This old-dark-house mystery must have seemed moth-infested even back in 1939, though the plot setup is intriguing, the production is atmospheric, and the cast is first-class (my favorite: the wonderfully sinister, straight-faced Gale Sondergaard). Also considered Bob Hope's first important screen role, even though his jokes miss more often than they hit (his "scaredy cat" routine also must have seemed old-hat even then). **1/2 out of 4.
Review of The Cat and the Canary
