Cast as the tomboy daughter of a family of 'loose women', (not quite identified as prostitutes in this 1940 film), Ginger Rogers was given the chance to show she was more than a great dancer and fine comedienne and failed miserably. She was way too old for the part and considering the background of her character, far too naive. She falls for nice guy Joel McCrea, also totally miscast, and marries him but when he meets her family their marriage runs into trouble.
"Primrose Path" was a cliche-ridden mess only marginally redeemed by Marjorie Rambeau's performance as Ginger's no-good mother, (Rambeau was Oscar-nominated). The director was Gregory LaCava who did his best with the material which was based on Victoria Lincoln's novel "February Hill" and the subsequent play by Robert L. Buckner and Walter Hart but by 1940 it already seemed three decades out of date. Of course, in the same year Ginger also made "Kitty Foyle", a somewhat better romantic melodrama, and won the Academy Award. She didn't deserve it but at least in "Kitty Foyle" she showed some of the skill that had made her a household name. "Primrose Path" is best forgotten.
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