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man's fate by abandoning him in the jungle with the wild beasts. Gorman later pretends to be surprised at hearing that the man had been eaten by tigers. Both Gorman and his wife Evelyn then return to
America aboard a ship packed with captured animals he intends to add to his collection at a major zoo. On the ship, Evelyn has a relationship with Roger Hewitt. She tries to keep it secret from Gorman, but he finds out. Once back in the States, he begins to devise a plan to kill Hewitt.
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head, just as he had done to Hewitt. The doctor's assistant Jerry gives
Woodford a shot of the antitoxin he had created in time to save his life. She also realizes that Gorman is responsible for the apparent mamba attack when he tries to stop her, and sounds the zoo's alarms. A police chase ensues as Gorman is pursued through the zoo. Gorman releases big cats from the carnivore house to keep the police back but they chase Gorman and force him into the cage of a
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in
Glendale. The preview version of the film ran for 65 minutes while the final release ran at 61 minutes. Several censors from New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and the United Kingdom requested censorship between March 10 and March 23, ranging from requests to remove scenes of a man's
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venom that he obtained from the zoo's laboratory doctor, Jack
Woodford. Evelyn accuses her husband of murdering Hewitt. Outraged, Gorman attacks her, but she is able to escape into his office where she finds a mechanical mamba head seeping with real mamba poison in his desk. She now knows for a fact
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about the New York Box Office that the film had "pretty good reviews on the whole, but with no enthusiasm wasted. The latter is difficult to understand for horror films go this is more convincing and out of the ordinary than many and provides legitimate thrills... However, in spite of these merits,
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movie critic says, "Those who demand their leaven of romance even in horror pictures are likely to find 'Murders in the Zoo' inadequate in this direction." Though he also claims that "it happens that the director has been almost too effective in dramatizing these cheerless events…Lionell Atwill as
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The following day the zoo is closed as keepers search for the missing poisonous mamba. A group of children who sneak into the zoo discover tattered remains of Evelyn's dress. Dr. Woodford accuses Gorman of murdering both his wife and Roger Hewitt. Gorman attacks
Woodford with the mechanical snake
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The zoo is beginning to run into financial trouble and the new press agent, Peter Yates, a man terrified of most of the zoo's animals and considered to be an alcoholic, suggests hosting a fundraising dinner for the rich to raise funds and awareness. The last straw is when Gorman finds his wife at
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Eric Gorman is an insanely jealous husband who uses his animal knowledge to dispose of his impulsive wife's lovers. The film opens in an Indian jungle with Gorman using a needle and thread to sew a colleague's mouth closed after having discovered that he had kissed his wife, and then he seals the
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was the "quintessential Lionel Atwill film." In the article Clark claims that "Atwill performs here with the quiet, coiled striking power of a beast tracking its prey. He glides effortlessly across the screen, speaking volumes with a barely perceptible change in tenor in his voice, unveiling his
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will have to battle for what it gets." and that "Edward
Sutherland's direction slipped up in allowing Lionel Atwill to become too heavy. Actor is sufficient of a menace to get along without a hideous laugh and a flock of withering looks." The review went on to note that Kathleen Burke "fails to
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In the epilogue, Jerry visits a convalescing Dr. Woodford in the hospital. The stress, meanwhile, has caused Yates to fall off the wagon, and he is seen fearlessly meandering through the zoo, even swatting on the nose a still free lion that had been stalking him. The lion turns away and Yates
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on
December 28, despite the film being set to start filming the day beforehand. Censors objected to scenes of where a character proclaims "Good God!" and where a character kicks his wife's hand loose to drop her into a pond. Further casting is completed after this letter including
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raved over the movie, saying, "Roars, shrieks, and cackling of the wild animals on the screen at the
Paramount yesterday were echoed to an amazing degree by the audience, at times driven to a mild state of hysteria by scenes in 'Murders in the Zoo'." However, a
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was distributed theatrically by
Paramount Productions, Inc. on March 31, 1933 where it opened in New York at Broadway's Paramount Theatre. For its first six days at the Paramount the film took in $ 18,540. In comparison, the high had been
450:, the film grossed $ 14,000 in its one-week run at the Paramount and $ 23,000 at Hollywood's Paramount. Film historian Gregory William Mank described the film as "a box office disappointment", while Norbert Lusk wrote in the
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mouth sewn together to scenes of a woman being thrown into the alligator pond. The film was banned in
Germany, Sweden and Latvia. While Quebec and Australia initially banned the film, it later passed with a variety of cuts.
486:'s Universal Horror Collection Volume 2 on July 23, 2019, with a commentary track by Gregory William Mank. In 2023 it was released on Blu-ray in the UK as part of a compilation from Eureka Entertainment titled
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that he killed Hewitt, and takes the snake head with the intention of telling Dr. Woodford. Gorman finds his wife and throws her to the alligators, where she is torn to shreds.
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the insanely jealous husband is almost too convincing for comfort… by its ability to chill and terrify, this film is a successful melodrama."
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Hewitt's apartment where they have been plotting their escape and her divorce. Gorman invites Hewitt to the dinner and poisons him with
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impress" and that Gail Patrick is "no beauty" and that the film "will have to depend on the animals and horror to attract." The
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and some substitute pages to Dr. James Wingate at the Association of Motion Picture Producers in Hollywood. By December 27,
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the cast is not strong in box office names and because of this it may never achieve the success it deserves"
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A.D.S. (April 3, 1933). "Murders in the Zoo (1933): An Imaginative Killer".
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Scott, John (April 7, 1933). "'Murders in Zoo' Opens on Screen".
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character's hidden passions with a simple, unguarded glance."
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William Wright sent the censors the final script for
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418:On February 28, 1933, Paramount previews
843:. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
508:referred to the film as "A weak sister,
191:called the film "astonishingly grisly."
1405:Films with screenplays by Philip Wylie
1390:Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland
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740:"Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 2"
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16:1933 film by A. Edward Sutherland
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469:The Mad Doctor of Market Street
1385:American black-and-white films
839:Mank, Gregory William (2014).
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440:with $ 85,900 and the low was
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1420:English-language horror films
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475:The Strange Case of Doctor Rx
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1410:1930s English-language films
1163:Secrets of the French Police
905:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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199:Big-game hunter and wealthy
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502:From contemporary reviews,
446:which took in $ 15,600. In
129:Paramount Productions, Inc.
119:Paramount Productions, Inc.
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1027:Tillie's Punctured Romance
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297:Following the release of
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175:horror film directed by
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1003:Love's Greatest Mistake
568:American Film Institute
235:American Film Institute
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1299:The Navy Comes Through
1291:Sing Your Worries Away
1251:The Boys from Syracuse
1067:The Saturday Night Kid
1011:Fireman, Save My Child
987:It's the Old Army Game
371:, taking it away from
233:Cast sourced from the
1380:American horror films
1283:Steel Against the Sky
1219:Every Day's a Holiday
1115:The Sap from Syracuse
995:We're in the Navy Now
822:Turner Classic Movies
1415:1930s American films
943:A. Edward Sutherland
769:Eureka Entertainment
564:"Murders in the Zoo"
369:Island of Lost Souls
300:Island of Lost Souls
263:as Dr. Jack Woodford
177:A. Edward Sutherland
42:A. Edward Sutherland
1267:The Invisible Woman
1179:International House
1155:Mr. Robinson Crusoe
1099:Paramount on Parade
1171:Murders in the Zoo
941:Films directed by
899:Murders in the Zoo
888:Murders in the Zoo
882:TCM Movie Database
877:Murders in the Zoo
866:Murders in the Zoo
588:TCM Database entry
532:Murders in the Zoo
510:Murders in the Zoo
480:Murders in the Zoo
431:Murders in the Zoo
420:Murders in the Zoo
360:Murders in the Zoo
325:Murders in the Zoo
313:Murders in the Zoo
309:Murders in the Zoo
305:Paramount Pictures
281:as Professor Evans
168:Murders in the Zoo
24:Murders in the Zoo
1395:Films set in zoos
1375:1933 horror films
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1339:Abie's Irish Rose
1235:The Flying Deuces
1139:Up Pops the Devil
1059:The Dance of Life
1019:Figures Don't Lie
850:978-0-786-44955-2
792:Los Angeles Times
765:"Creeping Horror"
516:Los Angeles Times
453:Los Angeles Times
424:Alexander Theatre
408:The Marx Brothers
353:Edward Sutherland
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1203:Diamond Jim
1195:Mississippi
775:October 24,
573:October 27,
460:Along with
448:Los Angeles
404:Frances Dee
392:Gary Cooper
38:Directed by
1370:1933 films
1364:Categories
1147:Palmy Days
1091:Burning Up
539:References
400:Cary Grant
377:Lona Andre
349:John Lodge
337:John Lodge
293:Production
267:John Lodge
171:is a 1933
146:1933-03-31
111:Production
48:Written by
1131:June Moon
727:Mank 2014
704:Mank 2014
687:Mank 2014
670:Mank 2014
655:Mank 2014
640:Mank 2014
625:Mank 2014
602:Mank 2014
498:Reception
201:zoologist
893:AllMovie
173:pre-Code
69:Starring
902:at the
880:at the
833:Sources
749:June 7,
505:Variety
422:at the
414:Release
157:Country
144: (
113:company
1350:(1956)
1342:(1946)
1334:(1944)
1326:(1944)
1318:(1943)
1310:(1942)
1302:(1942)
1294:(1942)
1286:(1941)
1278:(1941)
1270:(1940)
1262:(1940)
1254:(1940)
1246:(1940)
1238:(1939)
1230:(1937)
1222:(1937)
1214:(1936)
1206:(1935)
1198:(1935)
1190:(1933)
1182:(1933)
1174:(1933)
1166:(1932)
1158:(1932)
1150:(1931)
1142:(1931)
1134:(1931)
1126:(1931)
1118:(1930)
1110:(1930)
1102:(1930)
1094:(1930)
1086:(1929)
1078:(1929)
1070:(1929)
1062:(1929)
1054:(1929)
1046:(1928)
1038:(1928)
1030:(1928)
1022:(1927)
1014:(1927)
1006:(1927)
998:(1926)
990:(1926)
982:(1926)
974:(1925)
966:(1925)
958:(1925)
847:
771:. 2023
287:as Dan
1315:Dixie
1211:Poppy
367:from
210:mamba
871:IMDb
845:ISBN
777:2023
751:2020
575:2020
472:and
406:and
379:and
347:and
335:and
229:Cast
195:Plot
183:and
891:at
869:at
323:to
1366::
767:.
742:.
711:^
694:^
677:^
662:^
647:^
632:^
609:^
594:^
566:.
547:^
494:.
478:,
466:,
402:,
398:,
394:,
390:,
375:,
355:.
343:,
331:,
237:.
934:e
927:t
920:v
853:.
824:.
809:.
794:.
779:.
753:.
577:.
148:)
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