Sh! The Octopus

Last updated
Sh! The Octopus
Sh! The Octopus.jpg
Directed by William McGann
Screenplay by George Bricker
Based on The Gorilla (1925 play) by Ralph Spence
and
Sh! The Octopus (1928 play) by Ralph Spence
Ralph Murphy
Donald Gallaher
Produced by Jack L. Warner
Starring Hugh Herbert
Allen Jenkins
Marcia Ralston
Cinematography Arthur Todd
Edited by Clarence Kolster
Music by Heinz Roemheld (uncredited)
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • December 11, 1937 (1937-12-11)
Running time
54 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Sh! The Octopus is a 1937 American comedy mystery film, produced by Warner Bros., directed by William McGann and starring Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins and Marcia Ralston. While contract players Herbert and Jenkins frequently appeared in the same picture, this is the only movie to present them as an actual team.

Contents

The film's oddball qualities have made it something of a cult favorite, as the reveal and transformation of the villain using practical effects (obviously decades before CGI filmmaking techniques were available) has gained notice on social media. [1] [2]

The film features two detectives in pursuit of the animal-themed villain Octopus. The case leads them into a haunted lighthouse, where they realize that the villain is an actual octopus.

Plot

Two bumbling detectives are in pursuit of a master criminal, The Octopus. They find themselves inside a haunted lighthouse full of suspicious characters, including the titular character, who appears to be an actual octopus.

Cast

Other media

In 2010, the film was released by Warner Archive as part of the six-film DVD-R collection Warner Bros. Horror/Mystery Double Features. [3]

It also airs occasionally on Turner Classic Movies.

Related Research Articles

<i>Scooby-Doo</i> American animated media franchise

Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, for Hanna-Barbera. The series features four teenagers: Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and their talking Great Dane named Scooby-Doo, who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps, while traveling using a brightly colored van called the "Mystery Machine". The franchise has several live-action films and shows.

<i>Mystery of the Wax Museum</i> 1933 film by Michael Curtiz

Mystery of the Wax Museum is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery-horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. and filmed in two-color Technicolor; Doctor X and Mystery of the Wax Museum were the last two dramatic fiction films made using this process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torchy Blane</span> Female reporter in 1937-39 film series

Torchy Blane is a fictional female reporter, the main character of nine films produced by Warner Bros. between 1937 and 1939. The Torchy Blane series, which blend mystery, action, adventure and comedy, were popular second features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Herbert</span> American actor and comedian (1885–1952)

Hugh Herbert was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.

<i>It!</i> (1967 film) 1967 British film by Herbert J. Leder

It! is a 1967 British horror film directed, produced and written by Herbert J. Leder and starring Roddy McDowall, Jill Haworth and Paul Maxwell. It was made by Seven Arts Productions and Gold Star Productions, Ltd.

The Gorilla is a three-act play written by Ralph Spence. Donald Gallaher produced it on Broadway, where it opened at the Selwyn Theatre on April 28, 1925. The play was a success and ran on Broadway for 257 performances. A production opened in London at the New Oxford Theatre on June 30, 1925, and ran for 134 performances. The play was a parody of popular theatrical mysteries such as The Bat and The Cat and the Canary. Its advertisements claimed it "outbats The Bat".

<i>Gold Diggers in Paris</i> 1938 film

Gold Diggers in Paris is a 1938 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Ray Enright with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, starring Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Hugh Herbert, and Allen Jenkins.

<i>The Case of the Lucky Legs</i> 1935 film by Archie Mayo

The Case of the Lucky Legs is a 1935 mystery film, the third in a series of Perry Mason films starring Warren William as the famed lawyer.

<i>The Case of the Black Cat</i> 1936 film by William C. McGann

The Case of the Black Cat is a 1936 American mystery film directed by William C. McGann and an uncredited Alan Crosland, based on the 1935 Perry Mason novel The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner. The film stars Ricardo Cortez as Perry Mason and co-stars June Travis and Jane Bryan in her film debut. The film is the fifth Perry Mason adaptation distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in the 1930s and the first in the series not to feature Warren William as Mason.

<i>The Singing Marine</i> 1937 film by Busby Berkeley, Ray Enright

The Singing Marine is a 1937 American musical film directed by Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley and starring Dick Powell. It was the last of Powell's trio of service-related Warners films: 1934's Flirtation Walk paid tribute, of sorts, to the Army, and 1935's Shipmates Forever to the Navy. This one is distinguished by its two musical sequences directed by Busby Berkeley.

<i>Miss Pacific Fleet</i> 1935 film by Ray Enright

Miss Pacific Fleet is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright. The film stars Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell, and Hugh Herbert. The film was based on the short story of the same name by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan in the Collier's magazine. It was released by Warner Bros. on December 14, 1935. Two stranded showgirls in California enter a beauty contest "Miss Pacific Fleet" to win the fare back home to New York City.

<i>Smart Blonde</i> 1937 film by Frank McDonald

Smart Blonde is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Frank McDonald. Starring Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane, a fast-talking wisecracking female reporter, teaming up with her boyfriend detective Steve McBride, to solve the killing of an investor who just bought a popular local nightclub.

<i>The Patient in Room 18</i> (film) 1938 film by Bobby Connolly

The Patient in Room 18 is a 1938 American mystery romantic comedy film directed by Bobby Connolly and Crane Wilbur. It stars Patric Knowles and Ann Sheridan. The screenplay written by Eugene Solow and Robertson White was based on a 1929 novel of the same name by author Mignon G. Eberhart.

<i>Mystery House</i> (film) 1938 film by Noel M. Smith

Mystery House is a 1938 American mystery crime film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Dick Purcell and Ann Sheridan as nurse Sarah Keate, and is based on the 1930 novel The Mystery of Hunting's End by Mignon G. Eberhart. Sheridan also played the same character in The Patient in Room 18, released in January 1938, while Aline MacMahon played her in While the Patient Slept in 1935.

The animated series Scooby-Doo has been adapted and appeared in five feature-length films since its debut in 1969, not including the series of animated direct-to-video films that have been in production since 1998, or the four animated television films produced from 1987 to 1994.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays</i> 2012 direct-to-video special by Victor Cook

Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays is a 2012 animated television special based on the Scooby-Doo franchise. The special was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, released by Warner Home Video, and directed by Victor Cook, with a screenplay by Michael F. Ryan. In the special, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne, embark on a holiday-themed mystery.

<i>Find the Blackmailer</i> 1943 film

Find the Blackmailer is a 1943 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman. According to Warner Bros records the film earned $230,000 domestic and $77,000 foreign.

<i>Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood</i> 2016 American film

Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood is a 2016 animated comedy mystery film. It is the twenty-sixth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films, and the first based on the Scooby-Doo brand of Lego. The first trailer was released on February 23. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digitally on May 10. This is the first non-TV Scooby-Doo themed production to feature Kate Micucci as the voice of Velma Dinkley, following Mindy Cohn's retirement from the role in 2015, with Micucci having assumed the role in Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Film Detective</span> Television channel

The Film Detective is an American classic film restoration, distribution, and streaming company based in Rockport, Massachusetts, and is a division of the American entertainment company, Cineverse. Launched in 2013, The Film Detective offers an extensive library of over 3,000+ hours of classic films and television series, with a focus on both renowned classics and B-movies across genres including comedy, drama, film noir, horror, musical, mystery, science fiction, and silent. Services offered by The Film Detective include a classic film and television app on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV; a 24/7 linear channel offered across multiple leading OTT platforms including Sling TV, Plex, STIRR, DistroTV, Local Now, and Rakuten TV; and exclusive, limited-run Blu-ray and DVD releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego Scooby-Doo</span> Lego theme

Lego Scooby-Doo was a Lego theme based on the Scooby-Doo franchise created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera. The theme was first introduced in August 2015. The toy line was accompanied by several shorts, a television special and films based on Lego Scooby-Doo. The Lego Scooby-Doo theme was discontinued by the end of 2017.

References

  1. "How the 1937 'Witch' Movie Visual Effect Shot Was Achieved". Snopes. 18 February 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  2. "How They Shot That Transformation Scene in 'Sh! The Octopus'". Film School Rejects. 13 June 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  3. "Warner Horror Mystery Double Features". DVD Beaver. Retrieved August 15, 2019.