THE CASINO MURDER CASE (1935)

A slightly better Philo Vance movie than BISHOP (reviewed 6/19/05). This one has more comedy than most Vance films, which takes some getting used to, but the light tone works. So does the lead performance of Paul Lukas as Vance. Most critics don't like his portrayal, and I agree that his thick Hungarian accent is quite out of place for the New York City playboy that Vance is supposed to be, but he fleshes out the part better than Rathbone did, though he's no William Powell. This time around, Vance is called in to help protect wealthy Donald Cook, who is threatened by letter with death that night if he goes to the family casino. He goes and, despite protection, is poisoned but recovers. However, his wife, an old friend of Vance's who is unhappy in her marriage, is poisoned at the house and dies. There are other deaths and the discovery of suspicious experiments with "heavy water" before Vance solves the case. The supporting cast includes Rosalind Russell, secretary for the family, who becomes both a sidekick and a mild romantic interest for Vance; Alison Skipworth as the family matriarch; Eric Blore as Vance's befuddled butler; Ted Healy does a fine comic turn as a policeman who is always one step behind Vance, and Louise Fazenda and Leo G. Carroll as the maid and butler make positive impressions in their brief time on screen. [TCM]