The Cat and the Canary is 1939 horror-comedy and was the first of a pair of tongue-in-cheek scary films that starred Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film under the same title.
The plot is the familiar ‘murder someone who has just inherited a fortune’ theme. Wealthy uncle Cyrus Norman who passed away ten years ago, is having the reading of his will on his 10-year anniversary of his death. His relatives have all gathered at his remote mansion in the alligator infested Louisiana Bayou for the reading of his will. After the reading of the will by executor Crosby (George Zucco, The Black Raven), only one person, Joyce Norman (Goddard) is the inheritor of the estate. She will inherit everything if she is able to stay alive and not be driven mad in the next 30 days. Cyrus Norman believes that the family has a streak of insanity in their blood, which is why the ability to stay sane is part of the stipulation. The housekeeper, Miss Lu (Gale Sondergaard, The Spider Woman) warns her that there are spirits in the house and a murderer called “The Cat” has escaped an asylum nearby and is headed toward the mansion. Family member Wally Campbell (Bob Hope) vows to protect her as murders start taking place and Joyce’s life is in danger.
The Cat and the Canary is an outstanding film with a great supporting cast in addition to Bob Hope and Claudette Goddard. George Zucco and Gale Sondergaard who were no strangers to horror films, were excellent in this film in giving the film a touch of horrific atmosphere. Bob Hope has some great lines and dialog. To my surprise there were more scary and suspenseful moments in the film than expected with less emphasis on humor in the film. The blending of comedy in the horror worked well enough for Universal to do another one a year later, The Ghost Breakers, also with Hope and Goddard.
The Cat and the Canary arrives on Blu-ray thanks to Kino Lorber. The 1080p image quality looks sharp, boasting a clean image all the way through with great details to the scenery, be it inside the mansion or on the outside. The grey scale looks balanced and black levels are simply rich. Print damages, lines and speckles were at a minimal in this video presentation. Film grain is present and there are no signs that DNR was applied.
The English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 audio track was solid, with dialog, action noises and the musical score by Dr. Ernst Toch coming in perfectly fine without hissing or drop-offs. English subtitles are offered for the release.
For supplements, there is an audio commentary by author and film historian Lee Gambin. In this commentary Gambin talks about the cast, the silent 1927 version of the film, and how these films led to future horror comedies. It is a vast amount of information and worth the listen.
Theatrical Trailers for The Cat and The Canary, The Ghost Breakers, Road to Zanzibar, Road to Singapore, Road to Morocco, Road to Utopia completes the supplemental package.
The Cat and the Canary, an often-requested title for Blu-ray release has finally happened much to the delight of fans. The video and audio quality are excellent, and the supplements make this a recommended pickup!
The Cat and the Canary
Director- Elliott Nugent
Cast- Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 10/7/20