The Benson Murder Case (1930)

Director:

Frank Tuttle

Writers:

S.S. Van Dine (novel)
Bartlett Cormack (scenario)

Release Date:

13 April 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Murder done before your eyes! Vance right on the scene! Five suspects defy you to pick the guilty person! That's "THE BENSON MURDER CASE" (original print ad- title in all caps)

Plot:

A ruthless, crooked stockbroker is murdered at his luxurious country estate, and detective Philo Vance just happens to be there; he decides to find out who killed him.

Plot Keywords:

Philo Vance | Murder | Detective | Sergeant | District Attorney

Cast

  (Credited cast)

William Powell	...	Philo Vance
William 'Stage' Boyd	...	Harry Gray (as William Boyd)
Eugene Pallette	...	Sgt. Ernest Heath
Paul Lukas	...	Adolph Mohler
Natalie Moorhead	...	Fanny Del Roy
Richard Tucker	...	Anthony Benson
May Beatty	...	Mrs. Paula Banning
E.H. Calvert	...	Dist. Atty. John F.X. Markham

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (MovieTone)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Philo Vance's Secret Mission (1947)

Philo Vance Solves Another Case!

Being an avid William Powell and Philo Vance devotee, I was pleased to find that all four of Powell's forays as the effete detective are available on DVD. But beware if you are not a fan of either of the above or of early sound films since you might find this a little too static for your tastes. If you are a fan, then read on.

Powell made four Vance films which got better as they progressed. This one, made in 1930, is still a bit on the stagy side although the acting was improving as the players were becoming more adept at "talkies". It's basically a one set film, taking place in a hunting lodge where a murder takes place and all the suspects are gathered. Powell, as usual, is very debonair and unruffled and Eugene Palette returns in the role of Sergeant Heath. I miss Eteinne Girardot, who played Dr. Doremus, in the later "Kennel Murder Case". He added humor to the story which was less heavy-handed than that of Palette. Watch for Mischa Auer, a mainstay of films in the 30s and 40s, as the butler.

Since this was before the Code, Natalie Moorehead doesn't make a secret of her "profession" but is let off easy in the end by a sympathetic Vance.

This film makes a good addition to the William Powell/Philo Vance series and is certainly worth the watch for the fan. I will not comment on any Vance films made without Powell (except those with Basil Rathbone) as they are not worthy of comment.