The Bat (1959 film)
| The Bat | |
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theatrical film poster
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| Directed by | Crane Wilbur |
| Produced by | C. J. Tevlin |
| Written by | Crane Wilbur (screen story & screenplay) |
| Based on |
The Circular Staircase (1908 novel) by Mary Roberts Rinehart and The Bat (1920 play) by Mary Roberts Rinehart Avery Hopwood |
| Starring |
Vincent Price Agnes Moorehead Darla Hood |
| Music by | Louis Forbes |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Edited by | William Austin |
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Production
company |
Liberty Pictures
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| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Bat is an American mystery film from 1959 starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. It is the fourth film adaptation of the story, which began as a 1908 novel The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which she later adapted (with Avery Hopwood) into the 1920 play The Bat. This film version was adapted by playwright Crane Wilbur, who also directed.
The Bat was distributed in 1959 on a double bill with the British Hammer film The Mummy.
The Bat is now in the public domain, and is available for online download.
Cornelia Van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) is a mystery author who lives in a town terrorized by a mysterious murderer known only as "The Bat". The Bat is said to be a man with no face who murders women at night by ripping out their throats with steel claws. Early in the film, The Bat enters Van Gorder's house and releases a bat, which bites van Gorder's maid Lizzy (Lenita Lane). With Lizzy in a panic, fearing she may now have contracted "the rabies", an outbreak of which local papers have reported, Van Gorder calls her doctor, Dr Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price), who is conducting research on bats.
Meanwhile, the whole town is searching for a million-dollar stash of looted bank securities that were recently stolen. Dr. Wells discovers the location of the treasure when the thief confides in him. Wells then murders the thief in cold blood, presumably so that he can take the treasure for himself, which he believes to be hidden in van Gorder's house.
A series of break-ins and murders by The Bat brings the local chief of detectives, Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) to the Van Gorder house. The Bat then murders two people in the Van Gorder house, Mark Fleming (John Bryant) and Judy Hollander (Darla Hood). Anderson attempts to determine the identity of The Bat, suspecting both Wells and Van Gorder's new butler, Warner (John Sutton). Wells is removed from suspicion, however, when he is murdered by The Bat in his lab.
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Wikipedia