The Right of Way

The Right of Way (1931)

Genres - Drama, Romance  |   Sub-Genres - Psychological Drama, Romantic Drama  |   Release Date - Feb 7, 1931 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 65 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Previously filmed in 1915 and 1920, Sir Gilbert Parker's novel The Right of Way was exhumed once more in 1931. Conrad Nagel stars as Conrad Steele, a Canadian lawyer saddled with a nagging wife (Olive Tell) and a lazy brother-in-law (William Janney). When the latter steals some of Conrad's money, the lawyer searches for the boy, ending up in a tough waterfront saloon. Rendered unconscious in a barroom brawl, Conrad loses his memory and wanders into the Canadian Northwoods where he falls in love with pretty postmistress Rosalie (Loretta Young). Perfectly content in his "new" life, Conrad is understandably aghast when his memory returns. He dutifully returns to his former wife -- and that's all that can be said here without revealing the climactic plot twist.

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Keywords

past, amnesia, bar [pub], brother-in-law, clerk, death, harassment, lawyer, loot, marital-problems, marriage, memory, physical-abuse, robbery, seamstress, search, suffering, thug, waterfront, wife