The Canary Murder Case (1929)
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- Passed
- 1h 22min
- Crime, Mystery
- 1929 (Germany)
- Movie
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...
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Directors:
Writers:
Stars:
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Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| William Powell | ... |
Philo Vance
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| Jean Arthur | ... |
Alice LaFosse
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| James Hall | ... |
Jimmy Spottswoode
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| Louise Brooks | ... |
'The Canary' - Margaret O'Dell
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Charles Lane | ... |
Charles Spottswoode
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| Lawrence Grant | ... |
John Cleaver
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| Gustav von Seyffertitz | ... |
Dr. Ambrose Lindquist
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| E.H. Calvert | ... |
Dist. Atty. John F.X. Markham
(as Captain E. H. Calvert)
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| Eugene Pallette | ... |
Sgt. Ernest Heath
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| Ned Sparks | ... |
Tony Skeel
(as Ned A. Sparks)
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| Louis John Bartels | ... |
Louis Mannix
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Tim Adair | ... |
George Y. Harvey (uncredited)
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| Margaret Livingston | ... |
Double for Margaret O'Dell (uncredited)
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| Oscar Smith | ... |
Stuttering Hallboy (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Malcolm St. Clair | ||
| Frank Tuttle | ... | (uncredited) |
Written by
| S.S. Van Dine | ... | (novel) |
| Florence Ryerson | ... | (scenario) |
| Albert S. Le Vino | ... | (adaptation) (as Albert Shelby LeVino) |
| Herman J. Mankiewicz | ... | (titles) |
| S.S. Van Dine | ... | (story and dialogue) |
Produced by
| Louis D. Lighton | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| Karl Hajos | ... | (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Harry Fischbeck | ... | (photographed by) |
| Cliff Blackstone | ... | (uncredited) |
Editing by
| William Shea | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume Design by
| Travis Banton | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Jesse L. Lasky | ... | presenter |
| Adolph Zukor | ... | presenter |
| Margaret Livingston | ... | double: Louise Brooks (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Paramount Pictures (1929) (United States) (theatrical)
- Famous-Lasky Film Service (1929) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Paramount British Pictures (1929) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Famous-Lasky Film Service (1929) (Australia) (theatrical)
- MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (United States) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (acknowledgement)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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 |
| Plot Keywords | |
| 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 » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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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. 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. Original writer S. S. Van Dine (true name: Willard Huntington Wright) published the first three Philo Vance novels together in a trilogy before separating them into individual books, which might explain the cross-references between the stories. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Louise Brooks (1986). 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 » |
| Quotes |
Jimmy Spottswoode:
No other man should ever have you alive! See more » |