"One Way Passage" starring William Powell and Kay Francis

This blog was written on Wednesday February 12 (and edited the following afternoon) :

Tonight's movie on TCM was "One Way Passage"(1932), a pre-code romantic comedy starring William Powell and Kay Francis, two of our favorite performers. Powell is a fugitive hiding out in Hong Kong, wanted for murder though the victim was a hoodlum who "deserved it". This gives Powell a sympathetic edge, which it turns out he will need, because he's soon arrested by a San Francisco detective (Warren Hymer) who plans to take him back to SF aboard an ocean liner. At first, Hymer has cuffed himself to Powell to prevent an escape, and I have to cut in here to ask a question : did policemen ever actually do that? Did they ever cuff themselves to their prisoners, or is that just the stuff of movie scripts?

Well anyhow, something happens that causes Detective Hymer to cut Powell some slack. He agrees to remove the handcuffs and allow Powell to move freely about the ship, with the tacit understanding that if Powell tries anything funny, he'll be put in the brig (or worse). But if Powell was thinking of jumping ship, he soon gives up that thought upon a chance meeting with the gorgeous Miss Francis, who was known as the Queen of Warner Brothers in the 1930s. In the movie, Francis and Powell both have secrets that they don't want to disclose, for fear of dampening the fire that is building between them. We know Powell's secret; he's been arrested for murder and is on his way to San Quentin. I'll leave you to discover Kay Francis' secret on your own.

There are a pair of con artists aboard the ship : A phony "Russian Countess" (Aline MacMahon) and her partner "Skippy" (Frank McHugh), a pickpocket who steals the wallets and jewelry of the suckers MacMahon scams with her act. McMahon has her sights set on William Powell, who looks debonair as always, and thus wealthy. He looks like a good mark, but when MacMahon sees that he's now in the company of Kay Francis, she switches her target to Detective Hymer. But as she romances him, she begins to fall in love. Suddenly she is no longer interested in robbery but in settling down and going straight. Their budding affair causes the detective to forget about his prisoner William Powell, who is deeply in love with Francis at this point. It is their story that is the focus of the 67 minute film. As long as they are at sea and on board the ocean liner they are safe, because maritime law prevents land based authorities from entering the ship to remove Powell, or the two con artists for that matter. On the ship, only Detective Warren Hymer has any authority over the accused, and by now he is too smitten with "The Countess" to care much about law enforcement. Powell and Francis take advantage of this perceived freedom to make plans for the future, though neither is certain they will be able to carry them out. Francis has no idea Powell is going to be tried for murder, and Powell isn't aware of Francis' secret either. And by the time they arrive in San Francisco, Detective Hymer decides to take his police duties seriously. Does this mean William Powell will be going to the electric chair after all? I can't tell you that, of course. He does promise to meet Kay Francis at a local nightclub on New Year's Eve, and she promises to be there, not knowing if she can make it herself. So the script gives us hope, at least, and you'll have to see the movie for yourself to find out what happens.

I loved "One Way Passage", which is equal parts comedy, romance and drama. If you are not yet a Kay Francis fan, see this film and you will be. She's one of the most charming actresses of any era and besides being beautiful she oozes glamour and onscreen charisma. William Powell, of course, was great in every role he ever played, but the secret weapons here may be the two scammers : MacMahon and McHugh, who add a dash of Screwball into the mix. And Warren Hymer was always superb at playing palookas, be they cops or robbers. So you get a little bit of everything in "One Way Passage", but what holds you is the romance, which has genuine feeling, and in fact the movie won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. I give it Two Very Big Thumbs Up. ////   

I had another nice hike today (Wednesday), at Santa Susanna. We are enjoying some beautiful pre-Spring weather, the kind of perfect February we sometimes get when there is no El Nino or excessive wind. I was also able to take Pearl out for a two mile walk, or what I call a "push" because she is is a wheelchair. We went all the way up to Cantara Street School and back, and on our return trip we went down Newcastle Street, the legendary home of several friends in the 1970s and 80s (Pat, Sean & Lys).

It is now Thursday afternoon. I am on my mid-afternoon break and writing from home. I am off until 5pm, so I'll now head out in search of a hike. Gotta stop at the store, too, for cat food. I'm getting the hang of this new version of caregiving, and day by day I'll be adjusting to my new routine. I just hope I'll still be able to go to concerts, but right now it's not looking too good because I'm "locked down" at night. I've got a ticket for Opeth on March 4th, that I bought before Pearl got sick. Man, I hope there's a way I can go. Cross your fingers for me.

Thanks. I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.

Tons and tons of love!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)