William Powell wears many hats on his first night as Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month on December 1, 2011. He's a charming thief who woos the jewels off of Kay Francis in Jewel Robbery (1932), a detective who enlists his ex-wife to help him solve a murder in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936), a jaded newspaperman in The Hoodlum Saint (1946), a spy maneuvering against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary Russia in The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937), a lawyer who goes from good, to bad, and back to good in Lawyer Man (1932) and a decoding expert who stumbles into a spy ring in Rendezvous (1935).
Then, there's that witty detective who solves crimes with a terrier at his feet. No, not Nick Charles, Powell's Academy Award-nominated role in The Thin Man series, but close.
Detective Philo Vance was an important role for Powell; without it, there might never have been a Nick Charles - not played by him, anyway. Although the Pittsburgh-born actor spent ten years on the New York stage before going to Hollywood, his presence was only garnering a dim buzz around town. He needed a role that would boast his charm, his wit and his comedic-timing. Enter Philo Vance, expert crime-solver.
After embodying the role in The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Green Murder Case (1929) and The Benson Murder Case (1930) for Paramount Pictures, Powell hit his stride with Vance at Warner Bros. in The Kennel Murder Case (1933), which plays most like a precursor to Nick Charles. All that's missing is a drink in his hand and Myrna Loy on his arm.
The Kennel Murder Case - December 1, 2011, at 9:30 PM, EST
Detective Philo Vance meets more than a few dogs when he brings his Scottish terrier to compete in a dog show, and they're all barking about the wealthy Archer Coe (Robert Barrat). When Coe is found dead in his locked bedroom with a gun in his hand, the police claim suicide, but Vance isn't convinced. After all, it takes a skilled individual to bash himself in the skull, stab himself in the back and then shoot himself in the head.
Part of the film's appeal is that this case isn't just a whodunit but a how'd-they-do-it. If people would quit dying, Vance might get a chance to find out.
Director Michael Curtiz's Kennel Murder Case is known as the best of the Philo Vance series for a reason. Not only does it showcase the talent of its star, Powell, but it features excellent performances from its supporting cast, particularly from comic-relief players like Eugene Pallette, the detective who's willing to arrest anyone and everyone as long as he gets credit for solving the case, and Etienne Girardot as the doctor whose meals are always being interrupted by a new murder.
The cast of suspects is convincing enough to carry the plot through its twists and turns. They're an unsavory lot. Hilda Lake (Mary Astor) is Coe's niece who stands to gain everything with her uncle's death, but so do Raymond Wrede (Ralph Morgan) and Tom MacDonald (Paul Cavanagh) who both pine for her against Coe's wishes. Brisbane Coe (Frank Conroy) despises his brother, while his bed-time reading consists of a relaxing book of "Unsolved Murders."
Then, there's the shifty butler (Arthur Hohl) who creeps through the estate, the Chinese cook (James Lee) who endures insults to his culture and his race, and Coe's ex-girlfriend (Helen Vinson) along with her new lover (Jack La Rue).
At just 73 minutes-long, The Kennel Murder Case offers a compact mystery that doesn't waste a second of storytelling.
Sources:
- The Kennel Murder Case. 1933. Dir. Michael Curtiz. Perf. Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette, William Powell. Warner Bros. Pictures. Running Time: 73 min.
- Turner Classic Movies
Amanda Flinner - Amanda is a freelance writer who earned her Bachelor's degree in Writing from Geneva College in 2006. Although a variety of interests ...
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