One Way Passage
Encyclopedia
One Way Passage is a romantic film starring William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...

 and Kay Francis
Kay Francis
Kay Francis 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 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...

 as star-crossed lovers, directed by Tay Garnett
Tay Garnett
Tay Garnett was an American film director and writer.Born in Los Angeles, California, Garnett served as a naval aviator in World War I and entered films as a screenwriter in 1920. He was a gagwriter for Mack Sennett and Hal Roach, then joined Pathé and began to direct films in 1928...

 and released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...



It was remade in 1940
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....

 as 'Til We Meet Again
'Til We Meet Again
'Til We Meet Again is a 1940 romance film starring Merle Oberon and George Brent as two doomed, star-crossed lovers. It is a remake of the 1932 film One Way Passage and itself was remade into the 1954 Mexican 3-D film El valor de vivir.-Plot:...

, featuring Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress best known for her screen performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Cowboy and the Lady . She began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII . She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel...

 and George Brent
George Brent
George Brent was an Irish film and television actor in American cinema.-Early life:He was born George Brendan Nolan in Raharabeg, County Roscommon on the opposite bank of the River Shannon from the town of Shannonbridge, County Offaly, Ireland, the son of a British Army officer.During the Irish...

.

Plot

Dan Hardesty (William Powell) is an escaped murderer, sentenced to hang. In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, he meets Joan Ames (Kay Francis), a terminally-ill woman, in a bar. They share a drink, then Dan breaks his glass, followed by Joan. Police Sergeant Steve Burke (Warren Hymer
Warren Hymer
Warren Hymer was an American film actor. He appeared in 129 films between 1929 and 1946.He was born in New York, New York, and died in Los Angeles, California...

) captures Dan when he leaves (though out of sight of Joan) and escorts his prisoner aboard an ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...

 crossing the Pacific to San Francisco. On board, Dan jumps into the water in a bid to escape, dragging a handcuffed
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...

 (and non-swimmer) Steve with him, but spots Joan among the passengers and changes his mind. Once the ship is underway, he persuades Steve to remove his 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, thief Skippy (Frank McHugh
Frank McHugh
Francis Curray "Frank" McHugh was an American film and television actor.Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage...

) and con artist "Barrel House Betty" (Aline MacMahon
Aline MacMahon
Aline MacMahon was an American actress. Her career began on stage in 1921. She worked extensively in film and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed .-Early life:Aline Laveen MacMahon was born...

), masquerading as "Countess Barilhaus". The countess distracts Steve as much as she can to help Dan. Just before the only stop, at Honolulu, Steve has Dan put in the brig, but he escapes with their help and goes ashore. Joan intercepts him and they spend an idyllic day together. When they drive back to the dock, Dan starts to tell her why he cannot return to the ship, only to have her faint. Dan carries her aboard for medical help, forfeiting his chance. Later, Joan's doctor tells Dan about her condition and that the slightest excitement or shock could be fatal.

Meanwhile, the "countess" has spent so much time with the policeman that a romance blooms between them. When they near the end of the voyage, he awkwardly proposes to her. She tells him her true identity, but he still wants to marry her. As Steve and Dan get ready to disembark, a steward overhears the grim truth and, when Joan comes looking for Dan, tells her. The two lovers part for the last time without letting on they know each other's secret, and Joan collapses after Dan is out of sight.

They had agreed to meet again on New Year's Eve, a month later. At the appointed time and place, a bartender is startled when two glasses on the bar break with no one around.

Cast (in credits order)

  • William Powell
    William Powell
    William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...

     as Dan
  • Kay Francis
    Kay Francis
    Kay Francis 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 and 1936, when she was the number one female star at the Warner Brothers studio, and the highest paid American film actress...

     as Joan
  • Aline MacMahon
    Aline MacMahon
    Aline MacMahon was an American actress. Her career began on stage in 1921. She worked extensively in film and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed .-Early life:Aline Laveen MacMahon was born...

     as Betty
  • Frank McHugh
    Frank McHugh
    Francis Curray "Frank" McHugh was an American film and television actor.Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage...

     as Skippy
  • Warren Hymer
    Warren Hymer
    Warren Hymer was an American film actor. He appeared in 129 films between 1929 and 1946.He was born in New York, New York, and died in Los Angeles, California...

     as Steve
  • Frederick Burton
    Frederick Burton (actor)
    Frederick Burton , was an American actor. He appeared in 122 films between 1914 and 1947.He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles...

    as The Doctor
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