Phantom of the Rue Morgue

Phantom of the Rue Morgue is a 1954 American mystery horror film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Karl Malden, Claude Dauphin and Patricia Medina.[2] The film is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue.[3]

Phantom of the Rue Morgue
Theatrical poster.
Directed byRoy Del Ruth
Screenplay byHarold Medford
James R. Webb
Based onThe Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
Produced byHenry Blanke
StarringKarl Malden
Claude Dauphin
Patricia Medina
CinematographyJ. Peverell Marley
Edited byJames Moore
Music byDavid Buttolph
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • March 27, 1954 (1954-03-27)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,450,000 (US)[1]

Warner Bros. released several 3D productions during the 1950s, including the big-budget The Charge at Feather River (1953). Following another western, The Moonlighter (1953), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, the studio attempted to repeat the success they had with House of Wax the previous year. This movie was based on the same story which had formed the basis of a 1932 horror film which stars Bela Lugosi.[4]

Plot

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In 1870s France, a string of strange murders occur on the Rue Morgue, a fictional street in Paris. The authorities are baffled, but they do know of one man who may have the answers - a professor named Dupin.

Dupin agrees to help the police. Soon a list of suspects is established. The roster includes a one-eyed sailor named Jacques. But there is also Professor Marais, who is involved in bizarre and unauthorized animal experiments.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ "1954 Box Office Champs". Variety Weekly. January 5, 1955. p. 59. - figures are rentals in the US and Canada
  2. ^ "Phantom of the Rue Morgue". AllMovie. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. ^ Palmer p.55
  4. ^ "Phantom of the Rue Morgue". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.

Bibliography

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  • Aitken, Stuart C. & Zonn, Leo E. Place, Power, Situation and Spectacle: A Geography of Film. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1994.
  • Palmer, Barton R. Nineteenth-Century American Fiction on Screen. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
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