''One Way Passage'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

romantic film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey through d ...

starring

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...

and

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

as star-crossed lovers, directed by

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He made nearly 50 films in various genres during his 55-year career, ''The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film), The Postman ...

and released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

The screenplay by

Wilson Mizner Wilson Mizner ( ) (May 19, 1876 – April 3, 1933) was an American playwright, raconteur, and entrepreneur. His best-known plays are '' The Deep Purple'', produced in 1910, and '' The Greyhound'', produced in 1911. He was manager and co-owner o ...

and Joseph Jackson is based on a story by Robert Lord, who won the

Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...

Plot

Dan Hardesty is an escaped murderer, sentenced to hang and on the run. In a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

bar, he literally bumps into Joan Ames, a terminally ill woman whose friends are wishing her bon voyage. It is love at first sight. In what will become a signature gesture for the couple, they share a Paradise cocktail, then Dan breaks the bowl of his glass, followed by Joan; they leave the stems crossed on the bar.

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Police Sergeant Steve Burke captures Dan at gunpoint when he leaves the bar (though out of sight of Joan) and escorts him aboard an

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

bound for San Francisco. Dan jumps into the water, dragging Steve with him. He takes the handcuff key from Steve's pocket and frees himself. Then he spots Joan among the passengers looking over the rail at them. He rescues floundering non-swimmer Steve rather than escape. Once the ship is underway, he persuades Steve to remove the handcuffs. Dan and Joan fall in love on the month-long cruise, neither knowing that the other is under the shadow of death. By chance, two of Dan's friends are also aboard, pickpocket Skippy and con artist "Barrel House Betty", masquerading as "Countess Barilhaus". The countess distracts Steve as much as she can to help Dan. Just before the only stop, at

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Steve has Dan put in the brig, but Dan gets out with their help and goes ashore to arrange escape on a steamer leaving that night. Joan intercepts him as he leaves the ship, and they spend an idyllic day together. When they drive back to the dock that evening, Dan starts to tell her why he cannot return to the ship, but she faints. Dan carries her aboard for medical help and stays by her side, forfeiting his chance at escape. Later, Joan's doctor tells Dan about her condition and that the slightest excitement or shock could be fatal. Dan tells the doctor the truth about himself. Meanwhile, a romance blooms between Steve and the countess. When they near the end of the voyage, he awkwardly proposes to her. He wants to give up being a cop and live on a chicken ranch he owns. (Earlier in the film, Betty told Skippy that she dreamed of giving it all up and buying herself a chicken ranch.) She starts to tell him her true identity, but her confession is interrupted when a steward delivers a telegram to Steve. It is from his boss, telling him to find notorious con-woman Barrelhouse Betty and bring her in. He says nothing, as he still wants to marry her. They kiss, and Steve throws the telegram overboard. Steve and Dan get ready to disembark, an overcoat draped over the handcuffs that link them. On an impulse, Joan goes to their cabin, where a steward who overheard the grim truth tells her about it. She frantically searches for Dan, and finds him with Steve. The two lovers part for the last time without letting on that they know each other's secret, and Joan collapses after Dan is out of sight. They had agreed to meet again a month later, on New Year's Eve, at a bar in Agua Caliente, Mexico. At the appointed time and place, the dance floor is full, but the long bar is empty except for Skippy, standing solemnly at one end, and two bartenders at the other. The bartenders are startled by the sound of glass breaking. They turn to find the crossed stems and shattered pieces of two cocktail glasses lying on the bar. They glisten there for a moment and then vanish.

Cast

as Dan ardesty*

as Joan mes*

Aline MacMahon Aline Laveen MacMahon (May 3, 1899 – October 12, 1991) was an American actress. Her Broadway stage career began under producer Edgar Selwyn in ''The Mirage'' during 1920. She made her screen debut in 1931, and worked extensively in film, the ...

as "Barrel House Betty" also known as "Countess Barilhaus" *

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

as Skippy *

Warren Hymer Edgar Warren Hymer (February 25, 1906 – March 25, 1948) was an American theatre and film actor. Early life He was born in New York City. His father, John Bard Hymer (1875/1876 – 1953) was a playwright (with nine Broadway plays to ...

as Steve urke* Frederick Burton as the Doctor Uncredited: *

Douglas Gerrard Douglas Gerrard (12 August 1891 – 5 June 1950) was an Irish-American actor and film director of the silent and early sound era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1913 and 1949. He also directed 23 films between 1916 and 1920. He ...

as Sir Harold *

Herbert Mundin Herbert Thomas Mundin (21 August 1898 – 5 March 1939) was an English character actor. He was frequently typecast in 1930s Hollywood films like ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled featur ...

as steward *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many ...

as ship's bartender *

Dewey Robinson Dewey Robinson (August 17, 1898 – December 11, 1950) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 250 films made between 1931 and 1952. Career Dewey Robinson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1898, and made his B ...

as bartender in Hawaii * Stanley Fields as Captain in Hawaii *

Willie Fung Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American film actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films from 1922 to 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese characters ...

as Chinese merchant *

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American professional baseball outfielder and actor. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National League for seven te ...

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the Bar (establishment), bar, usually in a licensed bar (establishment), establishment as ...

Production

As the ship draws near San Francisco, Dan and Joan talk about the Golden Gates, remembering the words of a hymn. Dan says that when he was a little boy growing up in San Francisco, he thought the gates in the hymn were the Golden Gate of San Francisco. He is referring to the Golden Gate Strait at the mouth of San Francisco bay, not the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. The structure links San Francisco—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peni ...

. Construction on the bridge would begin in January 1933. The film's working title was ''S.S. Atlantic''. This was the sixth time that Powell and Francis appeared together, and it was their biggest moneymaker. Francis' gowns were created by

Orry-Kelly Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964), an Australian-American Cinema of the United States, Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin (designer), Catherin ...

, who had just joined Warner Bros. in 1932. He went on to win three Academy Awards for costume design. James Kendis and Lou Klein are credited as composers. The pervasive love theme was reportedly written by W. Franke Harling, uncredited. Aloha O'e by Hawai'i's Queen Lili'uokalani, also figures prominently in the soundtrack.

and Joseph Jackson are credited as screenwriters. Criti
Ken Hanke
gave credit to director Garnett's role in honing the final screenplay: "The comedy content – involving unscrupulous but lovable con artists – has all the earmarks of being the work of noted cynic and part-time con artist Mizner." Warner Bros. chartered the steamship '' Calawaii,'' along with a skeleton crew, for six days of intensive filming in May 1932. The ship was filmed at her dock, and at sea off the coast of Los Angeles.

Reception

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', "In its uncouth, brusque and implausible fashion, 'One Way Passage' ... offers quite a satisfactory entertainment. ... Tay Garnett's direction is clever. He keeps the story on the move with its levity and dashes of far-fetched romance."

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gives the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, high praise for a "tender shipboard romance of fugitive Powell and fatally ill Francis, splendidly acted, with good support by MacMahon and McHugh". Writing in 2013 for the Mountain Express (Asheville, North Carolina), Ken Hanke described the film as: "''The'' classic doomed lovers/shipboard romance movie... a perfect blend of romantic tragedy and hard-boiled comedy... The two elements perfectly complement each other in a way you find in very few films... A strange and strangely magical film from the very uneven filmmaker Tay Garnett, ''One Way Passage'' is a movie that once seen is unlikely to be forgotten... the film's brilliant balance of cynical comedy (provided by Frank McHugh and the wonderful Aline MacMahon) and tragic – ultimately mystical – romance." In his autobiography ''Looking for a Street,''

Charles Willeford Charles Ray Willeford III (January 2, 1919 – March 27, 1988) was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography and literary criticism, Willeford wrote a series of novels featuring hardboiled detective fiction, detective Hoke ...

describes seeing the movie as a thirteen-year-old: "''One Way Passage'' is still my all-time favorite movie, but I have never risked seeing it again. I cried so hard when the movie ended the usher took me out of the lobby and gave me a glass of water." President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

wrote in his diary on January 8, 1982, that he and Nancy watched the film at Camp David, writing of it: "We ran an old movie, ''One Way Passage'' – Kay Francis, Wm. Powell. It was wonderful."

Box office

According to Warners records, the film earned $791,000 in the US and Canada and $317,000 elsewhere. This success led the studio to remake the film in 1940.

Awards and honors

Robert Lord won an Oscar for his original story.

Remake

''One Way Passage'' was remade in 1940 as ''

'Til We Meet Again ''Til We Meet Again'' is a 1940 romance film directed by Edmund Goulding and Anatole Litvak and starring Merle Oberon and George Brent as two doomed, star-crossed lovers. It is a remake—with new characters and some different scenes—of th ...

'', featuring

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress. She began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). She ...

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included ''Jezebel'' and ''Dark Victory ...

, Pat O'Brien,

Binnie Barnes Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known for as a leading lady in films such as ''The Private Life of He ...

and

Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 – July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress. She received the Daytime Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. She was a member of the American T ...

. Although some scenes strongly echo the original, it is not a word-for-word, shot-for-shot remake, and there are new characters. Frank McHugh reprises his role as Dan's pickpocket friend; his state of perpetual inebriation is a pose in the later film.

Radio adaptations

*''One Way Passage'' was presented on ''Warner Brothers Academy Theater'' April 3, 1938.

and

Gloria Dickson Gloria Dickson (born Thais Alalia Dickerson; August 13, 1917 – April 10, 1945) was an American stage and screen actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Dickson was the daughter of a banker. After her father's dea ...

starred in the 30-minute adaptation. * "One Way Passage” was presented on ''Lux Radio Theatre'' March 6, 1939. Original stars

and

reprised their roles, although Kay Francis filled in for

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated women. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill, ...

who bowed out due to illness. The production was 60 minutes in three acts. * ''One Way Passage'' was presented on ''

Philip Morris Playhouse ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic anthology series.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214. The program " nerally ...

'' September 12, 1941. * ''One Way Passage'' was presented on ''

The Screen Guild Theater ''The Screen Guild Theater'' is a radio anthology series broadcast from 1939 until 1952 during the Golden Age of Radio. Leading Hollywood stars performed adaptations of popular motion pictures. Originating on CBS Radio, it aired under several d ...

'' April 5, 1948 starring

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

, Robert Taylor, and

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert th ...

. * ''One Way Passage'' was presented on ''Hollywood Sound Stage'' February 14, 1952. The 30-minute adaptation starred

Ruth Roman Ruth Roman (born Norma Roman; December 22, 1922 – September 9, 1999) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. After playing stage roles on the East Coast, Roman moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in films. She appeared in ...

and

Frank Lovejoy Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir ''The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama ''Night Beat ...

References

External links

* * *
''William Powell: The Life And Films''
* {{Tay Garnett 1932 films 1932 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films about capital punishment Films directed by Tay Garnett Films set on ships Films that won the Academy Award for Best Story Films set around New Year Films produced by Robert Lord (screenwriter) Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Warner Bros. films 1930s American films English-language romantic drama films