Sh! The Octopus (1937)

Director:

William C. McGann

Writers:

Ralph Spence (play) and
Ralph Murphy (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 December 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Comedy-mystery finds Detectives Kelly and Dempsey trapped in a deserted lighthouse with a group of strangers...

Plot Keywords:

Lighthouse | Detective | Octopus | Turtle | Hospital

Cast

Hugh Herbert	...	Detective Harold Kelly
Allen Jenkins	...	Detective Dempsey
Marcia Ralston	...	Vesta Vernoff
John Eldredge	...	Paul Morgan
George Rosener	...	Capt. Hook
Brandon Tynan	...	Capt. Cobb (as Brandon Tyman)
Eric Stanley	...	Police Commissioner Patrick Aloysious Clancy
Margaret Irving	...	Polly Crane
Elspeth Dudgeon	...	Nanny
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edward Biby	...	Sinister Plotter (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Sinister Plotter (uncredited)
Lew Harvey	...	Sinister Plotter (uncredited)
Wendell Niles	...	Police Broadcaster (uncredited)
Henry Otho	...	Sinister Plotter (uncredited)

Directed by
William C. McGann		(as William McGann)

Writing credits
Ralph Spence		play "The Gorilla" and
Ralph Murphy		play "Sh, the Octopus" and
Donald Gallaher		play "Sh, the Octopus"
George Bricker		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bryan Foy	....	associate producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur L. Todd		(as Arthur Todd)

Film Editing by
Clarence Kolster

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Costume Design by
N'was McKenzie		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Lueker	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Francis J. Scheid	....	sound

Music Department
David Raksin	....	composer: title music (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: music cues (uncredited)

Other crew
Hugh Cummings	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• First National Pictures
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

54 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3615)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

The transformation scene was done in much the same way the beginning part of the transformation was done on Dr. Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. The actress was made up in exaggerated highlights and shadows (including her teeth) using a single color shade of makeup. When filmed through a filter the same shade as the makeup, it's invisible to the camera. Take the filter away and the makeup suddenly becomes visible. Besides a filter, the makeup can also be hidden by similar colored light. This type of trick was only possible on black and white film, of course.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In many scenes, wires operating the octopus's tentacles can be seen.

Quotes:

Vesta Vernoff:[after discovering the "body" of her stepfather] Poor Nannie!
Detective Dempsey:Who's Nannie?
Detective Harold Kelly:Nannie's a goat! Whooooooo!

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Gorilla (1927)

You'll surely hate it...

... if you don't' watch to the last scene, in which he inanity of everything that preceded it is clearly explained. Walk away with five minutes or more of the film to spare, and you'll most likely agree with the current low rating this film has.

It is true that almost from the first scene of what appears to be a comedy/thriller nothing makes sense, but please stick around and just go with it. I won't even begin to try to explain the plot, but be prepared for people that have first one identity and then are all revealed to be federal law enforcement agents of one type or another, a human criminal mastermind that is called "the octopus" whose actual identity is unknown that they all are seeking, and an actual octopus whose tentacles are repeatedly reaching out from the walls of the old abandoned lighthouse into which everyone is congregated in order to grab someone. Warner contract players Allen Jenkins and Hugh Herbert as two local cops are probably the best known actors here, and they provide the outright comedy to counterbalance the ham served up by the dramatic overacting of the rest of the cast. After you've seen the whole thing you'll have to marvel at how this film comes together. It's hard to overact in such a way that the audience gets that this is all tongue-in-cheek versus believing that you're simply giving a poor dramatic performance.

The final scene has what could almost be considered a precode moment, but it is quickly explained that what is being implied is not at all the case. I'm being intentionally vague here because I don't want to spoil it for you. If you like older cult comedy films, I believe you'll really like this one. Since Jack Warner generally didn't like to take chances, I don't know how he ever let this one slip by.