Something new and a bit jarring was added to the Philo Vance series, a Philo Vance with an accent. In his one and only time playing S.S. Van Dine's fictional detective Paul Lukas plays a continental Philo, as charming as ever with a mind like a steel trap. Not quite William Powell or Warren William the best of the Vances.
The reason why so many actors played Vance is that the estate of S.S. Van Dine sold the novels one at a time to various studios. Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, and last the B picture studio PRC all filmed various Vance stores of varying quality.
Lukas gets himself involved with the Llewellyn family when he receives a note saying that Donald Cook will be killed at his uncle's casino that night. In fact he is poisoned, but survived. The same cannot be said for some other family members and friends. It takes a while, but Vance has to work through a maze of false clues before solving this one.
One of the near victims is Rosalind Russell who said that this B film marked the first time she was given star billing in a film. She wasn't particularly fond of The Casino Murder Case, but in fact it did lead to better parts for her.
Some of the others in the cast are Ted Healy as the garrulous Sergeant Heath, Louise Fazenda as a nosy maid, Isabell Jewell as an alcoholic daughter, Allison Skipworth as the family matriarch, Arthur Byron as the casino owner and Skipworth's brother, Leo G. Carroll as the butler, and Eric Blore as Lukas's valet. We see too little of him in The Casino Murder Case. The cast all perform as typed.
Charles Sellon plays the Medical Examiner Dr. Doremus. He's a particularly important character in this film. It's all in the how here.
The reason why so many actors played Vance is that the estate of S.S. Van Dine sold the novels one at a time to various studios. Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, and last the B picture studio PRC all filmed various Vance stores of varying quality.
Lukas gets himself involved with the Llewellyn family when he receives a note saying that Donald Cook will be killed at his uncle's casino that night. In fact he is poisoned, but survived. The same cannot be said for some other family members and friends. It takes a while, but Vance has to work through a maze of false clues before solving this one.
One of the near victims is Rosalind Russell who said that this B film marked the first time she was given star billing in a film. She wasn't particularly fond of The Casino Murder Case, but in fact it did lead to better parts for her.
Some of the others in the cast are Ted Healy as the garrulous Sergeant Heath, Louise Fazenda as a nosy maid, Isabell Jewell as an alcoholic daughter, Allison Skipworth as the family matriarch, Arthur Byron as the casino owner and Skipworth's brother, Leo G. Carroll as the butler, and Eric Blore as Lukas's valet. We see too little of him in The Casino Murder Case. The cast all perform as typed.
Charles Sellon plays the Medical Examiner Dr. Doremus. He's a particularly important character in this film. It's all in the how here.