The Bishop Murder Case (1930)
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33% of users liked it
(49 ratings)
Nine years before stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone essayed the character of S.S. Van Dyne's dilettante detective Philo Vance in The Bishop Murder Case. The murderer this time is a mysterious figure known only as "The Bishop." Plotting his killings in the… More Nine years before stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone essayed the character of S.S. Van Dyne's dilettante detective Philo Vance in The Bishop Murder Case. The murderer this time is a mysterious figure known only as "The Bishop." Plotting his killings in the systematic manner of a chess game, the Bishop tips off each of his crimes by sending the police cryptic messages in the form of nursery rhymes (his first victim, felled by an arrow, is referred to as "Cock Robin"). Heroine Belle Dillard (Leila Hyams) fears that the Bishop may be her own sweetheart, Sigurd Arnesson (Roland Young) -- indeed, that's what the police think as well -- but Philo Vance carefully puts the clues together to finger the actual culprit. With surprising foresightedness, several of the characters remark upon Vance's deductive skills by referring to him as "Sherlock." Well-directed, and with an imaginative use of "natural" sound in the exterior scenes, The Bishop Murder Case is ultimately laid low by its molasses-slow pacing, though things become moderately exciting when the heroine is kidnapped in the last reel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- David Burton, Nick Grinde
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
G,
- In Theaters
- Jan 3, 1930 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Paul Chambers, Movie Chambers
Stars a pre-Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone as Philo Vance. Overly melodramatic murder yarn with the cast throwing their voices like it was a stage production.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
On the same level as Charlie Chan; pick your poison.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Basil Rathbone
as Philo Vance
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Leila Hyams
as Belle Dillard
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Roland Young
as Erik Arnesson
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Alec B. Francis
as Prof. Bertrand Dillard
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George F. Marion
as Adolph Drukker
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Zelda Sears
as Miss Drukker
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Carroll Nye
as John E. Sprigg
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Charles Quartermaine
as John Pardee
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James Donlan
as Sgt. Ernest Heath
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Sidney Bracey
as Pyne
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Clarence Geldert
as District Attorney Markham
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Delmer Daves
as Raymond Sperling
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Nellie Bly Baker
as Beedle
- Raymond Hackett
- Raymond Hatton
