Movie Review: The Dragon Murder Case (1934) directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
There’s a party at the Stamm estate tonight. Socialite Monty Montague (George Meeker) has become engaged to lovely Bernice Stamm (Margaret Lindsay) and it’s time to celebrate. However, tensions are high. Ichthyologist Rudolph Stamm (Robert Barratt), Bernice’s brother, has taken to drink, ignoring the suggestions of his butler Trainor (Arthur Ayleworth) that he might want to cut back a bit. Dale Leland (Lyle Talbot), a childhood friend of the Stamms and the person Bernice has always seemed likely to marry, is suspicious of the arrangement. Ruby Steele (Dorothy Tree), Monty’s ex-girlfriend, is also not too keen on this marriage. Ken Tatum (George E. Stone) and Greeff (William B. Davidson), expedition partners to Rudolph in the past, are just disagreeable people. And then there’s Rudolph and Bernice’s mother, Mrs. Stamm (Helen Lowell), who may or may not be delusional.
It’s suggested that the revelers take a night swim in the Dragon Pool, a swimming hole on the estate. The pool has that name because of a Native American legend about a monster lurking in its depths. Montague dives in–and never resurfaces. The other men are unable to find him in the pool, and after enough time has passed that a practical joke can be ruled out, Leland calls the police.
District Attorney Markham (Robert McWade) and amateur detective Philo Vance (Warren William) are playing billiards when they’re called upon by Sergeant Heath (Eugene Pallette) who’s gotten stuck in the investigation. Vance is intrigued by the tropical fish that Stamm has brought back from his expeditions (this movie started a fad for tropical fish as pets) and by the dragon legend. But mainly by the mystery of where Montague is and what happened to him.
When the pool is drained the next morning, there’s no body–but there are three-toed tracks in the silt, much like the Chinese dragon statue in the manor. Following a hint by Mrs. Stamm, Vance finds Montague’s body in a nearby ancient pothole. He didn’t drown, but there are claw marks on his chest. Still, even if one grants the fantastic notion of an aquatic monster, how did Mr. Montague’s body get from the pool to the pothole without anyone seeing?
It will take all Philo Vance’s cunning to unravel the crime, but can he do it before the dragon strikes again?
This is a decent enough B-movie with some nice creepy bits and excellent comic relief by Etienne Girardot as the irascible coroner Dr. Doremus, still doing his “I’m a doctor, not a (fill in the blank)” schtick. I think it might have worked even better if directed a bit more in the horror vein, playing up the feel of ancient grudges, ancestral madness and aquatic menace. Remake, anyone?
Vance’s logic skips a few steps, but the savvy viewer should be able to figure out the mystery anyway.
Content note: Leland has some Native American ancestry, and there’s relatively subtle prejudice against him, as well as defensiveness from him about it. Mrs. Stamm is condescended to and has her testimony dismissed because of her mental illness. Alcohol abuse.
Not the best Philo Vance movie, but watchable for the good bits.
