Sky Liner is a 1949 American film noir action crime film directed by William Berke. It was released on the bottom half of double bills.
Plot
The film follows a selection of passengers on a long distance overnight flight on a silver Lockheed Constellation with Trans World Airlines.
The film comprises a series of vignettes looking at the passengers and crew. Characters range from a precocious child star (intended to echo Shirley Temple) to businessmen and criminals.
An FBI man (Richard Travis) and a stewardess (Pamela Blake) solve a spy murder on a crowded airliner.
A dead man is found in the toilet. All passengers are suspects. The plane sets down at Jacksonfield while they investigate. They discover he has been stabbed by a fountain pen containing poisoned ink.
Cast
Richard Travis as Steve Blair
Pamela Blake as Carol
Rochelle Hudson as Amy Winthrop
Steven Geray as Bokejian
Gaylord Pendleton as Smith
Ralph Peters as Joe Kirk
Michael Whalen as Ben Howard
Greg McClure as J. S. Conningsby
Lisa Ferraday as Mariette La Fare
Roy Butler as Mr. Jennings
Jean Clark as Mrs. Jennings
David Holt as Buford
Dodie Holt as Grace Ward
William F. Leicester as Captain Fairchild – Pilot (as Wm. Leicester) Ezelle Poule as Elvin's Sister Herbert Evans as Sir Harry Finneston Alice Ritchie as Elvia's Jeanne Sorel as Brunet Stewardess (as Jean Sorel) Anne Lu Jones as Airline Ticket Agent Jack Mulhall as Col. Hanson Allan Hersholt as Courier (as Alan Hersholt) John McGuire as George Eakins George Meeker as Financier Anna Mae Slaughter as Mary Ann
Production
Filming started 25 April 1949 at Hal Roach's studios. It was described as "a kind of Grand Hotel of an airliner."
It was made by the same writing-directing-producing team that had done Highway 13.