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Sleepers West is a 1941 American mystery film drama film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lloyd Nolan, Lynn Bari and Mary Beth Hughes. This second entry in 20th Century-Fox's Michael Shayne series was a remake of the 1934 Fox romantic drama Sleepers East from the novel Sleepers East (1933) by Frederick Nebel. The film Michael Shayne - Private Detective (1940) was the first in a series of 12 films. Lloyd Nolan starred as Shayne until the series was dropped by Twentieth Century-Fox and picked up by PRC. In the PRC series, Hugh Beaumont played Shayne.
Eventually, Kay discovers Tom's duplicitous, self-serving intentions and breaks off her engagement. This clears the way for Kay and Shayne to unite in order to save Helen from harm. At one point, their train is involved in a wreck. This results in Kay, Shayne, Helen, and a runaway husband, Everett Jason, taking a taxicab the rest of the way to San Francisco. During a stopover at a farm, tension mounts between Kay and Shayne when the intrepid girl reporter phones in a story to her editor back in Denver. Shayne angrily reminds Kay that an innocent man's life is at stake, and any publicity of Helen's whereabouts might keep her from testifying. Jason and Helen part, Jason going back home, and Helen continuing with Kay and Mike.
The events at the subsequent trial are given in a montage of newspaper headlines ("Acquitted!"), and the closing scene shows Mike and Kay visiting a diner where Helen is now employed.
In October 1940 it was announced that the novel had been bought by Fox as a vehicle for Lyn Bari and would possibly co-star Dean Jagger. Lou Breslow would adapt the script, with filming to start in December.Screen News Here and in Hollywood: 'Sleepers East,' by Frederick Nebel, Purchased by Fox as Vehicle for Lynn Bari--7 New Films Coming Here 'The Long Voyage Home,' 'They Knew What They Wanted' and 'Whirlpool' Included, Churchill, Douglas W., New York Times, 7 October 1940: 21. Eugene Ford was to direct.Screen News Here and in Hollywood, New York Times, 23 October 1940: 27.
Fox then announced that the film would be called Sleepers West instead of Sleepers East, and that the film would star Bari and Lloyd Nolan instead of Jagger.Screen News Here and in Hollywood, New York Times, 25 October 1940: 28. It was the third time that Nolan and Bari co-starred.O'Neill Plays Form Basis of 'Voyage Home', Los Angeles Times, 5 November 1940: 10.
In November it was announced the film was being reconfigured as a Michael Shayne movie. It would be the second in the series, following Michael Shayne, Private Detective. Filming started 18 November 1940.News of the Screen, New York Times, 20 November 1940: 27.
The New York Times called it "singularly unexciting".At the Palace, T.M.P., New York Times, 20 March 1941: 25.
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