Product: Detour [VHS] (1945)
Rating: 2.0
Picking Up Trouble
Detour, 1945 filmThe film opens on a lonely two-lane blacktop highway. Its geography suggests southern California. A man walks along the highway until he gets a ride. The juke box plays a big record, the tune brings back memories. We see what happened before to Al the piano player. A long distance call is handled by dozens of operators. Al hitchhikes across country to Los Angeles. One man, Charles Haskell, picks him up and tells about his past life. Then something goes terribly wrong. Al switches clothes and takes Haskell's identification, then drives to California. Al picks up a woman by a gas station, Vera is going to Los Angeles. Later there is a surprise from Vera! She is trouble.Vera and Al register as Mr. & Mrs. Charles Haskell. "I'm always right." Their conversation tells about their characters. They don't sell the car. They dine at a drive-in diner. Vera has big ideas. The monetary figures date this film. An argument results in more bad luck for Al. He leaves, but an unforeseen event occurs to end this story.A better script could improve this low-budget story. The idea of impersonation of a stranger was used in other films and stories. If Vera was thrown out of Haskell's automobile why would she return to it?