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Michael Shayne: Private Detective

1940-12-19 Comedy 1hr 17m

Millionaire sportsman Hiram Brighton hires gumshoe Michael Shayne to keep his spoiled daughter Phyllis away from racetrack betting windows and roulette wheels. After Phyllis slips away and continues her compulsive gambling, Shayne fakes the murder of her gambler boyfriend, who is also romancing the daughter of casino owner Benny Gordon, in order to frighten her. When the tout really ends up murdered, Shayne and Phyllis' Aunt Olivia, an avid reader of murder mysteries, both try to find the identity of the killer.

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Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Amazon Video

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Storyline

Millionaire sportsman Hiram Brighton hires gumshoe Michael Shayne to keep his spoiled daughter Phyllis away from racetrack betting windows and roulette wheels. After Phyllis slips away and continues her compulsive gambling, Shayne fakes the murder of her gambler boyfriend, who is also romancing the daughter of casino owner Benny Gordon, in order to frighten her. When the tout really ends up murdered, Shayne and Phyllis' Aunt Olivia, an avid reader of murder mysteries, both try to find the identity of the killer.

  • Released
    1940-12-19
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 17m
  • Genre
    Comedy, Mystery
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    0
  • Production
    20th Century Fox

Crew

Eugene Forde
Director
Stanley Rauh
Screenplay

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Cast

Lloyd Nolan

Lloyd Nolan

Michael Shayne
Marjorie Weaver

Marjorie Weaver

Phyllis Brighton
Joan Valerie

Joan Valerie

Marsha Gordon
Walter Abel

Walter Abel

Elliott Thomas
Donald MacBride

Donald MacBride

Chief Peter Painter
Douglass Dumbrille

Douglass Dumbrille

Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Clarence Kolb

Clarence Kolb

Hiram P. Brighton
George Meeker

George Meeker

Harry Grange
Robert Emmett Keane

Robert Emmett Keane

Larry Kincaid
Irving Bacon

Irving Bacon

Fisherman
Don Brodie

Don Brodie

Reporter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers

Bess Flowers

Racetrack Spectator in Sunglasses (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns

Paul E. Burns

Furniture Company Move
James Conaty

James Conaty

Casino Patron
Robert Conway

Robert Conway

Desk Clerk
Sayre Dearing

Sayre Dearing

Racetrack Spectator
Ralph Dunn

Ralph Dunn

First Bartender
Dick French

Dick French

Reporter
Dick Gordon

Dick Gordon

Casino Patron
Sherry Hall

Sherry Hall

2nd Bartender
Paul Kruger

Paul Kruger

Parking Attendent
Tony Martelli

Tony Martelli

Casino Patron
Harold Miller

Harold Miller

Casino Patron
Frank Mills

Frank Mills

Counterman
Edmund Mortimer

Edmund Mortimer

Casino Patron
Field Norton

Field Norton

Casino Patron
James Pierce

James Pierce

Burly Man Downstairs
Jack Richardson

Jack Richardson

Casino Patron
Cyril Ring

Cyril Ring

Reporter
Bob Rose

Bob Rose

Freddy
S.S. Simon

S.S. Simon

Casino Patron
Larry Steers

Larry Steers

Racetrack Spectator

Videos and Photos

Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Michael Shayne: Private Detective

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Michael Shayne: Private Detective
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-04-16

For some reason, this starts with and features a slightly Scottish lilt to the score throughout, as we follow the slightly zany investigatio... read more

For some reason, this starts with and features a slightly Scottish lilt to the score throughout, as we follow the slightly zany investigations of the eponymous down-at-heel PI (Lloyd Nolan) as he tries to wade his way through the murky worlds of horse racing, gaming addicts and, of course, murder! He's initially retained by the wealthy "Brighton" (Clarence Kolb) to rein in his unruly daughter "Phyllis" (Marjorie Weaver) but as the bodies start to pile up and he finds that he has to stay clear of the suspecting police chief "Painter" (Donald MacBride) we find ourselves in quite an entertainingly internecine mess of who did what and why? No absence of suspects and no shortage of crimes to suspect them of - all good fun! The star is really Elizabeth Patterson as the sleuthing "Aunt Olivia" whom, with her butler "Ponsby" (Charles Coleman) provide quite a lively conduit to bring the themes together at the end of what is quite a quickly paced eighty minutes. The denouement is a bit far-fetched - you probably wouldn't ever guess it - but Nolan is on good form with some quick-witted, dry, dialogue to deliver and there is a good chemistry between him, Weaver and MacBride as the story clears each fence. It's much better than I was expecting!

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

For some reason, this starts with and features a slightly Scottish lilt to the score throughout, as we follow the slightly zany investigations of the eponymous down-at-heel PI (Lloyd Nolan) as he tries to wade his way through the murky worl...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-04-16

For some reason, this starts with and features a slightly Scottish lilt to the score throughout, as we follow the slightly zany investigations of the eponymous down-at-heel PI (Lloyd Nolan) as he trie...

read more