Philo Vance


Philo Vance was a brainy detective who, like Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe and many another, had a talent for solving crimes that had stumped the official police.  In "Radio Programs, 1924-1984," Vincent Terrace provides an appropriate quote: "Somewhere along the line a murderer makes a mistake; it's my job to find that mistake."  Ellen Deering, the detective's charming but decorous secretary and girl Friday, insists on a strict propriety when the two of them are working but can become much more approachable when they're not on the clock.

The program had a couple of different exposures, first as a summer replacement in 1945 on NBC and later in syndication with a different cast from 1948-50.  Jose Ferrer, then Jackson Beck played Vance.  The latter was a respected radio performer who appeared in a score of shows during his career.  Ferrer, on the other hand, is best remembered as a film actor.  "Philo Vance" represented his only series lead, although he did appear in "The Big Show," "Columbia Presents Corwin," and as a host of "The Prudential Family Hour."

The 1920s novels of S. S. Van Dine inspired both the radio series and a number of movies.  Basil Rathbone and William Powell both portrayed Vance on the screen.