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The Cat and the Canary

  • 19271927
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
ComedyHorrorMystery
Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
    • Paul Leni
  • Writers
    • John Willard(from the stage play by)
    • Robert F. Hill(adaptation)
    • Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Laura La Plante
    • Creighton Hale
    • Forrest Stanley
    • Paul Leni
  • Writers
    • John Willard(from the stage play by)
    • Robert F. Hill(adaptation)
    • Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Laura La Plante
    • Creighton Hale
    • Forrest Stanley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 56User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos29

    Gertrude Astor, Laura La Plante, and Lucien Littlefield in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Gertrude Astor, Flora Finch, Creighton Hale, Laura La Plante, and Forrest Stanley in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Creighton Hale and Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Creighton Hale, Laura La Plante, and Martha Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Laura La Plante and Lucien Littlefield in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Laura La Plante in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Creighton Hale, Laura La Plante, and Tully Marshall in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Lucien Littlefield in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Laura La Plante and Martha Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    Martha Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Laura La Plante
    Laura La Plante
    • Annabelle West
    Creighton Hale
    Creighton Hale
    • Paul Jones
    Forrest Stanley
    Forrest Stanley
    • Charles Wilder
    Tully Marshall
    Tully Marshall
    • Roger Crosby
    Gertrude Astor
    Gertrude Astor
    • Cecily Young
    Flora Finch
    Flora Finch
    • Susan Sillsby
    Arthur Edmund Carewe
    Arthur Edmund Carewe
    • Harry Blythe
    • (as Arthur Edmund Carew)
    Martha Mattox
    Martha Mattox
    • Mammy Pleasant
    George Siegmann
    George Siegmann
    • The Guard
    Lucien Littlefield
    Lucien Littlefield
    • Doctor Ira Lazar
    Hal Craig
    • Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Billy Engle
    Billy Engle
    • Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Murphy
    Joe Murphy
    • Milkman
    • (uncredited)
      • Paul Leni
    • Writers
      • John Willard(from the stage play by)
      • Robert F. Hill(adaptation)
      • Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation) (scenario)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer/director Robert F. Hill not only wrote the adaptation for this film but also served as a sort of assistant/associate director for Paul Leni. Leni, a German, didn't speak much English, and Hill spoke German, so he acted as a liaison between Leni and the cast and crew.
    • Goofs
      As Tully Marshall's dead body falls to the floor, the actor can be clearly seen extending his hands to break the fall.
    • Quotes

      Roger Crosby: I have come to read the will of Cyrus West. Have any of the heirs arrived yet?

      Mammy Pleasant: No, Mr. Crosby.

      Roger Crosby: You must have been lonely here these twenty years, Mammy Pleasant.

      Mammy Pleasant: I don't need the living ones.

    • Alternate versions
      Kino International distributed a video with the original 1927 musical setting compiled by James Bradford and adapted and performed by Eric Beheim and "The Cyrus West Players." It was produced by David Shepard using film materials from the David Bradley collection, and copyrighted in 1997 by Film Preservation Associates. The running time was 82 minutes.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Seul le cinéma (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphonie no. 3 avec orgue
      • 1st movement

      Written by Camille Saint-Saëns

    User reviews56

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Highly Enjoyable Silent Creeper
    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...
    helpful•21
    1
    • Ron Oliver
    • Sep 2, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 9, 1927 (United States)
      • United States
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Universal Studios Hollywood - 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 48 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Silent

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