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Escape to Paradise
USA 1939
produced by Bobby Breen Productions, Principal Pictures/RKO
directed by Erle C. Kenton
starring Bobby Breen, Kent Taylor, Marla Shelton, Rudolph Anders, Joyce Compton, Pedro de Cordoba, Rosina Galli, Anna Demetrio, Francisco Marán, Carlos Villarías, Frank Yaconelli, George Meeker, Victor Sen Yung
story by Ian McLellan Hunter, Herbert Clyde Lewis, screenplay by Weldon Melick, songs by Eddie Cherkose, Nilo Meléndez, musical director: Victor Young
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Richard (Kent Taylor), a millionaires son with not a care in the world,
is on a cruise in South America, when one of his female fellow passengers
(Joyce Compton) gets increasingly on his nerves, and on a whim he decides
to leave the ship in Rosarito, where he soon makes friends with Roberto
(Bobby Breen), a boy who drives him around on his motorbike, and falls in
love with Juanita (Marla Shelton), who at first thinks very little of him
though. But at the suggestion of Roberto, Richard buys large quantities of
her father's (Pedro de Cordoba) mate (special dried leaves used ina
similar fashion to tea) and poses as an exporter - which really impresses
her, especially because her father is in conflict with mate merchant Komak
(Rudolph Anders), who desperately wants to marry her even though she
detests him. Then though Richard learns that his father won't pay for any
mate shipments, and when the natives get wing about it, their hospitality
cools off, especially Juanita's - and Richard already decides to leave
Rosarito in a hurry and heads for the next airfield ... when Roberto finds
a telegram addressed to Richard that there is a buyer who wants, who needs
mate in large quantities - which makes Roberto and Juanita to rush to the
airfield to stop Richard and keep him in Rosarito ... which they only just
manage.
The whole film then ends in a song and a carcrash (!).
Pure kitsch, there is not much more to say about this film, but made on
the cheap. Actually, the movie is little more than a vehicle for fading
child star Bobby Breen, who gets several occarions to sing a song or two -
but beware, his boy soprano voice is not to everyone's taste, and the
songs are invariably cheesy.
Not worth your time, actually.
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