Paths to Paradise (1925)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Clarence G. Badger

Writers:

Paul Armstrong (play)
Keene Thompson (writer)

Release Date:

29 June 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A con-woman has a nice business going in fleecing gullible tourists who want a genuine 'underworld' experience...

Plot Keywords:

San Francisco California | Chinatown | Based On Play

Cast

Betty Compson	...	Molly
Raymond Griffith	...	The Dude from Duluth
Tom Santschi	...	Chief of Detectives Callahan
Bert Woodruff	...	Bride's Father
Fred Kelsey	...	Confederate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clem Beauchamp

Runtime:

USA:78 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Movie Connections:

Version of Hold That Blonde (1945)

Sprightly comedy from impressive, forgotten silent comic

Though much of Raymond Griffith's work is lost, this film and Hands Up! have earned him a reputation as one of the most important silent comedians beyond the pantheon names (Chaplin, Keaton, et al.). This is a very sprightly comedy, but those looking for proof of Walter Kerr's contention that Griffith is a comedian in that class will be disappointed. Not because Griffith isn't very skilled, but because he isn't an outright comedian-- not unless you consider William Powell in the same group as the Marx Brothers and Abbott & Costello.

What Paths to Paradise resembles most is sound comedies about cheerfully amoral tuxedoed criminals like Trouble in Paradise, Jewel Robbery or The Lady Eve. Griffith and Betty Compson (who has equal screen time and in fact slightly overshadows Griffith) are rivals who both worm their way into the home of an aged and rather careless zillionaire who has acquired a big diamond. As in those sound films, much of the humor comes from the amoral delight that the criminals take in their work, not in elaborate visual gags. Even when the film climaxes in a primarily visual sequence-- a car chase-- the humor comes not from the sort of frantic, topper-on-topper gag sequence you might expect from Lloyd, say, but from the sheer aplomb with which Griffith changes a tire at high speed without mussing his evening wear. In fact overall his character, with his bemused, droll reactions (and the line readings you imagine to go with them), seems more suited to sound than silence, and it was only Griffith's weak speaking voice (his vocal cords had been damaged earlier in life) that led him to give up acting for producing after sound came in.