Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West

Roland West

For the basketball player, see Roland West Roland West was a Hollywood director known for his innovative film noir movies of the 1920s and early 1930s.-Biography:...

. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan

C. Gardner Sullivan

C. Gardner Sullivan was an American screenwriter and motion picture producer. He was a prolific writer with more than 350 films among his credits. In 1924, the magazine Story World selected him on a list of the ten individuals who had contributed the most to the advancement of the motion picture...

, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington

Elaine Sterne Carrington

Elaine Sterne Carrington was an American screenwriter, playwright, novelist and short story author who found her greatest success writing for radio. The woman who originated radio soap opera in 1932, Carrington wrote more than 12,000 daily dramas during her long career...

, J.C. Nugent

J.C. Nugent

J.C. Nugent , was an American actor. He appeared in 20 films between 1929 and 1943.He was the father of actor, writer and producer Elliot Nugent, with whom he sometimes wrote or acted. He was born in Niles, Ohio and died in New York, New York.-External links:...

, Elliott Nugent

Elliott Nugent

Elliott Nugent was an American actor, writer, and film director. He successfully made the transition from silent film to sound. He directed The Cat and the Canary , starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard...

 and John Wray

John Wray (actor)

John Wray was an American character actor of stage and screen.Wray was one of the many Broadway actors to descend on Hollywood in the aftermath of the sound revolution, and quickly made an indelible impression on the era in a variety of substantial character roles, such as the Arnold...

.

Alternate titles for the film include The Perfect Alibi and Nightstick.

The movie is a crime melodrama starring Chester Morris

Chester Morris

Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...

, Harry Stubbs, Mae Busch

Mae Busch

Mae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was...

 and Eleanore Griffith. Director West experimented a great deal with sound, music, and camera angles.

Reception

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

, including one for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Academy Award for Best Actor

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...

 (Chester Morris), Best Art Direction

Academy Award for Best Art Direction

The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...

 (William Cameron Menzies

William Cameron Menzies

William Cameron Menzies was an Academy Award-winning American film production designer and art director who also worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter during a career spanning five decades...

) and Best Picture

Academy Award for Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...

.