Ten years have passed since the death of millionaire Cyrus Norman. His attorney gathers his six remaining relatives in his old mansion in the swamps of Louisiana to read the will. The family maid appears and announces that the spirits have told her that one of them will die that night and Hendrick, the local prison guard warns them that "The Cat", a homicidal maniac has escaped and could appear at any minute. This sets up a night filled with mysteries and intrigue. Bob Hope has one great one-liner after another in this classic old dark house mystery-comedy. viewer's comments: - A remake of the classic silent film; this time, set in a Louisiana swamp, instead of a mansion in upstate New York. Gale Sondergaard makes a creepy (& sexy!) housekeeper, and The Aunt & Niece are a real HOOT! Hope has a LOT of great lines: Niece: "I'm psychic...I was in a trance once". Hope: "I know....when are you coming OUT of it!". Great fun & chills! - Can Bob Hope stop the Cat? Bob Hope murder mystery/old dark house parody film with someone trying to knock off an heiress. A fiendish figure named The Cat appears but all is not what it seems. This was good fun..I quite enjoyed it although it could have benefited from a few more legitimate frights..certainly a good starting point for Hope who went on to make many more delightful films like this. - Shaped my childhood nightmares Oh my gosh, how scary is this film? I first saw it when I was about six, and I only remember the hand coming through the wall to strangle the woman in bed, and the body falling out of a cupboard. This was enough to make me stay away from cupboards and beds for many years to come! I saw it again recently and found it more comical this time around, especially Bob Hope's performance, but I'm still scared of cupboards! - One of my favorite "old dark house" comedy-mysteries... With a plot that sounds right out of Mary Roberts Rinehart or Agatha Christie, Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard join forces to let her inherit her rightful inheritance before a series of murders occur. I was a kid when I first saw this and it has haunted me ever since--it's a child's nightmare with its secret passageways, cobwebs, hidden panels and relatives gathered to hear a rich man's Will. But seeing it today, I'm not sure that it's quite as wonderful as other comments suggest. All the cliches are there--and Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard both had better roles in THE GHOST BREAKERS, another comedy released the following year. Gale Sondergaard provides a few chills as a sinister housekeeper and other performances are adequate. The revelation of the murderer is in the tradition of "the one you least suspect". George Zucco is so sinister as the lawyer that I almost expected him to "come back from the dead" and be revealed as the killer. It has the look of a low-budget movie despite some good atmospheric effects. Good for a rainy day or a Halloween evening--just don't expect too much. Hope had much better lines in THE GHOST BREAKERS and obviously more was spent on production values for his follow-up film with Paulette. - Comedy and mystery in one fun filled package. By far the best version of this fun mystery that easily surpasses the 1979 remake. Succeeds as both comedy and mystery and is also one of Bob Hope's best roles, before being caught up in all the road films. My only regret is that it is not available in video or DVD. - Glowing praise for a true cinema classic There is little fault that can be found when watching a film which is as well written, well performed, atmospheric, creepy, and downright funny as this. If only modern day comedy actors could stop and look at how Hope delivers lines we might get a better standard of comedy from todays supposed " comedy " actors. Sure, this is an old movie, and the setting is tight, as likely was the budget. But when you look at the story ( en mass gathering of family for reading of a will leading to suspicion and murder ) the tight setting perfectly suits the nature of the film. The who-dunnit aspect will is not exactly tasking on the brain, but this is not the point of the film. This is a comedy suspense film and on these two fronts it is a stand out. Hopes lines are priceless and almost everyone else essentially play foils to Hopes comedy genius. The suspense also works very well thanks to the isolated location and what in its day would have been far more unjaded use of the secret passageways and haunted house themes. I could wax lyrical for a long time about this film ( and the fact it is not available on any format ! tisk tisk ! ) but seek it out on a late night showing on TV and enjoy a little gem of movie magic. - A Classic The silents brought us a number of classic comedians who were skilled at making the audience laugh without uttering a word. With the advent of sound, some of these comedians found the transition hard and most still relied on their old silent routines for their jokes. Bob Hope was the first comedian who's mouth provided the punchline. The Cat and the Canary was his first leading part and yet it's not designed purely for his advantage, this is a great picture, both funny and exciting. Bob Hope is the star. He's hilarious. He's sympathetic. He's also a coward, which isn't such an asset when you're staying in a house filled with escaped lunatics, suspicious servants, and numerous trapdoors. Hope plays a radio personality who involuntarily becomes the bodyguard to a woman, Joyce, who recently inherited a lot of money. The house is filled with other guests that are upset at having lost out on the inheritance. To make matters worse, if Joyce dies within a month, the money goes to whoever was the substitute inheritor and that person's name lies in an envelope safely hidden in a safe. As guests start dying, the tension increases, as does Hope's one-liner's. "I've got goosepumps. In fact, my goosebumps have got goosebumps." Today, the plot seems like one from an episode of Scooby-Doo but it's still fun and surprisingly smart. The cast is small but solid and the murderer is never guessed until the end. A few red herrings are thrown in but when the guilty party is revealed, it does make sense, a necessity rarely used in Hollywood today. As a vehicle for Hope it works a charm. As a movie in itself it should be recognised as a classic. Credited cast: Bob Hope .... Wally Campbell Paulette Goddard .... Joyce Norman John Beal .... Fred Blythe Douglass Montgomery .... Charles Wilder Gale Sondergaard .... Miss Lu Elizabeth Patterson .... Aunt Susan George Zucco .... Mr. Crosby, lawyer Nydia Westman .... Cicily John Wray .... Hendricks, guard George Regas .... Indian guide Runtime: 72 min Country: USA Language: English Color: Black and White
