Calling Philo Vance


Calling Philo Vance is a 1940 American mystery/comedy film produced by Warner Bros. starring James Stephenson as the dilettante detective Philo Vance, his only appearance as the character; Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill, Edward Brophy, Sheila Bromley and Ralph Forbes appear in support. It was directed by William Clemens from a screenplay by Tom Reed, based on the 1933 novel The Kennel Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine, which had been made into a film in 1933, starring William Powell and Mary Astor.
For this adaptation of the story, Vance is on an international assignment with the United States government to investigate traffic in wartime aircraft designs. The original story dealt with art world double-dealing, but the soluti to the mystery is the same in both films. Sgt. Heath, Vance's usual police irritant, is renamed Ryan.

Plot

Cast

Warner Bros. intended to revitalize the Philo Vance series with British stage actor James Stephenson, but Stephenson never played the part again - he died of a heart attack in 1941. Actors George Reeves, known for playing Superman on television in the 1950s, and William Hopper, noted for playing Paul Drake on the Perry Mason in the 1950s and 1960s, both played small roles in the film. Vance's dog McTavish was played by Terry, who also played Toto in The [Wizard of Oz |The Wizard of Oz].
Calling Philo Vance had the working titles Philo Vance Comes Back and Philo Vance Returns.