The Canary Murder Case

"Who killed the most beautiful woman on Broadway?"

1929 1h 22m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 28

CrimeMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A beautiful showgirl, name "the Canary" is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and with that she ends up dead. But who killed "the Canary". All the suspects knew and were used by her and everyone had a motive to see her dead. The only witness to the crime has also been 'rubbed out'. Only one man, the keen, fascinating, debonair detective Philo Vance, would be able to figure out who is the killer.

“Who killed the most beautiful woman on Broadway?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

William Powell
Philo Vance
James Hall
Jimmie Spottswoode
Louise Brooks
The Canary
Jean Arthur
Alice LaFosse
Charles Lane
Charles Spottswoode
Lawrence Grant
John Cleaver
Gustav von Seyffertitz
Dr. Ambrose Lindquist
E.H. Calvert
District Attorney Markham (as Captain E. H. Calvert)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Malcolm St. Clair
Writers: Florence Ryerson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

97 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Philo Vance Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, shot by Cliff Blackstone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Karl Hajos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Shea shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

William Powell and James Hall and Louise Brooks carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Malcolm St. Clair directs. Cliff Blackstone behind the camera. Karl Hajos scores. William Shea cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
297 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Philo Vance Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, shot by Cliff Blackstone. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Karl Hajos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William Shea shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8William Powell and James Hall and Louise Brooks carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Who killed the most beautiful woman on Broadway?".
10IMDB entry: tt0019745 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 28 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 15 themes, including "self sacrifice", "blackmail", "stage show", "beautiful woman".
13Released under 10 different titles around the world.