Sky Liner

John McGuire (George Eakins) loves himself and enjoys nothing more than listening to his own broadcasts, inviting others to do so with him! Quite justifiably, someone kills him for this. Or is he killed for another reason? The majority of the story is set upon a flight to LA on which another murder takes place. Whodunnit?

It's pretty obvious whodunnit but that's immaterial to your enjoyment of the film. The cast are all good in this short film that speeds along nicely which is also informative in terms of explaining airline procedure in the event of a dead body on board. Thankfully, no women scream at the sight of the murder victim. In fact, it's quite the opposite as stewardess Pamela Blake (Carol) reacts as if "Oh well, we've got another stiff in the toilet". As air crew are aware, it's not that uncommon for people to snuff it on board.

The film builds tension nicely and provides two short flashback moments to understand a couple of the characters on the flight. Well done to that chap who got away with nicking the money!

Richard Travis with a slight, sexy drawl was the love interest for Bette Davis in ' The Man Who Came For Dinner ' and he was very good in it indeed. He should have gone on to do other equally good films and many people must have taken notice of his presence in the Davis vehicle. He is very watchable in this, and so is Rochelle Hudson as a mysterious woman he is trailing for helping spies during the Cold War. Most of the action takes place on a plane and this works very well in focussing in on character, and a lot of the short running time is set among the passengers. Only the climax at the end ( and no spoilers ) brings the viewer down to earth, and in fresh bright air. Good atmosphere too as the plane seems to be going through a constant fog and this adds to the claustrophobia, and lots of rather amusing visits to a washroom ( a toilet for the English!! ) which appeared to be quite a chat room. I wondered at one point how many more could get in there, and the climax so to speak comes with murder as well. It is on YouTube and worth seeing, and saying that I am going to hunt down ' The Man Who Came to Dinner. ' Watch that too if you can, as it is a Bette Davis classic, and unlike a lot of her films not a melodrama.

At least the movie never drags. Considering almost the entire time is confined to the passenger cabin, that's a genuine accomplishment on director Berke's part. The plot concerns foreign intrigue and a killing aboard the plane. It's not really a whodunit since the culprit's pretty obvious. Too bad the script didn't play up the whodunit potential since that would have generated more suspense, especially in such close quarters. This is another Lippert quickie, though more imaginative than most. Too bad, male lead Richard Travis couldn't get more interested in his part. Even though he looks the G-man part, Travis basically walks through the role. Note too presence of 1930's favorite Rochelle Hudson (Amy Winthrop). Unfortunately, she doesn't get much chance to shine. I suspect the film's airline motif was aimed at a US public just then getting used to affordable cross-country flights. One way or the other, we certainly get a lot of real airliner shots. Anyway, it's an okay little 60-minutes of the sort that would soon migrate to TV.

Other reviewers have rated SKY LINER fairly highly, but I must have watched a different movie. The film I saw has a decent and involved set up, but a very long-winded execution that robs the premise of excitement and makes the whole thing more than a little boring. It's one of those hour-long film that feels like it goes on for at least double the running time, it's so drawn out.

The narrative involves a bunch of characters taking a flight across America. Some of them are good (an undercover FBI agent, a dedicated stewardess), and others are very bad indeed (spies working for the Russians, a murderous safebreaker). Greed, treachery, and betrayal ensue, and there's a mild murder mystery for the good guys to solve, but it's all very slow and stately, with little to lift the spirits or the interest of the viewer.

SKY LINER lacks a big name actor to play the protagonist because the one we do get is very bland. The supporting cast don't do much to distinguish themselves either, and some of the choices, such as the laboured comic relief, are very poor indeed, making for irritating viewing. Things do pick up for a great action-packed climax, but by then it's too little, too late.

Yet another gem in the Forgotten Noir Collection Vol. 4 DVD set. I'm quickly becoming a fan of the late director William Berke. Although he worked mostly in B-movies, he was one of the better directors in that field. He has a knack for pacing and getting the best out of actors, in this case no name thespians. These films are usually short, some just over an hour and others just under an hour, but Berke makes the best of low budgets and fast pacing. This film involves espionage in the air, on the Sky Liner of the title. It's definitely not typical noir, but it is decent little film. Richard Travis plays a sky marshal for the government tailing a spy network and the story goes on from there. The cast of no names is pretty good led by Rochelle Hudson, the always steady Herbert Evans, Steven Geray and others. The script is good so credit should be given Maurice Tombragel and John Wilste. At less than 50 minutes long, this is a surprising little treat.