Frankly, the title had me expecting this flick to be a romance-comedy set aboard a luxury diesel passenger liner. Just goes to show titles can be misleading. In reality the story is about corruption in the transportation industry - a popular theme in the 30's, be it railroads, trucks, taxis, you name it. Grant Withers plays the motivated receiver appointed to get the bankrupt Moon Valley RR back on a paying basis. Easier said than done, he's got to match wits against the crooked head of a trucking firm who wants the railroad's business. The real action doesn't come till the showdown - a race between the locomotive and the trucks to see who can get the tomatoes and lettuce to Paradise first. I won't give away Doyle's solution to a sabotaged water tower they find en route, but I can say it was pretty quick thinking. Dr. Meade from Gone With the Wind is here, and Dorothy Appleby plays his cute, perky granddaughter and Withers' romantic interest. Lassie fans may recognize Gramps from "Jeff's Collie". I watched the 52-min version off the Internet Archive. Maybe someone can find the full version.
Review of Paradise Express
