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 ...
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Title: The Canary Murder Case (1929)
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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 | |
Learn more
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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'. Written by Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Plot Keywords:
private detective | police sergeant | philo vance | high society | district attorney |Taglines:
The sinister threat of a jealousy maddened lover- a whispered warning- a scream! And next morning the world asks- WHO KILLED THE CANARY!!! (Print Ad- Sunday Times, ((Perth, S.A.)) 4 August 1929) See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The story was based on the real-life murder of showgirl Dot King, which was never solved. See more »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. See more »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. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1929 (Germany) See more »Also Known As:
Die Stimme aus dem Jenseits See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (MovieTone)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
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First Philo Vance film starring William Powell in the lead and a dubbed Louise Brooks in a small role. It's an early talkie so from a technical standpoint it creaks and groans as you might expect. But it's still an enjoyable picture with a good turn from Powell. Watch other movies from this year and you'll be doubly impressed by Powell's acting. His style is years ahead of most of his contemporaries who tended to overact. This series would get much better and Powell would certainly go on to do more memorable work, but this isn't a bad start at all. It's not a terribly exciting watch but it never bored me. If you like classic detective stories from this period it's worth a look.