Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

gridoon2018 The second Philo Vance film with William Powell in the central role was made in the same year as the first ("The Canary Murder Case"), but it is somewhat less of an antique. It's still often static, but at least there are a few panoramic shots of the house of the Greenes, and a more cinematic finale. Perhaps more importantly, the mystery is much more complicated than that of "Canary"; having read Maltin's comment about an obvious killer and remembering how easy it was to spot the killer in "Canary", I was certain I had it all figured out but I was fooled; I found the ending thoroughly surprising. Fans of Jean Arthur (she also appeared very briefly in "Canary") will be glad to know that her part is much bigger this time. **1/2 out of 4.

edalweber It is a pity that the studio didn't change the name of the detective, because while William Powell is good in these movies, Philo Vance he is not. Eugene Palette is superb as Heath, and most of the other actors are good. It is extremely strange that Philo Vance, one of the most popular characters in American detective fiction, has been so universally trashed by critics. The hostility of contemporary critics, who gave the books grudging admiration, seems to have been the result of personal dislike of the author, who has been described by one as"the most fascinating UNLIKABLE man I ever met". It seemed that nobody loved Vance but the American public! Vance really was not a snob in the ordinary sense. Members of society came in for contemptuous remarks more often than not, and he liked and respected simple, unpretentious people, such as Heath.Vance could be described as an "American Lord Peter Whimsey", and very likely was partly based on that character. The same critics who like Whimsey hate Vance! Strange that the studios so altered Vance's character, because they thought that the public would resent Vance's erudition and "elitism", the same public that loved those quirky characteristics in the books! Had the studios made the movies more faithful to the books, they likely would have been more successful;as it was they never really caught on. As it is, this movie is a very good atmospheric murder mystery, well worth watching. With different casting(Warren William was the best Vance) and making the character more faithful to the books, it would be a real classic.

cynthiahost This was possibly made right after Cecil B. Demille's first talkie ,when he removed the camera out of the sound booth and had it covered up with towels ,so that the camera could move .There are some shots ,like in the hallway,where William Powell and Eugene Pallet are disusing the murder and the camera is following them.that's not zoom lenses.For some reason they don't get a lot of close ups.Obviously the camera was very heavy.This is an early Philo Vance mystery on film starring William Powell ,who would repeat his role in later films.A very young Jean Aurthur Frederich Marches wife,Florence Eldridge, is in it too.I don't know if this was her first talkie,it might have been.The adult Children Green,played by Florence Eldridge as Sibella ,Jean Aurthur as Ada,a fat Lowell Drew as Chester and Morgan Farley as Rex .Under their fathers will they all have to stay in the house for 15 years in order to inherit their fathers money.Their mother is an invalid,unable to walk,played by Gertrude Norman as the widow.Very controlling against her adult children.Then their the German cook or maid,Gertrude played by Augusta Bermiester.It seemed that their late father had business in Germany and taught his kids the language.One night some one shows up at Chester's room and shoots him.Then Ada gets shot but is injured.It's time for William Powell and Eugene Palette to go to the Greene's house and investigate.The families personal doctor,also German American,Dr Arthur Von Blon,what a name,played by Ullrich Haupt, does the autopsy.He and Sibella have a yen for each other.Then Morgen Farley gets killed.The surprising result of this film it turn out that Jean Arthur has been killing the family ,poisoning her mother,so she can get the inheritance.But, she ends up getting killed as she tries to push Florence out of the balcony into the cold lake.Aurthur end up in the lake instead.Powell Rescues Eldridge from the second story of the house.This was the only time Jean played a bad guy.nice early talkie.Available at Amazon,Bonanza,i offers. 02/14/13

kidboots There was a sequence in "Paramount on Parade" called "Murder Will Out" (a comedy sketch) in which Sherlock Holmes (Clive Brook), Fu Manchu (Warner Oland) and Philo Vance (William Powell) put their heads together to solve a crime. Philo Vance novels were extremely popular in the mid to late 20s, although, now, only the movies are remembered. S.S Van Dine (the author) described him (Vance) as a man of unusual culture and brilliance. An aristocrat, he held himself aloof from the common man - and he often wore a monocle!!! No wonder Ogden Nash said "Philo Vance needs a kick in the pants"!!!According to Greene Snr's will, if his family are to inherit his estate, a member of the police force is to call each year on Dec. 31st to see if all the family are present - if not they will be disinherited. No wonder there is so much internal fighting and hate from the family members - all except sweet little sister Ada (Jean Arthur). Suddenly the fighting takes on a sinister look when Chester Greene is fatally shot and Ada wounded. Enter Philo Vance, a debonair private detective, who rules out the burglar theory right away when the time is reckoned at three minutes between each shot. Keeping proceedings earthy is Sergeant Heath (Eugene Palette) - "sure it's funny - so is a chicken crossing the road, but nobody's solved that yet"!!!Among the usual suspects - highly strung Rex Greene (Morgan Farley), who has to be slapped to bring him to his senses. Sibella (Florence Eldridge) who seems to have something going on with the doctor. As each of the family is killed off, the most likely person shaping up to be the killer is Sproot, the butler (Brandon Hurst). According to the will, the last man or woman left standing will inherit the lot!!! Maybe old Mrs. Greene is not a bed-ridden cripple after all!!! Maybe the doctor is not out on all the house calls he claims!!Even though it was a typical static, "two room" talkie - for it's time the plot had some intricate twists and Vance very clearly explained how he came to his deductions.Highly Recommended.