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The Canary Murder Case (1929)
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Overview
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Release Date:
1929 (Germany)
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Plot:
A beautiful showgirl, name "the Canary" is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and with that she ends up dead...
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User Reviews:
Early sound effort
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Cast
(in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification) | 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 |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Tim Adair | ... | George Y. Harvey (uncredited) |
| Margaret Livingston | ... | Double for Margaret O'Dell (uncredited) |
| Oscar Smith | ... | Stuttering Hallboy (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Malcolm St. Clair | |||
| Frank Tuttle | (scenes for talkie version) | ||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Albert S. Le Vino | writer | |
| Herman J. Mankiewicz | titles | |
| Florence Ryerson | writer | |
| S.S. Van Dine | novel (as Willard Huntington Wright) | |
| S.S. Van Dine | screenplay (as Willard Huntington Wright) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Karl Hajos | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Cliff Blackstone | |||
| Harry Fischbeck | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| William Shea | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Travis Banton | |||
Other crew | |||
| Margaret Livingston | .... | double: Louise Brooks | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- Paramount Pictures (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
- MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
- Grapevine Video (USA) (VHS) (VCD)
- Sunrise Silents (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)
- Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
82 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (MovieTone)
Company:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Paramount bought the rights to the first 3 S.S. Van Dine mysteries (The Benson Murder Case, The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case) as a package deal in 1928, filming the second effort first. MGM would outbid the studio for the 4th Philo Vance best-seller, The Bishop Murder Case (1930).See more »
Quotes:
Charles Spottswoode:Shall we go over here?
Philo Vance:Why, yes. I'm afraid marriage is quite out of the question Miss O'Dell.
Charles Spottswoode:Oh, you're sure about that, are you?
Philo Vance:I'm positive.
Charles Spottswoode:Well how would you like me to tell the world about Jimmy's embezzling from your bank?
Philo Vance:What?
Charles Spottswoode:You heard me.
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Philo Vance:Why, yes. I'm afraid marriage is quite out of the question Miss O'Dell.
Charles Spottswoode:Oh, you're sure about that, are you?
Philo Vance:I'm positive.
Charles Spottswoode:Well how would you like me to tell the world about Jimmy's embezzling from your bank?
Philo Vance:What?
Charles Spottswoode:You heard me.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in A Shriek in the Night (1933)See more »
FAQ
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Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Canary Murder Case (1929)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Stuttering Characters | Avalon123 |
| Ever Released? | EdOren |
| Beginning clipped off? | 39-0-13 |
Recommendations
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
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This film typifies the problems the studios were having adapting to sound in 1929. The characters talk and talk and talk and nothing much happens. Being a great Philo Vance fan, I had to purchase this film even though it is a pretty rough transfer to tape and is very stilted in style. The obvious post-dubbing of Louise Brooks' voice is comical since it comes out as a nasal Bronx accent. William Powell, just beginning to develop his persona as a sophisticate, really doesn't stand much of a chance here. However, for historical value, it is worth a try. It is the last film that Brooks made before she went to Germany and her greatest triumphs(Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl); thus the voice dubbing. The film started out as a silent and was converted to sound....by that time she was in Germany and refused to return to dub her own voice. If you are a Philo Vance buff and can't work your way through this film, see "The Kennel Murder Case" instead.