''The Missing Corpse'' is a 1945 American comedy

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by

Albert Herman Albert Herman (1887–1958) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director. Herman was a prolific director, working mainly on low-budget movies for companies such as Producers Releasing Corporation. He is sometimes credited as Al Herman. ...

Plot summary

The publisher of The Tribune newspaper, Henry Kruger, who is used to ordering his staff around, finds that he is ignored by everyone in his own home. He is shocked when he discovers a scandalous picture of his own daughter, Phyllis, on the front page of the competing paper, The Daily Argus. Henry pays a visit to the dubious publisher of the competing paper, Andy McDonald, and warns him not to ever publish a picture like that again, or Henry will kill him. Henry is unaware of the fact that a man named "Slippery" Joe Clary has overheard his conversation with Andy, which Joe later reveals to him, threatening to expose him. Henry counters by claiming that Andy was the one who got Joe sentenced with his testimony, and that Andy dated Joe's girlfriend while he was in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

. To avoid further complications, Henry takes a long vacation, following the suggestion of his chauffeur. While Henry is away, without his family, Slippery Joe murders publisher Andy and hides the body in the trunk of Henry's parked roadster car. Slippery Joe also breaks into Andy's safe, trying to get back a written confession of a previous murder, but finds out the document is missing from the safe and must have been hidden on the publisher Andy's body. Henry has brought his car on the vacation and finds Andy's dead body in the trunk when he arrives at his hunting lodge. Panicking, he decides to dump the body to not be accused of murder, but his chauffeur sees the body before he has a chance to carry out his plan. The chauffeur, eager to protect his employer, removes the body from the car's trunk and hides it inside the lodge. Visitor's come and go at the lodge during the vacation, and the body is moved and hidden several times by the two men to avoid discovery. Soon enough, Slippery Joe also comes looking for the body to retrieve the document. When Henry's family one day discovers that he has left on vacation, they also come up to the lodge to visit. Other family members also arrive at the lodge, and even a news reporter from The Daily Argus, trying to get another scandalous story to publish in the paper, shows up as well. The body is discovered by every visitor at the lodge at some point, and the chauffeur has to move it constantly to confuse the guests. Henry convinces them all that they have hallucinated. The local police officer, Constable Trigg, discovers Andy's car hidden not far from the cabin, left there by Slippery Joe. Trigg immediately suspects Henry of murdering Andy and arrests him. James, Henry's son, falsely claims to have murdered Andy to protect Henry from arrest, but then Andy's body is found, with the confession in one of his pockets. Slippery Joe is arrested for Andy's murder and the murder related to the confession. Slippery Joe admits his guilt when he learns that Trigg has the confession, and Henry is cleared of all suspicion. After the commotion, Henry's family promises to not ignore him anymore. Despite this, Henry finds himself sitting alone at breakfast the next day.Film profile
accessed 10 March 2014.

Cast

J. Edward Bromberg Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. Professionally, Bromberg's most ...

as Henry Kruger *

Isabel Randolph Isabel Randolph (born Isabelle Elfreda Mair; December 4, 1889 – January 11, 1973) was an American character actress in radio and film from the 1940s through the 1960s and in television from the early 1950s to the middle 1960s. Early life ...

as Alice Kruger *

Frank Jenks Frank Jenks (November 4, 1902 – May 13, 1962) was an American actor and vaudevillian. Biography Early years Jenks was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and his mother gave him a trombone when he was 9 years old. By his late teens he was playing ...

as Mack Hogan * Eric Sinclair as James Kruger *

Paul Guilfoyle Paul Vincent Guilfoyle () (born April 28, 1949) is an American character actor. He was a regular cast member of the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', on which he played Captain Jim Brass from 2000 to 2014. He returned for ...

as Andy McDonald *

Ben Welden Ben Welden (born Benjamin Weinblatt; June 12, 1901 – October 17, 1997) was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters in various movies and television shows. Early years Welden was born in Toledo, Oh ...

as 'Slippery Joe' Clary * Charles Coleman as Egbert, the butler *

Eddy Waller Edward Waller (June 14, 1889 – August 20, 1977) was an American stage, film and television actor. Early years Waller's involvement with dramatics began when he was a student at the University of Wisconsin. Career Stage Waller performe ...

as Desmond, the caretaker *

Archie Twitchell Archie Raymond Twitchell (November 28, 1906 – January 31, 1957) was a pilot for over three decades between the 1920s and the 1950s. He also had a second profession as a movie actor. He was a captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces during Worl ...

as Officer Jimmy Trigg *

Isabel Withers Isabel Withers (January 20, 1896 – September 3, 1968) was an American actress, who worked in theatre, film, and television.John Shay John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

as Jeffry Dodd *

Anne O'Neal Anne O'Neal (born Patsy Ann Epperson; December 23, 1893 – November 24, 1971) was an American actress. She appeared in many films portraying matronly landladies, for example. On television, in 1957, she appeared on ''Gunsmoke'' as “Sabina P ...

as Mrs. Swonaker *

Ken Terrell Kenneth Jones Terrell (April 29, 1904 – March 8, 1966) was an American western and action film actor and stuntman best known for playing Joe Marcelli in the 1956 film ''Indestructible Man'' and Jess in the 1958 film '' Attack of the 50 Fo ...

as Arresting Officer * Elayne Adams as McDonald's Secretary * Lorell Sheldon as Phyllis Kruger

References

External links

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Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Missing Corpse 1945 films American black-and-white films 1945 comedy films 1945 mystery films Producers Releasing Corporation films American comedy mystery films Films scored by Karl Hajos Films directed by Albert Herman 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language comedy mystery films 1940s comedy mystery films