''Sleepers West'' is a 1941 American

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Eugene Forde Eugene Forde (1898–1986) was an American film director. Selected filmography * ''Daredevil's Reward'' (1928) * ''Painted Post (film), Painted Post'' (1928) * ''Son of the Golden West'' (1928) * ''Charlie Chan's Courage'' (1934) * ''Charlie Ch ...

and starring

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. Bi ...

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was a film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through the 1940s. ...

and

Mary Beth Hughes Mary Elizabeth Hughes (November 13, 1919 Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . P. 586. – August 27, 1995) was an American film, television, a ...

. This second entry in

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

's ''

Michael Shayne Michael "Mike" Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday, a pseudonym of Davis Dresser. The character appeared in a series of seven films starring Lloyd Nolan for Twentieth Century Fo ...

'' series was a remake of the 1934 Fox romantic drama ''Sleepers East'' from the novel ''Sleepers East'' (1933) by Frederick Nebel. The film ''Michael Shayne - Private Detective'' (1940) was the first in a series of 12 films. Lloyd Nolan starred as Shayne until the series was dropped by Twentieth Century-Fox and picked up by

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. In the PRC series,

Hugh Beaumont Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1909 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963; and as private detec ...

played Shayne.

Plot summary

On a fateful weekend, private detective Michael Shayne (

) secretly escorts murder-trial witness Helen Carlson (

) by train from Denver to San Francisco. Helen's testimony will free a man falsely accused of murder. His acquittal will also effectively destroy the election chances of a crooked politician. By coincidence, Shayne is shadowed by his ex-fiancee, Denver newspaper reporter Kay Bentley (

). Furthermore, it so happens Kay is not just sniffing out a story. She is now engaged to marry Tom Linscott (

Don Douglas Donald Douglas (born Douglas William Kinleyside, 24 August 1905 – 31 December 1945) was a Scottish actor in the United States who performed in films, on the stage and in radio. Background He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 24 August 1 ...

), an associate of that above-mentioned politician. Thus, he accompanies Kay on the train ride to locate witness Helen Carlson—but for different reasons. Eventually, Kay discovers Linscott's duplicitous, self-serving intentions and breaks her engagement. This clears the way for Kay and Shayne to unite in order to save Helen from harm. At one point, their train is involved in a wreck. This results in Kay, Shayne, Helen, and a runaway husband, Everett Jason (

Louis Jean Heydt Louis Jean Heydt (April 17, 1903 – January 29, 1960) was an American character actor in film, television and theatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, or fall guy roles. Early life Heydt was born in 1903 (not 1905, as many sour ...

), taking a taxicab the rest of the way to Frisco. During a stopover at a farm, tension mounts between Kay and Shayne when the intrepid girl reporter phones in a story to her editor back in Denver. Shayne angrily reminds Kay that an innocent man's life is at stake, and any publicity of Helen's whereabouts might keep her from testifying. The trial resumes the next morning in a San Francisco courtroom. At first, Helen Carlson is not there. However, she appears at the last second, just in the nick of time to present her life-saving testimony. Thanks to her, not to mention Michael Shayne and Kay Bentley, an innocent man is freed.

Cast

as Kay Bentley *

as Helen Carlson *

as Everett Jason *

Edward Brophy Edward Santree Brophy (February 27, 1895 – May 27, 1960) was an American character actor and comedian, as well as an assistant director and second unit director during the 1920s. Small of build, balding, and raucous-voiced, he frequently ...

as George Trautwein *

Don Costello Eldon Lawrence "Don" Costello (September 5, 1901 – October 24, 1945) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. Background Costello was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1901. He was the son of James J. Costello and Mary E. Cos ...

as Carl Izzard * Ben Carter as Leander Jones - Porter *

as Tom Linscott *

Oscar O'Shea Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953. Early years O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Acting O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...

as Engineer McGowan *

Harry Hayden Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

as Conductor Lyons *

Hamilton MacFadden Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director. MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mother to suppor ...

as Conductor Meyers *

Ferike Boros Ferike Boros (3 August 1873 – 16 January 1951) was a Hungarian-born American stage and movie actress. Biography Ferike Weinstock was born in Nagyvárad, Austria-Hungary, in 1873, Boros was on stage starting in 1893. She moved to London in 19 ...

as Farm Lady

Production

The film was based on the novel ''Sleepers East'' which was published in 1933. The ''New York Times'' said "though lacking credibility as to plot, the story has full measure of action, suspense and emotional conflict." Film rights were bought by Fox and turned into a 1934 movie. In October 1940 it was announced that the novel had been bought by Fox as a vehicle for Lyn Bari and would possibly co-star

Dean Jagger Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage, and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King (director), Henry King's ''Twelve O'Clock High'' (1949). E ...

. Lou Breslow would adapt the script, with filming to start in December.

Eugene Ford Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

was to direct. Fox then announced that the film would be called ''Sleepers West'' instead of ''Sleepers East'', and that the film would star Bari and Lloyd Nolan instead of Jagger. It was the third time that Nolan and Bari co-starred. In November it was announced the film was being reconfigured as a Michael Shayne movie. It would be the second in the series, following ''Michael Shayne, Private Detective''. Filming started 18 November 1940.

Reception

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' praised the "polished performances" of the leads, adding that "the direction is brisk, the dialogue amusing, and the settings aboard a train... are realistic." The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a lively brew". The ''New York Times'' called it "singularly unexciting".At the Palace T.M.P. New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. ew York, N.Y0 Mar 1941: 25.

References

External links

* * *
Sleepers West
at Letterbox DVD
Sleepers West
at BFI * {{Michael Shayne 1941 films 20th Century Fox films 1941 crime drama films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Eugene Forde Films based on American novels American crime drama films 1940s American films