On this day in movie history - The Kennel Murder Case (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.

On this day in movie history - The Greene Murder Case (1929):

The Greene Murder Case

directed by Frank Tuttle,

written by Louise Long and Richard H. Digges Jr.,

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

was released in the United States on August 11, 1929.
Music by Karl Hajos.

Cast:

William Powell, Florence Eldridge, Ullrich Haupt, Sr., Jean Arthur, Eugene Pallette, E. H. Calvert, Gertrude Norman, Lowell Drew, Morgan Farley, Brandon Hurst, Augusta Burmeister, Marcia Harris.

On this day in movie history - Private Detective 62 (1933):

Private Detective 62

directed by Michael Curtiz,

written by Rian James,

based on a story by Raoul Whitfield,

was released in the United States on July 6, 1933.
Music by Bernhard Kaun.

Cast:

William Powell, Margaret Lindsay, Ruth Donnelly, Gordon Westcott, Arthur Hohl, Natalie Moorhead, James Bell, Hobart Cavanaugh, Irving Bacon, Joan Barclay, Arthur Byron, Heinie Conklin, Eddie Dunn, Bill Elliott, Theresa Harris, Ann Hovey, Charles Lane, Eddie Phillips, Georges Renavent, Rolfe Sedan, Harry Seymour, Joan Standing, Sheila Terry, Ellinor Vanderveer, Renee Whitney, Charles C. Wilson, Pat Wing, Toby Wing.

On this day in movie history - Manhattan Melodrama (1934):

Manhattan Melodrama

directed by W.S. Van Dyke, Jack Conway and George Cukor,

written by Oliver H.P. Garrett and Joseph L. Mankiewicz,

based on a story by Arthur Caesar, Frank Dolan and Donald Ogden Stewart,

was released in the United States on May 4, 1934.
Music by William Axt.

Cast:

Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, George Sidney, Isabel Jewell, Muriel Evans, Thomas E. Jackson, Isabelle Keith, Frank Conroy, Noel Madison, Jimmy Butler, Mickey Rooney, Shirley Ross.

On this day in movie history - Star of Midnight (1935):

Star of Midnight

directed by Stephen Roberts,

written by Howard J. Green, Anthony Veiller and Edward Kaufman,

based on the novel by Arthur Somers Roche,

was released in the United States on April 19, 1935.
Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly, Gene Lockhart, Ralph Morgan, Leslie Fenton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Russell Hopton, Vivien Oakland, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Bess Flowers, George Chandler.