Mistaken Identity
Cast & Crew
George P. Quigley
Nelle Hill
George Oliver
Bill Dillard
Ruth Cobbs
Ken Renard
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
While auditioning at a black nightclub owned by former detective Bill Smith, Lewis, a piano player, is struck and killed by a knife flying across the room. Hal, a reporter, immediately telephones the news to his editor, explaining how his activities during the previous night provide valuable information about the crime: At singer Lola's apartment, Hal is watching a television program featuring black dancers when Lola's husband Mike, a prison escapee, returns home. Hal hides in a closet and listens as Mike demands that Lola go away with him and stop seeing Hal. Mike and Lola then plan a trip to Bill's apartment, hoping to borrow new clothes for Mike so that he can change out of his prison uniform. His curiosity piqued, Hal goes to Bill's apartment and hides there, waiting to see what will happen. Bill and his wife Mary return home drunk later that night, and when Bill goes out to find his cat, he is mistaken for Mike and, unknown to Mary, is arrested. The arresting officer, Jerry O'Hara, stays at Bill's apartment after Bill is taken away. From jail, Bill places a number of telephone calls to his apartment, hoping to clear up the confusion and win his release, but his calls go unanswered as Lola's seductive singing is distracting the officer. As partygoers arrive at Bill's apartment, Mike secretly ushers them to a closet and hides them from Jerry's view. Finally, to get out of jail, Bill calls his secretary, who arranges for him to be released. The following day, the band is performing in Bill's nightclub when Mary enters and sees Bill and Lola together. Mary, unaware that Bill spent the night in jail, becomes jealous and suspects that he is having an affair with the singer. That night, the piano player is murdered and Bill begins an investigation. He soon discovers that Hal is the culprit, and that Hal, who was in love with Lola, hoped to eliminate both rivals at once by killing Lewis and framing Mike for the murder. Hal is sent to prison, and Bill and Mary are reconciled after Mary learns that Bill was in jail and not with Lola.
Cast
Nelle Hill
George Oliver
Bill Dillard
Ruth Cobbs
Ken Renard
Andrew Maize
Bob Brown
Pinky Williams
Alston And Young
Skippy Williams
Marjorie Oliver
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
No contemporary information was found regarding the release date of Mistaken Identity, but it is presumed to be the early 1940s. Modern sources list the release year as 1941. The viewed print was a 1948 re-release version entitled Murder with Music. The re-released film contained added footage, additional characters and new musical numbers. The onscreen credits for Murder with Music were identical to those of Mistaken Identity, with the following exceptions: Murder with Music did not contain Arthur Leonard's co-producer and co-director credit; John Visconti was credited as co-photographer; Gus Smith was credited, along with Victor Vicas and Norman Borisoff, for writing the screenplay; Sidney Easton and Gus Smith replaced Skippy Williams in the "Original Music" credit (although Williams was credited as having written the numbers used from Mistaken Identity). The dance team of "Johnson and Johnson" and Noble Sissle and His Orchestra were also added to the cast; Marjorie Oliver, as the "Secretary," received an onscreen credit in the 1948 release.
In the earlier release, Bob Brown is credited with the part of the "Editor," but in the 1948 re-release he was replaced by Bob Howard in newly shot footage in which his character tells reporter "Ted," played by Milton Williams, what happened to "Hal." Howard also performed a song with the Sissle band. The cast list in the onscreen credits of the re-released version was re-ordered, with Howard's name appearing first, followed by Nelle Hill, George Oliver, Bill Dillard, Marjorie Oliver, Ruth Cobbs, Ken Renard, Andrew Maize, Pinky Williams and Skippy Williams. Ken Renard also appeared in a brief climactic scene with Howard in the re-issue. As indicated in the credits of the re-released film, Murder with Music featured the following two additional songs and two instrumentals, all by Sidney Easton and Gus Smith: "Too Late Baby," "Hello Happiness," "Geeshee" and "Running Around."
