Wikisource:WikiProject Film/Drafts/Archives/The Cat and the Canary (1927 film)
User: PseudoSkull
File: The Cat and the Canary (1927).webm
Author: Paul Leni
Publisher: Universal Pictures
Year: 1927
PD: PD-US-not-renewed|1927|1929
Note: The Cat and the Canary is a 1927 American silent comedy horror film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, an adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black-comedy play of the same name.
Cat: Comedy film, Horror film, Mystery film, Silent film
00:09
Carl Laemmle
PRESENTS
The
CAT and the
CANARY
From the Stage Play
by
JOHN WILLARD
00:20
Adaptation by
ROBERT E. HILL & ALFRED A. COHN
Scenario by ALFRED A. COHN
Story Supervision by
EDWARD J. MONTAGNE
00:29
Titles by
WALTER ANTHONY
Photography by GILBERT WARRENTON A.S.C.
Art Director CHARLES D. HALL
Film Editor MARTIN G. COHN
Supervising Film Editor
LLOYD NOSLER
00:40
Directed by
Paul Leni
00:45
A
UNIVERSAL PRODUCTION
COPYRIGHT, MCMXXVII,
BY
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
CORPORATION
CARL LAEMMLE
PRESIDENT
00:51
PLAYERS
Annabelle West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
LAURA LA PLANTE | |
Paul Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
CREIGHTON HALE | |
Charles Wilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
FORREST STANLEY | |
Roger Crosby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
TULLY MARSHALL | |
Cecily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
GERTRUDE ASTOR | |
Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
FLORA FINCH | |
Harry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
ARTHUR EDMUND CAREW | |
Mammy Pleasant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
MARTHA MATTOX | |
The Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
GEORGE SIEGMANN | |
Ira Lazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
LUCIEN LITTLEFIELD | |
01:07
On a lonely, pine-clad hill overlooking the Hudson, stood the grotesque mansion of an eccentric millionaire——
01:32
Medicine could do nothing more for Cyrus West, whose greedy relatives, like cats around a canary, had brought him to the verge of madness——
02:18
Last Will and Testament of Cyrus West. To be opened twenty years after my death.
Cyrus West
02:45
This envelope is never to be opened if the terms of my will are carried out.
Cyrus West
03:04
——and for twenty years, it was said, the tormented ghost of Cyrus West wandered nightly through the deserted corridors.
03:44
But on the night when the will was to be read, there was something more tangible than a ghost in the house.
05:54
"I have come to read the will of Cyrus West. Have any of the heirs arrived yet?"
06:06
"No, Mr. Crosby."
06:46
"You must have been lonely here these twenty years, Mammy Pleasant."
06:56
"I don't need the living ones."
07:50
"I locked this safe twenty years ago——and now a moth comes out!"
08:26
"Who has been in this house?"
08:38
"No one but I——and his ghost."
08:47
"No ghost could have opened these envelopes——"
08:59
"Nobody knows the combination of that safe but——you!"
10:01
"Harry Blythe!"
10:13
"It's good to see you again after all these years!"
10:51
"Surely you remember your little protege, Charlie Wilder?"
11:06
"Hello, Cousin Harry!"
11:13
"Isn't it about time you forgot your family quarrels?"
11:35
"Why don't you drive in?"
11:45
"Not for a million bucks!"
11:51
"Why?"
11:55
"GHOSTS!"
12:26
Aunt Susan and her niece, Cecily.
12:37-12:44
"Gosh what a spooky house!"
14:20
"You're Paul Jones, aren't you?"
14:28
"What was that explosion we just heard?"
14:35
"I was driving along when I heard a shot——"
15:08
"I was driving along when I heard a shot and a bullet whizzed right by my nose."
15:20
"I was driving along——"
15:27
"I was driving along——"
15:34
"I was driving along and a bullet——"
15:41
"As I was saying——it missed me!"
15:51
"It is midnight——you must read the will."
16:01
"We've got to wait for Annabelle West."
16:10
"Annabelle?"
16:54
"Why, Paul! I haven't seen you since nurse dropped you on your head."
17:11
"She's certainly the image of Cyrus West, and I'll bet she's crazy, too!"
17:22
"It isn't time to be catty——wait till we see who gets the money."
17:46
"You've had twenty years to get ready for this meeting. It's a wonder you couldn't be here on time!"
17:58
"That clock hasn't struck in twenty years——since the old man died."
19:46-19:50
PAUL JONES
MILLIONAIRE
20:02
"My relatives have watched my wealth as if they were cats, and I——a canary——"
20:29
"——they have nearly driven me crazy because they believe I am mad."
20:42
"——Therefore, my entire estate goes to my most distant relative, bearing the name——"
21:04
"——OF WEST!"
21:19-21:21
PAUL JONESMILLIONAIRE
21:43
"Annabelle, I am glad you won even though I lost."
22:11
"You're to open this envelope in his room tonight before you retire——it was his last wish."
22:32
"I'm going——I didn't want the crazy fool's money, anyway!"
22:40
"What is in that envelope she gave to Annabelle?"
22:46
"Perhaps it will tell what became of the famous West diamonds."
23:07
"——but there is an embarrassing condition attached to this will——"
23:21
"A physician is named in the will who must examine the heir and positively establish his or her sanity."
23:35
"If you are proven mentally unfit by the doctor who comes tonight, the estate goes to the one named in the envelope in my pocket."
23:50
"I beg your pardon——"
23:57
"What was the last thing you said?"
24:06
"He said, the heir must be proven sane or the estate goes to the one mentioned in the envelope in his pocket."
24:25
"He dictated that paragraph because he knew that all his relatives thought him crazy."
24:43
"Now I know he was crazy."
25:53
"This is an evil omen——something terrible will happen here tonight."
26:30
"If you ever need me for anything, Annabelle, let me know."
26:41
"Please don't go, Paul——don't leave me alone with these people!"
26:54
"I'm sure Mammy Pleasant will be glad to serve you something if you'll go into the dining room."
27:07
"I'm sure a cup of tea would comfort Aunt Susan."
27:44
"Please excuse us——Mr. Crosby wants to discuss the conditions of the will."
28:39
"You are just like your uncle——in a cage, surrounded by cats."
29:19
"What did the old woman mean, saying that something terrible would happen tonight?"
29:32
"Just an old superstition. When somebody's picture falls, it's a sign of——death!"
29:51
"I thought I had an appointment——now I'm sure of it!"
30:15
"An escaped lunatic is at large——I'm looking for him."
30:36
"Well, what are you doing here?"
30:44
"He's either in this house or on the grounds."
30:55
"I tracked him to your driveway gates."
31:08
"Leave it to me——I'll lock the doors and windows."
31:19
"What are you trying to give us——a bedtime story?"
31:31
"If you ever saw this lunatic you wouldn't think it was a bedtime story!"
31:46
"He's a maniac who thinks he's a cat, and tears his victims like they were canaries!"
32:03
"What's the big idea——trying to scare the women to death?"
32:12
"I'm just doing my duty."
32:19
"He may be hiding in the house. You'd better show me around."
32:39
"Nobody leaves this house tonight!"
33:13
"This envelope contains the name of the heir in case you are adjudged insane——"
33:21
"The one named in this envelope has opened it, knows the conditions and may do you harm!"
33:59
"In case your sanity is questioned by the doctor who comes tonight, you ought to be warned who your successor is."
34:26
"——the name is——"
34:55
"Mr. Crosby disappeared!"
35:27
"Don't look at me as if I were crazy——I tell you Mr. Crosby disappeared!"
35:50
"Mr. Crosby disappeared!"
36:01
"Just when he was about to tell me the name——he disappeared with the envelope!"
36:14
"I knew that envelope would disappear!"
36:27
"Pretty lucky for Annabelle that envelope disappeared."
36:35
"Will you please shut up!"
36:50
"Where was Crosby when you last saw him?"
36:59
"Just where Paul stands now."
37:16
"Didn't I tell you? She's as crazy as Cyrus West!"
37:43
"Why don't you look for Mr. Crosby, instead of staring at me!"
38:45
"I'll bet she knows where Crosby is right now."
38:54
"But I tell you I don't know——he disappeared."
39:05
"Where is Mammy Pleasant while all this is going on?"
39:14
"Perhaps Annabelle arranged for her disappearance, too."
39:44
"Your rooms are ready."
39:53
"I'll not leave this room until I know where that envelope is!"
40:08
"Who is that girl?"
40:14
"Annabelle West——our little cousin."
40:29
"Haven't you found anybody to put in your strait-jacket yet?"
40:38
"No——but I will before I leave."
40:50
"Thank you, Guard——I know you will protect us."
41:36
"Nobody has slept in that bed since the death of Cyrus West——twenty years ago."
43:35
"I'm scared to death——let me stay here with you."
44:22
"What are you doing here?"
44:30
"I——I——was looking for——Mr. Crosby."
44:40
"Mr. Crosby wouldn't be here——under the circumstances."
45:23
"Don't forget the letter about the West diamonds."
45:50
"I feel sociable tonight——may I come in?"
46:10
"D-d-don't you be f-frightened——I—I'm in the house."
46:29
"I'm not at all clever, Annabelle——but I care a lot for you."
46:38
"And I like you, too, Paul."
47:00
"If I had been named in the will, Annabelle, I would have offered the fortune to you."
47:49
There is a button above the fireplace in this room. It is cleverly hidden but the famous West diamonds are worth your patience. Find it!
Cyrus West
48:42
"Come and sleep in my room."
49:18
"I'd like to see anybody get in here."
49:26
"I'd like to see anybody get out of here."
51:08
"I always look under the bed but I've never found anything yet."
52:08
"You're not what Aunt Susan expected, but come out anyway."
52:48
"I came in here to protect you from the ghost!"
52:57
"All men are alike, only some are worse. Now you get out!"
54:55
"Have you ever seen anything that looked like a ghost in this house?"
55:08
"There may be one standing behind you now!"
56:21
"HELP!"
58:04
"She's ab-so-lute-ly crazy!"
58:40
"This wall seems sound."
59:45
"This is a matter for the police."
1:01:23
"Nobody answers——the wires have been cut."
1:01:37
"I'm going for the police."
1:01:57
"I'm going for the police."
1:02:03
"Let me go——you'd better stay here."
1:02:52
"It must have been the maniac who killed him. I'll go for the guard."
1:03:30
"What's this all about, Paul?"
1:03:44
"Don't interrupt me——I think I'm thinking!"
1:04:11
"The solution of this mystery is in the envelope in Crosby's pocket."
1:04:24
"The person named in that envelope is the one who murdered Crosby."
1:04:40
"I'm going to take that envelope out of Crosby's pocket."
1:04:47
"And I'm going with you."
1:06:38
"SUSAN!"
1:06:40
"SUSAN!"
1:06:41
"SUSAN!"
1:07:10
"HELP!"
1:07:13
Crescent
101
1:07:15
"HELP!"
1:07:36
"G-G-G-GHOSTS?"
1:08:43
"I am the doctor."
1:09:50
"What makes you so nervous tonight?"
1:10:07
"First, Mr. Crosby was murdered——"
1:10:16
"Murdered——before I came?"
1:10:22
"——then a hand, like a claw or a spider, came out from the wall and stole the necklace I was wearing."
1:10:35
"You mean to say that a hand came out of the wall and stole your necklace?"
1:10:46
"——and now Paul and Aunt Susan have disappeared."
1:12:12
"May I have a glass of water?"
1:12:47
"Annabelle!"
1:12:51
"I can't find Aunt Susan!"
1:13:13
"Are you related to this young lady?"
1:13:37
"I'll report on this case in the morning."
1:14:04
"Did I hear you say that a man was murdered?"
1:16:01
"Ghosts are murdering people in the Cyrus West house!"
1:16:09
"It's about time you climbed on a milk wagon."
1:16:17
"Don't be smart——I tell you they're ghosts!"
1:16:24
"All right——we'll soon find out what it's all about."
1:19:12
"Give me a hand, Guard——here's your—maniac!"
1:20:48
"Look out for him! He's the guy named in the second envelope!"
1:21:03
"He hired me to help put the girl in the bughouse, so he could get the money!"
1:21:21
"He killed Crosby——the body is in the cellar now——and I'll bet you'll find the necklace on him!"
1:22:14
"Everything's all right, Annabelle. The guilty man is caught."
1:23:19
"Annabelle, the mansion is yours, but you don't want to live here alone, do you?"
1:23:25
FINIS
1:23:37
The Cast
This is repeated at the request of picture patrons who desire to check the names of those players whose work has pleased them.
Annabelle West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Laura La Plante | |
Paul Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Creighton Hale | |
Charles Wilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Forrest Stanley | |
Roger Crosby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Tully Marshall | |
Cecily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Gertrude Astor | |
Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Flora Finch | |
Harry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Arthur Edmund Carew | |
Mammy Pleasant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Martha Mattox | |
The Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
George Siegmann | |
Ira Lazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Lucien Littlefield | |
1:23:54
"It's a
Universal Picture
How did you like it?
Write me your opinion."
Carl Laemmle