In the midst of a recent three-part series on S. S. Van Dine's The Benson Murder Case and its mention of the Robert Hichens novel The Green Carnation, I'm sorry to say we let Van Dine slip away from us.
Van Dine, whose actual name was Willard Huntington Wright, was an artist, art expert and collector. He did very well with his mystery novels but the money really came in with star-studded movies based on the character of amateur detective Philo Vance.
For instance, big-time 1920s film star Louise Brooks appeared in "The Canary Murder Case."
Here's comic actress Jean Arthur in a fun publicity still for "The Greene Murder Case."
Rosalind Russell added some life to "The Casino Murder Case." (Not her in the headshot photo, obviously.)
Then, for S. S. Van Dine, the gravy train screeched to a halt with his new twist in the mystery series: The Gracie Allen Murder Case. One can see why the idea of writing a celebrity into the series would seem to be a fresh new approach. Van Dine was probably rather tired of writing amusing dialogue for effete, foppish Philo Vance, especially since he'd seen how Hollywood had consistently turned Vance into just another B-movie sleuth. And having had the names of big-time actresses like Jean Arthur and Rosalind Russell share space on theater lobby cards with his own pen name -- well, that spelled success, right?
Another factor: Van Dine, whose alcohol consumption was at an unhealthy level, could get away with writing a shorter book -- novella rather than novel. Why, I assume he asked himself, churn out pages of material which would be ripped away in the making of the screenplay? And Gracie Allen's name in the title would be icing on the cake.
In the 1930s, Allen was a huge celebrity. She'd entered show business early, with her sisters, doing an Irish dance act called The Four Colleens. Later, while working in vaudeville, Allen met comedian and hoofer George Burns, and the two star performers were wed onstage by a justice of the peace. Their well-honed vaudeville act moved to short-subject films, and then to radio.
It's small wonder the idea of having Gracie Allen star in a project without George Burns was tried out. Gracie could do it all: act, do comedy, sing, and dance.
Check out this compilation someone put together of film and televsion moments featuring Gracie's fancy footwork!
So S. S. Van Dine's novella-length celebrity mystery appeared in bookstores. Here's my personal 1994 paperback reprint of The Gracie Allen Murder Case.
But new hope for a boost to lagging sales came with apromotional campaign for the upcoming film version. The movie was hyped on Burns & Allen's popular radio program. Theaters showed previews. There was a board game tie-in.
Because nostalgic fans avidly collect vintage board games, I was able to search the 'net and find good shots of the TGAMC box lid and the box contents.
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The Hollywood publicity machine could sell a lot of stuff, but it could not convince the public to go see "The Gracie Allen Murder Case." I've watched the movie. It's a fun idea and it has its moments. But the thin script draws from a hastily-thrown-together novella, and the lack of substance shows. One running joke is that Gracie thinks the private detective who's helping her solve the case is not Philo, but Fido. Funny the first three or four times, then...
Want to judge for yourself? You can watch the film HERE.
Was S. S. Van Dine disappointed by the film's flop of an appearance in the summer of 1939? Well, no. Willard Huntington Wright had died on in April of that year. But his mysteries, oft reprinted, are now digttized and will never disappear. And the author's image will also always be with us. Van Dine / Wright's brother, who was also in the art world, and he painted this portrait. It's displayed in the National Portrait Gallery.
In attempt to re-launch The Gracie Allen Murder Case, it was re-titled The Smell of Murder in 1950, and brought out again as a paperback. The new title referred to poison, as you've probably already figured out.
A side (musical) note: the film "The Gracie Allen Murder Case" featured a catchy number in it, written by Frank Loesser and others. Here's the version of "Snug as a Bug in a Rug" that appears in the film, with the vocalist George Tunnell, known professionally as "Bon Bon."
Other recordings include those by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (vocal by Tony
Pastor), as well as Nat King Cole and other artists. Here's a fun version from a Frank Loesser tribute album:
In the 1980s and 1990s, the late gay author George Baxt wrote Hollywood themed mysteries with titles mimicking those used by S. S. Van Dine, specifically The Gracie Allen Murder Case.
We began this blog series with The Benson Murder Case, which features Philo Vance as pretty overtly gay, and we ended up with The Gracie Allen Murder Case, which was finished just before Van Dine himself was finished. I appreciate that George Baxt left a tribute to popular culture moments which were fading away when he wrote his books. And I'm one of many digital-age writers who want to keep the memories alive.
Next time: a much less convoluted blog post
Photo credit: I found the Jean Arthur publicity still HERE.
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