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Feature film — 1940

Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940)

6.61h 17mComedy — Mystery

Millionaire sportsman Hiram Brighton hires gumshoe Michael Shayne to keep his spoiled daughter Phyllis away from racetrack betting windows and roulette wheels. After Phyllis slips away and continues her compulsive gambling, Shayne fakes the murder of her gambler boyfriend, who is also romancing the daughter of casino owner Benny Gordon, in order to frighten her. When the tout really ends up murdered, Shayne and Phyllis' Aunt Olivia, an avid reader of murder mysteries, both try to find the identity of the killer.

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A high-signal pick with 13 votes.

20th Century Fox

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Director: Eugene Forde

On screen

Cast & crew

Lloyd Nolan as Michael Shayne

Lloyd Nolan

Michael Shayne

Marjorie Weaver as Phyllis Brighton

Marjorie Weaver

Phyllis Brighton

Joan Valerie as Marsha Gordon

Joan Valerie

Marsha Gordon

Walter Abel as Elliott Thomas

Walter Abel

Elliott Thomas

Elizabeth Patterson as Aunt Olivia

Elizabeth Patterson

Aunt Olivia

Donald MacBride as Chief Peter Painter

Donald MacBride

Chief Peter Painter

Douglass Dumbrille as Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)

Douglass Dumbrille

Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)

Clarence Kolb as Hiram P. Brighton

Clarence Kolb

Hiram P. Brighton

George Meeker as Harry Grange

George Meeker

Harry Grange

Charles Coleman as Ponsby

Charles Coleman

Ponsby

Adrian Morris as Al

Adrian Morris

Al

Robert Emmett Keane as Larry Kincaid

Robert Emmett Keane

Larry Kincaid

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