Charlie McCarthy, Detective
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Frank Tuttle
Edgar Bergen
Robert Cummings
Constance Moore
John Sutton
Louis Calhern
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Reporter Bill Banning and his pal, Joe Felton, are compiling evidence that links magazine publisher Arthur Aldrich to racketeer Tony Garcia when they are framed by Aldrich and jailed in Central America. Joe manages to escape and travels to New York, where he turns to Bill's fiancée, singer Sheila Stuart, and fellow writer Scotty Hamilton for help in freeing Bill. Before he can testify to the police, however, Joe is murdered and the authorities refuse to accept Scotty's story. Soon after, Bill escapes and decides to pay a visit to Aldrich. Learning of Bill's freedom, Aldrich summons Garcia to eliminate the reporter, and they all converge upon the Aldrich estate on the night of a big party. As Bill breaks into the house to confront Aldrich, Garcia stalks him. Two gun shots bring the assembled guests to Aldrich's room, where they find Aldrich's dead body. Inspector Dailey of the police department is then summoned, and as he questions the partygoers about the night's events, suspicion points to Bill. Party guests ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy, Charlie McCarthy, decide to undertake their own investigation while Garcia orders his gang to kidnap Bill and Sheila and bring them to the Club Gardenia. Edgar's hunch also leads him and Scotty to the Club Gardenia, where their appearance disrupts Garcia's plans, allowing Sheila and Bill to escape. As Garcia's men pursue the intruders through the bowels of the club, Edgar discovers a police officer who had been imprisoned by the gang, and sends him for reinforcements. While a fistfight rages in the club's basement, Edgar calmly pieces together the clues and deduces that Garcia's bullet missed Aldrich and that Scotty is the murderer. Overwhelmed by his guilt, Scotty confesses that he felt powerless against Aldrich's corruption and took the law into his own hands. When the police arrive to arrest Garcia for Joe's murder, Scotty confesses to Aldrich's murder, thus freeing Bill of all suspicion.
Director
Frank Tuttle
Cast
Edgar Bergen
Robert Cummings
Constance Moore
John Sutton
Louis Calhern
Edgar Kennedy
Samuel S. Hinds
Harold Huber
Warren Hymer
Ray Turner
Granville Bates
G. Pat Collins
Milburn Stone
Charles Williams
Eddie Dunn
Alec Craig
John Harmon
Clem Wilenchick
Charles Lane
Billy Wayne
William Ruhl
Charles Irwin
Stanley Andrews
Grace Hayle
Al Hill
Louise Seidel
Bud Mctaggart
Frances Morris
Claire Whitney
June Wilkins
Konstantin Shayne
Joey Ray
Dora Clement
Charles Sullivan
Ed Fligle
Dick Rush
Anne Gwynne
Crew
Hal Block
Harold L. Block
Bernard [b.] Brown
Bernard W. Burton
Charles Carol
Ralph Ceder
Eddie Cherkose
Edward Eliscu
Fred Frank
R. A. Gausman
Sam Lerner
Richard Mack
Ben Oakland
Jack Otterson
Jacques Press
Charles Previn
Richard Riedel
George Robinson
Jerry Sackheim
Harold Shumate
Frank Skinner
Frank Tuttle
Darrell Ware
Vera West
Robertson White
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter, story writer Robertson White was borrowed from Warner Bros. and assigned to write the screenplay for this picture. On screen, however, he is only credited with original story.
