Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers. He grabs the plans with Archer's signature, but is captured by police before he can escape. Deported he comes back to America and plans to confront Archer, but Archer is found dead in his locked bedroom with a gun in his hand. While it looks like a suicide, Vance knows better and the coroner finds that Archer has been shot, hit with a blunt instrument and stabbed - making suicide unlikely. But Vance is on the case and is looking to see if government secrets have been sold and who has murdered Coe. This is a remake of "The Kennel Murder Case" using aircraft designs and espionage instead of Chinese porcelain and dog shows.
Calling Philo Vance (1940) is a crime and mystery film directed by William Clemens, released on February 3, 1940 with a runtime of 1h 2m. It stars James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill and Edward Brophy. Viewers rate it 6.0 out of 10 across 13 ratings.
James Stephenson
as Philo Vance
Margot Stevenson
as Hilda Lake
Henry O'Neill
as Markham
Edward Brophy
as Ryan
Sheila Bromley
as Doris Delafield
Ralph Forbes
as Tom McDonald
Donald Douglas
as Philip Wrede
Martin Kosleck
as Gamble
Jimmy Conlin
as Dr. Doremus - Coroner
Edward Raquello
as Eduardo Grassi
Creighton Hale
as Du Bois - Fingerprint Man
Harry Strang
as Hennessey - Markham's Assistant
Directed by William Clemens, written by Tom Reed and S.S. Van Dine.
Average viewer score of 6.0/10 from 13 ratings.
This is an adequate afternoon B-feature that probably served more as a warning against fifth-columnists than it actually entertained anyone. It all centres around attempts by the Axis powers to obtain access to the designs of "Archer Coe" (the briefest of appearances from Richard Kipling). Now he has an exclusive arrangement with the Americans so when he is found murdered, it falls to the wily, suspicions and…
Reviewed on April 1, 2023
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The main cast of Calling Philo Vance (1940) includes James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill, Edward Brophy and Sheila Bromley. The film was directed by William Clemens. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Calling Philo Vance was released on February 3, 1940 and runs for 1h 2m.
Calling Philo Vance (1940) holds an average rating of 6.0 out of 10 from 13 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
