Underplayed Gems

The Kennel Murder Case (1933)

The Kennel Murder Case poster
Directed by
Michael Curtiz
Genre
mystery film, crime film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 13m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.1 of 10 from 58 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A wealthy dog show competitor and collector is found dead in his bedroom. The suspect list includes relatives, employees, and a lover he had upset, and more violence follows. The amateur sleuth Philo Vance investigates the attacks and motives to solve the murder.

lightheartedcleverpacedwittysuspensefulold-fashionedintricate

What happens

The Kennel Murder Case is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film adapted from the 1933 novel of the same name by S. S. Van Dine. Directed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Bros. Pictures, it stars William Powell and Mary Astor. Powell's role as Philo Vance is not the actor's first performance as the aristocratic sleuth. For Paramount, he also portrays the character in three films: The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Greene Murder Case (1929), The Benson Murder Case (1930). In the film, dog show competitor and fine china collector, Archer Coe, is found murdered within his own bedroom. There is a long list of suspects, since the victim had antagonized members of his family, his lover, and his employees. The corpse of the victim's brother is soon found, hidden in a coat closet. One of the other suspects survives a surprise knife attack, and the dog of Coe's neighbor is found to be seriously injured in his own house. Vance has to deduce the motives behind the attacks in order to figure out who killed Coe. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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