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Nelson Eddie, Basil Rathbone, and Susan Foster. The classic story of the behind the scenes spookiness at the grand opera house.
Nelson eddy is the narrator, and star baritone of the opera. Basil Rathbone is Claudan, the humble violinist. Barely surviving by selling his music, Claudan has his music stolen one night, followed by a disfiguring accident. He disappears from his social circles, and is soon forgotten. Hints of things to come arrive in the form of a policeman, claiming that Claudan is suspected of turning to a life of murder. Creepy, but the horror is yet to come.
Little by little, odd things begin to occur in the opera house during performances. Illness allows Christine the understudy, and person of Claudan’s affections to get her chance to take center stage. When people stand in the way of Christines performing, they end up as corpses. The poolice aren’t unaware of the situation, and plan to set a trap for the unknown killer.
The police suspect Nelson Eddie, but he has reason to think Claudan is behind it and stays watchful. The suspense escalates when christine is missing. A man with a cloak and mask was seen carrying her away. How could this happen? It turns out that the police force, in order to be incognito, chose to blend in by wearing a cloak and mask. Hmm… brilliant.
Driven by his love, Claudan steals Christine away to his lair beneath the opera house. He wants her to share his secret life, but will she? Can she? A race of suspense builds as Claudan tries to win her over, against Nelson Eddie searching the bowels of the theater to rescue her.
