Jean Arthur August: The Greene Murder Case (1929)

There are some actors who seem to be great in everything they do without exception. This month we explore some of Jean Arthur’s lesser-known films to find out if she really was great in everything.

RODNEY BOWCOCK:  Based on the third Philo Vance novel (but the second to be filmed by Paramount and the second starring William Powell), The Greene Murder Case centers on the wealthy Greene family in New York City.  The Greenes are required to gather together once a year as part of a peculiar stipulation in their patriarch’s will.  Suspicions abound for assorted reasons, including suspected infidelity and faked illnesses.  As happens in this sort of thing, one by one, people start getting bumped off.  As also happens in these sorts of things, the district attorney calls upon an amateur sleuth, Philo Vance, to solve the mystery and reveal the killer. 

SAMANTHA GLASSER:  The conditions of the will are that the family members must cohabitate in the old mansion for 15 years following their fathers’ death in order to receive a portion of the estate. I can’t imagine the reason for such a strange demand considering the women would be marital age before that deadline and marrying and fulfilling what at that time seemed to be a woman’s purpose—to get married and have children—would be impossible unless they didn’t mind being disinherited.

RB:  I haven’t read the SS Van Dine novel to see how it compares to the screenplay by Louise Long, but there is very little character development here, and that extends to the plot-point regarding the will.  Why?  We don’t know.  It just is.

SG:  The storytelling leaves something be desired. A major plot point has to do with outdated and refuted theories about mental illness. Some of the methods of murder are so elaborate as to make it impossible for the viewer to solve the mystery, which is usually the fun part of watching movies like this.

RB:  It’s fun here too, but the main draw of this film is the atmosphere, which is handled extremely well, even though the film is essentially entirely sound-stage set.

SG:  There are creaky moments. In the scene where the butler discovers Arthur’s character has been attacked, the camera is undercranked which results in movements that are too fast and jerky. It has audio over it, so it wasn’t done to mask the learning curve of using sound, and didn’t need to be shot differently.

RB:  It’s worth asking WHY this was done, and I don’t have an answer for that.  Like you, I found it curious.

SG:  However, the sets are opulent and great pains were taken to shoot the exterior in an impressive way. In one scene, the group is on the roof garden chatting, and the camera pans out in a way that was revolutionary in 1929. The interiors have detailed wall carvings, ornate furniture and patterned fabrics which illustrate luxury. The new Kino restoration enhances those details.

RB:  It’s worth taking notice of the wondeful Kino release of the three Vance Paramount films.  These have long been difficult to see, unless you happened to pick up some grey market copies at a convention or something, and then, the quality was quite lacking.  Being able to see these films in genuinely great quality is something that we’ve wanted for DECADES.  I love that they risk putting material like this out.

SG:  Photoplay called this film, “A vast improvement over its predecessor, The Canary Murder Case. Better story, better acting, better direction, better synchronization. In the Greene Case instead of one murder, a whole family is attacked, each death eliminating the temporary major suspect. Breath-taking suspense throughout.”

RB:  It’s gotta be better if more people die in it!  But really, the industry was growing in leaps and bounds, and while this film was released just six months after Canary, it’s pretty astounding how much had changed so quickly.  Sure, there was work to do, and this film is not exactly without the early talkie creakiness that we’ve grown to expect, but it’s a much more competent film.

SG:  Oddly enough, Arthur was in The Canary Murder Case as well, but she played an entirely different character.

RB:  This also really shows her versatility, because she’s a very different character that we saw in last week’s film.

SG:  Screenland’s reviewer said, “It is better than the book. In fact, so much better that when author S. S. Van Dine saw the picture he must have felt pretty silly to be confronted with a better climax than he offered in the book.”

SG:  After the success of this film and The Studio Murder Mystery, director Frank Tuttle was given a long-term contract at Paramount. It was remade in 1937 as A Night of Mystery with Grant Richards as Philo Vance and Helen Burgess as Ada Greene.

RB:  Studio, having just screened it at the Picture Show, is arguably the better film, but it’s difficult to imagine that audiences weren’t enraptured by both of these.

SG:  Costume designer Travis Banton called Arthur one of the smartest young girls on screen. It is impossible to fully discuss Arthur’s performance without spoiling parts of the mystery, but this was a good choice for this month’s study to show that she could play different types of characters seamlessly. 2.5 stars

RB:  The film is doubtlessly creaky and doesn’t make a ton of sense, but you can’t deny the atmosphere.  Powell is enjoyable, but a far cry from the likable rogue that he’d portray in just a couple of years in films like Jewel Robbery.  Two and a half stars for an interesting curio, if not a great film.