Philo Vance - Movies

Movies

Films about Vance were made from the late 1920s to the late 1940s, with some more faithful to the literary character than others. Among the several actors who played Vance on the screen were William Powell, Warren William, and Basil Rathbone, all of whom had great success playing other detectives in movies. The movie The Canary Murder Case is famous for a contract dispute that eventually helped sink the career of star Louise Brooks.

The Philo Vance novels were particularly well suited for the movies, where the more unpleasantly affected aspects of the main character could be toned down and the complex plots given more prominence. One of these films, The Kennel Murder Case, has been called a masterpiece by renowned film historian William K. Everson. Following is a list of the movies:

  • The Canary Murder Case (1929) with William Powell as Philo Vance.
  • The Greene Murder Case (1929) with William Powell as Philo Vance.
  • The Benson Murder Case (1930) with William Powell as Philo Vance.
  • The Bishop Murder Case (1930) with Basil Rathbone as Philo Vance.
  • The Kennel Murder Case (1933) with William Powell as Philo Vance.
  • The Dragon Murder Case (1934) with Warren William as Philo Vance.
  • The Casino Murder Case (1935) with Paul Lukas as Philo Vance.
  • The Garden Murder Case (1936) with Edmund Lowe as Philo Vance.
  • The Scarab Murder Case (1936) with Wilfrid Hyde-White as Philo Vance. Reportedly, no prints exist of this British production.
  • Night of Mystery (1937) (based on The Greene Murder Case) with Grant Richards as Philo Vance. Reportedly, no prints exist outside of university/museum collections.
  • The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) with Warren William as Philo Vance, billed below Gracie Allen.
  • Calling Philo Vance (1940) (very loosely based on The Kennel Murder Case) with James Stephenson as Philo Vance.
  • Philo Vance Returns (1947) with William Wright as Philo Vance.
  • Philo Vance's Gamble (1947) with Alan Curtis as Philo Vance.
  • Philo Vance's Secret Mission (1947) with Alan Curtis as Philo Vance.

The plots of the final three films bear no relationship to any of the novels and very little relationship to the Philo Vance character of the novels.

An Italian-language TV miniseries from 1974 entitled Philo Vance featured Giorgio Albertazzi as Philo Vance. The series was composed of three episodes based on the first three Van Dine novels. The scripts were very faithful to the originals.

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