''London by Night'' is a 1937 American murder mystery film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring George Murphy, Rita Johnson and Virginia Field. It marked the screen debut of Johnson who while shooting the film also unsuccessfully tested to replace Jean Harlow in '' Saratoga''. Gossip columnist Louella Parsons drew attention to her as a rising star.Wagner p.99 It was based on an unproduced play ''The Umbrella'' by British writer William Matthew Scott.

Plot

A London-based

newspaperman A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

is about to head for Paris for his first vacation in three years when he becomes embroiled by the murder of a

shopkeeper A shopkeeper is a retail merchant or tradesman; one who owns or operates a small store or shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as such. At larger companies, a shopkeeper is usually referred t ...

in the square where he lives, followed shortly afterwards by the shooting of a police constable. Working alongside Inspector Jefferson of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

he encounters a spirited socialite when he accosts her family's butler whom he wrongly suspects is the killer. Public alarm rises further when a barmaid at a nearby pub is also killed.

Reception

According to MGM records the movie earned $187,000 in the US and Canada and $134,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $3,000.

Cast

* George Murphy as Michael Denis * Rita Johnson as Patricia Herrick * Virginia Field as Bessie * Leo G. Carroll as Correy *

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

as Inspector Jefferson * Montagu Love as Sir Arthur Herrick * Eddie Quillan as Bill * Leonard Mudie as Squires *

J.M. Kerrigan Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964) was an Irish actor. Early life Joseph Michael Kerrigan was born on 16 December 1884 in Dublin, which was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland at that time. H ...

as Tims * Neil Fitzgerald as Inspector Sleet * Harry Stubbs as Postman * Ivan F. Simpson as Burroughs * Frank Baker as Walker * Leyland Hodgson as Maddow * Robert Adair as Bobby * Harry Allen as Glazer *

Colin Kenny James Colin Ramsey Kenny (born December 10, 1943) is a former Canadian Senator. A member of the Liberal Party, he was appointed to the Senate in 1984 by Pierre Trudeau to represent the Rideau region of Ontario. On January 31, 2018 it was annou ...

as Scotland Yard Detective * William Bailey as Scotland Yard Detective

References

Bibliography

* Wagner, Laura. ''Hollywood's Hard-Luck Ladies: 23 Actresses Who Suffered Early Deaths, Accidents, Missteps, Illnesses and Tragedies''. McFarland, 2020.

External links

* * * * 1937 mystery films 1937 films American mystery films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films American films based on plays Films directed by Wilhelm Thiele Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films set in London 1930s American films {{mystery-film-stub