Widely regarded as the best screen adaptation of S.S. Van Dine's Philo Vance mystery novels, THE KENNEL MURDER CASE cast William Powell as the suave detective a year before he soft-shoed his way into the not dissimilar Nick Charles role in THE THIN MAN. A B-movie tricked out with A+ technique and impressive forward momentum, THE KENNEL MURDER CASE secured Curtiz's reputation as a studio craftsman who could enliven any script.