Mystery Liner

1934 film by William Nigh

March 15, 1934 (1934-03-15) (U.S.)

Running time

62 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Mystery Liner is a 1934 American Pre-Code film directed by William Nigh,^[1] starring Noah Beery, Sr., and based on an Edgar Wallace story originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1924.^[2] The film was entered as a feature attraction at the 1934 International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art in Venice, Italy, the forerunner of the Venice Film Festival.^[3]

Plot

Captain Holling (Beery) is relieved of command of his ship after he suffers a nervous breakdown. His replacement, Captain Downey (Howard), takes over the liner just as it is about to be used for an experiment in remote control.

Professor Grimson (Lewis) has devised a system for controlling the ship from a land-based laboratory. However, as Grimson demonstrates the system, a rival group is listening in, hoping to use the device for its own purposes.

Cast

Mystery Liner

Noah Beery as Capt. John Holling
Astrid Allwyn as Lila Kane
Edwin Maxwell as Major Pope
Gustav von Seyffertitz as Inspector Von Kessling
Ralph Lewis as Prof. Grimson
Cornelius Keefe as First Officer Cliff Rogers
Zeffie Tilbury as Granny Plimpton
Boothe Howard as Capt. Downey
Howard C. Hickman as Dr. Howard
Gabby Hayes as Joe, the watchman
George Cleveland as Simms the Steward

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin called the film an "intriguing but slow-paced B-picture" ;^[4] while Allmovie called it "a rather nifty little science fiction-thriller/murder mystery from Poverty Row company Monogram ... Typical low-budget fare, Mystery Liner is nevertheless well photographed by Archie Stout and for the most part capably acted" ;^[3] and TV Guide noted "a fine example of a well-made thriller created on the programmer assembly line...Veteran director William Nigh does a typically professional job with the few resources at his disposal and cinematographer Archie Stout (who would eventually win an Oscar for his work on John Ford's The Quiet Man, 1952) contributes some exceptional camerawork."^[5]

References

^ "Mystery Liner". BFI. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012.
^ "Mystery Liner (1934) - Notes". Turner Classic Movies.
^ ^a ^b "Mystery Liner (1934) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie.
^ "Mystery Liner (1934) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
^ "Mystery Liner". TVGuide.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mystery Liner (1934 film).

Mystery Liner at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Mystery Liner at IMDb
Mystery Liner at the TCM Movie Database
Mystery Liner is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive

Films directed by William Nigh

Salomy Jane (1914)
A Royal Family (1915)
Emmy of Stork's Nest (1915)
Mignon (1915)
A Yellow Streak (1915)
Her Debt of Honor (1916)
The Kiss of Hate (1916)
Life's Shadows (1916)
The Child of Destiny (1916)
Notorious Gallagher (1916)
The Slave (1917)
Thou Shalt Not Steal (1917)
Wife Number Two (1917)
The Blue Streak (1917)
My Four Years in Germany (1918)
The Fighting Roosevelts (1919)
Beware! (1919)
School Days (1921)
Your Best Friend (1922)
Notoriety (1922)
Marriage Morals (1923)
Born Rich (1924)
Fear-Bound (1925)
Casey of the Coast Guard (1926)
The Fire Brigade (1926)
The Little Giant (1926)
The Nest (1927)
Mr. Wu (1927)
The Law of the Range (1928)
Across to Singapore (1928)
Four Walls (1928)
Desert Nights (1929)
Thunder (1929)
Lord Byron of Broadway (1930)
Today (1930)
Fighting Thru (1930)
The Single Sin (1931)
The Lightning Flyer (1931)
The Sea Ghost (1931)
Border Devils (1932)
Men Are Such Fools (1932)
Without Honor (1932)
The Night Rider (1932)
He Couldn't Take It (1933)
City Limits (1934)
Mystery Liner (1934)
School for Girls (1934)
The House of Mystery (1934)
Monte Carlo Nights (1934)
Once to Every Bachelor (1934)
Two Heads on a Pillow (1934)
The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1934)
Dizzy Dames (1935)
Sweepstake Annie (1935)
The Headline Woman (1935)
His Night Out (1935)
Without Children (1935)
She Gets Her Man (1935)
The Old Homestead (1935)
Don't Get Personal (1936)
Crash Donovan (1936)
North of Nome (1936)
The Law Commands (1937)
Bill Cracks Down (1937)
Hoosier Schoolboy (1937)
The 13th Man (1937)
Boy of the Streets (1937)
A Bride for Henry (1937)
Atlantic Flight (1937)
Rose of the Rio Grande (1938)
Female Fugitive (1938)
Romance of the Limberlost (1938)
Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)
Gangster's Boy (1938)
I Am a Criminal (1938)
The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)
Streets of New York (1939)
Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
Mutiny in the Big House (1939)
The Fatal Hour (1940)
Doomed to Die (1940)
The Ape (1940)
Son of the Navy (1940)
The Kid from Kansas (1941)
Secret Evidence (1941)
No Greater Sin (1941)
Mob Town (1941)
Zis Boom Bah (1941)
Mr. Wise Guy (1942)
Escape from Hong Kong (1942)
Black Dragons (1942)
Tough as They Come (1942)
City of Silent Men (1942)
Lady from Chungking (1942)
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942)
The Ghost and the Guest (1943)
Corregidor (1943)
The Underdog (1943)
Where Are Your Children? (1943)
Trocadero (1944)
Are These Our Parents? (1944)
Allotment Wives (1945)
Divorce (1945)
Forever Yours (1945)
Beauty and the Bandit (1946)
Partners in Time (1946)
South of Monterey (1946)
The Gay Cavalier (1946)
Riding the California Trail (1947)
I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes (1948)
Stage Struck (1948)

Edgar Wallace

Novels

The Four Just Men (1905)
Angel Esquire (1908)
The Council of Justice (1908)
Captain Tatham (1909)
The Duke in the Suburbs (1909)
The Nine Bears (1910)
Private Selby (1912)
The Fourth Plague (1913)
Grey Timothy (1913)
The River of Stars (1913)
The Man Who Bought London (1915)
The Melody of Death (1915)
A Debt Discharged (1916)
The Tomb of Ts'in (1916)
The Just Men of Cordova (1917)
The Secret House (1917)
The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1918)
Down Under Donovan (1918)
The Man Who Knew (1918)
Those Folk of Bulboro (1918)
The Green Rust (1919)
Kate Plus Ten (1919)
The Daffodil Mystery (1920)
Jack O'Judgment (1920)
The Book of All Power (1921)
The Law of the Four Just Men (1921)
The Angel of Terror (1922)
The Crimson Circle (1922)
The Flying Fifty-Five (1922)
Mr. Justice Maxell (1922)
The Valley of Ghosts (1922)
The Clue of the New Pin (1923)
The Green Archer (1923)
The Missing Million (1923)
The Dark Eyes of London (1924)
Double Dan (1924)
The Face in the Night (1924)
Room 13 (1924)
The Sinister Man (1924)
The Three Oak Mystery (1924)
Blue Hand (1925)
The Fellowship of the Frog (1925)
The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder (1925)
The Strange Countess (1925)
The Three Just Men (1925)
The Avenger (1926)
Barbara on Her Own (1926)
The Black Abbot (1926)
The Northing Tramp (1926)
The Terrible People (1926)
The Yellow Snake (1926)
The Big Foot (1927)
Terror Keep (1927)
The Traitor's Gate (1927)
The Squeaker (1927)
The Forger (1927)
Again the Three (1928)
The Gunner (1928)
Four Square Jane (1929)
The Green Ribbon (1929)
The India-Rubber Men (1929)
The Calendar (1930)
The Clue of the Silver Key (1930)
The Lady of Ascot (1930)
The Man at the Carlton (1931)
The Guv'nor and Other Short Stories (1932)

Plays

An African Millionaire (1904)
M'Lady (1921)
Double Dan (1927)
The Terror (1927)
The Man Who Changed His Name (1928)
The Calendar (1929)
Persons Unknown (1929)
On the Spot (1930)
The Mouthpiece (1930)
Smoky Cell (1930)
The Old Man (1931)

Screenplays

The Valley of Ghosts (1928)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
King Kong (1933)

Adaptations

J. G. Reeder	Mr. Reeder in Room 13 (1938) The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939) The Missing People (1940) The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969, TV series)
The Four Just Men	The Four Just Men (1921) The Four Just Men (1939) The Four Just Men (1959, TV series)
Edgar Wallace Mysteries	Urge to Kill (1960) Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960) The Malpas Mystery (1960) Marriage of Convenience (1960) The Clue of the New Pin (1961) Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) The Fourth Square (1961) Man Detained (1961) Attempt to Kill (1961) Clue of the Silver Key (1961) Never Back Losers (1961) Partners in Crime (1961) The Sinister Man (1961) Time to Remember (1962) Playback (1962) Solo for Sparrow (1962) Locker Sixty-Nine (1962) Incident at Midnight (1963) Return to Sender (1963) Ricochet (1963) Accidental Death (1963) Five to One (1963) The Verdict (1964) We Shall See (1964) Act of Murder (1964) Change Partners (1965)
Rialto Films	Der Frosch mit der Maske (1959) The Crimson Circle (1960) The Avenger (1960) The Terrible People (1960) The Green Archer (1961) The Dead Eyes of London (1961) The Devil's Daffodil (1961) The Forger of London (1961) The Strange Countess (1961) The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962) The Door with Seven Locks (1962) The Inn on the River (1962) The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963) The Squeaker (1963) The Black Abbot (1963) The Indian Scarf (1963) Room 13 (1964) The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964) Der Hexer (1964) The Traitor's Gate (1964) Neues vom Hexer (1965) The Sinister Monk (1965) The Hunchback of Soho (1966) The Trygon Factor (1966) Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) The Monk with the Whip (1967) The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1968) Im Banne des Unheimlichen (1968) The Gorilla of Soho (1968) Double Face (1969) The Man with the Glass Eye (1969) The Body in the Thames (1971)
Other	The Man Who Bought London (1916) The Green Terror (1919) Pallard the Punter (1919) Angel Esquire (1919) Wanted at Headquarters (1920) The River of Stars (1921) The Crimson Circle (1922) Down Under Donovan (1922) Melody of Death (1922) The Diamond Man (1924) The Flying Fifty-Five (1924) The Green Archer (1925 serial) The Great Unknown (1927) The Terror (1928) Mark of the Frog (1928 serial) Chick (1928) The Forger (1928) The Terrible People (1928 serial) The Ringer (1928) The Man Who Changed His Name (1928) The Flying Squad (1929) The Crimson Circle (1929) The Clue of the New Pin (1929) Red Aces (1930) The Squeaker (1930) The Yellow Mask (1930) The Ringer (1931) To Oblige a Lady (1931) The Calendar (1931) The Old Man (1931) The Squeaker (1931) The Flying Squad (1932) The Frightened Lady (1932) The Ringer (1932) The Menace (1932) White Face (1932) Giallo (1933) The Jewel (1933) Before Dawn (1933) The Double (1934) Mystery Liner (1934) The Green Pack (1934) The Feathered Serpent (1934) The Lad (1935) Sanders of the River (1935) Born to Gamble (1935) Chick (1936) Educated Evans (1936) The Crimson Circle (1936) Prison Breaker (1936) Strangers on Honeymoon (1936) The Frog (1937) The Squeaker (1937) The Gaunt Stranger (1938) Dangerous to Know (1938) Kate Plus Ten (1938) Thank Evans (1938) The Terror (1938) The Return of the Frog (1938) Flying Fifty-Five (1939) The Dark Eyes of London (1939) The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940) The Door with Seven Locks (1940) The Flying Squad (1940) The Green Archer (1940 serial) The Missing Million (1942) The Calendar (1948) The Ringer (1952) The Avenger (1960) Death Drums Along the River (1963) Coast of Skeletons (1964) Circus of Fear (1966) Five Golden Dragons (1967) The Devil Came from Akasava (1970) The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
Television	Educated Evans (1957–58) The Mixer (1992)