Murder at the Vanities

Kitty Carlisle (A Night at the Opera), Jack Oakie (The Eagle and the Hawk), Victor McLaglen (Klondike Annie) and Carl Brisson (Hitchcock’s The Ring) star in Murder at the Vanities, an artfully audacious Pre-Code musical comedy and murder mystery. An opening night of a new musical leads to real behind-the-scenes drama when the play’s leading lady (Carlisle) is the target of a brutal murder plot. Producer Jack Ellery (Oakie) hires detective Bill Murdock (McLaglen) to solve the crime and chase down a killer while staying out of the spotlight. Directed by Hollywood ace Mitchell Leisen (Death Takes a Holiday, Hands Across the Table) and featuring Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, this delightfully entertaining film has it all: music, melody, mirth—then murder!