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.
Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940) is a comedy and mystery film directed by Eugene Forde, released on December 19, 1940 with a runtime of 1h 17m. It stars Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Valerie and Walter Abel. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 12 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Michael Shayne: Private Detective before you stream it.
Lloyd Nolan
as Michael Shayne
Marjorie Weaver
as Phyllis Brighton
Joan Valerie
as Marsha Gordon
Walter Abel
as Elliott Thomas
Elizabeth Patterson
as Aunt Olivia
Donald MacBride
as Chief Peter Painter
Douglass Dumbrille
as Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Clarence Kolb
as Hiram P. Brighton
George Meeker
as Harry Grange
Charles Coleman
as Ponsby
Adrian Morris
as Al
Robert Emmett Keane
as Larry Kincaid
Directed by Eugene Forde, written by Stanley Rauh, Brett Halliday and Manning O'Connor.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 12 ratings.
For some reason, this starts with and features a slightly Scottish lilt to the score throughout, as we follow the slightly zany investigations of the eponymous down-at-heel PI (Lloyd Nolan) as he tries to wade his way through the murky worlds of horse racing, gaming addicts and, of course, murder! He's initially retained by the wealthy "Brighton" (Clarence Kolb) to rein in his unruly daughter "Phyllis" (Marjorie…
Reviewed on April 16, 2023
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Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940) includes Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Valerie, Walter Abel and Elizabeth Patterson. The film was directed by Eugene Forde. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Michael Shayne: Private Detective was released on December 19, 1940 and runs for 1h 17m.
Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 12 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Michael Shayne: Private Detective trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
