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The Cat and the Canary

The Cat and the Canary

1939
Comedy, Family/Kids
1h 12m
Ten years have passed since the death of millionaire, Cyrus Norman. Cosby, Cyrus' attorney, has gathered Cyrus' 6 remaining relatives to his New Orleans' mansion for Cyrus' "reading of the will". To the others disappointment, Joyce is the sole heir, but, due to a streak of insanity running in the family, a second will has been made in case Joyce falls victim to it... (imdb)
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The Cat and the Canary

1939
Comedy, Family/Kids
1h 12m
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Avg Percentile 55.99% from 99 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(99)
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Rated 14 Aug 2023
85
63rd
Does some things better and some things worse than the 1927 version. Each character feels more distinct with the addition of sound, but doubling down on comedy means the "scary" scenes don't have near the impact that they should. Overall a fun time, just don't sleep on the silent version.
Rated 29 Feb 2016
70
58th
Goofy haunted house flick. Hope was the clear highlight. I mostly enjoyed it out of a sweet spot for haunted house movies of this era
Rated 12 Aug 2014
80
86th
Very enjoyable horror comedy whodunit. By 1939, all the familiar elements were not only well-established, they were already ripe for some selfreflexive nudging.
Rated 12 Oct 2015
73
36th
Bob Hope is funnier than I expected, and the murder mystery setup works ok, but most of the secondary characters are uninteresting and the resolution isn't anything to write home about.
Rated 17 Jan 2011
80
66th
Doesn't measure up quite to Ghost Breakers or the silent Cat and the Canary, but a very good spook show all the same. Hope and Goddard were just finding their chemistry and the script lacks any real good zingers. Hope and Nydia Westman actually had the best scenes together.
Rated 04 Jun 2015
70
96th
For me the granddaddy of all 'Old Dark House' mysteries is the silent version of The Cat and the Canary (1927). So it's with natural interests I watch the earliest available sound version of The Cat and the Canary (1939). The Bob Hope version with Paulette Goddard & Gale Sondergaard as the attractions. Not as awesome as the 1927 version, but still a lot of fun with Hope being a likable wisecracker. Got the comic creepiness and all you'd want for a clichéd mystery done well!
Rated 05 Dec 2009
50
67th
The comedy-thriller par excellence, with Bob Hope fresh and sympathetic in his first big star part. A superbly staged remake, briskly paced, perfectly cast and lusciously photographed.
Rated 04 Jan 2016
60
54th
"Horror-comedy" that's really more of a mystery than it is either of those genres. Creates a scary atmosphere, but it's all building towards a particularly silly, non-fantastical denouement. Goddard is great, but Hope is playing to the audience more than he's acting with the others and the supporting cast is uneven - John Beal is quite awful.
Rated 01 Jun 2020
62
35th
Doesn't stand out as much as its silent counterpart, but the presence of sound makes it possible for the characters to come across much more distinct and memorable.
Rated 10 Dec 2020
65
62nd
A fun yet slight spooky comedy. Bob Hope is a little much here and not on top of his game in my opinion. Everyone else really hams it up and keeps things light.
Rated 12 Aug 2023
55
36th
Well produced but much less effective than Leni's version because Nugent lacked his flair for staging and bravura camera moves as well as his understanding that the material was kind of dumb; the silent format helped paper over the inherent creakiness of the story. The 'self aware' humour isn't particularly witty either and doesn't compare to The Old Dark House.

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