The Benson Murder Case

1930's "The Benson Murder Case" marked William Powell's third outing as debonair Philo Vance, following "The Canary Murder Case" and "The Greene Murder Case," with E. H. Calvert's District Attorney Markham, and Eugene Palette's Sgt. Ernest Heath also returning. The target for murder is ruthless stockbroker Anthony Benson (Richard Tucker), and it's certainly a happy coincidence that all of his jilted victims conveniently turn up in time for that fatal shot, his lifeless body tumbling down the steps. This time Vance is already present, challenged to solve this case by Harry Gray (William 'Stage' Boyd), who believes that no truly clever murderer would ever be caught by Vance. The paucity of suspects reduce the story from a 'whodunit' to a 'howdunit,' with future Philo Vance Paul Lukas and his Hungarian accent particularly difficult to decipher, playing a spineless, charisma-free gigolo. It's nice to find Powell's future "Thin Man" co-star (as Julia Wolf) Natalie Moorhead, playing a distinctively pre-code independent woman. Palette is again a delight, and Powell himself has even more to do than before, his meticulous recreation of the crime finally wearing down his devious foe. This was Paramount's final Philo Vance feature, following the release of MGM's "The Bishop Murder Case," which headlined another former villain, Basil Rathbone, in the title role. It would be three years before Vance would return to the screen, played for a fourth and last time by Powell, again joined (this time at Warners) by Eugene Palette, with Robert McWade playing Markham.

Stockbroker Richard Tucker is the victim in The Benson Murder Case. In 1930 a lot of people would like to have murdered their stockbrokers. But in the Great Depression, Tucker is living high on the hog even after the Stock Market Crash.

The Benson Murder Case is not a whodunit as much as it plays like a Columbo mystery. In this film, the perpetrator is practically daring William Powell to solve this one correctly. But you do really enjoy the film when Powell actually does.

The film is a typical closed ring of suspects murder mystery as many people who would dearly like to have seen Tucker done in for calling in their stock margins before they were given a chance to make good. They all show up at Tucker's Westchester county estate, but unfortunately the District Attorney E.H. Calvert has the place next door and he's invited Philo Vance for the weekend.

The Benson Murder Case keeps up the high standard of Vance film that Powell did. S.S. Van Dine and later his estate sold the various Vance novels to many studios one at a time which is why there were so many Philo Vances out there. Powell's next Vance film would be for Warner Brothers while he had a brief sojourn there before moving to MGM and The Thin Man.

The Benson Murder Case was the last Philo Vance film that Powell did for Paramount and it was a good one.

A ruthless, crooked stockbroker Tony Benson (Richard Tucker) to "sell out" many of his clients after the stock market crashed in 1929 is murdered at his luxurious country estate, and detective Philo Vance just happens to be there, and murder takes place virtually in front of Philo Vance's eyes which, for all intents and purposes, should mean that even Sergeant Heath could solve it and Philo can go back home.

But that's far from the case as neither can Philo Vance figure out the mystery for a long period of time. But he has a fair share of suspects: Fanny Del Roy (Natalie Moorhead), Mrs. Paula Banning (May Beatty), Adolph Mohler (Paul Lukas), and Albert Brecker (Mischa Auer), and Harry Gray (William 'Stage' Boyd). They all had motives to do away with the stockbroker.

The Benson Murder Case is a rather standard mystery story and a little stilted at times, but still enjoyable, mainly due to William Powell as Philo Vance - how the murder was done was ingenious, though a little farfetched. I think Kennel Murder Case is a better Philo Vance entry, but this is watchable enough.

The Benson Murder Case is the best of the three Philo Vance movies that Powell made at Paramount. That was partly because of advances in sound technology and partly because this script is more complex and the characters are more fleshed out.

Anthony Benson is a stock broker - and he does not seem to be a crooked one as the synopsis states, though he is a bit of a rogue. The day is that of the great stock market crash, October 1929. As so many brokers did, those investors that had their stocks bought on margin were sold out when they could not cover those margins, and many lost everything.

Add to this the complication of several people who have personal grudges against Benson that have nothing to do with the crash - two of which break into Benson's mansion that night - and you have a large number of suspects and a rather complex plot. Philo Vance (William Powell) comes calling on Benson that night and is having a discussion with dapper gangster Harry Gray (William Stage Boyd) about how Vance has only been able to solve the murders he has because the perpetrators were not professionals. At just about that time a shot rings out and Benson - minus the toupee he always wore if he was in the presence of anyone - rolls down the stairs, dead at Vance's feet.

So here Vance has a house full of people who are glad to see Benson dead, yet they all seem to have alibis, and you have some proof (the missing toupee) that Benson must have been alone when he died, yet he did not commit suicide! What a mystery Vance must unravel, but he does.

This one will keep you guessing as it is not quite so easy to figure out as the others. Also, there are a couple of other mysteries that Vance figures out but keeps mum about because they have nothing to do with the murder and because he is such a gentleman.

I'd say watch this one, but watch it carefully, because there is quite a bit going on. Thus the plot is good and it is another fine chance for William Powell and Eugene Palette, as Vance's police detective friend, to show off their acting abilities.

The third Philo Vance movie starring William Powell. It's adapted from the first Vance novel, itself based on the real life "locked room" murder of famous bridge player Joseph Bowne Elwell. The mystery here has a neat resolution. Powell is always aces and he has fun support from Eugene Pallette. Paul Lukas gives a nervous turn that gets a little grating. Lukas would later play Vance himself. The only real downsides are the usual complaint about early talkies, namely the pacing and that they have a lot of stiff joints. I'm an avid fan of classic films so it doesn't bother me much. But your mileage may vary.