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Calling Philo Vance (1940)
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Overview
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Director:
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Release Date:
3 February 1940 (USA)
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Plot:
Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers...
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User Comments:
An enjoyable murder mystery despite a lackluster James Stephenson as Philo Vance.
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Cast
(Complete credited cast)| James Stephenson | ... | Philo Vance | |
| Margot Stevenson | ... | Hilda Lake | |
| Henry O'Neill | ... | J.P. Markham | |
| Edward Brophy | ... | Ryan | |
| Sheila Bromley | ... | Doris Delafield | |
| Ralph Forbes | ... | Tom McDonald | |
| Donald Douglas | ... | Philip Wrede | |
| Martin Kosleck | ... | Gamble | |
| Jimmy Conlin | ... | Dr. Doremus - Coroner (as Jimmy Conlon) | |
| Edward Raquello | ... | Eduardo Grassi | |
| Creighton Hale | ... | Du Bois - Fingerprint Man | |
| Harry Strang | ... | Hennessey - Markham's Assistant | |
| Richard Kipling | ... | Archer Coe | |
| Wedgwood Nowell | ... | Brisbane Coe | |
| Bo Ling | ... | Ling Toy |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
62 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:TV-G (TV rating) |
USA:Approved (PCA #5585)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Factual errors: Ralph Forbes is credited onscreen as "Tom MacDonald," but throughout the film, he is called Taylor MacDonald.
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Movie Connections:
Follows The Scarab Murder Case (1936)
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Soundtrack:
An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op.314
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This remake of Kennel Murder Case, The (1933) has some good points, but James Stephenson is not one of them. He plays it too impersonal for my taste and pales by comparison with William Powell, who played Vance in the original. But the screenplay, which was updated for the war that loomed on the horizon, was nicely developed, concerning plans for a warplane. The setting was switched to the State Department, with Vance an employed investigator instead of a private eye. I really enjoyed how he used diagrams to explain the movement of the people involved in the murder of the warplane designer, so that in the end, the actions of all were clear. The film also had the advantage of having Edward Brophy in the Sergeant Heath role (here he's called Ryan), bringing comedy without the stupidity of the Heath character. It was rather fun to watch.