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

Gene Perry as French Waiter, William Worthington as First Bidder and Edward Van Sloan are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie.

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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

Followed by The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939)

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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

A Maze Of False Clues

Something new and a bit jarring was added to the Philo Vance series, a Philo Vance with an accent. In his one and only time playing S.S. Van Dine's fictional detective Paul Lukas plays a continental Philo, as charming as ever with a mind like a steel trap. Not quite William Powell or Warren William the best of the Vances.

The reason why so many actors played Vance is that the estate of S.S. Van Dine sold the novels one at a time to various studios. Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, and last the B picture studio PRC all filmed various Vance stores of varying quality.

Lukas gets himself involved with the Llewellyn family when he receives a note saying that Donald Cook will be killed at his uncle's casino that night. In fact he is poisoned, but survived. The same cannot be said for some other family members and friends. It takes a while, but Vance has to work through a maze of false clues before solving this one.

One of the near victims is Rosalind Russell who said that this B film marked the first time she was given star billing in a film. She wasn't particularly fond of The Casino Murder Case, but in fact it did lead to better parts for her.

Some of the others in the cast are Ted Healy as the garrulous Sergeant Heath, Louise Fazenda as a nosy maid, Isabell Jewell as an alcoholic daughter, Allison Skipworth as the family matriarch, Arthur Byron as the casino owner and Skipworth's brother, Leo G. Carroll as the butler, and Eric Blore as Lukas's valet. We see too little of him in The Casino Murder Case. The cast all perform as typed.

Charles Sellon plays the Medical Examiner Dr. Doremus. He's a particularly important character in this film. It's all in the how here.