''Sh! The Octopus'' is a 1937 comedy-mystery film produced by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, directed by William McGann and starring

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Unive ...

Allen Jenkins Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. Life and career Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. ...

and

Marcia Ralston Marcia Mascotte Ralston (19 September 1906 – 23 November 1988) was an Australian-born actress who appeared in Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. In Australia Ralston's father was well known Australian singer and actor John Ralston. She a ...

. 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.

Premise

Herbert and Jenkins play two bumbling detectives, who, in pursuit of a master criminal, The Octopus, find themselves inside a haunted lighthouse full of suspicious characters, including the titular character, who appears to be an actual octopus.

Cast

as Kelly *

as Dempsey *

as Vesta Vernoff *

John Eldredge John Eldredge (born June 6, 1960 in Los Angeles) is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book '' Wild at Heart''. Life and work Eldregde received his undergraduate degree in theater from ...

as Paul Morgan *

George Rosener George Michael Rosener (May 26, 1884 – March 29, 1945) was an American film actor and writer. He also wrote and acted in the Frank Buck serial ''Jungle Menace''. Career Rosener began his acting career at age 19 as a circus clown, follow ...

as Captain Hook * Margaret Irving as Polly Crane * Elspeth Dudgeon as Nanny *

Lew Harvey Lew Harvey (October 6, 1887 – December 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1918 and 1950. He was born in Wisconsin, educated in Portland, Oregon, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selecte ...

as Sinister plotter *

Frank Hagney Frank Sidney Hagney (20 March 1884 – 25 June 1973) was an Australian actor. He is known for his work on ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946), ''Ride Him, Cowboy'' (1932) and '' The Sea Beast'' (1926). Early and career Born in Sydney, New Sou ...

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''. It also airs occasionally on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

References

* * 1937 films 1930s comedy horror films American black-and-white films American comedy horror films American detective films American films based on plays 1930s comedy mystery films American haunted house films Warner Bros. films Works set in lighthouses American comedy mystery films 1937 comedy films Films directed by William C. McGann 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{comedy-horror-film-stub