THE SILENT PASSENGER (NineteenThirtyFive) John Loder & Lilian Oldland | Crime, Mystery | B&W

The Silent Passenger is a British black-and-white mystery film produced in 1935 at Ealing Studios, London. It is based on an original story written by Sayers specifically for the screen. Her amateur sleuth was portrayed as a somewhat eccentric comical aristocrat who solved murders in spite of himself.

SYNOPSIS
A blackmailer with many enemies is murdered and his body placed in a trunk. A gentleman sleuth sets out to prove the innocence of a falsely accused man.

Maurice Windermere, a blackmailer, is absconding to France with Mollie Ryder, one of his victims. While waiting for the train to take them to the cross Channel ferry, he is murdered by the husband of another one of his victims, railway detective Henry Camberley (Donald Wolfit). John Ryder (John Loder), Mollie's husband, jealously searching for her, breaks into Windermere's room just after Camberley has killed Windermere and hidden him in a trunk. Ryder assaults Camberley, who he assumes is Windermere, and demands the tickets Windermere purchased for himself and Mollie, intending to surprise his wife by taking Windermere's place on the trip abroad. Camberley places the trunk containing Windermere's body with Windermere's other luggage, which Ryder obligingly takes with him on his journey to France. Windermere's body is discovered in Windermere's trunk when Ryder, using Windermere's tickets, attempts to go through French customs. The French police assume he murdered the rival for his wife's affections and return him to England by the next ferry.

CAST & CREW
John Loder as John Ryder
Peter Haddon as Lord Peter Wimsey
Lilian Oldland as Mollie Ryder (billed as Mary Newland)
Donald Wolfit as Henry Camberley
Austin Trevor as Chief Inspector Parker
Leslie Perrins as Maurice Windermere
Aubrey Mather as Bunter
Robb Wilton as Porter
Ralph Truman as Saunders
Ann Codrington as Desk Clerk
George De Warfaz as Chief of French Police
Annie Esmond as Old Lady Passenger with Pekinese Dogs
Dorice Fordred as Camberley's Accomplice
Vincent Holman as Works Manager
Gordon McLeod as Commissioner

Directed by Reginald Denham
Written by Basil Mason
Based on a story by Dorothy L. Sayers
Produced by Hugh Perceval
Cinematography Jan Stallich
Edited by Thorold Dickinson
Music by Percival Mackey
Release date 11 November 1935 (UK)
Running time 54 minutes 9 seconds
Country United Kingdom
Language English