| Chester Morris | ... | Chick Williams | |
| Harry Stubbs | ... | Buck Bachman | |
| Mae Busch | ... | Daisy Thomas | |
| Eleanor Griffith | ... | Joan Manning Williams | |
| Regis Toomey | ... | Danny McGann | |
| Purnell Pratt | ... | Police Sgt. Pete Manning (as Purnell B. Pratt) | |
| Irma Harrison | ... | Toots | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Elmer Ballard | ... | Soft Malone - Cab Driver (uncredited) | |
| Diana Beaumont | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) | |
| James Bradbury Jr. | ... | Blake - a Crook (uncredited) | |
| Ed Brady | ... | George Stanislaus David (uncredited) | |
| Kernan Cripps | ... | Trask - Plainclothesman (uncredited) | |
| Virginia Flohri | ... | Singer in Theater (uncredited) | |
| Al Hill | ... | Brown - a Crook (uncredited) | |
| Edward Jardon | ... | Singer in Theater (uncredited) | |
| DeWitt Jennings | ... | Officer O'Brien (uncredited) | |
| Pat O'Malley | ... | Detective Sgt. Tommy Glennon (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Roland West | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Roland West | (screenplay) and | |
| C. Gardner Sullivan | (screenplay) | |
| John Griffith Wray | (play "Nightstick") & | |
| J.C. Nugent | (play "Nightstick") and | |
| Elaine S. Carrington | (play "Nightstick") | |
| C. Gardner Sullivan | titles for silent version | |
| Roland West | titles for silent version | |
Produced by | |||
| Roland West | .... | producer | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Ray June | (photographed by) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Hal C. Kern | (as Hal Kern) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| William Cameron Menzies | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Robert Stephanoff | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Howard Campbell | .... | sound (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Ned Mann | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Harry Zech | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Hugo Riesenfeld | .... | musical arranger | |
Other crew | |||
| Fanchon | .... | choreographer | |
| Joseph M. Schenck | .... | presenter (as Joseph Schenck) | |
| John McCaleb | .... | police advisor (uncredited) | |
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| Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. | Touch of Evil | King of New York | The Spider Returns | I Confess |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
Alibi (1929)
** (out of 4)
Early talkie has a gangster (Chester Morris) released from prison and deciding to go straight. He married a police captain's daughter (Mae Busch) but soon afterwards police begin to think he was behind a cop killing. This thing was a huge hit back in the day and even got Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor but time hasn't been too friendly to this thing. Like many early talkies, the film spends way too much time letting the viewing know that it can talk. In fact, the first minute is nothing more than various police hitting their nightsticks up against a wall so that the sound effects can come through. Also with most early talkies, the characters just keep talking and talking and most of the talk has nothing to do with the plot of the film. Director Roland West does a nice job in certain aspects but I guess you can't blame him since I'm sure the studio was wanting to show off this new format. Future Boston Blackie star Morris is good in his role but it's Busch who steals the show. Some might remember her from The Unholy Three as well as several Laurel and Hardy shorts.