''Sky Liner'' is a 1949 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

action

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by William Berke. It was released on the bottom half of double bills.

Plot

The film follows a selection of passengers on a long distance overnight flight on a silver Lockheed Constellation with

Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with F ...

. The film comprises a series of vignettes looking at the passengers and crew. Characters range from a precocious child star (intended to echo

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

) to businessmen and criminals. An FBI man ( Richard Travis) and a stewardess (

Pamela Blake Pamela Blake (August 6, 1915 – October 6, 2009) was an American film actress who acted in almost 50 films. She is known primarily for her roles in western films and serials. Early years Blake was born in Oakland, California as Adele Pea ...

) solve a spy murder on a crowded airliner. A dead man is found in the toilet. All passengers are suspects. The plane sets down at Jacksonfield while they investigate. They discover he has been stabbed by a fountain pen containing poisoned ink.

Cast

* Richard Travis as Steve Blair *

as Carol *

Rochelle Hudson Rochelle Hudson (born Rachael Elizabeth Hudson; March 6, 1916 – January 17, 1972) was an American film actress from the 1930s through the 1960s.Steven Geray Steven Geray (born István Gyergyai, 10 November 190426 December 1973) was a Hungarian-born American film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in numerous famed A-pictures, including Alfred H ...

as Bokejian *

Gaylord Pendleton Steve Pendleton (September 16, 1908 – October 3, 1984) was an American film and television actor. He also went by Gaylord Pendleton as a Broadway performer. He was in more than 220 different films and television episodes. Pendleton appeare ...

as Smith * Ralph Peters as Joe Kirk * Michael Whalen as Ben Howard * Greg McClure as J. S. Conningsby *

Lisa Ferraday Lisa Ferraday (born Lisa Demezey; March 10, 1921 – March 22, 2004) was a Romanian-American model and actress. As an actress she appeared in theatre, radio and television but is best known for her appearances as a leading lady in several Col ...

as Mariette La Fare * Roy Butler as Mr. Jennings * Jean Clark as Mrs. Jennings * David Holt as Buford * Dodie Holt as Grace Ward * William F. Leicester as Captain Fairchild – Pilot (as Wm. Leicester) * Ezelle Poule as Elvin's Sister * Herbert Evans as Sir Harry Finneston * Alice Ritchie as Elvia's * Jeanne Sorel as Brunet Stewardess (as Jean Sorel) * Anne Lu Jones as Airline Ticket Agent * Jack Mulhall as Col. Hanson * Allan Hersholt as Courier (as Alan Hersholt) * John McGuire as George Eakins *

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984) was an American character film and Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1945) and ''A Thief in the Dark'' (1 ...

as Financier * Anna Mae Slaughter as Mary Ann

Production

Filming started 25 April 1949 at Hal Roach's studios. It was described as "a kind of ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' of an airliner." It was made by the same writing-directing-producing team that had done ''

Highway 13 The following roads may be referred to as Route 13 or Highway 13. For a list of roads named A13, see List of A13 roads. International * Asian Highway 13 * European route E13 * European route E013 Afghanistan *The Kabul–Behsud Highway - N ...

''.

References

External links

* * 1949 films American crime thriller films 1940s English-language films Films directed by William A. Berke Lippert Pictures films Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar 1940s crime thriller films American black-and-white films 1940s American films English-language crime thriller films {{crime-thriller-film-stub