Movie Review: The Kennel Murder Case (1933) directed by Michael Curtiz
With October over, let’s take a look at a non-horror film!
Among amateur detective Philo Vance’s (William Powell) many interests is his Scottie terrier, Captain. He’s entered the purebred canine in the Long Island Kennel Club’s dog show. Captain fails to make it into the finals. Vance is philosophical about this, but wealthy boor Archer Coe is disappointed. He’d hoped to lord it over Vance in competition. Archer is much less pleased to be competing against the dog of Sir Thomas MacDonald, love interest of his niece Hilda Lake (Mary Astor). If Hilda gets married, Archer will have to relinquish control of her considerable estate.
But these aren’t the only people with a grudge against Archer Coe. His brother Brisbane also hated him for…reasons that are never specified but certainly could turn fratricidal. Archer’s Chinese cook Liang is actually an expert on Chinese porcelain, and had helped Archer assemble one of the world’s finest collections of that art form through means less than honorable. Liang was angered to learn that Archer planned to sell said collection to a museum in Milan. Eduardo Grassi, the museum’s agent, was infuriated when Archer suddenly backed out of the deal because Grassi had been sparking Doris Delafield, Archer’s next door neighbor and mistress, who was also dumped. Raymond Wrede, Archer’s secretary, also wants to marry Hilda but Archer did not approve, and butler Gamble has a criminal past that Archer might have been blackmailing him over.
So it’s no surprise to the audience when bodies start piling up; first Sir Thomas’ terrier, then Archer Coe. Archer is found dead in a room locked from the inside, a pistol in his hand. It sure looks like suicide…until Philo Vance suggests the coroner look a little closer. Some alibis are disproven, but the pieces of the puzzle don’t seem to fit together until the very end of the film. (And one question is never answered.)
Good: William Powell puts in a fine performance as Philo Vance, thankfully toned down a bit from the books. The mystery is a fun little puzzle box. Etienne Girardot is a delight as the irascible coroner Dr. Doremus, who like Dr. McCoy of Star Trek likes to remind people “I’m a doctor, not a fill in the blank.” The cast as a whole is good, and the adorable Captain is kept to a few key scenes.
Less good: Like many series with an amateur detective, the police and district attorney are incompetents who would never be able to solve a mystery without Philo Vance holding their hand the entire time.
Content notes: Violence against dogs. Archer Coe turns out to be one of those people who might admire Chinese art, but is ethnically prejudiced against actual Chinese people who he no longer needs. (James Lee’s portrayal of Liang is relatively nuanced for the time period of the movie.)
Overall, this is a fun old movie that I’d recommend to mystery buffs who enjoy cultured amateur detectives.
