The Benson Murder Case
About The Benson Murder Case
After the 1929 crash, broker Anthony Benson has sold out his friends and accused Adolph Mohler of forging a check. He invites the crowd, including Philo Vance and District Attorney Markham, to his country house. A shot sounds. Benson is dead on the stairs, a suppressed derringer bullet in his heart. Vance works through an empty jewel case and a piece of twine from the liquor cellar, then finds fibers on gambler Harry Gray's coat and the suppressor in Gray's hotel room. Gray runs, fires at Sergeant Heath, and is shot down.
Cast & crew
More about The Benson Murder Case
Frank Tuttle directed. S. S. Van Dine and Bartlett Cormack wrote the screenplay from Van Dine's 1926 novel. Paramount released it on 13 April 1930. William Powell plays Vance. Richard Tucker plays Benson.
Themes
Background
A pre-Code mystery set in the first winter after the Wall Street crash.
Preservation
Copyrighted in 1930 and renewed in 1957, the film entered the public domain in the United States in 2026.
Notes
- Eugene Pallette is Sergeant Ernest Heath. E. H. Calvert is District Attorney John F. X. Markham.
- William 'Stage' Boyd plays Harry Gray. Natalie Moorhead plays Fanny Del Roy. Paul Lukas plays Adolph Mohler. May Beatty plays Mrs. Paula Banning. Mischa Auer plays Albert Brecker.
- One listing puts a first showing on 11 April 1930, two days before the 13 April release.
- The 1930 copyright was renewed in 1957. The term ended in 2026.
Scenes
- Benson is found shot on the stairs during his own house party.
- Vance matches twine from the cellar to fibers on Gray's jacket.
- Gray shoots at Heath and is killed leaving the hotel.
Influenced by
- S. S. Van Dine's novel The Benson Murder Case (1926)
Also available
- Internet Archive (tbmc45454578)
- Wikimedia Commons (The Benson Murder Case (1930).webm)
