Sh! The Octopus
Sh! The Octopus | |
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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 by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 54 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
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.
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
- Hugh Herbert as Kelly
- Allen Jenkins as Dempsey
- Marcia Ralston as Vesta Vernoff
- John Eldredge as Paul Morgan
- George Rosener as Captain Hook
- Margaret Irving as Polly Crane
- Elspeth Dudgeon as Nanny
- Lew Harvey as Sinister plotter
- Frank Hagney as Sinister plotter
- Ed Biby as Sinister plotter
- Molly Doyle as Nurse
- Jack Jorgensen as Sinister plotter
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.
References
- ^ "How the 1937 'Witch' Movie Visual Effect Shot Was Achieved". Snopes. 18 February 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "How They Shot That Transformation Scene in 'Sh! The Octopus'". Film School Rejects. 13 June 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "Warner Horror Mystery Double Features". DVD Beaver. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
External links
- Sh! The Octopus at IMDb
- Sh! The Octopus at the TCM Movie Database
- 1937 films
- 1937 comedy horror films
- 1930s comedy mystery films
- American black-and-white films
- American comedy horror films
- American detective films
- American films based on plays
- American haunted house films
- Warner Bros. films
- Films set in lighthouses
- American comedy mystery films
- Films directed by William C. McGann
- 1930s English-language films
- 1930s American films
- Films about cephalopods
- Comedy horror film stubs