Non-Stop New York
| Non-Stop New York | |
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| Directed by | Robert Stevenson |
| Written by | Ken Attiwill (novel) J.O.C. Orton Roland Pertwee Curt Siodmak E.V.H. Emmett |
| Starring |
John Loder Anna Lee Francis L. Sullivan |
| Music by |
Hubert Bath Bretton Byrd Louis Levy |
| Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
| Edited by | Al Barnes |
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Production
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| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
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Release date
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Running time
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72 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Non-Stop New York (also known as Libson Clipper Mystery) is a 1937 British science fiction crime film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring John Loder, Anna Lee and Francis L. Sullivan. It is based on the novel Sky Steward by Ken Attiwill. A woman who can clear an innocent man of the charge of murder is pursued by gangsters onto a luxurious transatlantic flying boat.
On New Year's Eve 1938, lawyer Billy Cooper notices stranded English showgirl Jennie Carr (Anna Lee) gazing hungrily at other diners' plates and offers to buy her a meal. However, the restaurant is all out of food, so he invites her to his apartment. Before they arrive, Abel, another equally hungry and unemployed person, sneaks in for a chicken leg. Hearing them coming, he hides in a bedroom. When Jennie enters the room to remove her coat, he begs her not to cause trouble. She sympathizes with his plight and says nothing to Billy.
Just then, Hugo Brant (Francis L. Sullivan), Billy's gangster employer, and his men barge in. They make Jennie leave. When Billy admits that he is quitting, Brant shoots him dead. To get rid of loose ends, Hugo sends Harrigan aboard the ocean liner bound for Southampton with Jennie. He frames Jennie for robbery.
Meanwhile, Abel, who was caught by the building watchman as he tried to sneak out, is tried and sentenced to death for Cooper's murder. The woman he insists can exonerate him is in HM Prison Holloway, unaware of his plight. Hugo and gang member Mortimer travel to England to deal with Jennie.
When Jennie gets out of prison, her mother introduces her to her new tenant, a priest named Mr. Mortimer. After reading in the newspaper about Abel's impending execution, she goes to Scotland Yard, despite Mortimer's warning that she might herself become a suspect. She finds that other women have turned up, all claiming to be the missing witness. Inspector Jim Grant is skeptical, and that turns into certainty when Mortimer shows up and totally discredits her.
Meanwhile, Brant, under the alias of would-be Paraguayan dictator "General Costello", receives a message at his hotel, informing him of the developments. The messenger, Spurgeon (Peter Bull), later sneaks back in and collects the torn-up pieces to sell to bookmaker and blackmailer Sam Pryor (Frank Cellier). Treacherously, Spurgeon also tips off Inspector Grant (for a price) that Pryor will be flying to New York on blackmail business.
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Wikipedia