THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939) ****

A group of relatives are brought together to hear the reading of a will in a mansion deep in the bayou at midnight.  Lawyer George Zucco reveals that Paulette Goddard will be the sole heir to the family fortune, which naturally puts a target on her back.  She and Bob Hope learn of a priceless necklace that happens to be on the grounds, and they decide to look for it.  The lawyer winds up murdered and Goddard fears she is next.  There also happens to be an escaped lunatic known as “The Cat” on the premises.  Is he the real killer, or is someone trying to get their hands on the necklace?

The Cat and the Canary is a spoof of Old Dark House murder-mysteries while at the same time being a sterling example of one.  There are all the usual secret passageways, paintings with eye holes cut out, and spooky housekeepers that you’d expect from something like this.  These clichés were a little mothballed even in 1939.  (Heck, the story had already been filmed three times before.)  Since the film features the dynamite team of Hope and Goddard, it’s nothing less than exhilarating.

Hope gets lots of laughs, usually while keeping his own running commentary on the action.  He has tremendous chemistry with Goddard.  They are simply electric together and whenever they’re on screen together, the picture crackles.  The supporting cast is quite good too.  George Zucco has a few nice moments as the ill-fated lawyer and Gale Sondergaard is amusing as the housekeeper who talks to the spirits.

With Hope front and center bouncing off one-liners, it’s a given that this was going to be funny.  What’s surprising about The Cat and the Canary is that the horror stuff is startlingly good.  The scenes where Goddard is being stalked by “The Cat” brim with atmosphere.  Just the shots of the creepy looking Cat lurking in the foreground is scary by itself.  The climax is genuinely hair-raising and suspenseful too.  It’s truly one of the best horror-comedies ever made.