The Canary Murder Case

1929
Approved
1h 22m

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

903

YOUR RATING

Crime Mystery

Nightclub singer 'the Canary' blackmails acquaintances, ends up murdered. Only witness also killed. Detective Philo Vance investigates to uncover her killer among numerous suspects she had e... Read allNightclub singer 'the Canary' blackmails acquaintances, ends up murdered. Only witness also killed. Detective Philo Vance investigates to uncover her killer among numerous suspects she had exploited.Nightclub singer 'the Canary' blackmails acquaintances, ends up murdered. Only witness also killed. Detective Philo Vance investigates to uncover her killer among numerous suspects she had exploited.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.9/10

903

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins

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, and although later sound productions made by Brooks proved this to be more or less true, her lack of professional vocal training was also an obvious factor.

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.

Quotes
Jimmy Spottswoode: No other man should ever have you alive!

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.

Connections
Featured in Arena: Louise Brooks (1986)

User reviews30

Review

Featured review

6/10

Creaky but still worth a look

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.