THE DRAGON MURDER CASE (1934)

This is one in a series of movies featuring the sophisticated detective Philo Vance, created by author S. S. Van Dine. I've seen other Vance films with William Powell and James Stephenson; this one has Warren William, who is commonly held to be the weakest of the Vances. At a rather tense cocktail party at the palatial estate of the Stamm family, the man (George Meeker) who is going to marry the lovely Stamm daughter dives into the Dragon Pool and doesn't come out. He is found dead the next day somewhere else on the estate, with what appear to be dragon claw scratches across his chest. Philo Vance is called in on the case and hears rumors of jealousy, madness, and a mythical dragon that inhabits the pool. He solves the case with ease, in a running time of just over an hour. William is OK, but it's true that he doesn't come off as well as Powell. I think part of the problem is the writing--we get virtually no sense of Vance's personality or character; he is fleshed out much more in the earlier Powell film THE KENNEL MURDER CASE, and in the original novels. It's like doing a Hildegarde Withers movie without giving Edna May Oliver any insults to make to James Gleason. Eugene Pallette is good as a comic relief police sergeant who keeps saying, "My knowledge of criminology leads me to believe..." before being cut off by William. One of my favorite supporting men of the 30's, Lyle Talbot, is alternately stoic and suspicious as a rival for the affections of the Stamm girl, well played by Margaret Lindsay. Helen Lowell does a nice job as the crazy, cackling Stamm matriarch, and Robert Barrat is good as her drunken son, who collects exotic fish which are scattered about the house. The short running time works against the film to the degree that there isn't much time for character development, of Vance or anyone else. The room with dozens of fish bowls and tanks is cool, as is the concept of the Dragon Pool. The mystery itself is fairly easy to follow as it plays out. Ultimately, although I liked Powell better as Vance, I enjoyed this movie more than KENNEL because it was more atmopsheric and the story was easier to follow. It makes me want to see more Philo Vance movies, especially CASINO MURDER CASE, which I read and liked very much. [TCM]