One Way Passage (1932)

Directed by Tay Garnett. Starring William Powell, Kay Francis, Frank McHugh, Warren Hymer, Aline MacMahon, Frederick Burton, Roscoe Karns.

Doomed romance on the high seas matches up ocean liner passengers Powell (as a murderer with the executioner’s noose waiting for him Stateside) and Francis (as a terminally ill woman who has one of those Hollywood diseases that doesn’t disturb her glamorous glow). They’re good together, and as far as implausibly contrived romantic mellers go, it gets the job done quickly, and Garnett’s frisky direction keeps the tearjerking affair from ever going stagnant (or rancid). Away from the leads, however, the cracks in the magical veneer grow—in theory, the comic relief shenanigans from soused McHugh should work, but his portrayal and timing are so dreadful that he never earns a laugh. Last of six screen pairings for Powell and Francis (all in a three-year span). Academy Award winner for Robert Lord’s original story. Remade as ‘Til We Meet Again in 1940.

68/100