Tiny PRC Studio made three Philo Vance films in 1947. While "Philo Vance's Secret Mission" was the first one they made, it was the final one they released. I'm not sure why, but I can only assume because it's by far the worst of the three movies. It's obvious and quite cliched...and is pretty much what you'd expect from PRC!
The film begins with a newspaper publisher hiring Vance as a technical advisor for a series of crime articles. Now here's where it gets dumb...the publisher lets folks know that he's got information which will solve a long unsolved crime. In mystery films, this MEANS the publisher will soon assume room temperature--before he has a chance to divulge this information!! What follows are some obvious plot elements, cliches and the like...and the film was simply disappointing. It's a shame, as the other two films in the series are quite nice...particularly "Philo Vance Returns".
The film begins with a newspaper publisher hiring Vance as a technical advisor for a series of crime articles. Now here's where it gets dumb...the publisher lets folks know that he's got information which will solve a long unsolved crime. In mystery films, this MEANS the publisher will soon assume room temperature--before he has a chance to divulge this information!! What follows are some obvious plot elements, cliches and the like...and the film was simply disappointing. It's a shame, as the other two films in the series are quite nice...particularly "Philo Vance Returns".