La volontà occulta

Depressed race jockey Floyd Garden falls off his horse. His dying words are, "I've got to fall... I've got to break my..." Gentleman detective Philo Vance (Edmund Lowe) investigates the apparent suicide. A shot rings out and Edgar Lowe Hammle is found dead. It's another assumed suicide.

It is a lot talking in an old fashion whodunit mystery. Edmund Lowe is a playing classy older gentleman. He has little flourishes, but it is mostly a gentlemanly front. He and Zalia Graem are a fine coupling, but not anything great. I don't think that I'm following every detail, but the general idea is fine. There are so many characters. This is fine.

Of the ten actors who portrayed Philo Vance in the series, Edmund Lowe seemed the most personable, but in this script the audience is way ahead of the famed detective. After all, when the jockey, Douglas Walton, stares blankly in space, obviously hypnotized, and says something like "I must ride and be killed," I felt it was dumb that no one picked up on it after he does get killed. The police thought it was a suicide because he said he would do it! After hated horse owner Gene Lockhart gets shot and killed, Frieda Inescort does the same thing, saying she's going out to be killed, and then fatally jumps off a bus. I laughed when Lowe finally yells "I got it," as though it were a revelation. The guilty party, however, was cleverly concealed and there was considerable suspense generated when that party starts to hypnotize Lowe to get him to jump off a roof.

Philo Vance is back with a new face and minus that thick accent he had in the last film (ha!). This time Vance is investigating strange suicides. The best part of the movie is the return of Etienne Girardot as coroner Dr. Doremus. This wonderful actor steals every scene he's in. He was previously in two Philo Vance films in a row, The Kennel Murder Case and The Dragon Murder Case. But then he was noticeably absent in The Casino Murder Case. His part was played by a dull actor with no flair for comedy. This marks his return to the role but sadly is also the last time he'll play it. By coincidence or not, the three Vance films Girardot are in also happen to be the best three of the series.

The rest of the cast is solid. Edmund Lowe is not as well-known as William Powell or even Warren William, but he's charming and good with comedy. If you get a chance to see it, check out the underrated gem Espionage (1937) that he stars in. He's wonderful in that. The supporting cast here is pretty impressive. Great character actors Nat Pendleton, Gene Lockhart, H.B. Warner, Jessie Ralph, Henry B. Walthall, and Grant Mitchell -- nice lineup. Also beauties Virginia Bruce, Frieda Inescort, and Benita Hume, who would go on to be Mrs. Ronald Colman and then Mrs. George Sanders! This also happens to be the film debut of Kent Smith, leading man of the Cat People movies. This is a good B detective flick with a short runtime and quick pace. It's not the best of the series but it's up there. It's a shame Lowe didn't play Vance anymore. The series badly needed a steady actor in the role.

EDMUND LOWE (who reminds me somewhat of Warren William), heads the nice cast of an interesting little mystery that moves at a brisk pace and runs just a little over an hour.

Douglas Walton plays the unlucky jockey who appears to be intent on his own demise (hypnotism, anyone?), and the suspects include a good number of the supporting cast--everyone from Virginia Bruce, Kent Smith, Frieda Inescourt, Gene Lockhart, Jessie Ralph, Benita Hume, Rosalind Ivan and H.B. Warner. As an added bonus, there's Nat Pendleton as a dimwit detective--and furthermore, get a load of that art deco set decoration for the fancy interiors of a wealthy home. Must have been a set that was used in many a subsequent film.

On the plus side, the mystery is not so complicated that anyone can follow the plot with reasonable assurance of not being too baffled. It's all suddenly clear to detective Philo Vance--and then he has a final confrontation with the murderer that gives the film a nifty five minutes of unmitigated suspense.

Nicely done and passes the time in an entertaining manner.

While there were not that many filmed Philo Vance mysteries, THE GARDEN MURDER CASE is a standout in the series and, perhaps, a close second to the KENNEL MURDER CASE starring William Powell.

This is an elaborate murder mystery with dapper Edmond Lowe doing the honors as the master detective. The only debit; Lowe did not continue the series, which needed a debonair gent, and he definitely fit the bill. Beautiful Virginia Bruce plays the lady in distress, naturally suspected of murder and the object of Lowe's affection. They make a sleek couple.

This screenplay is extremely clever, dealing with hypnotism, and is similar to THE WOMAN IN GREEN, a Sherlock Holmes entry, starring Basil Rathbone (and yes, he too played Philo Vance!). Makes us armchair detectives wonder if the writers at Universal may have "borrowed" a few ideas from this screenplay to keep their famous detective in business? Bertram Millhauser wrote both stories, known for his work with Cecil B. DeMille.

Another interesting footnote, Nat Pendleton was cast as the long arm of the law, quite the same type of role he played in the original THIN MAN. Those casting directors were a smart bunch.

Whatever the case, this fine whodunit will keep your attention through and through, campy at times, and guessing the murderer is worth the wait.

Virginia Bruce would next co-star in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD.

Always on dvd and thanks to TCM for running this golden oldie.