Calling Philo Vance

Calling Philo Vance is a 1940 American mystery/comedy film released by Warner Bros. and starring James Stephenson as the dilettante detective Philo Vance, his only appearance as the character; Margot Stevenson co-stars. The film also features Henry O'Neill, Edward Brophy, Sheila Bromley and Ralph Forbes. It was directed by William Clemens from a screenplay by Tom Reed, based on the 1933 novel The Kennel Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine, which had been made into a film in 1933, starring William Powell and Mary Astor.

Calling Philo Vance
Theatrical poster
Directed byWilliam Clemens
Screenplay byTom Reed
Based onThe Kennel Murder Case
1933 novel
by S.S. Van Dine
Produced byBrian Foy
(assoc. prod; uncredited
StarringJames Stephenson
Margot Stevenson
CinematographyL. William O'Connell
Edited byBenjamin Liss
Louis Lindsay
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • February 3, 1940 (1940-02-03)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

For this adaptation of the story, Vance is on international assignment from the United States government to investigate traffic in wartime aircraft designs. The original story dealt with art world double-dealing, but the solution to the mystery is the same in both films. Oddly, Sgt. Heath, Vance's usual police irritant, has been renamed Ryan.

Plot summary

Cast

Cast notes: Warner Bros. intended to revitalize the Philo Vance series with British stage actor James Stephenson, but Stephenson never played the part again – he died of a heart attack in 1941.[1] Actors George Reeves, known for playing Superman on television in the 1950s, and William Hopper, noted for playing Paul Drake on the Perry Mason in the 1950s and 1960s, both played small roles in the film.[1] Vance's dog McTavish was played by Terry, who also played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.[2]

Production

Calling Philo Vance had the working titles Philo Vance Comes Back and Philo Vance Returns.[3]

References

Notes

  1. Smith, Richard Harland. "Calling Philo Vance" (article) on TCM.com
  2. "Terry (III)" on IMDb
  3. "Notes" on TCM.com
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