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Calling Philo Vance (1940)

5.8
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Ratings: 5.8/10 from 125 users  
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Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers. He grabs the plans with Archer's signature, but is captured by police ... See full summary »

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(screenplay), (novel)
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Title: Calling Philo Vance (1940)

Calling Philo Vance (1940) on IMDb 5.8/10

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stephenson ...
Margot Stevenson ...
Henry O'Neill ...
Edward Brophy ...
Ryan
Sheila Bromley ...
Ralph Forbes ...
Donald Douglas ...
Philip Wrede
...
Jimmy Conlin ...
Dr. Doremus - Coroner (as Jimmy Conlon)
Edward Raquello ...
Creighton Hale ...
Du Bois - Fingerprint Man
Harry Strang ...
Richard Kipling ...
Wedgwood Nowell ...
Bo Ling ...
Ling Toy
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Storyline

Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers. He grabs the plans with Archer's signature, but is captured by police before he can escape. Deported he comes back to America and plans to confront Archer, but Archer is found dead in his locked bedroom with a gun in his hand. While it looks like a suicide, Vance knows better and the coroner finds that Archer has been shot, hit with a blunt instrument and stabbed - making suicide unlikely. But Vance is on the case and is looking to see if government secrets have been sold and who has murdered Coe. Written by Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Crime | Mystery

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

3 February 1940 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Três Horas Trágicas  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Goofs

Ralph Forbes is credited onscreen as "Tom MacDonald," but throughout the film, he is called Taylor MacDonald. See more »

Connections

Followed by Philo Vance's Secret Mission (1947) See more »

Soundtracks

"I'm Happy About the Whole Thing"
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Vance and Ryan meet Grassi in the bar
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User Reviews

 
Making it timely
3 June 2005 | by (Buffalo, New York) – See all my reviews

Warner Brothers probably of all the studios loved remaking its films. I guess Jack Warner thought it saved on buying new properties. Calling Philo Vance after a brief prologue updating the story to have Vance working for the State Department investigating the theft of airplane designs, it becomes almost a word for word remake of The Kennel Murder Case. Even the character names remain the same. Whole bits of dialog from the original are reused in this one.

Too bad they couldn't have gotten William Powell as well. But he was over at MGM keeping Nora and Asta in line. So James Stephenson became the latest in a long line of Vances. Philo Vance would soon fade from the screen.

Stephenson is serviceable, but lacks Powell's unique debonair charm. And of course we've seen it all before.


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