Lady on a Train (1945)

Director:

Charles David

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (writer)
Leslie Charteris (story)

Release Date:

17 August 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

While waiting at a train station, Nikki Collins witnesses a murder from a nearby building. When she brings the police to the scene of the crime...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Train | Police | Songwriter | Training

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Deanna Durbin	...	Nikki Collins / Margo Martin
Ralph Bellamy	...	Jonathan Waring
David Bruce	...	Wayne Morgan
George Coulouris	...	Mr. Saunders, Circus Club Manager
Allen Jenkins	...	Danny (Waring chauffeur)
Dan Duryea	...	Arnold Waring
Edward Everett Horton	...	Mr. Haskell
Jacqueline deWit	...	Miss Fletcher, Morgan's Secretary
Patricia Morison	...	Joyce Willams, Morgan's Girl
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Charlotte Waring
Maria Palmer	...	Margo Martin, Circus Club Singer
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Mr. Wiggam, Waring Lawyer
William Frawley	...	Desk Sgt. Brennan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	New York Cab Driver (scenes deleted)
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Drunk (scenes deleted)
Alice Fleming	...	Mrs. Brown (scenes deleted)
Jack Norton	...	Santa Claus (scenes deleted)
Eddy Waller	...	Mr. Brown (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #10990)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Movie Connections:

Edited into Christmas Hymns (1954)

Good Comic Mystery With A Talented Cast

Talents as diverse as Deanna Durbin's charm and singing ability, Edward Everett Horton's flair for screwball comedy, and Dan Duryea's knack for portraying impish, enigmatic characters, are brought together here in a pretty good comic mystery. Neither the mystery story nor the comedy would have been enough to sustain a movie by itself, but they fit together well, with the help of an assortment of interesting characters and some well-chosen settings.

The mystery story is rather like a simplified (and less plausible) version of an Agatha Christie-style plot, and it seems likely that the similarity was intended. As you watch, you do want to see how it comes out, but in itself it's relatively insubstantial. The settings and characters provide more of the material for the cast to use. A couple of the settings were done quite nicely, especially the night club/dressing room set, which allowed for some interesting possibilities, and which also fits in pretty well with the story.

While it is true that nothing about "Lady On A Train" is exceptional, at the same time it has a lot of small strengths that add up to an enjoyable movie.