One Body Too Many
| One Body Too Many | |
|---|---|
Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank McDonald |
| Written by | Winston Miller Maxwell Shane |
| Produced by | William H. Pine William C. Thomas |
| Starring | Jack Haley Jean Parker Maxine Fife Bela Lugosi Lyle Talbot |
| Cinematography | Fred Jackman Jr. |
| Edited by | Henry Adams |
| Music by | Alexander Laszlo |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
One Body Too Many is a 1944 American comedy-mystery film directed by Frank McDonald, starring Bela Lugosi, Jack Haley and Lyle Talbot. The film was the second comedy featuring Haley to be produced by Pine-Thomas Productions, part of the studio's new direction towards comedy films. The original intention was to hire Boris Karloff for the film's key horror role, but Lugosi was hired instead.
The film is set in the mansion of a recently deceased millionaire. An insurance salesman arrives by coincidence, and he is mistaken for the private detective supposed to guard the corpse. The terms of the millionaire's will depend on whether he is buried according to his wishes or not. One of the potential heirs has decided to steal the corpse, and they are willing to kill the new guard.