Runtime: 73 minutes
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Starring: William Powell, Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette, Ralph Morgan, Robert McWade
From: Warner Bros.
My first Philo Vance movie. I haven’t viewed that many motion pictures of this vintage as of late; for the sake of variety, why not head to YouTube to view a whodunit that’s also a locked room mystery? From Wiki, I know that Vance was a literary character by S.S. Van Dine who was a foppish yet intellectual New York amateur detective. William Powell as Vance played a large role in my selection of Kennel. I’ll be doggone if this wasn’t a pretty good time.
A dog show is held at the Long Island Kennel Club; Vance’s Scottish Terrier lost in the competition. Archer Coe (a great name; an even better name is that his brother is named Brisbane Coe) is a rotten SOB who is shown antagonizing multiple people. Therefore, the suspect list is long when he’s found dead in his bedroom, the door locked and a gun in his hand. Philo doesn’t believe the obvious appearance of “suicide.”
The Kennel Murder Case was light, breezy entertainment. At only 73 minutes, there is nary a dull moment with all the suspects, a wise Vance, and nice supporting turns from faces I know (Mary Astor and the frog-voiced Eugene Pallette. The former I’ve never praised despite liking her in the few movies I’ve seen her in; the latter was rumored to be a rotten SOB in real life but he usually entertains me on screen) and Etienne Girardot-a great name in real life-a diminutive senior citizen who was a fastidious medical examiner that was hysterical. His meals kept getting interrupted, you see. However, it was Eugene who had the funniest line-I dare not spoil his comment.
Bad things happen to two dogs; the death isn’t shown but an injured dog is shown laying down. Unless that’s a deal-breaker for you, this is a recommendation for those that like mystery pictures from the 30’s. Also, if you love screen wipes, Curtiz used that device often to transition between scenes. The best was out of a diagonal split screen scene. Why, even Kurosawa and Lucas must have marveled at that.
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