Michael Shayne Collection

Lloyd Nolan

Lynn Bari

Mary Beth Hughes

Louis Jean Heydt

Edward Brophy

Don Costello

Ben Carter

Donald Douglas

Oscar O'Shea

Harry Hayden

Hamilton MacFadden

Ferike Boros

George Chandler

Ralph Dunn

Harold Goodwin

Sherry Hall

Paul Kruger

Sam McDaniel

Charles Meakin

Charles R. Moore

Dick Rush

Syd Saylor

Harry Strang

Charles Tannen

Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

Mantan Moreland

Jesse Graves

Sol M. Wurtzel

Frederick Nebel

J. Peverell Marley

Stanley Rauh

Lou Breslow

Eugene Forde

Brett Halliday

Richard Day

Thomas Little

Harry M. Leonard

Cyril J. Mockridge

Lewis H. Creber

Fred Allen

Herschel McCoy

Joseph E. Aiken

Crime

Mystery

Sleepers West

20th Century Fox

United States of America

CinemaSerf

"Long Distance? I need to place call to the Denver Tribune... In Denver, yes..." "Shayne" (Lloyd Nolan) is escorting "Helen" (Mary Beth Hughes) on a train journey so she can give vital evidence that might acquit "Callaghan" of murder charges. Needless to say, she's a bit nervous and when she meets "Everett" (Louis Jean Heydt) and explains the purpose of their journey, he plants seeds of doubt in her mind and "Shayne" is now facing quite a task keeping her on message. Add to his woes the suspicious journalist "Kay" (Lynn Bari) who is also travelling and, well, it's all going to get a bit messy. The conclusion is all a bit rushed, but the scenes with Nolan and Bari are usually quite sparky as they spat and outmanoeuvre each other both on and off their train. Trains always make for a good conduit for crime-noirs and here, as it rattles along, we get a sense of a slightly claustrophobic menace building with other passengers equally determined that "Helen" will keep her trap shut. Permanently! It's not the most memorable of films and is just a bit on the long side, but it does move along entertainingly enough and passes the time ok.

English