The Road To Ruin (1934) / No Greater Sin (1941) (Forbidden Classics Double Feature) (DVD)

The Road To Ruin (1934, B&W): Blonde party girl Eve befriends the shy, naive Ann, and soon they're raiding their parents' liquor cabinets, riding in fast cars and going boating with "hot and bothered" guys. Ann loses her virginity to Tommy, but then she meets older, sleazier Ralph and soon is indulging in debauched parties and nude romps in outdoor pools. Eventually arrested and labeled as a sexual delinquent, Ann hits rock bottom when her back alley abortion has tragic consequences. The book Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film notes that in 1934, The Road to Ruin was blackballed by industry publications as "Immoral and indecent and entirely unfit for Catholic patronage... it may also be said that it is unsuitable for any decent person." Starring Glen Boles, Virginia True Boardman. Directed by Mrs. Wallace Reid and Melville Shyer.

No Greater Sin (1941, B&W): A military defense plant turns a dusty town into a thriving metropolis. Progress has a dark side, however, when roadhouses like The Owl's Nest sprout up. The Nest provides prostitutes for plant workers looking for a good time, but the men get more than they bargained for when they contract syphilis. Bill, a young machinist, falls in love with girl-next-door Betty. Bill is devastated when he learns he has the dreaded disease and pays a physician big bucks to cure him. After he receives a clean bill of health, Bill and Betty are married. Their idyllic life turns tragic when Bill learns that the doctor was a quack, finding out too late to save his young wife and unborn child from his great sin.

No Greater Sin is more of an educational film than most pictures of its type, although posters for the film proclaimed "due to the adult subject matter of this program, no one under 16 admitted!" Leon Ames (Meet Me in St. Louis, The Postman Always Rings Twice) and Luana Walters (Drums of Fu Manchu, Superman) are much better actors than those who are usually cast in typical exploitation films. Starring Leon Ames, Luana Walters, Guy Usher, Tristram Coffin. Directed by William Nigh

• exploitation