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The Cat and the Canary Overview:

The Cat and the Canary (1939) was a Comedy - Family Film directed by Elliott Nugent and produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr..

SYNOPSIS

Comedic remake of Universal's silent film stars Hope and Goddard as potential heirs to a bayou fortune. After the will is read and the estate is left to Goddard, a number of suspicious events take place, leaving the guests unsure if the mansion is haunted or if one of the neglected heirs is trying to steal Goddard's new fortune. Hope attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery, in his typically comic manner.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The Cat and the Canary BlogHub Articles:

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) On Blu-ray From Eureka

By Dan Day, Jr. on May 4, 2024 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

Eureka Entertainment's very first Region A release is an impressive presentation of the Universal 1927 silent mystery-thriller classic THE CAT AND THE CANARY. The original film adaptation of THE CAT AND THE CANARY had a great influence upon not just the old dark house genre but the Universal horror ... Read full article

Watching 1939: The Cat and the Canary (1939)

on Oct 25, 2018 From Comet Over Hollywood

In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, th... Read full article

The Cat and the Canary (1939) with Bob Hope

By Greg Orypeck on Nov 5, 2015 From Classic Film Freak

Share This! “ . . . NOT FAR FROM NEW ORLEANS, THERE STILL EXIST, IN STRANGE SOLITUDE, THE BAYOUS OF LOUISIANA . . . ” By various means, by rowboat, motorboat or rather inexplicably appearing at the front door, seven people arrive at a spooky old mansion among cypress and oak trees heavily draped... Read full article

Jewels Of The Public Domain Treasure Chest – The Cat And The Canary (1925)

By Michael on Oct 20, 2015 From Durnmoose Movie Musings

I’ve mentioned before that quite a few years back I ran another blog, Professor Damian’s Public Domain Treasure Chest. In it I tried to spotlight some of the real jewels that can be found in the Public Domain. It’s been quite a while since I’ve actually updated the site, but ... Read full article

The Cat and the Canary (1939)

on Oct 20, 2015 From Journeys in Classic Film

There are a few actor blind spots I’ve sought to fill; during the July Five, it was Fred Astaire. With Halloween we’re seeing some hope, Bob Hope that is. This is the first of two Bob Hope/Paulette Goddard horror mysteries I’m watching in my 31 Days of Halloween and if my enjoyment... Read full article

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The Cat and the Canary Quotes:

Wally Campbell: Wait. My mother brought me up never to be caught twice in the same lady's bedroom.
Cicily: I'm psychic. I was in a trance once.
Wally Campbell: I know, I know. When are you coming out of it?
Cicily: Do you believe people come back from the dead?
Wally Campbell: You mean like Republicans?
Wally Campbell: [Wiscracking to his stoic Indian guide] You seem like the jolly type, Clarence. D'yuh like jokes? You don't mind if I ramble on, do you? Keeps my mind off the malaria germs.
Wally Campbell: [to Joyce] You know, what this party needs is more drinks and more laughs.I'll tell yuh, I'll bring a bottle of scotch from the living room. Let's all drink scotch and make wry faces.
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The Cat and the Canary Facts
In the original Broadway play and the 1927 film, the dead man was named Cyrus West. In this version the dead man is named Cyrus Norman, possibly because Mae West was still making films at this time.
Many people believe that the lawyer's name (Crosby) is an in-joke reference to the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby pairing. In fact, it's a coincidence; this was the character's name in the stage play as well as the two previous film versions. Moreover, Hope and Crosby did not make a film together until Road to Singapore the following year.
Miss Lu is the character that was named Mammy Plessant in the 1922 Broadway play and the 1927 film (The Cat and the Canary).
Elizabeth Patterson played the role of Susan in both this and the first sound version of the story, The Cat Creeps.
One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, that were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Because of legal complications, this particular title was not included in the original television package and was not televised until several years later.
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