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IMDbPro

Charlie McCarthy, Detective

  • 19391939
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
87
YOUR RATING
Edgar Bergen, Robert Cummings, Constance Moore, Charlie McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
  • Comedy
  • Family
Scotty Hamilton is a reporter who works for a crooked editor. Bill Banning is another reporter who is about to expose the editor's ties to the mob. When the editor is killed, both reporter B... Read allScotty Hamilton is a reporter who works for a crooked editor. Bill Banning is another reporter who is about to expose the editor's ties to the mob. When the editor is killed, both reporter Banning and mobster Tony Garcia are suspected. However, Hamilton's friend Edgar Bergen solv... Read allScotty Hamilton is a reporter who works for a crooked editor. Bill Banning is another reporter who is about to expose the editor's ties to the mob. When the editor is killed, both reporter Banning and mobster Tony Garcia are suspected. However, Hamilton's friend Edgar Bergen solves the case (without much help from Charlie McCarthy).
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
87
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank Tuttle
  • Writers
    • Edward Eliscu(screenplay)
    • Richard Mack(screenplay)
    • Harold Shumate(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Edgar Bergen
    • Charlie McCarthy
    • Mortimer Snerd
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank Tuttle
  • Writers
    • Edward Eliscu(screenplay)
    • Richard Mack(screenplay)
    • Harold Shumate(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Edgar Bergen
    • Charlie McCarthy
    • Mortimer Snerd
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos11

    Ray Turner and Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Robert Cummings and Constance Moore in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Constance Moore in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Charlie McCarthy in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Edgar Bergen, Anne Gwynne, Charles Lane, Constance Moore, and Charlie McCarthy in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Charlie McCarthy in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
    Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Edgar Bergen
    Edgar Bergen
    • Edgar Bergenas Edgar Bergen
    Charlie McCarthy
    Charlie McCarthy
    • Charlie McCarthyas Charlie McCarthy
    Mortimer Snerd
    Mortimer Snerd
    • Mortimer Snerdas Mortimer Snerd
    Robert Cummings
    Robert Cummings
    • Scotty Hamiltonas Scotty Hamilton
    Constance Moore
    Constance Moore
    • Sheila Stuartas Sheila Stuart
    John Sutton
    John Sutton
    • Bill Banningas Bill Banning
    Louis Calhern
    Louis Calhern
    • Arthur Aldrichas Arthur Aldrich
    Edgar Kennedy
    Edgar Kennedy
    • Inspector Daileyas Inspector Dailey
    Samuel S. Hinds
    Samuel S. Hinds
    • Court Aldrichas Court Aldrich
    Harold Huber
    Harold Huber
    • Tony Garciaas Tony Garcia
    Warren Hymer
    Warren Hymer
    • Dutchas Dutch
    Ray Turner
    Ray Turner
    • Harrison 'Gravy' Randolphas Harrison 'Gravy' Randolph
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Freight Captainas Freight Captain
    • (uncredited)
    Granville Bates
    Granville Bates
    • Judge Blackas Judge Black
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Brooks
    • Nightclub patronas Nightclub patron
    • (uncredited)
    Dora Clement
    Dora Clement
    • Drunk's Wifeas Drunk's Wife
    • (uncredited)
    G. Pat Collins
    G. Pat Collins
    • McNeilas McNeil
    • (uncredited)
    Alec Craig
    Alec Craig
    • Boundsas Bounds
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Frank Tuttle
    • Writers
      • Edward Eliscu(screenplay)
      • Richard Mack(screenplay)
      • Harold Shumate(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film was released in 9 reels but underwent post-preview trims. The most noticeable cut is at the end where the reprise of "I'm Charlie McCarthy Detective" is eliminated but a few seconds are seen under the END title.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Cave Dwellers (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      How Was I To Know?
      Written by Eddie Cherkose and Jacques Press

      Sung by Constance Moore

    User reviews9

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    Too strange for its own good
    I suppose we could give this movie points for being different, but we certainly can't give it any points for being logical. "Charlie McCarthy, Detective" combines mystery with slapstick humor in a very uneasy mixture. The movie seems deliberately intended to be surreal. All the characters in the film act as if Edgar Bergen's wooden dummies (McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd) are really alive-- at one point a doctor (Charles Lane) even operates to remove a bullet from Charlie. The movie was about halfway over before I realized that the characters were not insane, and we really were supposed to accept the notion that Charlie was an independent living creature. This takes nerve, but it would have helped if the script had somehow cued us into it. The movie is also absolutely crazy on the question of police procedure, and it prominently features a very stereotypical black character-- one of those servants who is slow on the uptake and terrified of his own shadow-- which may reflect the attitude of its times but is a bit hard to stomach today. The comedy dominates the mystery, and although the solution is somewhat intriguing, it almost comes as an afterthought to the movie's goofiness.

    It sounds as if I'm saying the movie is terrible. It isn't. It isn't good, but it isn't awful. There are some good jokes, and Bergen, surprisingly, gives a pretty good performance. The supporting cast is, for the most part, strong. But I prefer my movies to make sense, and it's just impossible to take this film seriously.
    helpful•3
    9
    • cygnus58
    • Jan 14, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mästerdetektiven Charlie McCarthy
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Edgar Bergen, Robert Cummings, Constance Moore, Charlie McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd in Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939)
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