gus Meins that I managed to find on Internet Archive. Like his previous movie-The Hit Parade-that I found on YouTube, this one also has William Demarest and Edward Brophy, two character actors who provide some comical relief. Donald Woods is the leading man, Patricia Ellis the leading lady, and Grace Bradley is one of the villains. Now that I think of it, everyone has moments of some comedy that I found chuckle-worthy, to say the least. Some of the reviewers here complained that some scenes were abrupt. I have to admit part of me felt that way too. They also mentioned they saw the 53-minute version. I did too. So, yes, I wonder what was in the 16-minutes that are now missing. Still, Romance on the Run was quite an enjoyable comedy for the length I saw it as.

When a valuable necklace is stolen the insurance agent who mistakenly issued the policy suspects the suave and handsome man that her boss has hired to get it back and who the inept police officer (William Demarest) on the case also suspects. They follow him and his valet (Edward Brophy)as they in turn are following a nightclub singer and her boyfriend. The group finds themselves on a train and then at a shack out in the middle of nowhere with guns pointed at them by country folks who distrust "city people in circus clothes".

It all ends happily of course and in just under an hour. The actors are very good and some very funny situations.

This one moves right along! Donald Woods, Patricia Ellis, and Grace Bradley star in this crime caper from Republic. They "recover" stolen goods, but there are shenanigans, and all is not as it seems. A chase on the train. Escape by cars and taxis. The headliner stars are pretty bland, but its fun to see some other bigger names farther down the cast list -- William Demarest, Bert Roach, Ed Maxwell, Ed Brophy. The gang ends up at a family of back-country hicks, and we spend a whole lot of time monkeying around there. Who has the jewels now ?? They go back and forth between the good guys and the bad guys. kind of turns into a slap-stick bit...similar to the marx brothers, or maybe even a three stooges skit. all very low-brow, but like I said, it keeps moving along. Directed by Gus Meins...had done mostly shorts in the silents. Made a few talkies in the late 1930s and 1940, then offed himself at 47 for some scandal.

Romance On The Run might rate better had it been done with some better production values. As it is Universal Pictures was doing a lot of cost cutting because the Laemmle regime had nearly bankrupted the place at this time.

When some jewels are stolen that are insured by Granville Bates's company, he always calls Donald Woods who recovers them for a fee and no questions asked. Woods is a guy who skips nicely over the dividing line of crook and detective, kind of like the Saint, but no one can prove a thing. Especially not William Demarest who isn't much smarter than Tom Kennedy in the Torchy Blane series. But he doesn't give up for lack of trying.

Through a bad combination of circumstances, Woods and man Friday Edward Brophy are chasing crooks Craig Reynolds and Grace Bradley through the USA south. Woods also has Patricia Ellis from Bates's office along for the ride and that's what the Romance On The Run is all about. Demarest is chasing all of them.

If this had been done at MGM with William Powell and Myrna Loy, Romance On The Run might well have been a classic. As it is it's an OK programmer, but nothing special.

Donald Woods is a freelance insurance investigator in this one. He is told to recover a valuable necklace and traces it to Craig Reynolds and his moll, Grace Bradley.... and recovers a paste imitation. This sets police lieutenant William Demarest on his tail, in cooperation with the insurance company's Girl Friday, Patricia Ellis. The pursuers wind up in Cincinnati, and on their way to New Orleans.... but who actually has the jewels keeps shifting.

It's a fast and speedy Republic Pictures comedy, under the direction of Gus Meins. Although some of the situations are stock -- including some Kentucky hillbillies who think Demarest is a revenue agent -- it's handled in a light-hearted manner, and the leads behave charmingly throughout. Demarest is wasted in a role that any of a dozen "dumb cop" specialists could have handled, but Eddie Brophy is good as Woods' thuggish manservant. It's not a classic, but it is constantly amusing.