The Wrong Road (1937) | Directed by James Cruze

The Wrong Road is a crime drama about a young couple who embezzle money from a bank with the idea of paying it back later, only to find themselves in deeper trouble as the consequences of their choices spiral out of control. The film examines themes of temptation, morality, and the far-reaching effects of crime.

Genre: Crime drama

Director: James Cruze

James Cruze (1884–1942) was an American silent and early sound film director and actor. Originally a stage actor, he became prominent in Hollywood during the silent era, directing classics such as The Covered Wagon (1923), which was one of the first major western epics. Cruze’s work spanned comedies, dramas, and thrillers, though his career declined with the advent of sound films. Despite this, he remained active through the 1930s, leaving a legacy as a pioneering filmmaker of the silent-to-sound transition.

Star Cast:

Richard Cromwell

Helen Mack

Lionel Atwill

Horace McMahon

Allen Vincent

The Wrong Road was a modest release produced by RKO. While it did not receive major critical acclaim or commercial success, it was noted for its moralistic storyline, which echoed the cautionary crime tales of the 1930s. Audiences found it entertaining but formulaic, and it has since become a relatively obscure entry in the crime drama genre.

Fun Facts:

The film was produced by RKO Radio Pictures during a period when studios were turning out crime and cautionary tales to reflect public anxieties of the Depression era.

James Cruze, though best remembered for his silent epics, was working mainly on lower-budget films by the late 1930s.

Richard Cromwell, the star, had earlier achieved fame in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935).

The Wrong Road is now largely forgotten and rarely screened, but it remains of interest to collectors of early RKO pictures.

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