Testemunha Ocular

"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.

For the first 40 minutes of Sleepers West, one of the Michael Shayne quickie B movies starring Lloyd Nolan, I thought we might be in the middle of tense Narrow Margin territory. Mike Shayne is hiding a secret witness on a train barreling through the night between Denver and a high profile trial in San Francisco. Her testimony can prove the innocence of a man framed for a murder...a murder that involves some very powerful people who want the case closed fast and permanently. And on that train is a killer determined to identify the witness and stop her from testifying. That's not all. Also aboard is a smart, shrewd and sexy newspaper reporter, Kay Bentley (Lynn Bari), an old romance of Mike's who is determined to find Mike's witness and get a scoop. Then there's the tall guy with a suitcase full of cash who might just be a poor shrump...or a killer, too. If that's not enough for Mike, his witness, Helen Carlson (Mary Beth Hughes), is a lush piece of frosting who enjoys a drink, has lazy eyes and lips as plump as Angelina Jolie's collagen injections.

If Sleepers West, a great, odd-sounding title, settles down to standard B movie fare toward the end, the ride at least is a lot of fun. Lloyd Nolan remains the reason to see this comedy/ mystery. Lynn Bari adds style and sexiness and has a great voice. She was a good actress who could handle comedy, drama, weepies or romance. Over a long career, she'd shrug and do the movies she was offered, and never was able to break out of the B's.

Blue, White and Perfect (1942), directed by Herbert I. Leeds, is the fourth and last in the Michael Shayne Mysteries - Volume I. In some ways, it's the best of the four. Once again we have an economical set, this time on an ocean liner steaming from Los Angeles to Honolulu. There's espionage involving industrial diamonds, murder, fist fights and a nice near- drowning in a flooding ship's compartment. The story is as complicated than the other three were, but it hold ups for the length of the movie. In this one, the ruthless Mr. Big is well disguised until the end. The confined quarters of the ship means there are lots of scrambles up and down stairways and people following each other at night in the halls. Lloyd Nolan continues his pitch-perfect portrayal of Shayne as cocky, funny, tough when he has to be and veering closely, but not close enough, toward getting married. Shayne's escape from marriage this time is cleverly handled by a corpse with a knife in its back.

Don't blame yourself if you get confused over some of the characters in these films. Mary Beth Hughes appears in three of them, Helene Reynolds in two and Marjorie Weaver in two. And they're all in leading roles never playing the same characters. Lloyd Nolan must have been as confused as Mike Shayne sometimes appears to be. And let's hear it for double- breasted suits. That's what Shayne always wears, and they look good on him.

Lloyd Nolan is back as Mike Shayne, Private Detective. This time he's escorting Mary Beth Hughes from Colorado to San Francisco. She's a moderately hard-boiled showgirl, and her testimony will make all the difference in a trial. There's a wide variety of characters aboard the train, like reporter Lynn Bari, who's sometimes Nolan's fiancee, now engaged to high-powered attorney Donald Douglas, whose boss is running for governor. There's also Edward Brophy, who's supposed to be a detective, Don Costello, who looks rather suspicious, and Louis Jean Heydt, who claims to be running away from a dull life. But not everyone is who they claim. Some of them are looking for Miss Hughes, hoping to stop her from testifying.

Seems familiar? Yes, it's a remake of 1934's Sleepers East -- sounds like they didn't think too hard about the title. It's based on a story by Frederick Nebel, and the basic situation has been used many times with many variations. This one is pretty good, with Brett Halliday's character slipping right into the proceedings, thanks to Nolan's typically solid performance. There are also a large number of supporting actors that 20th Century-Fox's B division could summon forth, like Oscar O'Shea, Harry Hayden, Ferike Boros, and Mantan Moreland. Just right for a snappy second feature!

In this entry in the Michael Shayne series, Lloyd Nolan gets the job of escorting Mary Beth Hughes to San Francisco on the sleeper train from New York. Hughes is beautiful but most uncooperative. She's a key defense witness in a murder trial, but all the restrictions Shayne has placed on her is cramping her style. Hughes is a most sociable girl.

Also on the train is Lynn Bari an old girlfriend of Shayne's who's a Lois Lane like reporter. She's got a new fiance Don Douglas who's from San Francisco and is a rising mover and shaker there.

Whether Hughes believes it or not there are people who want her to complete the journey and will go to any lengths to see it doesn't happen. There's a nice cast of familiar character players and the trick is to see which are the good and the bad guys.

Some nice snappy patter dialog is a must for this kind of film and it has it with an actor that can deliver it. Lloyd Nolan in his long career never gave a bad performance, even if the film was a stinker he never was. He fit so well in the role of Michael Shayne.

There are also a few side plots in this B film unusual for a movie not in the A list category. This one will make you a fan of Michael Shayne and Lloyd Nolan.

This mystery is fun. It is loaded with lots of suspects. Also, some slimy characters. A bright spot is having been Ben Carter and Mantan Moreland which livens up the movie. They should have had more screen time to-gether. It is nice to see Mary Beth Hughes. She was very attractive and had natural talent.