One Way Passage (1932)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

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:

San Francisco | New Year's Eve | Hong Kong | Agua Caliente Mexico | Jump Into Water

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 1932 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:

Till We Meet Again

One Way Passage Still Great After Almost 75 Years

In the grim year of 1932, with Warner Bros. losing money like all the major studios except MGM (RKO and Paramount both went into receivership thanks to the Depression), along comes the movie One Way Passage, dealing with what seems are the petty cares of grifters on a Pacific cruise. Only this movie is not a screwball comedy or a story about rich people in tuxedos chitchatting when they are not dancing. Writer Robert Lord's frequent writing partner in 1932 and 1933, Wilson Mizner, specialized in stories about people on the margins of society, peaking with the great Heroes For Sale. In one way or another, most of the characters in One Way Passage are nearing the end of their line. When Frank McHugh's character Skippy, drinks alone at a bar in Agua Caliente on New Year's Eve, there is no longer the usual smile on his face as he stares at his drink. The opening credits of the movie put Kay Francis' name above the title, but she is just one of several Warners stock company actors at their peak in this movie, including Warren Hymer as the tough detective who always gets his man.

The year 1939 is described as Hollywood's peak year, when movies like Gone With The Wind and Gunga Din were in release. But judging movies by how they stand the test of time, movies released in 1932 and 1933 stand up better. One Way Passage is proof of that. Warner Bros. may have treated its employees like slaves, working stars and crew until 2:00 AM (with no overtime) to meet the 12 day production time limit the studio imposed on most movies, with a 6 day work week, but look at the results. One Way Passage. Baby Face. Mystery of the Wax Museum. Lady Killer. Joan Blondell described Warners Bros. studio then as a place where things were "really cooking." And now, almost 75 years later, One Way Passage can still hold a viewer's attention with its story of some passengers on a last voyage before everything changes.