''Arsène Lupin Returns'' is a 1938 American

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by

George Fitzmaurice George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and Film producer, producer. Career Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940 ...

and written by James Kevin McGuinness, Howard Emmett Rogers, and

George Harmon Coxe George Harmon Coxe (April 23, 1901 – January 31, 1984) was an American writer of crime fiction. He created the series featuring crime scene photographer Jack "Flashgun" Casey, which became a popular radio show airing through to the 1940s. ...

. The film stars

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy '' Ninotchka'' ( ...

, Virginia Bruce, Warren William, John Halliday, Nat Pendleton, and Monty Woolley. The film was released on February 25, 1938 by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

Plot

After being asked to resign from the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, a publicity-hungry detective goes into private business. His first job is to protect a very precious jewel belonging to the Grissac family, which is the object of a failed robbery attempt in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. When he accompanies the Grissacs back to France, he encounters a friend of the family, Rene Farrand, who he rapidly comes to suspect is the master thief

Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...

, someone believed to have been killed several years before.

Cast

as Rene Farrand * Virginia Bruce as Lorraine de Grissac * Warren William as Steve Emerson * John Halliday as Count de Grissac * Nat Pendleton as Joe Doyle * Monty Woolley as Georges Bouchet * E. E. Clive as Alf * George Zucco as Prefect of Police * Rollo Lloyd as Duval * Vladimir Sokoloff as Ivan Pavloff *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

(credited as Ien Wulf) as Le Marchand *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

as Monelle * Jonathan Hale as F.B.I. Special Agent

References

Bibliography

* Backer, Ron. ''Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood''. McFarland, 2012.

External links

* * * 1938 films 1938 mystery films American mystery films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films directed by George Fitzmaurice American black-and-white films Films set in Paris Arsène Lupin films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language mystery films {{mystery-film-stub