The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

Director:

Alfred L. Werker

Writers:

William Gillette (play)
Edwin Blum (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

The Struggle of Super-Minds in the Crime of the Century!

Plot:

The master sleuth hunts his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, who is planning the crime of the century.

Plot Keywords:

Super Villain | Good Versus Evil | Detective | Sequel | Impersonation

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. Watson
Ida Lupino	...	Ann Brandon
George Zucco	...	Professor Moriarty
Alan Marshal	...	Jerrold Hunter
Terry Kilburn	...	Billy
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Ronald Ramsgate
E.E. Clive	...	Inspector Bristol
Arthur Hohl	...	Bassick
May Beatty	...	Brandon Housekeeper [Script name: Mrs. Jameson]
Peter Willes	...	Lloyd Brandon
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson
Holmes Herbert	...	Justice
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Conyngham
Frank Dawson	...	Dawes
Anthony Kemble-Cooper	...	Tony (as Anthony Kemble Cooper)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Austin	...	Stranger
Frank Baker	...	Unconfirmed Presence [AFI Catalog Name: Tompkins] (unconfirmed)
Gordon Hart	...	Unspecified Guard (unconfirmed)
Keith Hitchcock	...	Unspecified Constable (as Keith Kenneth)
Brandon Hurst	...	Unconfirmed Presence [AFI Catalog name: Footman] (unconfirmed)
Leonard Mudie	...	Barrows (scenes deleted)
George Regas	...	Mateo
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Unconfirmed Presence [AFI Catalog Name: Gates] (unconfirmed)
Frank Benson	...	Unconfirmed Presence [AFI Catalog Name: Cockney] (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Second Phoney Policeman [Extra] (uncredited)
Robert Cory	...	Tower Sentry (uncredited)
David Dunbar	...	Unspecified Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Unspecified Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Clerk of the Court (uncredited)
Denis Green	...	Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
Ivo Henderson	...	Unspecified Bobby (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Unspecified Bobby (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Bobby (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Marine Sergeant [Extra] (uncredited)
Robert Nobel	...	Foreman of the Jury (uncredited)
C. Montague Shaw	...	Captain Mannering (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	Unspecified Cabby [Extra] (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Conyngham Butler (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred L. Werker		(as Alfred Werker)

Writing credits
William Gillette		(play "Sherlock Holmes" with permission of the executors of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Edwin Blum		(screenplay) and
William A. Drake		(screenplay) (as William Drake)
Arthur Conan Doyle		characters

Produced by
Gene Markey	....	associate producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Robert Russell Bennett		(uncredited)
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)
David Raksin		(uncredited)
Walter Scharf		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Bischoff

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Gwen Wakeling

Production Management
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eckhardt	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Virgil Hart	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Cyril J. Mockridge	....	musical director

Other crew
Harold Lloyd Morris	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• MPI Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MPI Home Video (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• MPI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes (UK)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5486)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Although William Gillette's name appears in the credits, this film bears little or no resemblance to his 1899 play "Sherlock Holmes".

Goofs:

Continuity: Holmes's pipe disappears from one shot to the next as he sees Sir Ronald Ramsgate out the door early in the film.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: Elementary, my dear Watson.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Time Shift: A Study in Sherlock" (2007)

The most astounding crime of the Nineteenth Century Foxed

The only other in-period Rathbone Holmes film, this is brim full of atmosphere and high production values, never mind about how good the acting and direction was too. The many long scenes were taken leisurely which enabled me to get a real feel for Victorian London with all the fog outside the Fox set windows. Sadly the one aspect slightly lacking was the story but only through the comparison to Hound, overall Adventures is easily the best of the rest and the best Holmes-Moriarty duel on film.

Rathbone and Zucco souped up the mental jousting and added something more to the legend, it really was a pity Zucco couldn't do the other two Moriarty outings at Universal. Although Atwill and Daniell were both excellent as well - maybe the part couldn't fail as Holmes' foil! Ida Lupino played her melodramatic part well, she could have smiled at least once though! Nigel Bruce as faithful Watson was perfect as usual, at one point even to lying down and rolling over in the gutter for his ... master.

All in all, a notch down from Hound but in quality a long drop down from this to the Universals, much as I love them too.