The Canary Murder Case (1929)

A beautiful showgirl, nicknamed 'the Canary', is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and soon ends up dead. But who killed 'the Canary'. All the suspects who knew her had ... See full summary »

Directors:

Malcolm St. Clair, Frank Tuttle (uncredited)

Writers:

Albert S. Le Vino (adaptation) (as Albert Shelby LeVino), 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, nicknamed 'the Canary', is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and soon ends up dead. But who killed 'the Canary'. All the suspects who knew her had been used by her. The only witness to the crime was also killed. Only one man, debonair detective, Philo Vance, might be able to figure out who silenced 'the Canary'.

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | new york city | black stereotype | philo vance | blackmail | 

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Taglines:

How can a half burned cigarette bring justice in the "Canary Murder Case"? (Print Ad- The Daily News,((St.Thomas, V.I.)) 18 August 1930)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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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 (1998), 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.

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Goofs

In "The Greene Murder Case" (about 29 minutes in) someone mentions reading about "The Canary Murder Case". But, in "The Canary Murder Case" (about 21 minutes in) someone mentions that he hasn't seen Vance since "The Greene Murder Case". The studio may not have been sure which order the movies would be released when the dialog was written.

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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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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.

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Connections

Followed by The Kennel Murder Case (1933)

User Reviews

A fascinating hybrid!

When Paramount decided to re-make their unreleased silent, "The Canary Murder Case" as a talkie, they faced two problems. The first was that the title star, Louise Brooks, had accepted an offer to work in Germany and refused to return. The second was that director Mal St Clair had no knowledge of sound technique. And perhaps it's true too that he supported Miss Brooks' stand. She and Paramount had parted on bad terms because the studio refused to honor her contract. In any event, Frank Tuttle was engaged to direct the talkie.

In order to get around the Brooks problem, the studio wheeled in a double, Margaret Livingston. Not only did Miss Livingston dub the Canary's voice (in an atrocious Brooklyn accent yet!) but also substituted visually in back-to-the-camera long shots.

So what we have is a movie in which all the Brooks close-ups (in fact all the shots which show her face), plus at least one short clip in a hotel corridor and maybe the long shot of the dancing chorus in the theater (and perhaps the location snip of the speeding car), were directed by Mal St Clair, whereas the rest of the action was directed by Frank Tuttle. A major headache for the editor indeed, and he is to be commended for a sterling job of work under extremely difficult circumstances. The pace is odd, the cutting unrhythmical and even jarringly abrupt at times, but at least the narrative still makes sense.

Aside from Miss Livingston, the players do wonders with the not very convincing dialogue supplied by novelist S.S. Van Dine himself. Oddly, Eugene Palette copes best, giving a typically hearty impersonation of Sergeant Heath. On the other hand, Powell seems a little unsure of his character at this stage and is often content merely to rattle off his lines. The rest of the players are competent enough, if a little too theatrical at times, though comedian Ned Sparks seems miscast as a ruthless thug and Jean Arthur's fans are in for a considerable shock not only by the paucity of her part but by the most unattractive way she is presented and photographed.

All the same, the film comes across as more than a mere curiosity. It not only bolsters the Brooks legend, but, if nothing else, it also presents a murder mystery that is not only reasonably intriguing but ingeniously solved.

P.S. The actor who plays Sergeant Heath spells his name "Pallette", but IMDb's automatic spelling correcter refuses to acknowledge this.

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