MovieChat Forums > One Way Passage (1932) Discussion > Great movie, but the drunk was a big dis...

Great movie, but the drunk was a big distraction

posted 11 years ago by Catfishbunter
7 replies | jump to latest

I absolutely loved the film. I thought it was well directed, Powell and Kay drew you in, and it was an absolute tear-jerker. Loved it. That said, I found the comic-relief drunken character to be extremely distracting and annoying. "huh-ha, huh-ha, huh-ha" every five minutes after menial hijinks or unfunny bits. I realize that the film needed some less serious characters, but they were provided with the con-artist countess and the goofy cop. The drunk's bits seemed out of character for the film and completely stopped it in its tracks, just so unnecessary. This may have been a nod to prohibition excesses, but it sure was an annoying one. Just a thought.

[–] mousalope 11 years ago

You are largely correct. He's enjoyable at first but a little of Frank McHugh smart-alec drunk schtick goes a long way. That ha-haa was his trademark in the 30s and 40s. He did it in nearly every film he made and apparently the audiences adored it. One could make a snide remark about the low expectations of that generation's audiences, but only if you forget about how popular the Kardassians are today.

The worst part is he did it all again in the unnecessary 1940 remake " 'Til We Meet Again". George Brent and Merle Oberon don't measure up at all to the original stars. But McHugh was just McHugh.

At least he wasn't in "The Love Boat" episode where yet again they would reprise the story.

[–] Catfishbunter 11 years ago

Thanks for the response. Good info.

[–] rtw416 10 years ago

Frank McHughs trademark schtick was his bread and butter.Maybe it has not aged well.Frank was considered a top funnyman of the time.Taken in context with the era,I appreciate his style.
He plays the same pick pocket in the remake-"Till we meet again"
HaaHa,Haaaa

[–] Catfishbunter 9 years ago

I appreciate everyone's comments. I recently re-watched the film and still found him utterly insufferable though. To each their own, I suppose, but without his cringe-worthy antics I would have placed this as one of the great romantic films of all time. It just mars the film and is so unnecessary, so distracting. Just my two cents, but I thought that I would say I tried to keep an open mind and give him another shot. He's certainly not my cup of tea.

[–] rod775-1 9 years ago

His shtick is really annoying. It doesn't matter what Era/decade the movie is from. Not funny.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

While you were giving it another shot I saw it for the first time. I enjoyed the Skippy character. I thought he added levity to an otherwise sad story. Steven was a bit humorous too. As a top cop he sure was goofy. I enjoyed the movie just as it is; no changes necessary.

It's nice you tried keep an open mind the second time around but it's usually hard to change your mind if you dislike something that much. I just saw it as realistic. There always seems to be a drunk around no matter what the situation. At least Skippy was depicted as a good guy who tried to help his friend. I'm not sure it's the best idea to help a convicted murderer escape. Despite the unusual circumstances of his crime, I don't condone it but as a friend I understand why he did it.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

[–] liscarkat (16652) 2 years ago

The great Frank McHugh was transcendent in every role he ever played.