One Way Passage (1932)

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Wilson Mizner (screenplay) &
Joseph Jackson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 October 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Romance...reaching the Heights of Heaven!

Plot:

A terminally ill woman and a debonair murderer facing execution meet and fall in love on a trans-Pacific crossing, each without knowing the other's secret.

Plot Keywords:

New Year's Eve | Hong Kong | Liquor | Con Artist | Marriage Proposal

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

William Powell	...	Dan
Kay Francis	...	Joan
Aline MacMahon	...	Betty
Frank McHugh	...	Skippy
Warren Hymer	...	Steve
Frederick Burton	...	The Doctor

Also Known As:

S.S. Atlantic (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

67 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2640-R: 3 September 1936 for re-release) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Although the character's name would change, Frank McHugh plays the same part in the remake titled 'Til We Meet Again (1940).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Dan and Joan meet at a bar and toast one another, keep an eye on Dan's drink. (It's a rare concoction that appears cloudy when first poured.) There are many shots spliced together to show the ensuing dialogue and toast. In each, the cloudiness and quantity of Dan's drink change quite noticeably after a fateful spill and before he even takes a sip.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in This Property Is Condemned (1966)

Soundtrack:

Deep in Your Eyes

Not a Dry Eye in the House

What's wrong with this film?.......nothing. It has all the ingredients that make this type of film so wonderful......actors, set design, pathos, romance and it's pre-code to boot.

William Powell, one of my favorites, is paired with the soigne Kay Francis. They are two doomed lovers, each ignorant of the other's "condition". Powell is headed for the hangman and Francis has some unidentified terminal illness(which apparently doesn't affect her looks). Francis who could wear a burlap bag and look glamorous is lovely here and Powell is at his suave best. Along for the ride are Warren Hymer as the cop taking Powell to his fate, Aline McMahon as the con who is conning Hymer, and Frank McHugh as the dipsy crook. All are in fine form.

What ensues on shipboard is romance at its weepiest......a love that is fated to end when the ship docks. But the promise is made to meet on New Year's Eve in Mexico, thus leading to that ending that causes the audience to bring out the hankies.

Often movies made in the early 30s are a bit corny but not so here. The film seems rather modern and the dialogue, although there are a lot of "darlings and dearests" is fairly contemporary. If you don't like weepers, better pass on this one....BUT if you are a sucker for a tragic love story with an almost ethereal feel to it, this is the one for you. Be sure to bring the Kleenex.