The Cat And The Canary (1939) ***

Elliott Nugent's 1939 remake of Paul Leni’s 1927 film (review) lacks the sense of dread of the original, but ups the comedy thanks to Bob Hope. Provided you don't mind his old fashioned sense of humor, this is a really fun and entertaining "old dark house" picture, despite not offering any surprises for those familiar with the earlier film (or the 1922 stage play by John Willard, which both films are based on) and also feeling a bit inconsequential, considering it was released in what is widely considered the greatest year in film history. Paulette Goddard is a lovely lead and the supporting cast is mostly quite good.