User reviews

In the wake of the success of The Thin Man, the studios began to churn out scads of little mystery movies that are really more like screwball comedies than problems in deduction or thrillers. This is a pretty good sample of the type, with Rosalind Russell showing a flair for the genre that would be exploited in His Girl Friday. It even takes about 15 minutes or so before anyone gets murdered.

Paul Luckas is fine as the sleuth in the picture. Any resemblance between him and the Philo Vance depicted in the series of novels by S.S. Van Dine is a coincidence. This Philo is charming, polite, and doesn't mind when Roz complains that his mystery stories are wordy and complicated. And shouldn't come as a surprise that this Philo is more seems more interested in Roz than the mystery at hand. The actual crime is mildly intriguing, but the solution is mildly ridiculous.

Treat this as a pleasant way to spend a little more than an hour, and look at cool 30s cars, clothes and decor. Don't look for great art here.

One of many films with Philo Vance as the protagonist but the only one with Paul Lukas as the famed detective. He isn't a perfect fit as Vance but does a good job nonetheless.

The real reason to catch this is to get a glimpse of Rosalind Russell early in her career. At this point she was starting to get mired in, as she referred to them, "Lady Mary" roles all dignity, stiff upper lip and little humor. This part hints at the skillful comedienne she was to become. This was only her fifth film but the first where her name appeared above the title a clear sign that the studio had bigger plans for her than to be a leading lady in B pictures.

As for the mystery it's not terribly hard to figure out but it's stylishly shot with a good supporting cast.

Philo Vance has been played by a number of actors over the years, everyone from Wilfred Hyde-White to William Powell, who portrayed the detective the most. In "The Casino Murder Case," it's Paul Lukas' turn to have a go at it. This is a light mystery concerning some murders within a family. Rosalind Russell is the young woman here, and she does a fine job.

I'm not familiar with Philo Vance in the books so I can't comment on Lukas' portrayal in comparison. However, I suspect that normally, the role is approached with a lighter touch. Lukas is a wonderful and very likable actor, but I think that in the hands of someone like William Powell, the humor would have been mined a little bit more. Lukas isn't heavy-handed in any way, it's just that this type of role isn't a perfect fit for him. All in all, entertaining.

Thus spake Paul Lukas during an uncharacteristic serious moment in this very entertaining, almost light-hearted entry in the Philo Vance canon, this one by MGM.

The play's the thing, right? That's what makes or breaks a movie for most of us - was it a good show or not? This was an excellent murder mystery, a mysterious mystery if you will, and it keeps you guessing until almost the final scene and defies you to figure out the identity of the murderer. There were lots of red herrings and the screenwriters take a few liberties with our credulity, but I thought that, on balance, this was one of the better murder mysteries to come out of Hollywood in the 30's, or any other period for that matter.

William Powell spoiled the Philo Vance character for us. He was so breezy and sophisticated that any other actor would pale in comparison. And Paul Lukas is a pale imitation, to be sure, try as he might. He lacks the suave and cocky air that Powell projected, plus he has an off-putting European accent. But MGM surrounded him with some of the best supporting and character actors available, among them Rosalind Russell, Donald Cook, Isabel Jewell, Eric Blore and the incomparable Allison Skipworth. They also threw in a dance scene at the Casino with "Blue Moon" as background music and with everyone in evening dress. It was, of course, dated but elegant nevertheless.

Remove Lukas and substitute anyone else and this is an 8 rating. As is, I give it a 7.

As good an actor as Paul Lukas is, his accent destroys the illusion that he's the great American detective, Philo Vance, and I was conscious of that throughout. The murder mystery gets off to a good start, but then falters when Vance speculates that perhaps it was "heavy water" that was used as the poison, since it was not known if that substance was poisonous. That idea was pulled out of thin air in an effort to explain why people drinking water would be poisoned. I disliked this development, sensing it was just a plot device to keep the movie rolling, and I was right. He mentions deuterium, Harold Urey's experiments, and the fact a quart of the substance would be worth $100,000, but I'm sure 99% of the 1935 audience didn't know what he was talking about anyway. It would have been much better if he came across Kinkaid's laboratory isolating heavy water by accident and then thought about the possibility of its use as a poison.

But I did enjoy some of the comic relief. William Demarest plays an auctioneer trying to convince people that an ugly statue of cupid was made for Louis XIV, even after his assistant announces it says "made in Japan" on the bottom. In a running gag, Louise Fazenda plays the maid who is caught a dozen times listening at a keyhole and sheepishly says "Did you call, sir," each time. And Charles Sellon is the coroner always complaining about the inconsiderate murder victims getting bumped off just when he's trying to sleep. And there's more comedy too.

This is the eighth Philo Vance mystery film, and the only one starring Paul Lukas as Vance. Under the influence of the first 'Thin Man' film, which came out the year before, the Philo Vance series here has undergone a drastic image 'makeover', to try to emulate the new William Powell series and compete with it. Suddenly everybody has a butler and there are lots of servants running around, grand surroundings, and an air of opulence previously entirely lacking from this series. The producers realized that William Powell's new series enjoyed popularity partially because of these factors, which provided audiences with an enjoyable fantasy of affluence in the wake of the horrible Great Depression. The producers obviously had not previously considered this factor, and were forced to raise their budget to accommodate better sets. This Vance film suffers from the replacement of Didier Girardot as the coroner with a truly irritating grumpy old man (Charles Sellon), so that the comic elements of the character of the coroner are entirely lost. Another ill-advised replacement was eliminating fog-horn-voiced Eugene Palette as Sergeant Heath and replacing him with an oafish actor (Ted Healy) who makes that character also lose his effectiveness by becoming completely ridiculous, and the whole thing is entirely misjudged as far as those two regular characters are concerned. Clearly, the 'freshening up' exercise and its 'new broom' were entirely destructive there. Paul Lukas is always a very congenial and watchable actor, and it is good to have a Vance film with him in it. He is very sophisticated and his slight Hungarian accent, which goes unexplained in the story of course, adds that touch of cosmopolitanism which always benefits characters such as Philo Vance. Lukas is a much warmer Vance than Powell, Rathbone, or William were, but less mischievous than Powell and less humorous than William. The plot of this film is immensely complex, with numerous red herrings. People keep getting killed, but how and why? The poison cannot be detected in the internal organs in autopsies, and yet people are being poisoned. This is eventually explained by the poison being mandragora administered in eye drops. Beat that! However one victim is not poisoned. Is it suicide or murder? The plot thickens, and thickens, and thickens, until it ends up as clotted cream. The film is very stylish and amusing, has a challenging plot, and is a successful Vance film. It is a pity that Lukas vanishes in the next one. All these Vances, who can keep up with them? This film is greatly lightened-up by the sparkling appearance of Rosalind Russell as the female lead. She always added that something extra to any film she was in. She and Lukas go for each other in a big way, and this is a conscious production decision to inject some romance into the series. Alison Skipworth swings her great bulk about with great authority as a domineering matriarch in this film, and is most amusing, though one wouldn't want to be related to her. When she turns around, it is like an ocean liner being pulled by tugboats. Leo G. Carroll appears as a rather silent and dour butler, whom one is meant to suspect as one of the many potential villains in the story. He retains an impeccable air of ambiguity to facilitate this false lead. This film perhaps marks a slight ad-Vance.

Paul Lukas was memorable in The Lady Vanishes and some other films, but not playing Philo Vance. The Casino Murder Case is an enjoyable melodramatic murder mystery with three problems: his European accent, and the fact there's not much casino in the story and no murder there either. Did they have Bela Lugosi audition for the part too?!

To the background of some incongruous opening music Vance gets called in to protect a man threatened with an "awful tragedy" at a casino, when there finds the murder of the man's bitchy wife takes place at their home. Lukas also found a spunky sidekick in Rosalind Russell and had some nice patter with her – but her snooty British accent jarred a little as well! The job is on to nail the culprit from a gallery of suspects, and Vance is ably obstructed in this as usual by the suspects, the dense District Attorney and the complaining coroner. In bit parts William Demarest was perfect as a shyster auctioneer and Leo Carroll was fascinating to watch as a slapstick servant, but Eric Blore as Vance's gurning butler was sadly underused here. Favorite bit: Lukas and Russell on the phone as the tragedy unfolds.

If you don't like detective potboilers from the '30's my advice is to Skip It. For those of us that do, it must be a lot better if you don't know your Vance, but it's an excellent watch even if you do

The Philo Vance series of mysteries made in the 20s, 30s, and 40s were of widely varying quality. The first four starred William Powell and were excellent as Powell fit the Philo Vance character like a glove. But then Powell left Warner Brothers for MGM and the Philo Vance franchise (largely) moved there too, but oddly enough MGM never put Powell back into the Philo Vance role. Were they afraid he'd leave there too if he had to play Vance again? At any rate, over the years, Basil Rathbone, Warren William, Edmund Lowe, James Stephenson, and - in this case - Paul Lukas played Philo Vance at Warner Brothers, MGM, and Paramount.

Lukas does a good enough job here, and he gets the urbane and sophisticated style of Vance down well enough, but I'm just not buying the European accent on a cinematic Vance. The plot has Vance receiving an anonymous note saying that if socialite Lynn Llewelyn goes to the casino that night he will be in danger. He does so anyways and is poisoned but survives. His wife is also poisoned - at home - but dies. Vance investigates with the help of Llewelyn household servant Doris Reed (Rosalind Russell).

MGM put star power and production value effort into this, but forgot the plot and pacing, and as a result it is as boring as watching paint dry. I will say, though, that the end does an interesting and unique end run around the production code. Also, this is when MGM was still trying to push Ted Healy, and thus they completely miscast him as police Sergeant Heath, who spends most of his time admiring himself and his tuxedo in a mirror. Why I have no idea. The best actor to play Heath was Eugene Pallette who played it likeable and professional, even if deferential to Vance. Healy couldn't be likeable if you gave him detailed instructions and diagrams.

Apparently Rosalind Russell really hated this film - It was when she was first starting out, had not yet become established, and as a contract player had to do what she was told. I wouldn't say this was the worst role I've ever seen her in, but it just might be the worst film. I'd avoid this one unless you are a Philo Vance completist.

Basil Rathbone. Warren William. William Powell. And now? Paul Lukas. All played Philo Vance in the movies up to 1935 when Lukas took his turn as the urbane, suave American detective Philo Vance. I really like Lukas as an actor, but I must agree with a previous review that stated how distracting his accent was and how much it affects his character's credibility. I had trouble forgetting about it(probably as every time he spoke I was reminded!). This time around, Vance gets a note warning him that a member of a rich family is going to be killed at a family-owned casino. Vance investigates and has a keen interest in the possibility of a crime being committed and even more interest in the rich matriarch's private secretary Rosiland Russell. Russell is really quite good as she has an excellent tough for light comedy - which this is undoubtedly more so than a mystery. The mystery at times almost seems to be in the way of some cute comedy sketches between various secondary characters only to be explained with some hugely wild plot contrivance dealing with hard water! While Lukas and the mystery are not up to what I usually expect from a Philo Vance film, the film is saved because the end resolution is at the very least interestingly inventive and there are some really fine character performances by Russell, William Demarest,Louise Fazenda, Isabel Jewell, Ted Healey, Leo G. Carroll, and two that really stand out for me - Charles Sellon as the always put-upon coroner(he keeps busy in this one) and the ever impregnable Eric Blore( a master of sophisticated comedy for man-servants).

Rosalind Russell saves this movie from being just another '30s mystery out of the mystery machine. Paul Lukas, despite his panache is not a good Philo Vance because of his accent. This is more of a romantic "screwball comedy" type of film than a mystery, but taken in that aspect, it's pretty good. The auction scenes and Alison Skipworth are wonderful. The chemistry between the unflappable Russell and Mr. Lukas is really neat, although in the novels romance never got in the way of a good murder. Whether played by Ted Healy or Eugene Palette, poor Sgt. Ernest Heath never got a fair shake. In the books he was never quite the boob portrayed on the screen. The Casino Murder Case is worth viewing if for nothing but to watch Rosalind Russell on top of her game.

When Philo Vance receives a note that harm will befall Lynn at the casino that night, he takes the threat seriously while the DA dismisses it. At the casino owned by Uncle Kinkaid, Lynn is indeed poisoned under the watchful eye of Philo. However, he recovers, but the same cannot be said for Lynn's wife Virginia, who is at the family home. Only a family member could have poisoned Lynn and Virginia and everyone has their dark motives. Philo will follow the clues and find the perpetrator.

The chemistry between the unflappable Russell and Mr. Lukas is appealing. Paul Lukas isn't bad as Philo Vance, a little charming , a bit sympathetic, and I didn't mind his accent, as it gives his character that metropolitan touch, though I do prefer Powell, Edmund Lowe and Warren Williams. Lukas is quite watchable, a good listener - pity he didn't make more as Vance. I think that was the problem, there was too many actors playing one character. Only Powell played it more than once, thus getting into the character.

It doesn't hit the road running and feels like a romantic comedy at first, but halfway in it switches gears, the challenging plot boils with enough twists, red herrings, a suicide and poisonings - it is very stylish with good production values - a satisfying mystery.

The plot involves a family (all adults) who, shall we say, are not very fond of each other. Murder attempts befall more than a couple in the group, with Philo Vance on the scene trying to figure out whodunit and how it was done-poison seems the method but nobody can figure out what kind, as autopsy reports show no sign of poisonous drugs.

Along the way Philo has some witty dialogue with Doris (Rosalind Russell), who works for one of the family, where he is teased about his wordy choice of long words instead of saying things simply. Former leader of the trio that became famous as "The Three Stooges", Ted Healy plays the police sergeant who isn't too bright.

It would take four pages to describe the plot in detail as it is far more complicated than 90% of these detective films.

What stands out is that Paul Lukas was an odd casting choice to play someone supposed to be an American-born detective. He speaks with an obvious European (Not British) accent (Hungarian to be specific). Would you hire Andy Griffith to play an English prince? Otherwise, Lukas does OK, but I prefer the other Vances on film.

The best part of this film to me were the many humorous scenes, partly including the maid listening in at every keyhole, tumbling into the room when the door is opened, always asking, "Did you call for me?" Each time, someone in the room said something that announced he/she was about to leave the room, yet the maid never seemed to realize that the door was about to be opened, causing her to fall into the room each time.

But the biggest laughs came from the matriarch of this family, Priscilla Llewellyn. Early in this mostly-dramatic movie are two lines from Priscilla. First, shortly after returning from an auction with several questionable art objects including the mounted head of a deer which she wants to hang in the front hallway because, "we need a hat rack." She gives it to someone and moments later asks her daughter, "Virginia, What did I do with my deer head?

After this, she seeks a place for a porcelain figure of a woman and thinks it might be good on the mantel. But after the butler puts it up there, she looks at it, right in front of the ubiquitous portrait of a man and proclaims, "Oh no, no, we can't have that half-nude woman right next to Father.

Her brother chimes in response, "Oh, he wouldn't mind."

Look for uncredited roles by William Demarest as the auctioneer, and Charlie Chan's # 1 son Keye Luke as a pageboy.

The plot twists kept me from being bored, and the humor made it all enjoyable-but not all that much-I give it a 7.

Something new and a bit jarring was added to the Philo Vance series, a Philo Vance with an accent. In his one and only time playing S.S. Van Dine's fictional detective Paul Lukas plays a continental Philo, as charming as ever with a mind like a steel trap. Not quite William Powell or Warren William the best of the Vances.

The reason why so many actors played Vance is that the estate of S.S. Van Dine sold the novels one at a time to various studios. Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, and last the B picture studio PRC all filmed various Vance stores of varying quality.

Lukas gets himself involved with the Llewellyn family when he receives a note saying that Donald Cook will be killed at his uncle's casino that night. In fact he is poisoned, but survived. The same cannot be said for some other family members and friends. It takes a while, but Vance has to work through a maze of false clues before solving this one.

One of the near victims is Rosalind Russell who said that this B film marked the first time she was given star billing in a film. She wasn't particularly fond of The Casino Murder Case, but in fact it did lead to better parts for her.

Some of the others in the cast are Ted Healy as the garrulous Sergeant Heath, Louise Fazenda as a nosy maid, Isabell Jewell as an alcoholic daughter, Allison Skipworth as the family matriarch, Arthur Byron as the casino owner and Skipworth's brother, Leo G. Carroll as the butler, and Eric Blore as Lukas's valet. We see too little of him in The Casino Murder Case. The cast all perform as typed.

Charles Sellon plays the Medical Examiner Dr. Doremus. He's a particularly important character in this film. It's all in the how here.

PAUL LUKAS stars as Philo Vance in this trifle designed to entertain audiences with an intriguing murder mystery laced with comedy. The comedy is just so-so and the mystery is weighed down by some heavy-handed explanations involving "heavy water", a most curious plot device and one that Agatha Christie mercifully never thought of as a poison.

ALISON SKIPWORTH is a wealthy eccentric woman whose murder prompts the arrival of Philo Vance on the scene. ISABEL JEWELL overacts in her usual style as the woman's daughter, while ROSALIND RUSSELL does considerably better as another household relative. LEO G. CARROLL handles his butler role efficiently and LOUISE FAZENDA is just slightly annoying as an eaves-dropping maid assigned most of the comedy relief.

The mystery elements are handled in okay fashion but the use of "heavy water" as a plot device seems totally far-fetched. PAUL LUKAS does rather nicely as Philo Vance but it takes awhile to get used to him in the role often played by more debonair types.

Nothing special, but passes the time pleasantly.

With a traditional murder-mystery detective plot, clearly written as a pulp novel before being transferred to the screen, this film abounds with idiosyncratic characters and overly dramatic actors. The framing of this mass-consumption plot occasionally leads to heaps of interesting shots, with the traditional benefits of black and white. Intensely-orchestrated scenes of overdone surprise and intruding butlers and maids make the film enjoyable from one moment to the next. Not to mention a delectable performance by Rosalind Russell.

The factors all come together for this film, and if you take it for its backdated surface value, you won't be wasting your time. The trees of this film, so to speak, make a great forest.

Gentleman sleuth Philo Vance (Paul Lukas) receives a letter from "a friend" warning of danger to wealthy Lynn Llewwllen later that night. Nobody takes it that seriously. Doris Reed (Rosalind Russell) is Mrs. Llewwllen's assistant.

Paul Lukas is no William Powell. Rosalind Russell is somewhat close to Myrna Loy. The pairing in this movie is not that great and there isn't enough of it anyways. This tries some comedy early but that doesn't last with the murder mystery. This is the ninth in the Philo Vance film series. It's not that compelling.

Casino Murder Case, The (1935)

* (out of 4)

Paul Lukas takes over the role of Philo Vance and gets involved with a strange family whose members keep getting poisoned. This is a really bad movie and there's really no way to get around that fact. Lukas is incredibly boring in the lead and I'm not just saying this because he isn't as good as the men who played the part previously. Even on his own Lukas brings nothing to the role and he actually makes Vance quite boring and dull. The supporting cast isn't any better and they all come off with very poor performances including Ted Healy (with his Stooges). The story too is very poor and is never really all that interesting. It takes about twenty minutes for the crime to take place and I'm really not sure what the opening sequences has to do with anything.

Unexciting entry in the Philo Vance series. Before we get to the obvious casting issues, the plot is relatively dull and uninteresting. Considering the previous entries in the Philo Vance series had interesting plots, this one is a big step down on that front. Now, on to the cast. Paul Lukas plays Philo and, as you might expect, is woefully miscast. It's more than just his thick accent. I've been critical of Philo Vance films before because the character doesn't seem to have distinct personality traits all his own like most of the other great movie detectives of the '30s and '40s. Apparently he does in the original books but in the films his personality changes to match whatever actor is playing him that time. Vance was played by many actors so the series lacked consistency on his characterization. That is never more evident than here with Lukas. At no point did I get into the film or root for Vance and that was in large part due to Lukas' disconnected performance.

There are problems with the rest of the cast, as well. Rosalind Russell seems to be trying to channel Myrna Loy but it doesn't work. She had yet to craft her own screen persona. Also, her chemistry with Lukas is nonexistent. Eric Blore's butler shtick has worked much better in other films than it does here. Ted Healy's Sgt. Heath is no substitute for Eugene Palette. Also missing is Etienne Girardot, who played coroner Dr. Doremus and provided great laughs in the last two Vance films before this. Here he is replaced by Charles Sellon, who delivers lines that are supposed to be funny with the utmost seriousness. Just not a great cast or film. This is probably the worst in the Vance series.

Donald Cook, the scion of an old New York family, receives a letter that threatens him should he go to his uncle's casino. He does so anyway, and is poisoned, but recovers. His wife, Louise Henry, is not so lucky. Enter Paul Lukas as Philo Vance.

It's a piece of miscasting, but Lukas does what he can with it, putting more energy and emotion into the movie than other Vances, particularly when Rosalind Russell enters the scene. There are lots of red herrings, lots of great character actors, including Eric Blore as Lukas' valet, Alison Skipworth as the tasteless matron of the family, Isabel Jewell in a non-comedic part, Louise Fazenda and Leo G. Carroll as servants, and William Demarest as an auctioneer.

I have, in many of my reviews of mystery movies, commented that a movie is a fair or unfair mystery. I should, at least once, explain what I mean by that. A mystery is a competitive game: is it possible for the audience to figure out whodunnit before the revelation is made? Can they winkle out the relevant clues and discard the false ones before they are given the answer? To do so fairly, they must have the same knowledge as the investigator, and the answer must be unique.

Too often the competition is ruined by having the investigator having a clue the audience does not. Sometimes there are two valid solutions, and Maigret will win the laurels by choosing the complicated one in contravention of Occam's Razor. True, a really skilled composer of mysteries may give both, as Agatha Christie did in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, but that's an odd lemma in the logical game of mystery writing, like the occasional example in which the audience is given more relevant information than the investigator, or the subgenre of howcatchem in which the investigator must find the flaw in a seemingly perfect murder; the Columbo TV series is the best known example of this, and the audience is told whodunnit up front. Can they see the flaw before one-eyed Peter Falk does?

There's also the problem in a lot of mysteries in which the actual murderer is obvious from the start, just by the way the performer behaves, or the structure of relationships. Spot the murderer early on. Does the evidence mount against them? All too often, alas, it does not. Bad mystery.

For most mysteries, the question is who did it, and properly the investigator must know no more than the audience. Few of the Philo Vance mystery movies of the 1920s and 1930s play fair, and the one book in the series written by Willard Huntington Wright as S. S. Van Dyne which I read suffered this flaw, and was also exceedingly dull. Wright may have been an acclaimed aesthete, but it didn't show in his mystery writing.

In this movie, the solution is offered without eliminating two other possibilities. The murderer confesses. Too bad. Without that confession, the murderer's lawyer would make that apparent to the jury, permitting the reasonable doubt that will acquit him. Good thing the cops shoot him; he deserves it and saves the court system money.

It's a well made movie. The MGM gloss is evident, in the music by Dmitri Tiomkin, the photography by Charles Clarke, and the performers' willingness to do their best for director Edward L. Marin, a competent journeyman. You'll have a good time watching it until the solution is presented. Too bad the mystery angle is a cheat.

I enjoy the old movies, no CGI or special effects as there are today. If there are deficiencies its due to the writers. The