Name: Calling Philo Vance
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Released: 1940-02-03
Duration: 62 min
Rating: 6
Cast: James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill, Edward Brophy, Sheila Bromley

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.

CrimeMystery

DirectorWilliam Clemens

WritersTom Reed, S.S. Van Dine

StatusReleased

LanguageEnglish

Release DateFebruary 3, 1940

Runtime1h 2m

Philo Vance Collection

Includes: The Canary Murder Case, The Greene Murder Case, The Bishop Murder Case, The Benson Murder Case, The Kennel Murder Case, The Dragon Murder Case, The Casino Murder Case, The Garden Murder Case, The Scarab Murder Case, Night of Mystery, The Gracie Allen Murder Case, Calling Philo Vance, Philo Vance's Gamble, Philo Vance Returns, Philo Vance's Secret Mission

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

April 1, 20236/10

This is an adequate afternoon B-feature that probably served more as a warning against fifth-columnists than it actually entertained anyone. It all centres around attempts by the Axis powers to obtain access to the designs of "Archer Coe" (the briefest of appearances from Richard Kipling). Now he has an exclusive arrangement with the Americans so when he is found murdered, it falls to the wily, suspicions and tenacious "Vance" (James Stephenson) to find out who the killers were and on whose malevolent behalf they were working? Did they manage to steal his secret plans? Now this is just a substantial reworking of "The Kennel Murder Case" (1933) - even down to whopping great chunks of the script being transferred, albeit updated, to allow for it's WWII scenario. Although all pretty lightweight and devoid of any real sense of jeopardy, Stephenson is actually quite engaging and there is a decent supporting effort from Edward Trophy ("Ryan") delivering some fun to this rather dry, procedural, crime drama. It's only an hour, and if you like the genre then there isn't really anything not to like - or memorable - about this.