6/10
B Mystery from Columbia
9 August 2012
The film focuses upon Florence Rice's character, a nurse who was wrongly convicted of poisoning a patient. Now, Rice has been paroled, although the elderly doctor she worked for is still behind bars. She sets up in her new home but quickly learns than the witness who can clear her and the doctor is scheduled to be executed in New York. She decides to "break" parole and fly to New York to convince the witness to tell the truth.

Now the mystery turns to the plane trip from California to New York. There is much mystery and many subplots, including an inventor, Conrad Nagel, who is travelling to Washington to patent a revolutionary armaments discovery. The film has moved fine to this point and one would think the film would gain intensity during the flight with the mystery that abounds. Yet somehow, the film begins to lose steam.

The plot gets a little shaky as Nagel with little to go on, suspects Rice is hiding from authorities. Likewise, the parole board suspect Rice has taken flight shortly after she has left for New York. Both plot developments are contrived and leave the viewer to accept the unlikely.

Back on the plane, the storyline picks up again as a poisoning occurs. The victim survives, yet indeed this development is bad news for Rice who is quietly trying complete her trip unnoticed. Shortly after, another poisoning brings death. Authorities are quick to uncover Rice's identity and accuse her of the murder. It's left to the clever inventor, Nagel, to find the killer, prove Rice's innocence, and allow her to complete her journey to New York.

It is an "OK" presentation but leaves you a little disappointed. The premise is interesting and with a little more expertise in execution and care to plot this could have been a memorable B mystery.
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