1938's "Gateway" is yet another little seen Fox feature among John Carradine's early years as a character star, again teaming him opposite Don Ameche, from "Ramona," "Love Under Fire," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and "The Three Musketeers." Ameche headlines as war correspondent Dick Court, returning to the US aboard a liner bound for New York, meeting lovely Irish girl Catherine O'Shea (Arleen Whelan), who will be marrying her fiancée, Henry Porter (Lyle Talbot), as soon as she arrives. Complications set in when the overtly flirtatious Benjamin McNutt (Raymond Walburn) makes one pass too many at the still single beauty, succeeding only in knocking himself out. His irate wife refuses to acknowledge the truth about her philandering husband, raising some moral issues concerning the innocent girl. Blaming himself for her predicament, the now smitten Court decides to help Catherine any way he can, accompanying her to Ellis Island (the Statue of Liberty serves as the 'Gateway to Freedom'), where the less than cordial greeting from her intended does not go unnoticed. John Carradine makes his long awaited entrance a full hour into this 75 minute feature, the unnamed 'Leader of Refugees,' all awaiting deportation at Ellis Island, taking advantage of Court's untimely imprisonment to attempt a breakout. It's a small part, typical of many such roles at Fox, until after "Drums Along the Mohawk" and "The Grapes of Wrath" at least put him in a higher bracket of supporting players. Harry Carey again provides solid authority, while Gilbert Roland supplies some welcome villainy. What really deserves to be seen is the breathtaking, auburn haired beauty of little used Arleen Whelan, coming off her debut performance opposite Warner Baxter in "Kidnapped" (my first sight of her came in the 1941 Charlie Chan finale at Fox, "Castle in the Desert").
