markham and say urbane gentleman crime solver philo vance ( william powell ) to the district attorney and i be come more and more to the belief that archer coe be kill in this room . that poker and this dagger sheath and now these fragment . it all here . but vance and markham say and do you mean to tell me a dead man walk upstairs . i be not try to tell you anything but the fact and vance say . this be the most remarkable case in my experience . be sympathetic . wealthy and arrogant archer coe and dislike it seem by all who know him and have be find slump in a chair in his bedroom and pistol in his hand and a gunshot wound to his head . but wait . further examination show coe have be hit hard by a blunt instrument that fracture his skull . then there the dagger wound in his back . complicating matter be that coe bedroom door and windows all have be lock from the inside . coe be no suicide while this be murder . but how could the killer have escape . what be the specific motivation since there be so many suspect . and why be coe brother and brisbane coe and find dead in the main floor closet . the kennel murder case and now 73 year old and still provide a stylish look at the old locked room classic whodunit . what make it work as well a it do be and first and the mystery be complicate and clever and but still be logical . second and be the amusing and assured performance of william powell . consider his work a philo vance as something a a rehearsal for his great performance a nick charles . few thing escape vance . he use his wit to piece thing together . he also good company . powell be a star in the twenty and move steadily upward in status and popularity when the talkie take over . his intelligence and style and effortless sophistication have make him one of the most contemporary seeming of actor from the past . also pleasant be see a few other great face . there mary astor a hilda lake and the young and resentful and potentially rich ward of coe while paul cavanaugh a a titled brit hover around hilda while helen vinson with her notably sultry and selfish manner ( watch her really do her stuff in vogue of 1938 ) while etienne giraudot and a small elderly man a the fussy dr. doremus and whose job a coroner and medical examiner keep take him away from his meal while and ralph morgan a archer coe private secretary . this movie have a high percentage of middle age men without an ounce of fat who can wear snug and english cut tailor suit with ease . most of all be eugene palette and with his noble belly and gravel voice and a detective sergeant heath . sergeant heath and vance be long time acquaintance who actually seem to like each other .