SINNERS IN PARADISE-1938-On a plane to
China all the passengers have a story: Anne Wesson (Madge Evans), an
unhappy wife trying to escape her jealous husband, Thelma Chase
(Charlotte Wynters), an heiress trying to escape union troubles at
her factory, a pompous senator (Gene Lockhart), two munitions rivals
Brand (Morgan Conway, a future Dick Tracy) and Honeyman (Milburn
Stone), an old woman (Nana Bryant), Malone (KING KONG's Bruce Cabot),
a gangster known as The Torpedo, wise cracking Iris (Marion Martin)
who's escaping a grand jury. Their plane crashes during a storm and
only they survive along with the plane's steward Jessup (future
western star Don “Red” Barry).
They find refuge on a tropical
island where the only inhabitant is Jim Taylor (John Boles), a loner
who lives there with his Asian servant Ping (Willie Fung). He has a
boat but won't let them use it because he has a secret of his own for
being on the island and isn't exactly thrilled with his unscheduled
guests. Later Taylor decides to let them go and get some peace but
not all of them will fit in his boat, so some can go and some will
have to wait. The munitions rivals can't wait to go and Taylor has
to fight them off. Malone saves him. Taylor gets sweet on Thelma and
asks her to stay. The munitions rivals hijack the boat (with Ping in
it) and the old lady is shot. Taylor tries to remove the bullet but
she dies before he can operate. It turns out Taylor was a doctor
accused of killing a mobster: the old woman's son! Everyone goes
native and some comic parts made me think of “Gilligan's Island”!
This forgotten adventure/soap opera was directed by the great James
Whale who made a few more films after this (THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK,
GREEN HELL) but was basically on the downside of a once famous
career. This was also one of the last film roles for the once popular
top billed Madge Evans who retired from films after marrying author
Sidney Kingsley (DEAD END).
John Boles of course had worked
previously with Whale on a film of his caled FRANKENSTEIN....
Thanks for reading!
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