Philo Vance's Gamble (1947)

Philo goes after a gang of murderous jewel thieves.

Director:

Basil Wrangell

Writers:

Eugene Conrad, Arthur St. Claire,

Stars:

Alan Curtis, Vivian Austin, Frank Jenks

Cast

Cast overview:
Alan Curtis	...	Philo Vance
Vivian Austin	...	Laurian March (as Terry Austin)
Frank Jenks	...	Ernie Clark
Tala Birell	...	Tina Cromwell
Gavin Gordon	...	Oliver Tennant
Cliff Clark	...	Inspector Walsh
James Burke	...	Lt. Burke
Toni Todd	...	Geegee Desmond

Storyline

Philo goes after a gang of murderous jewel thieves.

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Plot Keywords:

jewel robbers | sequel | murder | philo vance | character name in title

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Taglines:

He Finds His Greatest Adventure With A Death-Dealing Adventuress!

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1947 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of the 3 PRC Vance features, this was the first to be released (April 13, 1947) but the second to be shot (November 1946).

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Connections

Follows Philo Vance Returns (1947)

User Reviews

above average PRC detective mystery; Curtis is excellent

This is one of the two Philo Vance films starring Alan Curtis made during the waning days of PRC Pictures (see my review of the other one, PHILO VANCE'S SECRET MISSION). During this period, PRC was also making a series of Michael Shayne films starring Hugh Beaumont, and the Vance films are not unlike those (neither the Vance nor Shayne characters are much like their literary versions, but forget about that and just accept the films on their own terms and you'll enjoy them much more). Alan Curtis played both comedy (Buck Privates, Sue My Lawyer, etc.) and drama (High Sierra, Hitler's Madmen) equally well in his other work, and that skill allows him to be both convincingly tough and effortlessly witty, as this detective character requires. Terry Austin is a seductive but dangerous femme fetale, And PRC regular Frank Jenks is once again the lovable sidekick. The mystery has some clever angles (I like the cold cream and candy dispenser elements... you'll see what I mean in the actual film), there are a number of red herrings thrown in along the way to make things more interesting, and the climax is exciting. Curtis is an excellent Vance and I'm sorry he did not make more Philo Vance films. Still, the two we have are both very good for fans of gritty but witty low-budget, post-World War II detective films and are worth finding.