On this day in movie history - The Benson Murder Case (1930 movie & novel):

The Benson Murder Case

directed by Frank Tuttle,

written by S.S. Van Dine and Bartlett Cormack,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

released in the United States on April 12, 1930.

Music by Charles Midgely.

Cast: William Powell, William “Stage” Boyd, Eugene Pallette, Paul Lukas, Natalie Moorhead, Richard Tucker, May Beatty, E.H. Calvert, Mischa Auer, Guy Oliver.

Recommended reading:

The Benson Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

# 1 in the Philo Vance mystery series.

Published by American Mystery Classics.

First published 1926.

ISBN-10: 1613163320

ISBN-13: 978-1613163320

Description:

New York dilettante Philo Vance decides to assist the police in investigating the death of another man-about-town because he finds the psychological aspects of the crime of interest, and feels that they would be beyond the capacities of the police, even those of his friend District Attorney Markham. Vance investigates the circumstances under which the body was found and reconstructs the crime sufficiently to determine that the murderer is five feet, ten and a half inches in height. Together, Vance and Markham investigate Benson's business associates and romantic interests until Vance manages to pierce the murderer's alibi for the time of the murder and force a confession.

On this day in movie history - The Garden Murder Case (1936 movie & novel):

The Garden Murder Case

directed by Edwin L. Marin,

written by Bertram Millhauser,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on February 21, 1936.
Music by William Axt.

Cast:

Edmund Lowe, Virginia Bruce, Benita Hume, Douglas Walton, Nat Pendleton, Gene Lockhart, H. B. Warner, Kent Smith, Grant Mitchell, Frieda Inescort, Henry B. Walthall, Jessie Ralph, Charles Trowbridge, Etienne Girardot, William Austin, Olaf Hytten.

Recommended reading:

The Garden Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

# 9 in the Philo Vance mystery series.

Published by Felony & Mayhem Press.

First published 1935.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1631942050

ISBN-13: 9781631942051

Description:

In the ninth novels in the series, "The Garden Murder Case," Philo Vance investigates a murder and other suspicious events connected with the rooftop garden of the Garden’s New York penthouse, where a group friends gather to listen to the result of horse races.

According to one review, Garden runs on “passion, avarice, ambition and horse-racing.” It also runs on pure 1930s octane, because this is a classic house-party murder mystery, that staple of the Golden Age. As befitting a Philo yarn, of course, it’s a very Manhattan house-party, with an actress and a socialite on hand, and a bookie on the telephone. There’s also a losing bet on the ponies, and an ensuing suicide…but Philo, natch, is not sure just who pulled the trigger. A joy, as always, for readers who delight in Philo’s spectacular brand of awfulness – is there anyone snootier’ Snobbier’ More taken with himself’ – but also for fans of the Impossible Crime.

On this day in movie history - The Canary Murder Case (1929 movie & novel):

The Canary Murder Case

directed by Malcolm St. Clair,

written by S.S. Van Dine, Albert Shelby LeVino, Florence Ryerson and Herman J. Mankiewicz,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in France on February 16, 1929.
Music by Karl Hajos.

Cast:

William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Hall, Louise Brooks, Margaret Livingston, Charles Lane, Lawrence Grant, Gustav von Seyffertitz, E. H. Calvert, Eugene Pallette, Ned Sparks, Louis John Bartels, Tim Adair, Oscar Smith.

Recommended reading:

The Canary Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

First published 1927.

Library of Congress Crime Classics.

Paperback.

Edited by Leslie S. Klinger.

Description:

Philo Vance #2.

At the height if his popularity, S.S. Vane Dine pens a locked-room mystery with a lethal dose of sex and sin where infamous actress, "The Canary," is murdered in her cage after a passionate night with her lover.

Margaret Odell, the famous Broadway beauty and ex-Follies girl known as "The Canary", is found murdered in her ransacked apartment, her jewelry stolen. It appears to be a robbery gone wrong, but the police can find no physical evidence to pinpoint a culprit. No one witnessed anyone entering or leaving, and the only unwatched entrance to the apartment building was bolted from the inside.

Who could have killed the Canary in her locked cage? Margaret was seeing a number of men, ranging from high society gentleman to ruthless gangsters, and more than one man visited her apartment on the night she died.

On this day in movie history - Calling Philo Vance (1940 movie & novel):

Calling Philo Vance

directed by William Clemens,

written by Tom Reed,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on January 27, 1940.
A remake of The Kennel Murder Case (1933).
Music by Max Steiner.

Cast: James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O’Neill, Edward Brophy, Sheila Bromley, Ralph Forbes, Don Douglas, Martin Kosleck, Jimmy Conlin, Edward Raquello, Creighton Hale, Harry Strang, Richard Kipling, Wedgwood Nowell, Bo Ling, Olaf Hytten, George Irving, Frank Mayo.

Recommended reading:

The Kennel Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

First published 1933.

Published by Scribner Paper Fiction

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0684182483

ISBN-13: 978-0684182483

Description:

Vance, an independently wealthy college educator, amateur detective, uses his deductive skills and psychological knowledge to help his friend New York County Attorney solve the murder of Archer Coe. At first, he thought of suicide when Coe's body was found in a room locked from the inside with all the windows closed. As usual, the action takes place in New York. Vance's methods are unconventional and run counter to the more stringent police investigation methods and legal requirements of a lawyer.

Given all the rich people getting bumped off in Philo Vance's Manhattan, it's amazing there are enough left to support the symphony. Latest up: Arthur Coe, found dead in his own locked bedroom. Suicide? The ever-perceptive Philo doesn't buy that theory for a second. The presence in Coe's house of a strange, prize-winning terrier only adds to the mystery, although Philo's fabulously in-depth knowledge of dogs does not in fact solve the crime; his fabulously in-depth knowledge of the murder of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1898 proves much more useful.

Praise for the Philo Vance series:

“With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine.” – The New York Times.

“Well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society and style of writing.” – Mystery Scene.

“Outrageous cleverness . . . among the finest fruits of the Golden Age.” – Bloody Murder.

“A classic mystery featuring dogged detective Philo Vance. An intricate puzzle . . . [Vance] has an uncanny insight into the subtler aspects of crime.” – The New York Times.

On this day in movie history - The Bishop Murder Case (1929 movie & novel):

The Bishop Murder Case

directed by David Burton and Nick Grinde,

written by S.S. Van Dine and Lenore J. Coffee,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on December 31, 1929.
Music by William Axt.

Cast:

Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion, Zelda Sears, Bodil Rosing, Carroll Nye, Charles Quatermaine, James Donlan, Sidney Bracey, Clarence Geldart, Delmer Daves, Nellie Bly Baker.

Recommended reading:

The Bishop Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

# 4 in the Philo Vance mystery series.

Published by Scribners.

First published 1929.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0684179776

ISBN-13: 978-0684179773

Description:

Master sleuth Philo Vance is baffled by a series of grisly murders committed by the sinister “Bishop,” who uses Mother Goose rhymes for inspiration. The killings are the handiwork of genius gone awry, and the suspects are all distinguished intellectuals of the highest order: a physicist, a mathematician, an astronomer, a chess master. Set against the rich tapestry of New York City in the gilded 1920s, this is a brilliant mystery featuring the debonaire, aristocratic sleuth who was America’s first classic detective.

“So Philo Vance will be darting around again. Good!” – Rex Stout.

“A nightmarish shocker, a dazzling deductive work… Vance’s greatest triumph.” – Chris Steinbrunner.

On this day in movie history - The Kennel Murder Case (1933 movie & novel):

The Kennel Murder Case

directed by Michael Curtiz,

written by Robert Presnell, Robert N. Lee and Peter Milne,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on October 28, 1933.

Music by Bernhard Kaun.

Cast:

William Powell, Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette, Ralph Morgan, Robert McWade, Robert Barrat, Frank Conroy, Etienne Girardot, Paul Cavanagh, James Lee, Arthur Hohl, Helen Vinson, Jack La Rue, Harry Allen, Wade Boteler, George Chandler, Spencer Charters, Leo White.

Recommended reading:

The Kennel Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

First published 1933.

Published by Scribner Paper Fiction

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0684182483

ISBN-13: 978-0684182483

Description:

Vance, an independently wealthy college educator, amateur detective, uses his deductive skills and psychological knowledge to help his friend New York County Attorney solve the murder of Archer Coe. At first, he thought of suicide when Coe's body was found in a room locked from the inside with all the windows closed. As usual, the action takes place in New York. Vance's methods are unconventional and run counter to the more stringent police investigation methods and legal requirements of a lawyer.

Given all the rich people getting bumped off in Philo Vance's Manhattan, it's amazing there are enough left to support the symphony. Latest up: Arthur Coe, found dead in his own locked bedroom. Suicide? The ever-perceptive Philo doesn't buy that theory for a second. The presence in Coe's house of a strange, prize-winning terrier only adds to the mystery, although Philo's fabulously in-depth knowledge of dogs does not in fact solve the crime; his fabulously in-depth knowledge of the murder of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1898 proves much more useful.

Praise for the Philo Vance series:

“With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine.” – The New York Times.

“Well-crafted puzzlers that captivated readers . . . the works of S.S. Van Dine serve to transport the reader back to a long-gone era of society and style of writing.” – Mystery Scene.

“Outrageous cleverness . . . among the finest fruits of the Golden Age.” – Bloody Murder.

“A classic mystery featuring dogged detective Philo Vance. An intricate puzzle . . . [Vance] has an uncanny insight into the subtler aspects of crime.” – The New York Times.

Recommended reading - The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1938):

The Gracie Allen Murder Case

aka The Smell of Murder

By S.S. Van Dine.

Filmed as The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), directed by Alfred E. Green.

Published by Felony & Mayhem Press.

First published 1938.

ISBN-10: 1631942069

ISBN-13: 9781631942068

Description:

“Mr. Van Dine’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.”

– Chicago Daily Tribune.

Gracie Allen breaks the Philo Phormula in a number of ways. First is its title: this is the only book in the series to modify “Murder Case” with more than one word, much less with the name of a character. And then there’s that character: Gracie Allen was a very real, much-loved comedienne in the 1930s, famous for her double act with George Burns, and in fact the plot revolves around her. Gracie’s centrality is no accident: Van Dine wrote the story as a vehicle for Allen, and actually created the novel only after the film had come out. So, do all these departures pay off? We’d be lying if we said that Gracie hits every single mark, but Van Dine does a surprisingly entertaining job of translating Ms. Allen’s delicious Ditzy Blonde persona to the page, and she makes a charming foil for Philo’s evergreen erudition.