Shortly before the curtain goes up the first time at the latest performance of Earl Carroll's Vanities, someone is attempting to injure the leading lady Ann Ware, who wants to marry leading man Eric Lander. Stage manager in charge Jack Ellery calls in his friend, policeman Bill Murdock, to help him investigate. Bill thinks Jack if offering to let him see the show from an unusual view point, after he forgot to get him tickets for the performance, but then they find the corpse ... (Full plot summary below)
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Shortly before the curtain goes up the first time at the latest performance of Earl Carroll's Vanities, someone is attempting to injure the leading lady Ann Ware, who wants to marry leading man Eric Lander. Stage manager in charge Jack Ellery calls in his friend, policeman Bill Murdock, to help him investigate. Bill thinks Jack if offering to let him see the show from an unusual view point, after he forgot to get him tickets for the performance, but then they find the corpse of a murdered women. Bill suspects Eric of the crime, especially, after the second female lead Rita Ross told him she saw the women leaving from Eric's room. Then Rita is shot onstage with Eric's gun. Jack and Bill decide not to stop the show, but Bill preparing to arrest Eric. Is he on the right track ?
Leave your thoughts about Murder at the Vanities.
| CinePassionFernando F. CroceThe nutty tessitura of this "investigation set to music" encompasses everything from Toby Wing's giggly squeal to an astonishing blend of classicism and hot jazz |
| User ReviewRussell GMuder mystery musical beleve it or not. A damned good one too. |
| User ReviewGreg Wthe murder mystery is a flimsy excuse to put on a musical within a musical and show case the singers & dancers paramount had under contract this pic is perhaps best known 'cos it faetures the 'marijuana song" sung infront of a giant prickly cactus! |
| User ReviewGiffy GThe movie was decent, indeed. I only saw it because of its status as a precode movie, but I definitely enjoyed it. The characters were highly memorable, even if the song numbers weren't always. I did love "Cocktails for Two" and "Marihuana," but I could take or leave the rest. Not a bad flick. |
| User ReviewH CI finally saw this movie after hearing about its pre-Code wickedness, and have to say it was disappointing. Mostly an excuse to parade around "The Most Beautiful Girls in the World" onstage wearing skimpy outfits, during boring and very mediocre songs, it also tells the tale of murders occurring backstage while the "show goes on". There is an unethical producer, an unethical homicide detective, some intrigue about the male lead and his relationship to the wardrobe mistress, a scheming singer, Gail Patrick in a small role as a "private dick, eh?", and Kitty Carlisle, yes, that Kitty Carlisle, in a singing role that is the most wholesome in the movie. There is also a welcome appearance by the Duke Ellington Orchestra that is sadly marred by a fairly offensive act, that was sure to add shock value, I suppose. A short number touting the benefits of "Sweet Marijuana" is probably what gained this movie notoriety, though it is lame and almost funny, with nude ladies popping up out of cactus flowers from behind the singer (pot grows on cacti? Do some research! Ha ha). I think the song is a rip-off of an old blues song about opium or heroin, anyway; every musical number is just for shock value and not for quality. The murder mystery portion of the movie is vaguely interesting, but this film is mostly an excuse to shock and show scantily-clad women. Not really worth the time. |
| User ReviewArt SThis "pre-Code" backstage musical from Paramount is pretty ordinary. Not unlike in 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, and their ilk, the performers are seen onstage and off, and the plot revolves around maintaining the show despite trouble. This time the trouble is, of course, murder. Victor McLaglen is the homicide detective who spends more time ogling the chorus girls than solving the crime. Jack Oakie is the stage manager who withholds evidence in order to keep the show from being shut-down. Everybody else is a red-herring or them who done it. Unfortunately, the plot is hum-drum and the musical numbers are sub-Busby (though purposefully racy). Not worth your time. |
| User ReviewDaniel K2: There's nothing about the story that is terribly controversial for a pre- or post-code film, but the camera angles and costumes are rather revealing. There are times when one isn't sure if the woman in the dance numbers are completely nude due to the skin-colored nature of their practically non-existent costumes. It's a silly murder mystery combined with a behind-the-scenes show business romance. |
