IMDb > The Cat and the Canary (1927)

The Cat and the Canary (1927) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   762 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Paul Leni
Writers:
John Willard (play) and
Walter Anthony (titles)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Cat and the Canary on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 September 1927 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Mystery more
Tagline:
THE MYSTERY THRILLER OF THE STAGE FILMED WITH NEW EFFECTS (original print ad - all caps)
Plot:
Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit. But he stipulates that his will be read 20 years after his death... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Highly Enjoyable Silent Creeper more (36 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Laura La Plante ... Annabelle West
Creighton Hale ... Paul Jones
Forrest Stanley ... Charles 'Charlie' Wilder
Tully Marshall ... Roger Crosby
Gertrude Astor ... Cecily Young
Flora Finch ... Aunt Susan Sillsby
Arthur Edmund Carewe ... Harry Blythe (as Arthur Edmund Carew)
Martha Mattox ... Mammy Pleasant
George Siegmann ... The guard
Lucien Littlefield ... Dr. Ira Lazar
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
82 min
Country:
USA
Language:
None
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Silent
Certification:
Portugal:17 (director's cut) | USA:Unrated
Company:
Universal Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The play on which this film is based opened in New York on 7 February 1922 at the National Theater. It closed in May 1922 after 148 performances. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: At the beginning, after Cyrus West dies you can see the arm of the actor moving. more
Quotes:
Annabelle West: What's this all about, Paul?
Paul Jones: Don't interrupt me... I think I'm thinking!
Paul Jones: The solution of this mystery is in the envelope in Crosby's pocket.
Paul Jones: The person named in that envelope is the one who murdered Crosby.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Kingdom of Shadows (1998) (V) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Highly Enjoyable Silent Creeper, 2 September 2001
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

Like the deadly game between THE CAT AND THE CANARY, so a young heiress feels trapped in a very peculiar haunted house, surrounded by lurking, unseen evils...

This is a dandy old creeper of a silent horror film, with just the right mix of menace & mirth to please the uncritical viewer. Universal gave the movie very fine production values, which extend not only to the atmospheric sets, but also to the humorously spooky title cards scattered throughout.

This film is really story driven, rather than dominated by the personalities of its stars. However, mention should be made of very entertaining performances by Tully Marshall as the scabrous old lawyer, Flora Finch as a terrified auntie, and Lucien Littlefield as an exceedingly strange doctor. Laura La Plante as the lovely, frightened heiress & Creighton Hale as her nervous, scatterbrained cousin give a light touch to the romantic subplot.

THE CAT AND THE CANARY is a choice example from the Old Dark House genre of spook tales. All the elements are here: distressed young ladies, a crumbling mansion, a housekeeper of baleful aspect, a lawyer who knows too much, an escaped lunatic, stalking ghosts or monsters, missing wills, meetings at midnight, bony and/or hairy hands appearing from hidden bedroom panels, secret passageways, and sudden death. Unnerved characters are forever making silly choices which always lead them into the clutches of the ravening ghosts/monsters/lunatics. But the Old Dark House has for long years been a respected avenue in literature & movies to maximize suspense & tension. Indeed, it's only a short walk from West Mansion in this film to Wuthering Heights, Baskerville Hall, Manderley & the Bates House...

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