Joe Gillis
2008-07-18 13:53:52 UTC
Never heard of these before today... Do they ever show up on TCM?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Dine%27s_Commandments
Wright [Van Dine] also wrote a series of short stories for Warner
Brothers film studio in the early 1930s. These stories were used as
the basis for a series of 12 short films, each around 20 minutes long,
that were released in 1930 - 1931. Of these, The Skull Murder Mystery
(1931) shows Wright's vigorous plot construction. It is also notable
for its non-racist treatment of Chinese characters, something quite
unusual in its day. As far as it is known, none of Van Dine's screen
treatments have been published in book form and it seems as if none of
the manuscripts survive today.
http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2008/01/obscurity-of-day-philo-vance.htmlhttp://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2008/01/obscurity-of-day-philo-vance.html
THE COLE CASE and THE SKULL MURDER MYSTERY were not actually Philo
Vance stories, but from another series that S.S.Van Dine wrote,
centering on "Dr. Crabtree", an elderly amateur slueth, and "Inspector
Carr", his stock befuddled foil from the police department.These were
made into a series of twelve two-reel shorts by Warner Brothers in
1931-32, starring Donald Meek as Dr. Crabtree, and John Hamilton (best
known as Perry White on the SUPERMAN TV series) as Inspector Carr. For
some reason, it seems some of these were adapted to be Philo Vance
stories. The titles of the Dr. Crabtree films, officially known as the
"S.S.VAN DINE MYSTERIES", are: 1]-THE CLYDE CASE 2]-THE COLE CASE 3]-
THE SYMPHONY MURDER MYSTERY 4]-THE CAMPUS MYSTERY 5]-THE CRANE POISON
CASE 6]-THE WEEK END MYSTERY 7]-THE WALL STREET MYSTERY 8]-THE STUDIO
MURDER MYSTERY 9]-THE TRANS-ATLANTIC MYSTERY 10]-THE SIDE SHOW MYSTERY
11]-THE SKULL MURDER MYSTERY 12]-MURDER IN THE PULLMAN.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Dine%27s_Commandments
Wright [Van Dine] also wrote a series of short stories for Warner
Brothers film studio in the early 1930s. These stories were used as
the basis for a series of 12 short films, each around 20 minutes long,
that were released in 1930 - 1931. Of these, The Skull Murder Mystery
(1931) shows Wright's vigorous plot construction. It is also notable
for its non-racist treatment of Chinese characters, something quite
unusual in its day. As far as it is known, none of Van Dine's screen
treatments have been published in book form and it seems as if none of
the manuscripts survive today.
http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2008/01/obscurity-of-day-philo-vance.htmlhttp://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2008/01/obscurity-of-day-philo-vance.html
THE COLE CASE and THE SKULL MURDER MYSTERY were not actually Philo
Vance stories, but from another series that S.S.Van Dine wrote,
centering on "Dr. Crabtree", an elderly amateur slueth, and "Inspector
Carr", his stock befuddled foil from the police department.These were
made into a series of twelve two-reel shorts by Warner Brothers in
1931-32, starring Donald Meek as Dr. Crabtree, and John Hamilton (best
known as Perry White on the SUPERMAN TV series) as Inspector Carr. For
some reason, it seems some of these were adapted to be Philo Vance
stories. The titles of the Dr. Crabtree films, officially known as the
"S.S.VAN DINE MYSTERIES", are: 1]-THE CLYDE CASE 2]-THE COLE CASE 3]-
THE SYMPHONY MURDER MYSTERY 4]-THE CAMPUS MYSTERY 5]-THE CRANE POISON
CASE 6]-THE WEEK END MYSTERY 7]-THE WALL STREET MYSTERY 8]-THE STUDIO
MURDER MYSTERY 9]-THE TRANS-ATLANTIC MYSTERY 10]-THE SIDE SHOW MYSTERY
11]-THE SKULL MURDER MYSTERY 12]-MURDER IN THE PULLMAN.