Calling Philo Vance
Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers. He grabs the plans with Archer's signature, but is captured by police before he can escape. Deported he comes back to America and plans to confront Archer, but Archer is found dead in his locked bedroom with a gun in his hand. While it looks like a suicide, Vance knows better and the coroner finds that Archer has been shot, hit with a blunt instrument and stabbed - making suicide unlikely. But Vance is on the case and is looking to see if government secrets have been sold and who has murdered Coe. This is a remake of "The Kennel Murder Case" using aircraft designs and espionage instead of Chinese porcelain and dog shows.
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- Cast：
- James Stephenson , Margot Stevenson , Henry O'Neill , Edward Brophy , Sheila Bromley , Ralph Forbes , Donald Douglas
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Reviews
Excellent, a Must See
Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
This remake of "The Kennel Murder Case" (the bulk of the film) and "Private Detective 62" (all the introductory sequences) offers quite passable entertainment for those of us who haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing William Powell in both these wonderful films directed by Michael Curtiz. This one is directed efficiently but somewhat less effectively by William Clemens. The best thing about it is Jimmy Conlin who does more amusingly by Doctor Doremus than did Etienne Girardot in the original adaptation of the S.S. Van Dine thriller. Edward Brophy is also a joy. On the other hand, James Stephenson who gave such a great performance opposite Bette Davis in "The Letter" (1940) makes a very disappointing Philo Vance. In fact, he was miscast. His accent is all wrong for a start, a problem that Stephenson himself seems acutely aware of. Instead of making Vance a debonair detective (William Powell style), he turns him into a stuffed shirt. Both his expressionless facial activity and his reading of his lines signally lack charisma. But at least you can hear him clearly. He doesn't mumble like many present-day leads, but a stuffed-shirt hero is also a deadly dull hero.
The Kennel Murder Case was the highlight of the Philo Vance movie series. This film is a remake of that, updated to fit World War II with an espionage theme. James Stephenson makes a poor Philo Vance. He talks through his nose the whole time, which I found annoying. Supporting cast isn't bad. Includes great character actors Edward Brophy and Henry O'Neill. There is one scene where Brophy is supposed to knock open a door. He bumps into it with his shoulder twice with no result. Then he kicks it and his foot awkwardly knocks out a part of the door without actually kicking it open. Whether this was intentional or not I do not know but it sure looked like a goof. A cheapie like this wouldn't have done multiple takes if they could help it. Margot Stevenson plays the part Mary Astor played in the original. She speaks breathlessly and acts weakly. The best thing about the film for me are the Warner sets and backlot. It's a watchable film. Not a patch on the original and very flawed, but passable.
Warner Brothers probably of all the studios loved remaking its films. I guess Jack Warner thought it saved on buying new properties. Calling Philo Vance after a brief prologue updating the story to have Vance working for the State Department investigating the theft of airplane designs, it becomes almost a word for word remake of The Kennel Murder Case. Even the character names remain the same. Whole bits of dialog from the original are reused in this one.Too bad they couldn't have gotten William Powell as well. But he was over at MGM keeping Nora and Asta in line. So James Stephenson became the latest in a long line of Vances. Philo Vance would soon fade from the screen.Stephenson is serviceable, but lacks Powell's unique debonair charm. And of course we've seen it all before.
Archer Coe makes airplane designs all by him self and keeps them at home in an easily accessible form. All his friends and neighbors want them even if they do not know what an airplane is. One morning Archer is found dead in a locked room. Yep it was suicide, or was it.Everyone could have do it if they could get inside the room many we find out are foreign agents or just unscrupulous. There is even a buyer from England.Be sure to watch the original film first.This film is not an update of "The Kennel Club Case" (1933). It is a cheep wartime substitute. It is worth obtaining as a contrast and compare movie in your collection. However it strains itself to cram "plain plan" in every time it should say money.James Stephenson makes a snotty Philo Vance with no passing or charm. He makes you wish he was the victim.
