London by Night (film)

London by Night
Directed by	Wilhelm Thiele
Written by	George Oppenheimer
Based on	The Umbrella (play) by William Matthew Scott
Produced by	Sam Zimbalist
Starring	George Murphy Rita Johnson Virginia Field
Cinematography	Leonard Smith
Edited by	George Boemler
Music by	William Axt
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	July 30, 1937 (1937-07-30)
Running time	69 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200,000[1]
Box office	$321,000[1]

London by Night is a 1937 American murder mystery film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring George Murphy, Rita Johnson and Virginia Field. It marked the screen debut of Johnson who while shooting the film also unsuccessfully tested to replace Jean Harlow in Saratoga. Gossip columnist Louella Parsons drew attention to her as a rising star.^[2] It was based on an unproduced play The Umbrella by British writer William Matthew Scott.

A London-based newspaperman is about to head for Paris for his first vacation in three years when he becomes embroiled by the murder of a shopkeeper in the square where he lives, followed shortly afterwards by the shooting of a police constable.

Working alongside Inspector Jefferson of Scotland Yard he encounters a spirited socialite when he accosts her family's butler whom he wrongly suspects is the killer. Public alarm rises further when a barmaid at a nearby pub is also killed.

According to MGM records the movie earned $187,000 in the US and Canada and $134,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $3,000.^[1]

• Wagner, Laura. Hollywood's Hard-Luck Ladies: 23 Actresses Who Suffered Early Deaths, Accidents, Missteps, Illnesses and Tragedies. McFarland, 2020.

• London by Night at IMDb
• London by Night at the TCM Movie Database
• London by Night at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

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