Murder at the Vanities
Murder at the Vanities is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film with music by Victor Young. It was released by Paramount Pictures and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The film stars Victor McLaglen, Carl Brisson, Jack Oakie, Kitty Carlisle, Gertrude Michael, Toby Wing and Jessie Ralph. Future stars Lucille Ball and Ann Sheridan have small roles as chorines.
Plot
Jack Ellery is staging a lavish musical revue starring Eric Lander, Ann Ware and Rita Ross, supported by a cast of one hundred background singers and dancers (almost all women, and many scantily clad) and two full orchestras. On opening night, just before the show, someone tries to kill Ware several times. Ellery summons police lieutenant Murdock of the homicide squad to investigate. During the show, a private detective and then Rita are murdered. Ellery hides this from the rest of the performers, claiming that the victims are just sick, and convinces Murdock to conduct his investigation while the revue continues; if the performance is stopped, Ellery will go broke.
Cast
- Alan Ladd
- Ann Sheridan
- Carl Brisson
- Charles Middleton
- Colin Tapley
- Dave O'Brien
- Dennis O'Keefe
- Donald Meek
- Dorothy Stickney
- Duke Ellington
- Frank Sully
- Gail Patrick
- Gertrude Michael
- Jack Oakie
- Jameson Thomas
- Jessie Ralph
- Kitty Carlisle
- Lona Andre
- Lucille Ball
- Mary Gordon
- Mitchell Leisen
- Teru Shimada
- Toby Wing
- Victor McLaglen
More details
| author | Carey Wilson Earl Carroll Rufus King |
|---|---|
| director | Mitchell Leisen |
| editor | William Shea |
| keywords | background singer claim murder musical revue opening night police lieutenant private detective private investigator scantily clad solve |
| musicBy | Howard Jackson |
| producer | E. Lloyd Sheldon |
| productionCompany | Paramount Pictures |
| theme | musical stag |