31 Murders In The Rue Morgue ( 1932 )

This  loose  adaptation  of  an  Edgar  Allen  Poe  story  is  not  a  great  film  although  in  fairness  it  was  hacked  down  by  almost  a  quarter  by  Universal's  censors. With  the  disturbing  scenes  restored,  it's  probable  that  the  "comic"  and  musical  scenes  would  seem  less  time-wasting. As  it  is  the  film  swings  from  very  dark  to  very  frivolous  in  an  unsatisfactory  manner.

Bela  Lugosi  plays  Dr  Mirakle  a  sideshow  performer  in  Paris  in  1845  although  as  his  act  consists  of   lecturing  his  audience  about  evolution, displaying  a  captive  gorilla  ( though  it's  more  chimpanzee-sized  )  and  then  pretending  to  talk  to  him  Sooty-style , it's  hard  to  understand  how  he  can  afford  a  servant, horse  and  carriage  and  scientific  equipment  for  his  nefarious  business. Mirakle  is  looking  for  a  human  mate  for  Erik  the  ape;  her  suitability  determined   by  mixing  blood  together  beforehand. As  there  are  no  volunteers  for  this,   the  murder  count  rises.

Lugosi , as  ever,  doesn't  underplay  his  role  and  can  be  a  bit  hard  to  take  but  he's  head  and shoulders  above  everyone  else  in  screen  presence.

Sidney  Fox  ( as  Camille  L'Espanaye )

Sex : Erik  likes  the  look  of  Camille  but  is  shot  before  he  can  have  his  way  with  her .

Camille  is  abducted  in  her  nightgown  through  which  you  can  clearly  see  a  nipple.

Death : Survives  though  it's  not  explained  how.

 Sidney  was  from  New  York  and  changed  her  surname  from  the  Jewish  Leiffer. Her  film  career  lasted  barely  four  years  and  she  overdosed  on  sleeping  pills  probably  accidentally  in  1942  aged  30.

Betty  Ross  Clarke   ( as  Madame  L'Espanaye )

Sex : No

Death : Throttled  by  Erik  after  intervening  to  save  Camille

Betty  had  been  quite  successful  in  the  silent  era  but  was  now  doing  character  parts . Her  career  petered  out  in  the  late  thirties  but  she  still  performed  in  regional  theatre. She  died  in  1970  aged  77.

Arlene  Francis  ( as  Woman  of  the  Streets )

Sex :  In  the  most  daring  scene  to  survive  the  snip  the  unnamed  prostitute  is  seen  stripped  to  her  underclothes  and  tied  to  an  S & M  saltire  before  Mirakle  injects  her  with  Erik's  blood.

Death : Expires  shortly  after  receiving  the  injection.

Arlene  was  originally  Arlene  Kazanjian, a  Bostonian  of  Amenian  extraction. This  was  the  first  film  in  a  sporadic  movie  career  that  continued  until  1978. She  was  much  better  known  as  a  TV  host  and  panellist  in  the  fifties  and  sixties. She  died  of  cancer  in  2001  aged  93.

Edna  Marion  ( as  Mignette ) 

Sex : No

Death : Survives

This  was  Edna's  last  film  role  as  the  girlfriend  of  the  hero's  flatmate. She  was  very  busy  in  comic  supporting  roles  in  the  twenties   often  appearing  with  Laurel  and  Hardy. She  died  in  1957   aged  50.