Calling Philo Vance
Calling Philo Vance is a 1940 American mystery/comedy 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 previously been made into a film in 1933, starring William Powell and Mary Astor.
| Calling Philo Vance | |
|---|---|
 theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | William Clemens |
| Produced by | Brian Foy (assoc. prod; uncredited)' |
| Screenplay by | Tom Reed |
| Based on | The Kennel Murder Case (1933 novel) by S. S. Van Dine |
| Starring | James Stephenson Margot Stevenson |
| Cinematography | L. William O'Connell |
| Edited by | Benjamin Liss Louis Lindsay |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | February 3, 1940 (US) |
Running time | 62 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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 each film.
Cast
- James Stephenson as Philo Vance
- Margot Stevenson as Hilda Lake
- Henry O'Neill as J.P. Markham
- Edward Brophy as Ryan
- Sheila Bromley as Doris Delafield
- Ralph Forbes as Tom McDonald
- Don Douglas as Philip Wrede
- Martin Kosleck as Gamble
- Jimmy Conlin as Dr. Doremus
- Edward Raquello as Eduardo Grassi
- Creighton Hale as Du Bois
- Harry Strang as Markham's assistant
- Richard Kipling as Archer Coe
- Wedgwood Nowell as Brisbane Coe
- Bo Ling as Ling Toy
- Olaf Hytten as Charles (uncredited)
- George Irving as Avery (uncredited)
- Frank Mayo as Doorman (uncredited)
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 TV series in the 1950s-60s, 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
- Smith, Richard Harland. "Calling Philo Vance" (article) on TCM.com
- "Terry (III)" on IMDB.com
- "Notes" on TCM.com