Jennie Carr (Anna Lee) is a British showgirl who traveled to Philadelphia to be in a show. Unfortunately the show closed and she has no more prospects for work. Now she is in New York City on New Year’s Eve, and starving. Billy Cooper (James Pirrie) is a mob lawyer that makes her acquaintance in a local café. Seeing that she is hungry and the café is out of food he invites her to his apartment for some dinner.
Before they arrive a down and out man named Henry Abel (Arthur Goullet) breaks into Billy’s apartment and steals a chicken leg. Jennie catches him when she goes to put away her coat. He convinces her that he is just hungry like her and asks her help to let me escape. She does but the superintendent of the apartment building catches him and calls the police.
Back in Billy’s apartment they are interrupted by Billy’s mob boss, Hugo Brant (Francis L. Sullivan). Hugo has two of his henchmen throw Jennie out. Hugo doesn’t like the fact that Billy intends to quit. An argument ensues and Hugo shoots Billy. Hugo finds out that Jennie is booked to take a ship back to England. He sends henchman Harrigan (Tony Quinn) to keep an eye on things. On the boat he frames Jennie for theft. Back in England she is sent to jail.
In the meantime Abel was accused of Billy’s murder and found guilty. He was sentenced to death and is awaiting execution. His lawyer has been busy looking for the woman he met in Billy’s apartment, who happens to be Jennie. She is his alibi that he left the apartment before the murder.
When Jennie finally gets out of jail she finds out about Abel being on death row. She tries to tell Inspector Jim Grant (John Loder) at Scotland Yard that she is the witness, but he doesn’t believe her. With little time left, and no money, Jennie stows away on the airship “Lisbon Clipper”. The Clipper is said to be able to make the trip from London to New York in 18 hours. On the double-decker airship, among a cast of characters, and in disguise, is Hugo Brant. Brant plans on making sure that Jennie never makes it to New York.
“Non Stop to New York” AKA “Lisbon Clipper Mystery” was released in 1937 and was directed by Robert Stevenson. It is a British thriller and romantic comedy. The film was based on the 1936 novel “Sky Steward” by Ken Attiwill. There is also a bit of science fiction in the film since the transatlantic flying boat that everyone ends up on doesn’t really exist. The movie takes place two years in the future.
There’s quite a mixed bag of passengers in the second part of the film. It makes for a lot of light banter back and forth between all the characters. The movie has often been referred to as Hitchcockian. Most likely because of the dry humor that is filtered through the film, punctuated by moments of tension. For the most part it is a fun and fast paced film.
Anna Lee was married to director Robert Stevenson during the filming of the movie. She also played Lila Quartermaine on ABC’s daytime soap opera “General Hospital”.