The usually affable Joel McCrea is sort of the hero, but not exactly lovable. And Ginger Rogers may have done everything Fred Astaire did “backwards and in heels” but here, she is not living her best life. “Primrose Path” takes an unrelenting look at a dysfunctional family. It was unusual for its time, and gives the two leads a lot to do.

A Walk Down the "Primrose Path"

Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman

Old Movies, New Things: discs, books and other physical objects

Sightings: classics on TV, streaming, and (someday) the festival circuit

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

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