So You Want to Be a Detective

Watch Movie

So You Want to Be a Detective

1948

0h 11m

6.8(19 votes)

Comedy

Crime

Overview

Joe McDoakes imagines himself as a private detective on a murder case. Throughout the film, he spars verbally with narrator Art Gilmore.

Links & Resources

IMDbView

Social & External

IMDb

Production Companies

Cast & Crew

4 members

Acting

George O'Hanlon

Joe McDoakes (a.k.a. Phillip Snarlow)

Acting

Art Gilmore

Narrator (voice)

Acting

Lila Leeds

Veronica Vacuum (uncredited)

Acting

Kit Guard

Barroom Thug (uncredited)

Similar Movies

2017

The Spiral Cake

One young woman's quest to determine the superiority of one spiral cake over another leads her to the limits of scientific inquiry.

Movie

5.0

2018

Stuck

A sex toy mishap leads to a night in the emergency room, where a freshly broken-up couple are forced to confront their issues on love and relationships.

Movie

6.1

2007

Nancy Drew

Intrepid teenage private eye Nancy Drew heads to Tinseltown with her father to investigate the unsolved murder of a movie star in this old-fashioned whodunit based on Carolyn Keene's popular series of books for young adults. But can the small-town girl cut through the Hollywood hype to solve the case?

Movie

6.5

1938

The Black Doll

Nicholas Rood, dishonest mine owner, finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is about to overtake him for murdering his former partner. He is knifed as he talks to his daughter Marian. She summons her fiancé Nick Halstead, a private detective. He finds that six people had a motive for the murder; Rood's sister Mrs. Laura Leland; her son Rex; Rood's associates Mallison and Walling; Esteban, a servant and Dr. Giddings. Sheriff Renick and his deputy Red get the clues all mixed up, but Nick finally narrows the search down to one suspect...

Movie

2021

Stationary Bike

Based on the story by Stephen King. Sifkitz, a middle aged widower is told by his doctor to get into shape. He buys a stationary bike to exercise on and it soon becomes an obsession as the lines between reality and his dream world start to blur.

Movie

7.8

2008

Presto

Dignity. Poise. Mystery. We expect nothing less from the great turn-of-the-century magician, Presto. But when Presto neglects to feed his rabbit one too many times, the magician finds he isn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve!

Movie

1.0

2011

Fire

“There must be a different solution than the one from hell’. Full unadulterated terror (and music). 'The best class always ends with a lesson'. Almost baroque in its ambition and detail, Akerman and Seabra Lopes’ mesmerising short film delves deeply into the hard-wired dread of music lessons. Sewn around Schubert’s steely Opus 1, which is itself based on the no less terrifying legend of Goethe's Erlkönig, their film is a revelation.” International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Movie

7.5

2006

Lifted

When an overconfident teen alien gets behind the controls of a spaceship, he must attempt to abduct a slumbering farmer under the watchful eye of a critical instructor. But abducting humans requires precision and a gentle touch, and within a few missteps it's painfully clear why more humans don't go missing every year.

Movie

6.8

2007

Your Friend the Rat

Let's face it, rats are not the most beloved creatures on earth. However, maybe this little tale about the history of human and rat interaction will change the world's tune. At least that is the hope of Remy, the star of Ratatouille, and his reluctant brother Emile as they guide us through world history from a rat's perspective. Why can't we all just get along?

Movie

10.0

1914

Where Hazel Met the Villain

Where Hazel Met the Villain is a 1914 movie starring Roscoe Arbuckle and Phyllis Allen.

Movie

6.2

2008

Transporter 3

Frank Martin puts the driving gloves on to deliver Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he has to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina's safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.

Movie

6.4

2007

Shrek the Halls

The Christmas tree isn't the only thing green in this new holiday classic. Shrek is back and trying to get into the spirit of the season. After promising Fiona and the kids a Christmas they'll remember, he is forced to take a crash course in the holiday. But just when he thinks he has everything for their quiet family Christmas just right, there is a knock at the door.

Movie

7.5

2008

BURN·E

What lengths will a robot undergo to do his job? BURN·E is a dedicated hard working robot who finds himself locked out of his ship. BURN·E quickly learns that completing a simple task can often be a very difficult endeavor.

Movie

7.3

1987

A Garfield Christmas

Garfield, Jon and Odie go to Jon's family farm for Christmas, where Garfield finds a present for Grandma.

Movie

Wei Baba

A woman introduces her Chinese dad to her American Jewish boyfriend and manipulates their language barrier to keep everyone happy.

Movie

Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan

7.0

1995

Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan

Inspired by the the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning, Miami-based journalist, Edna Buchanan, who investigates the murder of a man with ties to the Miami mafia.

Movie

10.0

1962

The Dog Lover

Jack is the fastidious manager of a local supermarket. The harmless but disruptive actions of his customers frequently give him headaches, which he remedies by holding a can of frozen juice against his forehead. At home, however, Jack is consistently kind, loving, and patient with his wife and daughter. One day the child brings home a stray dog, and his life is turned upside down.

Movie

7.0

2000

Afrocentricity

On the surface, this collection of shorts by up-and-coming African American filmmakers arrived at a perfect time. The cutting-edge products of the New Black Cinema of the early '90s had disappeared, giving way to embarrassingly stereotypical, scatological fare such as Booty Call and Next Friday. This feature-packed compilation (which includes production notes, interviews with all of the filmmakers, and audio commentary by four) attempts to prove that African American cinema is intent on moving past the lowbrow humor, as six of the seven shorts steer clear of any comedy.

Movie

2008

Tease

A man in a movie production office partially strips for the camera.

Movie

6.9

1930

Animal Crackers

The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.

Movie

Recommended Movies

6.4

2010

Mater Private Eye

Detective Mater is hot on the trail of a dastardly car-napping! When Tia's sister goes missing, Mater is the only car she can turn to. With this tow truck on the case, anything can happen.

Movie

6.3

1977

The Late Show

Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

Movie

6.3

1998

Zero Effect

Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.

Movie

7.2

1948

The Naked City

After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

Movie

7.1

1943

Who Killed Who?

A murder has occurred at Gruesome Gables, and the dog detective trying to find the killer has to deal with some suspicious suspects and a haunted house.

Movie

6.9

2023

Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie

Monk steps out of retirement as his stepdaughter's wedding turns tragic when her fiancé dies in a bungee jumping accident.

Movie

6.3

2017

WHAT DID JACK DO?

In a locked down train station, a homicide detective conducts an interview with a tormented monkey who is suspected of murder.

Movie

7.1

2016

The Nice Guys

A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.

Movie

7.0

2022

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.

Movie

6.0

1989

Who's Harry Crumb?

Harry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.

Movie

5.8

2001

Chain of Fools

An avid detective is assigned to investigate the heist of a batch of precious coins that end up in the hands of a suicidal barber.

Movie

6.9

1976

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Charles Dreyfus, who has finally cracked over inspector Clouseau's antics, escapes from a mental institution and launches an elaborate plan to get rid of Clouseau once and for all.

Movie

6.1

1990

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.

Movie

6.7

1982

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

Movie

6.6

1933

The Midnight Patrol

Novice policemen Stan and Ollie bungle a burglary investigation.

Movie

5.8

2017

Take Me

Ray is a fledgling entrepreneur who specializes in high-end simulated abductions. He jumps at the chance when a mysterious client contracts him for a weekend kidnapping with a handsome payday at the end. But the job isn't all that it seems.

Movie

7.2

1955

Kiss Me Deadly

One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.

Movie

8.0

1924

Sherlock Jr.

A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.

Movie

6.3

1916

Police

Charlie is released from prison and immediately swindled by a fake parson. A fellow ex-convict convinces Charlie to help burglarize a house.

Movie

7.5

1934

The Thin Man

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.

Movie