Film Snail

5.8

Calling Philo Vance

NR·1940·62m

Crime

Mystery

Crime

Mystery

Summary

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.

Cast

James Stephenson

Philo Vance

Margot Stevenson

Hilda Lake

Henry O'Neill

Markham

Edward Brophy

Ryan

Sheila Bromley

Doris Delafield

Ralph Forbes

Tom McDonald

Donald Douglas

Philip Wrede

Martin Kosleck

Gamble

Jimmy Conlin

Dr. Doremus - Coroner

Edward Raquello

Eduardo Grassi

Creighton Hale

Du Bois - Fingerprint Man

Harry Strang

Hennessey - Markham's Assistant

Richard Kipling

Archer Coe

Wedgwood Nowell

Brisbane Coe

Bo Ling

Ling Toy

Terry

MacTavish (uncredited)

Herbert Anderson

First Reporter (uncredited)

Henry Blair

Hans Snauble (uncredited)

Egon Brecher

Austrian Judge (uncredited)

Harry Burns

Capt. Lugo (uncredited)

Yakima Canutt

Sorrento Sailor (uncredited)

Nat Carr

2nd Photographer (uncredited)

Glen Cavender

Train Porter Asked to Send Telegram (uncredited)

Loia Cheaney

Markham's Secretary (uncredited)

Frederick Giermann

Austrian Sergeant (uncredited)

Eddie Graham

Coroner's Assistant (uncredited)

John Harron

Third Reporter (uncredited)

Stuart Holmes

Hertz (uncredited)

William Hopper

Clerk at Hotel Nino in Chicago (uncredited)

Olaf Hytten

Charles (uncredited)

George Irving

Avery (uncredited)

Marion Lessing

Mrs. Fritz Snauble (uncredited)

Rolf Lindau

Aeronautics Department Sentry (uncredited)

Frank Mayo

Doorman (uncredited)

George Reeves

Steamship Clerk (uncredited)

John J. Richardson

4h Reporter (uncredited)

Cliff Saum

Investigator Snitken (uncredited)

Hans Schumm

Nazi Officer at Dock (uncredited)

Frank Wilcox

2nd Reporter (uncredited)

Jack Wise

1st Photographer (uncredited)

Maris Wrixon

Long-Distance Operator (uncredited)

Henry Zynda

Austrian Lieutenant (uncredited)

Crew

Director

William Clemens

Novel

S.S. Van Dine

Screenplay

Tom Reed

Reviews

Geronimo1967

April 1, 2023

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.