A private detective, who has been shot, stumbles into the office of Michael Shayne, and dies before Shayne can question him. Shayne finds a baggage ticket in his hand. He claims it and finds the checked-bag contains the loot from a robbery. Now, he has about fifty minutes left of the running time to find the crooks, bring them to justice and return the money to the rightful owners. And needs all of it.
Director: Sam Newfield.
Stars: Hugh Beaumont, Cheryl Walker, Paul Bryar, Ralph Dunn, Louise Currie, Gavin Gordon, Charles Quigley, Douglas Fowley, Noel Cravat, Charles King, Brooks Benedict.
Seems like a jumping off point was The Maltese Falcon: the dead man arriving at the office; the wisecracking secretary; the femme fatale who’s both a client and a predator; hostility between the PI and the cops; everyone after a McGuffin; everything hinging on a claim ticket….I enjoyed this, though I wish they hadn’t telegraphed the twist.