The Canary Murder Case (1929)

A conniving showgirl known as The Canary (Louise Brooks) is blackmailing several men for money and has set her cap on the son (James Hall) of a millionaire who's engaged to another girl (Jean Arthur). When the showgirl is found strangled to death, there's no shortage of suspects. Based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine and directed by Malcolm St. Clair (JITTERBUGS). Originally made as a silent film but as talkies became the norm, it was reshot as a talking film. Louise Brooks refused to redo her scenes so her voice was dubbed by Margaret Livingston (SUNRISE). The result is a stagnant murder mystery with awkward performances. The actors sound like they're reciting lines instead of acting. As to the mystery, the identity of the murderer is pretty obvious. One just waits for the explanation of how he plotted his alibi although when it comes it's pretty preposterous. The film was successful enough that William Powell did three more movies playing Philo Vance, the film's detective. An early talkie curiosity and not much else. With Eugene Pallette, Gustav von Seyffertitz and Lawrence Grant.