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The Wrong Way Out

  • 1938
  • Approved
  • 17m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
191
YOUR RATING
The Wrong Way Out (1938)
CrimeDramaShort

In this entry in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, young Ann Stevens and "Windy" Brown, against the advice of both sets of parents, run away and get married as they yearn for "independence." ... Read allIn this entry in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, young Ann Stevens and "Windy" Brown, against the advice of both sets of parents, run away and get married as they yearn for "independence." It isn't long before they find that they can't make it on their own, and one grab of easy ... Read allIn this entry in the "Crime Does Not Pay" series, young Ann Stevens and "Windy" Brown, against the advice of both sets of parents, run away and get married as they yearn for "independence." It isn't long before they find that they can't make it on their own, and one grab of easy money soon leads them down the path of crime.

  • Director
    • Gustav Machatý
  • Writer
    • Karl Kamb
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Howell
    • Linda Perry
    • William Bailey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    191
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gustav Machatý
    • Writer
      • Karl Kamb
    • Stars
      • Kenneth Howell
      • Linda Perry
      • William Bailey
    • 10User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos19

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Kenneth Howell
    Kenneth Howell
    • Windy Brown
    Linda Perry
    Linda Perry
    • Ann Stevens Brown
    • (as Linda Terry)
    William Bailey
    William Bailey
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Elliott
    Robert Elliott
    • Mr. Stevens - Ann's Father
    • (uncredited)
    James Flavin
    James Flavin
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Chuck Hamilton
    Chuck Hamilton
    • Police Squad Car Driver
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Hayden
    • Mr. Brown - Windy's Father
    • (uncredited)
    Ray Mayer
    • Car Rental Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    George Meeker
    George Meeker
    • Drunk
    • (uncredited)
    Esther Muir
    Esther Muir
    • Lola
    • (uncredited)
    Lionel Royce
    Lionel Royce
    • Continental Club Owner
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Soderling
    Walter Soderling
    • Employment Agency Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Frank M. Thomas
    Frank M. Thomas
    • Police Captain Frank Hobson
    • (uncredited)
    Phillip Trent
    • MGM Crime Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Monte Vandergrift
    Monte Vandergrift
    • Used Car Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gustav Machatý
    • Writer
      • Karl Kamb
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    6.0191
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    Featured reviews

    6AlsExGal

    Stop in the name of Murphy's Law!...

    ... although Murphy has some help here as the two lead characters are far from wise.

    Two youngsters - their exact age is never stated, but from what's said they are not out of high school yet - want to get married right now. Both sets of parents object and refuse to sign consent forms to let them get married. The parents note their lack of any money or skills and say they want them to wait until they are out of (high) school. The two youngsters show their maturity by throwing a tantrum like they are three.

    So they decide to elope because, unfortunately, unlike three year olds, they have drivers licenses, a car, and just enough money to get married but not enough to support themselves. Things go from bad to worse with them moving to crime when a drunk lawyer passes out in the restaurant where they work after everybody else has gone home. And the lawyer's pockets are flush with cash.

    It's interesting that the two kids, when they are looking for jobs, meet a hiring manager that could have given them good jobs if the girl had known shorthand and the boy had been a draftsman. Both of those skills are obsolete today, although shorthand is still used in a few professions. Today you have to be out of college or be in one of the trades to have a chance of finding a good job.
    7planktonrules

    A cautionary tale of two young idiots!

    Once again the law enforcement guy was a fake underage couple--they are actually in mid-20s though they did look younger "The Wrong Way Out" is another installment of MGM's long series of shorts "Crime Does Not Pay". Like the title implies, this is the story of criminals who end up being caught and ruining or losing their lives. It begins with an introduction by a police captain* and the story follows.

    The film is about an underage couple who are deeply in love and deeply stupid. Since their parents won't give permission, they run off and marry on the sly. However, their new lives suck because they have few job skills and they can barely afford to live. Eventually these geniuses gravitate to a life of crime--and naturally it ends in tragedy.

    This episode is a bit preachy but the ending is what I usually like in these films--it's violent and satisfying. And, I was happy that for once teenage characters actually looked their age--even though the actor and actress were actually in their mid-20s.

    *In most of the films in the series, some district attorney or cop does the introduction. Well, these real-life professionals were all actors--NOT the folks they claimed to be. MGM deliberately made it look like they were professionals, I assume, to give their shorts clout. Still, this one was entertaining and worth seeing in spite of this.
    5wes-connors

    Slippery When Wet

    In another episode of their "Crime Does Not Pay" series, MGM focuses on the "impatience" of the "under 21" crowd. Specifically, we meet handsome young Ken Howell (as "Windy" Brown) and pretty girlfriend Linda Perry (as Ann Stevens) on a boating date. They discuss marriage with their respective parents, but both sets think it's a bad idea. Denying their consent, the parents think Mr. Howell and Ms. Perry are too young, inexperienced and poor to marry. Howell says their folks "can go jump in a lake." Perry thinks they're stuck in the mud. Howell and Perry marry anyway, but life is hard...

    This is less an episode warning about crime life and more a call for teenage couples to cool off their romantic feelings. Perry doesn't finish school and Howell has no way to support a wife, so getting serious is not recommended. When tempted to take advantage of a drunk with money, the couple robs the man. This is more of a slippery slope than you think, and the newlyweds seem to become "Bonnie and Clyde" overnight. It's amusing. Teen idol Howell did this while appearing in his own feature film series (as Jack Jones) and Perry was nearing the end of a hesitating career as an ingénue.

    ***** The Wrong Way Out (12/24/38) Gustav Machaty ~ Kenneth Howell, Linda Perry, Ray Mayer, George Meeker
    5billsoccer

    Reefer Madness for runaways!

    Didn't realize what I was getting into when this started. It soon became apparent this was meant to be a cautionary tale about running away! Like Reefer Madness, it takes the extreme arguments (against) to a ridiculous extent, probably reducing its effectiveness.
    Michael_Elliott

    Crime Does Not Pay

    Wrong Way Out, The (1938)

    *** (out of 4)

    The twentieth episode in MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series is one of the weakest I've seen but there's still enough that works here for fans. In the film, young adults Wendy (Kenneth Howell) and Ann (Linda Perry) want to get married but their parents refuse so they decide to elope. Once out on their own they realize it's not easy to make a living and soon they are forced into a life of crime. A lot of reviewers call this series over dramatic but I've never agreed with that except for right here. The entire "warning" this film offers is against eloping and having too much of an ego to return home to your parents. The film takes that and turns out two teens into a Bonnie and Clyde type, which is a tad bit over the top as the film never gives them any real motivation in doing what eventually happens here. I also find it rather funny that both sets of parents are shown as good people yet they too are actually rather mean spirited when the kids first come to them for advice. The parents turn their backs and then they wonder why, later in the film, the kids don't come back to them for help. The over the top antics of the film would make me recommend newcomers to the series to start somewhere else but I think fans will still want to check it out. The performances are all rather mixed with Howell coming off rather lame as the good turned bad guy. The scene with the drunk singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" gets a mild laugh as does the ending that goes way too far.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in Les Soprano (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Benedict Cumberbatch in La merveilleuse histoire d'Henry Sugar (2023)
    Short

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The $200 the drunk said he was rolled for equates to about $4,465 in 2024.
    • Quotes

      Police Captain Frank Hobson: Very few of the increasing number of crimes committed by persons under 21 are premeditated. In almost every case, we find the same moving force: Impatience. Impatience with problems that, in a year or two, might solve themselves. We therefore present this case history of two young people, in the frank hope that it may bring others like them to stop and think.

    • Connections
      Followed by Money to Loan (1939)
    • Soundtracks
      Happy Days Are Here Again
      (uncredited)

      Music by Milton Ager

      Lyrics by Jack Yellen

      Sung a cappella by George Meeker

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 24, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Crime Does Not Pay No. 20: The Wrong Way Out
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 17m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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