Terror by Night (1946)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Frank Gruber (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 February 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

One Way Ticket to DEATH..!

Plot:

When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner murdered, Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Train | Theft | Inspector | Train Compartment

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray	...	Major Duncan-Bleek
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey	...	Ms Vedder - Escorting Mother's Coffin
Frederick Worlock	...	Prof. William Kilbane (as Frederic Worlock)
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Margaret Carstairs
Skelton Knaggs	...	Moran's Accomplice-killer
Billy Bevan	...	Passenger Car Attendant Taking Tickets
Geoffrey Steele	...	Roland - Lady Carstairs's son

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (PCA #11349)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

One of several titles in the Sherlock Holmes series whose original copyrights were apparently not renewed and have thereby fallen into public domain; as a result, seriously inferior copies are presently being offered by a number of VHS and DVD dealers who do not have access to original studio masters.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie the discovery of the Star of Rhodesia is shown. The diamond picked out of the mud looks perfectly clear, with sharp edges. However, raw diamonds have rough round edges and appear quite ordinary, with only a hint of regular crystal form.

Quotes:

Lady Margaret Carstairs: I shall report you both to Scotland Yard.
Inspector Lestrade: ...But I *am* Scotland Yard.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Woman in Green (1945)

All aboard for murder!

Or so the trailer for Terror By Night went, also "A thrill a mile at 90 miles an hour". This means with a meagre "running" time of 57 minutes I should have had 85.5 thrills, and does this astounding feat of mathematic calculation make me Colonel Sebastian Moran?!

I've always enjoyed this penultimate Rathbone Holmes film, although my daughter (Chunky Chops) has always been rather bored by it and only ever watches it again because we've usually seen the previous twelve outings in quick succession. Rathbone was certainly getting fed up with the role by now and it showed. However, it's a pleasant whodunnit, with many scenes and accents to either admire or hoot at. Universal couldn't have had a large bill for the sets, as nearly all the action is on board a train - the London to Scotland where a murder has been committed to gain possession of a privately owned huge diamond.

Apart from its shortness the only other thing to slightly let TBN down for me is the climactic fight - where fantasy becomes the far-fetched involving the ultimate non-sequiteur I believe! A nice little film for the discerning viewer who paradoxically doesn't want to think too much but simply revel in the atmosphere and the 85.5 thrills of the chase!