Calling Philo Vance

This is a remake of the "Kennel Murder Case" with Philo Vance (James Stephenson) going after some U. S. airplane plans sold to a foreign nation; the designer of the plans and his brother both wind up murdered, and there are plenty of suspects.

William Powell was probably the best Philo Vance - he had the requisite charm. Stephenson, who started in films late in life after stage work, was on his way to a big career when he made "Calling Philo Vance" - unfortunately, he died the next year, at the age of 53.

As with "The Dragon Murder Case" with Warren William as Vance, the supporting players have the good lines and the energetic roles. Stephenson doesn't have a lot to work with, but he's okay.

Parts of this film are interesting, it's a little better than "The Dragon Murder Case," which isn't really saying much.

James Stephenson is Philo Vance in this movie. He's in Vienna, tracking down a rumor that Richard Kipling has been selling his military airplane designs to foreign governments, instead o the US, as he is required by contract to do so. Vance gets the plans, but they are taken from him by the local police. As a result, when he returns to the States, he reports to Henry O'Neill that he has no proof that would stand up in court. Stephenson and O'Neill go to Kipling's home, only to discover him dead bebehind a locked door. He seems to have committed suicide -- by shooting himself with a bow, a gun, and a blunt instrument.

It's a remake of The Kennel Murder Case, and Stephenson's posh British accent and unhurried motions fit the character pretty well. The updating of the maguffin from Chinese art to airplane plans shows where Warner Brothers' thoughts were about the international situation. With a plethora of suspects, including Margot Stevenson, Sheila Bromley, Ralph Forbes, and Bo Ling, it's a pretty good updating of S. S. Van Dine's mystery.

This remake of Kennel Murder Case, The (1933) has some good points, but James Stephenson is not one of them. He plays it too impersonal for my taste and pales by comparison with William Powell, who played Vance in the original. But the screenplay, which was updated for the war that loomed on the horizon, was nicely developed, concerning plans for a warplane. The setting was switched to the State Department, with Vance an employed investigator instead of a private eye. I really enjoyed how he used diagrams to explain the movement of the people involved in the murder of the warplane designer, so that in the end, the actions of all were clear. The film also had the advantage of having Edward Brophy in the Sergeant Heath role (here he's called Ryan), bringing comedy without the stupidity of the Heath character. It was rather fun to watch.

The Philo Vance murder mystery series was entertaining and worthwhile but had one serious problem, the actor playing the lead role of Philo Vance kept changing from movie to movie. This was not true of other successful series such as Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes and Chester Morris' Boston Blackie. By far the most competent actor in the role was the indomitable William Powell, who starred in not only the best one of the Philo Vance films but a movie classic "The Kennel Murder Case." Alas, he was too good and went on to bigger and better roles, in particular the Thin Man series. What we get with "Calling Philo Vance" is James Stephenson, who makes a pleasant enough Philo Vance but he is certainly no William Powell. On the other hand, the supporting cast is equal to and sometimes even better than the supporting cast in "The Kennel Murder Case." "Calling Philo Vance" is a reworking of the "Kennel Murder Case," updating the story to involve espionage (Hitler invaded Poland the year before this movie was released). Other than the spy angle and having Philo a government agent rather than a P.I. there is not much change. The story still involves the intriguing idea of having a murder committed in a sealed and locked room. A few of the scenes are shot verbatim from the original. So why watch this one if you can get hold of the original, which is a superior film? I'm a Philo Vance fan. So I enjoyed this one too.

One of the weakest Philo Vance films: a pointless remake of "The Kennel Murder Case", with a blander cast. But if you haven't seen "Kennel", you may still find the story ingenious. The then-topical WWII elements look out of place now in a Philo Vance mystery. ** out of 4.