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Murder at the Vanities (1934)

Director: Mitchell Leisen

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From Time Out Film Guide

Delightfully offbeat mixture of whodunit and musical, with McLaglen's cop called to the theatre to investigate the attempted murder of a singer during a run of Earl Carroll's 'Vanities' revue, then lingering to find the killer when a murder occurs. The mystery is merely conventional, but it's alternated with superbly staged musical sequences, spectacular but respecting the proscenium's limits and notable for their cheekily bizarre nature (scantily clad girls in suggestive routines, with the murder discovered when blood drips on to a posing chorine's bare shoulder during a rendition of 'Sweet Marijuana'). Duke Ellington makes a welcome appearance, and Leisen handles the whole thing with witty, typically lavish style.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Mitchell Leisen

Producer: E Lloyd Sheldon

Cast: Carl Brisson, Victor McLaglen, Jack Oakie, Kitty Carlisle, Dorothy Stickney, Gertrude Michael, Jessie Ralph, Gail Patrick, Donald Meek, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra full cast

Duration: 87 mins


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