''Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone'' is a 1950 comedy/murder mystery film set on board a train. It stars Marjorie Main and

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Aca ...

. It is based on the short story "Once Upon a Train (The Loco Motive)" by

Stuart Palmer Stuart Palmer (June 21, 1905 – February 4, 1968) was a mystery novel writer and screenwriter best known for his character Hildegarde Withers. He also wrote under the names Theodore Orchards

and Craig Rice.

Plot

Montana housewife Hattie O'Malley boards a train bound for New York because she's on her way to collect a prize she's won from a radio program. Getting on board in Chicago is criminal attorney John J. Malone, whose client, Steve Kepplar, just released from prison in Joliet, still owes him $10,000. Suspicion exists that Kepplar himself will be on the train, heading to New York to retrieve $100,000 he previously stashed from a robbery. Chicago detective Tim Marino is a passenger. So is the ex-convict's business partner, Myron Brynk, and his moll, a looker named Lola. Kepplar is indeed along for the ride, disguised as a sailor. Lola is in on it, hiding him in her compartment. But soon his dead body is found, followed by hers. More and more, the detective comes to believe lawyer Malone and even Hattie could be involved in this, but Brynk turns out to be the man he's after.

Story origins and pre-production

In the 1930s and '40s, MGM produced the "Thin Man" series of six films, based on

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

's novel. It was very popular with American audiences for all 13 years of its run. In the late 1940s, MGM decided to try to repeat its success with the help of Craig Rice, one of the leading mystery writers of the time. She was famous for her stories featuring fast-talking lawyer John J. Malone, who often cut ethical corners while solving crimes. MGM also approached

, another famous mystery writer of the era. Together, Rice and Palmer wrote a short story titled "Once Upon a Train (The Loco Motive)", teaming Malone with Palmer's most famous character, Hildegarde Withers, who had appeared previously in films in the 1930s. However, MGM replaced the character of Withers with that of "Mrs. O'Malley" due to copyright issues with the publisher of Palmer's stories. Director Norman Taurog was chosen by MGM to direct the film adaptation, as it was a screwball comedy/mystery, a strength of his. However, instead of letting Palmer and Rice write the screenplay, he delegated the duties to William Bowers. Bowers' screenplay resembled the short story that Rice and Palmer had written, so the elements of comedy and mystery that Rice included in her works were preserved in the film adaptation.

Cast

* Marjorie Main as Harriet "Hattie" O'Malley *

as John J. Malone *

Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''The Literary Digest'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack ...

as Connie Kepplar *

Phyllis Kirk Phyllis Kirk (born Phyllis Kirkgaard; September 18, 1927 October 19, 2006) was an American actress. Early life Kirk was born in Syracuse, New York, although some sources state her birthplace as Plainfield, New Jersey. She contracted polio as ...

as Kay * Fred Clark as Inspector Tim Marino *

Dorothy Malone Dorothy Malone (born Mary Dorothy Maloney; January 29, 1924 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role ...

as Lola Gillway * Clinton Sundberg as Donald *

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

as Steve Kepplar *

Willard Waterman Willard Lewis Waterman (August 29, 1914 – February 2, 1995)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . was an American ...

as Mr. Ogle *

Don Porter Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ''Private Secretary'', and Russell Lawrence, the wi ...

as Myron Brynk * Jack Bailey as The Game Show Host *

Nancy Saunders Nancy Lou Saunders (June 29, 1925 – June 13, 2020) was an American actress of film, television and the stage. Career Saunders appeared in over 20 films between 1946 and 1957. She was discovered when a talent scout was looking for attractive ...

as Joanie * Basil Tellou as The Greek Passenger * James Burke as The Train Conductor

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $772,000 in the US and Canada and $143,000 overseas, leading to a loss of $31,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{Norman Taurog 1950 films 1950s comedy mystery films American black-and-white films American comedy mystery films 1950s English-language films Films scored by Adolph Deutsch Films based on short fiction Films directed by Norman Taurog Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Rail transport films Films based on works by Craig Rice 1950 comedy films 1950s American films