The voltage isn't high nor is much else regarding this turn of the talkie era film, except maybe for the unusual pairing of William Boyd and Carol Lombard in the lead roles. With clunky dialog and low production values, the best one might expect is that the picture is mercifully short at just over an hour, but even then it seems like much longer. Case in point, the conversation between Boyd's character Bill with New York Detective Dan Egan (Owen Moore) - just how many 'maybe's' can you parry back and forth before it all starts to sound just a bit ludicrous? That along with the bus driver's (Billy Bevan) constant referrals to his time back in Duluth, like that was supposed to impress anybody. I thought he should have been just a bit more contrite for getting the group stranded in the middle of nowhere with his pig-headed insistence on driving unplowed snow covered roads. Wouldn't an experienced driver have some insight into that?
Not to be too harsh on the story, after all, every talking picture coming out of the silent era had the feel of some kind of experiment in a new medium. Yet almost everything about the characters and situations here had a not quite right feel to them. I was surprised actually to learn that 'Hoppy' already had over fifty films to his credit by the time this one was made, with Lombard not that much further behind. Since most of those were silents, it makes sense that a good number of the elements expressed here seem awkward.
If most of the film seemed baffling enough, the ending wound up being a real head scratcher. The detective was going to let his own prisoner get away until Bill turned the tables and decided to give up for the both of them. The rationale for that scene wasn't supported by anything that went before, and just added another element to the surreal nature of the film.
But there was one great exchange between Egan and Bill that was so comical I had to share it here - Egan: "What are you two doin', playin' post office?" Bill: "Well if we were, there wouldn't be no letter for you".
Exactly - I think.
Not to be too harsh on the story, after all, every talking picture coming out of the silent era had the feel of some kind of experiment in a new medium. Yet almost everything about the characters and situations here had a not quite right feel to them. I was surprised actually to learn that 'Hoppy' already had over fifty films to his credit by the time this one was made, with Lombard not that much further behind. Since most of those were silents, it makes sense that a good number of the elements expressed here seem awkward.
If most of the film seemed baffling enough, the ending wound up being a real head scratcher. The detective was going to let his own prisoner get away until Bill turned the tables and decided to give up for the both of them. The rationale for that scene wasn't supported by anything that went before, and just added another element to the surreal nature of the film.
But there was one great exchange between Egan and Bill that was so comical I had to share it here - Egan: "What are you two doin', playin' post office?" Bill: "Well if we were, there wouldn't be no letter for you".
Exactly - I think.