Road to Ruin (1934 film)
Encyclopedia
Road to Ruin is a 1934 exploitation film
directed by Dorothy Davenport
, under the name "Mrs. Wallace Reid", and Melville Shyer, and written by Davenport with the uncredited contribution of the film's producer, Willis Kent. The film, which is in the public domain
, is about a young girl whose life is ruined by sex and drugs.
Cast notes:
The titles and composers of the three songs performed in the film are not recorded.
To promote the film, the producers advertised that it was not to be shown to anyone under eighteen, implying that it contained salacious material. Film censors in Virginia required a "record number" of cuts in the film before clearing it for release, according to Film Daily, while in Detroit, the film was boycotted by the Catholic Church, but was cleared by the local censors after some cuts.
A novelization of the film was put out by the producers, apparently intended for use by school and civic groups as an aid to discussion of the social problems presented in the film: teenage drinking, promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion.
found the film "restrained" in comparison to the more "hotly sexed" silent version, while other reviewers found it to be an improvement over the earlier film, and "sensational". A modern critic called the film "[A] sordid drive down the path of moral and physical degradation, capped off with just enough of a moral lesson to alleviate any guilt the viewer might feel for watching such a decadent display."
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
directed by Dorothy Davenport
Dorothy Davenport
Dorothy Davenport was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer who appeared in silent film for Biograph Studios under the direction of D.W. Griffith.-Early career:...
, under the name "Mrs. Wallace Reid", and Melville Shyer, and written by Davenport with the uncredited contribution of the film's producer, Willis Kent. The film, which is in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, is about a young girl whose life is ruined by sex and drugs.
Cast
- Helen FosterHelen Foster (actress)Helen Foster was an American film actress.-Early life and career:Born in Independence, Kansas, Foster attending school in Kansas City and later attended finishing school in Florida. She began acting in 1924, appearing in comedy shorts and early Westerns...
as Ann Dixon - Nell O'DayNell O'DayNell O'Day was an accomplished equestrian and B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Prairie Hill, Texas, O'Day was a good looking woman in her youth, and had her first screen roles in the 1920s as a teenager.Her first starring role was in 1932 when she starred in Rackety Rax opposite...
as Eve Monroe - Glen Boles as Tommy
- Robert Quirk as Ed
- Paul Page as Ralph Bennett
- Richard Hemingway as Mr. Dixon
- Virginia True BoardmanVirginia True BoardmanVirginia True Boardman was an American actress of the silent era.Born Margaret Shields in Fort Davis, Texas, she began her theatrical career in 1906, as Virginia Eames and went on to appear in 52 films between 1911 and 1936...
as Martha Dixon - Richard TuckerRichard Tucker (actor)Richard Tucker was an American actor. He appeared in 266 films between 1911 and 1940.He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the first official member of the Screen Actors Guild and a founding member of SAG's Board of Directors...
as Homer - Donald Kerr as Drunk shooting dice
- Eleanor Thatcher as Dancer
- Neal Pratt as Brad
- Jimmy Tolson as Club Singer Jimmy
Cast notes:
- Director/writer Dorothy DavenportDorothy DavenportDorothy Davenport was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer who appeared in silent film for Biograph Studios under the direction of D.W. Griffith.-Early career:...
appears in the film in the role of "Mrs. Merrill."
Production
The Road to Ruin is a sound re-make of a 1928 silent film of the same name, written and produced by Willis Kent and also starring Helen Foster.The titles and composers of the three songs performed in the film are not recorded.
To promote the film, the producers advertised that it was not to be shown to anyone under eighteen, implying that it contained salacious material. Film censors in Virginia required a "record number" of cuts in the film before clearing it for release, according to Film Daily, while in Detroit, the film was boycotted by the Catholic Church, but was cleared by the local censors after some cuts.
A novelization of the film was put out by the producers, apparently intended for use by school and civic groups as an aid to discussion of the social problems presented in the film: teenage drinking, promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion.
Reception
The reviewer for VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
found the film "restrained" in comparison to the more "hotly sexed" silent version, while other reviewers found it to be an improvement over the earlier film, and "sensational". A modern critic called the film "[A] sordid drive down the path of moral and physical degradation, capped off with just enough of a moral lesson to alleviate any guilt the viewer might feel for watching such a decadent display."