The Canary Murder Case (1929)

A beautiful showgirl, name "the Canary" is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and with that she ends up dead. But who killed "the Canary". All the suspects knew and were ... See full summary »

Director:

Malcolm St. Clair

Writers:

Albert S. Le Vino (adaptation), Herman J. Mankiewicz (titles),

Stars:

William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Hall

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Powell	...	Philo Vance
Jean Arthur	...	Alice LaFosse
James Hall	...	Jimmy Spottswoode
Louise Brooks	...	'The Canary' - Margaret O'Dell
Charles Lane	...	Charles Spottswoode
Lawrence Grant	...	John Cleaver
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Dr. Ambrose Lindquist
E.H. Calvert	...	Dist. Atty. John F.X. Markham (as Captain E. H. Calvert)
Eugene Pallette	...	Sgt. Ernest Heath
Ned Sparks	...	Tony Skeel (as Ned A. Sparks)
Louis John Bartels	...	Louis Mannix

Storyline

A beautiful showgirl, name "the Canary" is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and with that she ends up dead. But who killed "the Canary". All the suspects knew and were used by her and everyone had a motive to see her dead. The only witness to the crime has also been 'rubbed out'. Only one man, the keen, fascinating, debonair detective Philo Vance, would be able to figure out who is the killer.

---

Plot Keywords:

philo vance | detective | theater | murder | high society | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1929 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Die Stimme aus dem Jenseits

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Louise Brooks refusal to dub the movie angered her parent studio, Paramount, and effectively sabotaged her acting career. According to the documentary Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, Paramount spread the word that Brooks' voice was not suitable for sound film, although later sound productions made by Brooks proved this to be wrong.

---

Quotes

Charles Spottswoode: What happened backstage? Were you able to see the Canary.
Philo Vance: No luck Charles. She's about as hard to get out of that judging room, as she is in that swing.

---

Crazy Credits

Upon its initial release, a message appeared at the end of the film requesting that the audience not reveal to anyone the surprise ending.

---

Connections

Followed by Philo Vance's Gamble (1947)

User Reviews

Truly Disappointing!

I have been a fan of S.S. Van Dine's "Philo Vance" novels since I was a kid. I have recently purchased the first editions of most of his catalogue. I have read about this movie for years, and being a HUGE admirer of Louise Brooks, I could not wait to see this film.

Although I have always been fascinated by early sound films, this is one is a textbook case of the problems encountered by the studios at the time. It is slow beyond belief. It is more than obvious that Louise's speaking parts are dubbed. The editors chose long shots so it wasn't as noticeable----it didn't work! Powell's Philo Vance bears no resemblance to the colorful character in the novels. I give this film a "3" rating simply for Brooks' beauty.