The Road to Singapore

Not-especially-interesting romantic melodrama, from a play, of a triangle in the tropics. But it's one of the earliest demonstrations of William Powell in full William Powelldom. As a rich, unscrupulous playboy living a hedonistic existence in Khota (why Khota is never made clear), he's all polished consonants, dapper clothes, and upper-class charm. You can see why Doris Kenyon, unhappily married to dull, work-obsessed doctor Louis Calhern, would respond to his flirtations. And you can see why her younger sister, Marian Marsh, would be similarly captivated. It's a bit clichéd and more than a bit casually racist (when displeased with a servant, kick him), but it's lifted up by a) some spiffy early-talkie camera-work--love the long take panning from Calhern's to Powell's bungalow!--and b) engagingly pre-Code morality, where the callow hedonist isn't entirely punished for his devil-may-care attitude. It's swift, and the ending may surprise you a little.

NOT the bob hope one! This is an earlier thang with the awesome william powell. An exotic adventure, off in the south seas. Hugh dawltry seems to be down on his luck, as they are auctioning off his property, when he meets philippa, the wife of doctor march, he tricks her into visiting his place for a bit. It's a pre-film-code movie, so the women are allowed to prance around in their underwear. Dawltry even kisses philippa, a married woman at her party! And talks about spanking philippa's sister. And other naughty stuff. It's a long flirtation. The suspense here is whether or not dawltry and any of the women will run off together. The drum beats from the locals get louder and louder. Really good story! I love alison skipworth... she always zings up a film. Although her talents are completely under-used in this one; they just make her out to be a silly, giggling, old lady. Directed by fred green, probably best known for the al jolson story. This started as a story by denise robins, then a play. It totally holds up!

William Powell and Doris Kenyon star in this colonial melodrama, supposedly set in a Ceylon built at Warner Studios, which has a distinctly African feel.

Also noteworthy are the young and beautiful Marian Marsh (then only 18 years old) and Louis Calhern, in supporting roles.

A reformed alcoholic playboy and the wife of a neighboring doctor fall in love in a colonial and moralistic micro society.

Nothing that would excite today's audience, but certainly a scandal in the puritanical North American society of the early thirties.

A simple curiosity for film buffs with a taste for the history of the seventh art.

... and if I had a more fine grained voting scale I'd probably make this one a 5.5 versus a 5/10.

Hugh Dawltry (William Powell) is returning to Khota, a British colony in southeast Asia, after having been ostracized there for breaking up a home and then abandoning the woman afterwards. Phillippa Crosby (Doris Kenyon) is going to Khota to marry her long time fiance Dr. George March (Louis Calhern). Dawltry pretty much earns his reputation as a bounder during the first fifteen minutes as he is attracted to Phillippa on the ship to Khota, is rebuffed, and then when the ship docks, takes advantage of the fact that she doesn't know what Marsh's house looks like to take her to his house instead, where he continues to try and seduce her. It doesn't help that the servant Dr. March sent to retrieve Phillippa from the ship decided to get drunk instead. Things get straightened out, Phillippa and George get married as planned, but it soon becomes obvious that her husband is consumed by work, just got married because it was time for "family values", and is completely lacking in romance. Suddenly Dawltry's spiel is looking good to Phillippa versus her cold as ice husband.

This is one of those films that is very hard to review because it is just so average and lacking in originality. It doesn't do anything so badly that it is "so bad it is good", but it is not memorable either. The best thing about it are the performances, and the minute you see that Calhern is the prospective bridegroom you know this is not going to be a marriage made in heaven. Calhern never played the heroic or admirable type after all. This was William Powell's first film at Warner Brothers after leaving his long time studio of Paramount, and you would have thought that WB would have made this first film a special effort, but they didn't. I will say that the pounding of the native drums at the end do a good job of building suspense. I'd recommend this one for hardcore William Powell fans who want to see everything in which the actor appeared.

No! First of all, this is NOT a Bing Crosby and Bob Hope film.

This film stars William Powell and Doris Kenyon. They are living in the hot jungles of Khota in Southeast Asia. Kenyon is a new bride to a boring doctor who treats the natives. Powell is a ladies' man and cad. He has a past of seducing married women and ruining their lives and marriages.

When Powell meets Kenyon and goes after her, he realizes that she is "the real thing" and falls for her. Marian Marsh plays Kenyon's young sister who also goes after Powell at the same time.

I don't normally care for Powell when he is playing the shallow role of a rouge and a blackguard. But in this film, he has a slow awakening and redeems his character into something with more depth and quality.

I was not as familiar with Doris Kenyon's work. I just saw her in "Alexander Hamilton" released in 09/12/1931 with Arliss. She was good in that, but she really shines in this film.

Then end is nice. It is logical and works well.

So whether you are a fan of Powell or not, check out this classic. You will be glad you did!! It will keep you classy!