The Kennel Murder Case (film)
| The Kennel Murder Case | |
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| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Produced by | Robert Presnell (producer) |
| Screenplay by |
Robert N. Lee and Peter Milne |
| Based on | The Kennel Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine |
| Starring |
William Powell Mary Astor |
| Cinematography | William Rees |
| Edited by | Harold McLernon |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Kennel Murder Case is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring William Powell as Philo Vance, reprising the role for Warner Bros. after appearing as Vance in three films for Paramount.
Philo Vance's dog does not make it into the final of the Long Island Kennel Club's dog show. Fellow competitor Archer Coe (Robert Barrat) is disappointed, having hoped to savor a victory over Vance. Coe is found dead the next morning in his bedroom, locked from the inside. District Attorney Markham (Robert McWade) and Police Sergeant Heath (Eugene Pallette) assume it was suicide, because he was shot through the head and was found holding a pistol. Vance is not convinced. He soon finds evidence that Coe was murdered. Coroner Dr. Doremus (Etienne Girardot) determines the victim died of a stab wound.
There is no shortage of suspects; Coe was very much disliked. His niece Hilda Lake (Mary Astor) resented her uncle's tight control of her finances and jealousy of any men who showed interest in her. Her boyfriend, Sir Thomas MacDonald (Paul Cavanagh), suspected Coe of killing his dog to ensure winning the competition. Raymond Wrede (Ralph Morgan), the dead man's secretary, was in love with Miss Lake, but had been laughed at when he sought Coe's support. Coe's next-door neighbor and lover Doris Delafield (Helen Vinson) had been cheating on him with Eduardo Grassi (Jack La Rue). When Coe found out, he cancelled a contract to sell his collection of Chinese artworks to the Milan museum for which Grassi worked. Liang (James Lee), the cook, had worked long, hard, and illegally to help Coe amass his collection. He warned his employer against the proposed sale and was fired as a result. Even Coe's own brother Brisbane (Frank Conroy) despised Coe. Finally, Gamble (Arthur Hohl), the head servant, had concealed his criminal past.
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