The Bishop Murder Case (1930)

Directors:

David Burton
Nick Grinde

Writers:

S.S. Van Dine (book)
Lenore J. Coffee (adaptation)

Release Date:

3 January 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

The finest of all S. S. Van Dine's murder mystery stories...now an all-talking picture! (original poster)

Plot:

The murders start with the body of Robin. He is found with a arrow through the heart, but Vance deduces...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Nursery Rhyme | Rhyme | Clue | Philo Vance

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Philo Vance
Leila Hyams	...	Belle Dillard
Roland Young	...	Sigurd 'Erik' Arnesson
Alec B. Francis	...	Professor Bertrand Dillard
George F. Marion	...	Adolph Drukker
Zelda Sears	...	Mrs. Otto Drukker
Bodil Rosing	...	Grete Menzel
Carroll Nye	...	John E. Sprigg
Charles Quatermaine	...	John Pardee (as Charles Quartermaine)
James Donlan	...	Sergeant Ernest Heath
Sidney Bracey	...	Pyne - Dillard's Butler (as Sydney Bracey)
Clarence Geldart	...	John F.-X. Markham
Delmer Daves	...	Raymond Sperling
Nellie Bly Baker	...	Beedle - the Maid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Cramer	...	Detective in Park (uncredited)
Frank Fanning	...	Officer Manning (uncredited)
Marcia Mae Jones	...	Hungry Child in Park (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell	...	Dr. Van Pelt (uncredited)
Douglas Scott	...	Child with Book in Park (uncredited)

Directed by
David Burton		(stage direction)
Nick Grinde		(screen direction) (as Nick Grindé)

Writing credits
S.S. Van Dine		(book)
Lenore J. Coffee		(adaptation, scenario and dialogue)

Original Music by
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Roy F. Overbaugh		(photographed by) (as Roy Overbaugh)

Film Editing by
William LeVanway

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Sound Department
Donald MacKenzie	....	recording director (as Dr. Donald Mac Kenzie)
Frank McKenzie	....	sound (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Henrietta Frazer	....	wardrobe

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1930) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (1930) (USA) (theatrical) (uncredited)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Several times Roland Young's character sarcastically calls Basil Rathbone's investigator character "Sherlock Holmes". Nine years later Rathbone would take the role of Holmes and it became his iconic role.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Zelda Sears is credited on-screen as playing "Mrs. Otto Drukker," but throughout the film she is called Miss Drucker and is referred to as the sister of Adolph Drukker, with no other Drukker in evidence (in particular, there is no Otto). This does, however, duplicate the name given in the "Cast of Characters" of the original book by S. S. Van Dine. (Although, in the book, she is listed as Adolph Drukker's mother.)

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Casino Murder Case (1935)

Soundtrack:

Waltz of the Flowers

early talkie shows its age

Basil Rathbone is a dashing, intense-looking Philo Vance in "The Bishop Murder Case," an early talkie that shows signs of the painful transition from silents. I actually had quite a bit of trouble with the sound. I saw it on television and had difficulty understanding what was being said at times.

The film, nevertheless, is very interesting, if only to see Rathbone, with those amazing eyes of his, in his pre-Sherlock Holmes days. His acting is excellent. It was also delightful to see Roland Young. Leila Hyams plays the professor's niece, and she was quite beautiful and effective. It has a good plot as well.

Parts of this film came off like a stage play, probably because some of the actors were still adjusting to film technique. And the sound was darned strange. In one of the outdoor scenes, the actors sounded as if they were speaking through megaphones. Nevertheless, Philo Vance fans should certainly enjoy it, as will others from a historical perspective.