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The Yellow Canary

  • 1963
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
134
YOUR RATING
The Yellow Canary (1963)
DramaMysteryThriller

Arrogant pop singer Andy (Pat Boone) is about to be divorced by his wife (Barbara Eden), who treats his staff badly. On the same night he starts a job at a theater in Los Angeles, his infant... Read allArrogant pop singer Andy (Pat Boone) is about to be divorced by his wife (Barbara Eden), who treats his staff badly. On the same night he starts a job at a theater in Los Angeles, his infant son is kidnapped. Despite requests from the lead police officer on the case, Lieutenant B... Read allArrogant pop singer Andy (Pat Boone) is about to be divorced by his wife (Barbara Eden), who treats his staff badly. On the same night he starts a job at a theater in Los Angeles, his infant son is kidnapped. Despite requests from the lead police officer on the case, Lieutenant Bonner (Jack Klugman), Paxton plays along with the kidnappers as they string him along alth... Read all

  • Director
    • Buzz Kulik
  • Writers
    • Whit Masterson
    • Rod Serling
  • Stars
    • Pat Boone
    • Barbara Eden
    • Steve Forrest
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    134
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Buzz Kulik
    • Writers
      • Whit Masterson
      • Rod Serling
    • Stars
      • Pat Boone
      • Barbara Eden
      • Steve Forrest
    • 12User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

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    Top cast14

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    Pat Boone
    Pat Boone
    • Andy Paxton
    Barbara Eden
    Barbara Eden
    • Lissa Paxton
    Steve Forrest
    Steve Forrest
    • Hub Wiley
    Jack Klugman
    Jack Klugman
    • Lt. Bonner
    Jesse White
    Jesse White
    • Ed Thornburg
    Steve Harris
    • Bake
    Milton Selzer
    Milton Selzer
    • Vecchio
    Jeff Corey
    Jeff Corey
    • Joe
    Jo Helton
    Jo Helton
    • Rene Pyle
    Vici Raaf
    Vici Raaf
    • Crystal Towers
    • (as Vici Raff)
    Harold Gould
    Harold Gould
    • Ponelli
    Joe Turkel
    Joe Turkel
    • Policeman
    Charles Keane
    • Reporter
    John Banner
    John Banner
    • Sam Skolman
    • Director
      • Buzz Kulik
    • Writers
      • Whit Masterson
      • Rod Serling
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    6.2134
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    Featured reviews

    6boblipton

    A Singing Bird Learns To Fly

    Pat Boone is a world-famous singer. He's opening at a major venue in Los Angeles. The crowds adore him. Wife Barbara Eden is divorcing him, and they come home to find their baby has been kidnapped.

    I don't think of good acting when it comes to Boone, and Miss Eden, while a fine performer, is usually notable for her lighter work. Yet Boone gives a fine performance here as a man who thinks he has millions of friends until he discovers he doesn't have any. Miss Eden also gives a fine performance, and so does Jack Klugman as the police detective who initially browbeats the information about the kidnapping out of Boone. There are also good roles for Jesse White and a small one for Boone's acting teaching, Jeff Corey. If the ending is a bit discordant, the script by Rod Serling gets the audience there in a good fashion.
    8xanadumichael

    ...a very good movie.

    Though it has been well over 40 years since I saw "The Yellow Canary," my recollection is that it was a very good movie. What I specifically remember is a stand out performance by Pat Boone. So much so, I did not remember Barbara Eden's part in it. Boone spent most of his movie career in singing roles (e.g, State Fair) and/or more-or-less simplistic teen movies (e.g., "April Love," "Bernadine"). In this film, however, he provided a more than passable effort as a serious actor. It seems unfortunate he did not pursue more such roles, though he may have suffered from management that stifled his potential, much like happened to Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker's control of his career. It would be interesting to see the film today, and find out if the years have enhanced my memory or if, in fact, it's as good as I remember.
    4mls4182

    Rod Serling must have had a balloon payment due on his mortgage

    I watched this only because I had heard Rod Serling wrote it. Well, you'd never know it just from watching. Judging from his other work, he must have rushed this out for a payday. It would barely pass as a bad 1970s TV movie.

    Pat Boone and Barbara Eden were attractive and charismatic performers adept at comedy but they were not dramatic actors and in this it really shows.
    10britishsteamwave

    I would like to buy a copy of this film.

    I agree 100% with Jonboy1 from Texas. Pat Boone gives a very credible performance as the smooth nightclub singer, Andy Paxton. He teams again with Barbara Eden (together first in "All Hands on Deck - 1961?) who plays his wife, and is the "yellow canary" who like the proverbial worm, turns. Jack Klugman, always a welcome presence on screen appears as the probing Lieutenant Bonner. 1950s film luminary, Jeff Corey also makes an appearance. I cannot understand why this film has been canned when many less deserving films appear on DVD. Another of Pat's efforts "Never Put It In Writing" is similarly discarded while the nonsensical "The Horror of it All" is available. Strange! If anyone knows where I can buy a copy, I would be obliged.
    8wsjo69

    Childhood Memories

    I saw this movie when I was just 13 years old, and it scared me to death. I remember that the movie theater had trouble opening the curtain all the way at the beginning of the movie, which only made the whole experience even more bizarre, and it was one of the opening scenes that really freaked me out. I can still see it in my mind today, some 40 years later. From what I remember, I would compare it to "Cape Fear" and "Wait Until Dark" for comparable chills. I suspect that it would play pretty innocently these days, but I would love to see it again just to see how much of what I remember was really there. Anybody have any leads on where to find this, contact me at wsjo69@yahoo.com.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The gold records on display in Andy's home appear to be Pat Boone's own, as they all bear the Dot label, which was Boone's recording company at the time.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 9, 1963 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kennwort: Canary
    • Production companies
      • Cooga Mooga
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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