The Lady in the Morgue (film)
# The Lady in the Morgue (film)

The Lady in the Morgue is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and written by Eric Taylor and Robertson White. It is based on the 1936 novel The Lady in the Morgue by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Preston Foster, Patricia Ellis, Frank Jenks, Thomas E. Jackson, Wild Bill Elliott, Roland Drew and Barbara Pepper. The film was released on April 22, 1938, by Universal Pictures.

## Plot

Detective Bill Crane investigates the murder of the morgue keeper and the disappearance of a blond's dead body.

## Cast

* Preston Foster as Bill Crane
* Patricia Ellis as Mrs. Sam Taylor
* Frank Jenks as Doc Williams
* Thomas E. Jackson as Strom
* Wild Bill Elliott as Chauncey Courtland
* Roland Drew as Sam Taylor
* Barbara Pepper as Kay Renshaw
* Joe Downing as Steve Collins
* Archie Robbins as Frankie French
* Al Hill as Spitzy
* Morgan Wallace as Layman
* Brian Burke as Johnson
* Donald Kerr as Greening
* Don Brodie as Taxi Driver
* Rollo Lloyd as Coroner
* Gordon Hart as Colonel Black

## Production

In 1937, Universal Pictures made a deal with the Crime Club, who were published of whodunnits. Over the next few years Universal released several mystery films in the series. The film was the third in Universal's Crime Club series.

## Reception

From retrospective reviews, the authors of the book Universal Horrors stated that the film was a "confusing yarn" and that "all the ingredients for a crackerjack mystery thriller are here, but somewhere along the line, this inconsequential meller misses the mark."

