The Casino Murder Case (1935)

When Philo Vance receives a note that harm will befall Lynn at the casino that night, he takes the threat seriously while the DA dismisses it. At the casino owned by Uncle Kinkaid, Lynn is ... See full summary »

Director:

Edwin L. Marin

Writers:

Florence Ryerson (screenplay), Edgar Allan Woolf (screenplay),

Stars:

Paul Lukas, Alison Skipworth, Donald Cook

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Lukas	...	Philo Vance
Alison Skipworth	...	Mrs. Llewellyn
Donald Cook	...	Lynn
Rosalind Russell	...	Doris
Arthur Byron	...	Kinkaid
Ted Healy	...	Sergeant Heath
Eric Blore	...	Currie
Isabel Jewell	...	Amelia
Louise Fazenda	...	Becky
Purnell Pratt	...	Markham (as Purnell B. Pratt)
Leslie Fenton	...	Dr. Kane
Louise Henry	...	Virginia
Leo G. Carroll	...	Smith (as Leo Carroll)
Charles Sellon	...	Dr. Doremus

Storyline

When Philo Vance receives a note that harm will befall Lynn at the casino that night, he takes the threat seriously while the DA dismisses it. At the casino owned by Uncle Kinkaid, Lynn is indeed poisoned under the watchful eye of Philo. However, he recovers, but the same cannot be said for Lynn's wife Virginia, who is at the family home. Only a family member could have poisoned Lynn and Virginia and everyone has their dark motives. Philo will follow the clues and find the perpetrator.

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Plot Keywords:

will | casino | philo vance | secret laboratory | sergeant | 

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dalle 7 alle 8

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film in which Rosalind Russell receives credit above the title.

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Goofs

When Virgina is poisoned, the doctor who examined her states that her pupils were dilated so much that he could barely see the retinas. The retina is a membrane in the back of the eye. He meant that he could barely see the iris. The iris is the colored part of the eye in which the pupil exists. A doctor should have known the difference between the iris and the retina.

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Connections

Follows The Dragon Murder Case (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Symphonische Dichtung 'Les Préludes'"
(1848) (uncredited)
Music by Franz Liszt
Played on a car radio, but morphed into the score

User Reviews

Euro-Philo

Paul Lukas was memorable in The Lady Vanishes and some other films, but not playing Philo Vance. The Casino Murder Case is an enjoyable melodramatic murder mystery with three problems: his European accent, and the fact there's not much casino in the story and no murder there either. Did they have Bela Lugosi audition for the part too?!

To the background of some incongruous opening music Vance gets called in to protect a man threatened with an "awful tragedy" at a casino, when there finds the murder of the man's bitchy wife takes place at their home. Lukas also found a spunky sidekick in Rosalind Russell and had some nice patter with her – but her snooty British accent jarred a little as well! The job is on to nail the culprit from a gallery of suspects, and Vance is ably obstructed in this as usual by the suspects, the dense District Attorney and the complaining coroner. In bit parts William Demarest was perfect as a shyster auctioneer and Leo Carroll was fascinating to watch as a slapstick servant, but Eric Blore as Vance's gurning butler was sadly underused here. Favorite bit: Lukas and Russell on the phone as the tragedy unfolds.

If you don't like detective potboilers from the '30's my advice is to Skip It. For those of us that do, it must be a lot better if you don't know your Vance, but it's an excellent watch even if you do