Paths to Paradise (Silent)

Raymond Griffith is a con man working the opium dens in San Francisco's Chinatown. It's there he spies Molly, "the Queen of the Counterfeiters", who is in the process of separating gullible men from their wallets. Deciding to pull a fast one on her, Griffith pretends to be a detective and tricks Molly into giving up all her ill-gotten loot. The competition heats up when they both set their sights on stealing a valuable necklace from a wealthy mansion, with Griffith in his detective guise and Molly posing as a demure maid. Discovering each other's true identity, they decide to split the profits and head for the Mexican border. With every motorcycle cop in the vicinity hot on their tail, can the pair possibly make it to Mexico and freedom…without giving in to the burgeoning attraction between them?

Though Betty Compson is top-billed, Paths to Paradise is really a showcase for the talents of Raymond Griffith, a formerly obscure silent comedian whose works are being re-evaluated today. Griffith, whose regular "costume" consisted of an elegant mustache, top hat, white tie and tails, is in the unfortunate position of having most of his work lost, with Hands Up! (1926) probably his most well-known extant silent feature. The advent of sound brought an early end to his career, though he did have a memorable role as a French soldier killed by a regretful Lew Ayres in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Co-star Compson was an 18-year-old violinist when she began appearing in comedies with Fatty Arbuckle. She became one of the biggest stars of the silent screen earning $5,000 a week in her heyday. Some of her many notable performances include The Miracle Man (1919), The Great Gabbo (1929) and The Lady Refuses (1931), as well as the silent version of Woman To Woman (1923). Director Clarence Badger later made It (1927), the movie that turned Clara Bow into a household name. Comedy legend Edgar Kennedy has a small role as a dumb detective who is outwitted by Griffith and Compson at every turn.