They Drive by Night (1938 film)

They Drive by Night is a 1938 British blackandwhite, crime thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods starring Emlyn Williams as Shorty, an excon, Ernest Thesiger as Hoover, an exschoolteacher, and Ronald Shiner as Charlie, the caf proprietor. It was produced by Warner Bros. First National Productions. The film is based on the novel of the same name by James Curtis. The picture is sometimes confused with the 1940 American film, They Drive by Night, based on the novel The Long Haul by A. I. Bezzerides and featuring George Raft and Humphrey Bogart.

James Curtis adapted his own novel, They Drive by Night to provide the screenplay for the film. The female victims of the book were prostitutes and to prevent censorship this aspect was watered down. Additionally, the book featured scenes of police brutality that were excised altogether. The film was made by Warner Brothers at the recently purchased Teddington Studios as a quota film under the Cinematograph Films Act 1927.William Hartnell has a small role as the Bus Conductor and is credited as Billy Hartnell. He would later go on to be the first Doctor Who in 1963. ........

Source: Wikipedia