Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes film series

Always loved Baz & Nige. They were a staple on TV during my younger years. As soon as the 'blue' DVD box set of restored films came out here around ten years ago I bought it like a shot. What still annoys me, though, is/are the people who dismiss them for reasons of 'comedy' or ''Watson is played as a buffoon''. What they forget is that most of them were made during wartime; they were made to be ENTERTAINING. Anyone remember that?. They were supposed to be a distraction from the real world, and they succeeded. Brilliantly. And I think their brevity (only 'Baskervilles' runs to anywhere near 90m, IIRC) certainly works in their favour. I watch the entire box set probably every 12 months or so. I've rarely seen ANY film as atmospheric as 'The Scarlet Claw'.

 

And 'The Medusa Touch', with Richard Burton; one of my fave 'switch your brain off for a couple of hours' films. And I mean that in a good way.

 

I wouldn't say 'hated'. He left the radio series in 1946, as he didn't want to be known just for Holmes. I don't suppose anyone knew then just how much future generations would love the films many decades later. In the '60s, he also recorded several of the stories for lp release.

 

I guess that's what I was trying to say. (And I'm basing this off the pic in the link -- I haven't seen the BluRays. I don't even have a BluRay player.) I know we discussed it before, and neither of us knows for sure, but it is probably very unlikely that a movie-goer in the '40s saw a fine-grain print struck off the original negative. And all else being equal, you wind up seeing much more on today's TVs because they are so big and you are sitting just a few feet away. Also, the 35mm fame is enlarged much more on a big movie screen than it is on a TV screen.

Yes!

I was never a big fan of that one either, but I like it slightly better than Pursuit to Algiers.

I couldn't agree more.

Yes! This film just might be the best kept secret in movie history.

 

I think that's widely known as the best Basil Rathbone Holmes movie.

 

That brings up a good point, The Stanford Theater is not affiliated with Stanford University, it is a solely independent theater funded by David Packard (son of the Packard in Hewlett-Packard). Their programs always state that they use prints that came from the UCLA archive. I wish I had one in front of me to give you more details. This theater only shows classic films, most of them in black and white. They will do festivals, like showing all the early films of Cary Grant, or Bette Davis, or films of Preston Sturges. They even show silent films there, they have an organist that plays during those.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Theatre

I have seen all 14 films more than 50 times each and I have yet to get tired of them. I have seen and own the VHS Key video versions, the MPI DVDs and the recent Blu-rays. so I do know almost every inch of these films, too. Let's start the film-by-film discussion!

 

To All - My apologies if any of the information I post for each film is in error, I would welcome all corrections if any are needed.

SH #1 - Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
Director – Sidney Lanfield

The Players

Richard Greene - Sir Henry Baskerville
Basil Rathbone-Sherlock Holmes
Wendy Barrie-Beryl Stapleton
Nigel Bruce-Dr. Watson
Lionel Atwill-James Mortimer M.D.
John Carradine-Barryman
Barlowe Borland-Frankland
Beryl Mercer-Mrs. Jennifer Mortimer
Morton Lowry-John Stapleton
Ralph Forbes-Sir Hugo Baskerville
E.E. Clive-Cabby
Eily Malyon-Mrs. Barryman
Lionel Pape-Coroner
Nigel De Brulier-Convict
Mary Gordon-Mrs. Hudson
Ian Maclaren-Sir Charles
Leonard Carey-Hugo's Servant
Kenneth Hunter-Ship's Officer
Vesey O'Davoren-Ship's Steward
Rita Page-Chambermaid
John Graham Spacey-Ship's Porter
Ruth Terry-Betsy Ann (We’re staying at the Savoy..)
David Thursby-Open Carriage Driver (near end of film)
Peter Willes-Roderick (Sir Hugo’s friend)
Mary Young-Betsy Ann's Mother

Disguises
Holmes – peddler
Stapleton – Holmes (not seen)

Locations referenced (real or fiction)–
Dartmoor in Devonshire
Baskerville Hall
Charing Cross Hospital
Savoy Hotel
Northumberland Hotel
High Tors
The one fictional location in the novel was the nearby village of Grimpen, but that name was not used, only referenced as the“nearby village”. Grimpen was used to name the notorious Grimpen Mire, which although fictional name, did reference locations in Dartmoor that looked safe, but are notorious for being boggy holes.

Of the 14 films, HOTB is the closest adaptation to the original novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Much of the major plot points are there, as can fit into a film only 80 minutes long. Some omissions include: Frankland’s daughter, a different relationship between Jack and Beryl and no LeStrade. The liner notes for the MPI DVD commented that the analysis of Dr. Mortimer’s cane in the beginning set the tone for Watson’ s persona to be more of a “bungler” (as described in the next film) for the rest of the series. This may not have been an accurate portrayal of the book Watson, but an endearing one that complemented Holmes, a reminder that this is Hollywood entertainment and not a complex novel. The year indicated in the film’s intro is 1889.

It has been established that Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce and Mary Gordon would reprise their roles in all subsequent films (Mary Gordon only when the film had scenes in London at Baker Street)

Players in HOTB that would come back for future films in the series are:
Lionel Atwill – 1st of 2 roles (Dr. Mortimer)
Morton Lowry 1st of 2 roles (Jack Stapleton)
EE Clive – 1st of 2 roles (cabby)
David Thursby - 1st of 3 roles (cabby driver)
Peter Willes 1st of 2 roles (Roderick, Hugo’s friend)

One reported goof in the film is Holmes supposedly using a flashlight while tracing the path to the hound’s chamber. While visually it looks like an old style flashlight, it is established in film #2, when Moriarty uses a flashlight very similar to Holmes in HOTB, but lights it up with a flame, indicating some kind of candle or oil lamp inside with a reflective mirror.

 

Good start. We should probably keep it to a film a week to give everyone a chance to view them again. I haven't watched HOTB in several years, so I definitely need a fresh viewing. They all seem to be on Youtube...shhhhh!

 

Good idea, one film a week. That will give me time to go over my notes and make sure I have enough interesting information on each film to keep the discussion going.

 

In reading bits about Rathbone, it seems he simply became concerned about his career and what has come to be termed "typecasting", rather than hating playing Holmes. In the 1930s he was an A movie actor, often a villain, taking good roles in David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities and Robin Hood. He has his wife were known for their lavish Hollywood parties. Whether this really held him back, he decided he should leave the role in the mid 1940s, Whether he had been right, but too late to correct it is anyone's guess. But, he seems to have had a career slump and he was handed Tales of Fatima (After a cigarette brand pronounced Fah-Teem-Uh). He did very well in radio, guesting on a Fred Allen show where they did a forerunner of a Mad Magazine-style mystery show sketch.

A rumor persists that he was Gone with the Wind's author's choice to play Rhett Butler. I almost wonder if she got Butler confused with Ashley Wilkes.

I thought he tried to return to Holmes in the 1950s but by then Nigel Bruce was ill. That's my recollection, but feel free anyone to correct it.

I prefer the Universal films overall, as much as I like the richness and Zannuck touch in the 20th Century Fox pair. I try not to pick favorites, but if pressed, I might choose The Woman in Green which has the wonderful atmospheric hypnosis scenes and that ultra cool urban loft-penthouse apartment owned by The Woman.

 

The whole cast (most of it anyway) on the Universal series was from Hollywood's British Colony. My parents were friends with Brenda Forbes, daughter of Mary Forbes. She told us they used to stop filming every afternoon for tea. Roy William Neill, their director, was Irish. That ensemble cast camaraderie was obvious.

Marfan Syndrome. I once read Abraham Lincoln might have had a mild case. Terrifying to me as a kid watching this one.

 

It should be noted that David Packard runs the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, that, among its charitable works, funds film preservation.

 

Another bit of trivia for HOTB - The original name of Barryman was actually Barrymore, but it was changed, perhaps John Carradine had a problem with the name Barrymore, as it was the name of another famous family of actors.

 

I've never been able to accept anyone other than Basil as Holmes. Even when I read the Complete Works of Sir ACD, I pictured him in my minds eye. He was born to play that part.

 

Nigel Bruce memoirs on "Hound of the Baskervilles":
"The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is perhaps Conan Doyle's most exciting adventure of Sherlock Holmes, was selected as the first vehicle for Basil and myself. Much of the picture was made in a huge stage on the 20th-Century back lot. The entire stage was surrounded by a circular screen of canvas on which was painted a very lifelike picture of Dartmoor. The centre of the stage was filled with large boulders made of plaster of paris. Here and there a bridge was seen and several caves were visible. Running through the boggy marsh-like ground were several small streams. For eight weeks we worked in this set, and the atmosphere was most unpleasant as the fog which was necessary to the story was made by artificial methods and freshly pumped into the stage after every shot. The effect reached, however, was eerie and foreboding and the picture turned out to be an excellent one.
Basil Rathbone looked exactly like every picture that one has ever seen of Sherlock Holmes; and the cast, which was a good one, included Wendy Barrie, Lionel Atwill, John Carradine and an attractive young newcomer from England by the name of Richard Greene. Our director was Sidney Lanfield. Lanfield had the reputation of being a tartar, but after a few outbursts during the first few days, Basil and I got on splendidly with him. Each morning we greeted him with great affection and both of us would plant a kiss on his furrowed brow. After each take we would shake hands and solemnly congratulate one another on our 'excellent performance.' We took the whole film in a mood of light-hearted enjoyment which left Sidney, who was accustomed to arguments and scenes, in a state of complete bafflement, and he gave up losing his temper in sheer self-defense. The result of this was that we all worked happily together and enjoyed every moment on the picture.

I never worked with a nicer man than Basil, and I never acted with a more unselfish or more cooperative actor. The Baskervilles took from December 29th, 1938, to the 8th of March, 1939, and in the picture I earned nearly $10,000. The Hound of the Baskervilles was released....and its reception both in America and in England, where we felt they would be more critical, was beyond our wildest hopes. Basil was hailed as a splendid Sherlock Holmes and the critics not only gave him high praise but remarked that his resemblance to the general idea of the great detective was amazing. As Doctor Watson, I seemed to amuse and satisfy the many devoted admirers of the Conan Doyle characters. The London Sunday Pictorial said this of the film: 'In my excitement I dropped my hat, cigarettes, gloves and matches, and I let them stay on the floor until the lights went up.'"

 

I found out years later that Rondo Hatton -- the 1940s Hollywood actor famous for being "the monster without makeup," because his face was so hideous -- had previously been voted the handsomest senior at Plant High School, my old alma mater in Tampa! Shortly after that, he got drafted in WWI and was exposed to mustard gas, and that reportedly triggered this gross glandular disease which deformed his face, turning him into "The Creeper."

 

Wow, did not know this at all.

 

Ah, just read the Wikipedia entry which states that the "mustard gas" part of the story was made up by studio publicists to create more sympathy for Mr. Hatton -- though he did serve in WWI. I also got the high school wrong: he was voted the most handsome boy in Hillsborough High, which was across town from Plant High. (Missed it by about 6 miles.) Apparently, the disease was acromegaly, and it was a pituitary disorder that has an unknown cause.

The British actor Paul Benedict -- the next-door neighbor in The Jeffersons -- also had acromegaly, but earlier in his career a doctor saw him in a stage performance and saw him backstage, then prescribed him some medication to stop the condition.

 

To keep things going, more differences between the film and the novel:

• The novel opens at 221B Baker Street with Holmes and Watson examining the walking stick left by Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill), whom they haven't met yet. The film opens with the death of Sir Charles Baskerville and the neighbors discussing the circumstances of Sir Charles' death.
• In the novel, Mrs. Laura Lyons (Frankland's daughter) is a fairly important character, having arranged to meet Sir Charles on the night of his death. She is not mentioned in the film.
• In the novel Beryl Stapleton turns out to be married to Mr. Stapleton and only pretending to be his sister. There is no talk of an engagement to Sir Henry Baskerville. In the film Miss Stapleton (Wendy Barrie) really is the sister--step-sister, in fact, so there is a happy ending for Sir Henry (Richard Greene) and Beryl Stapleton.
• The seance scene with Mrs. Mortimer does not occur in the novel. In fact there is no Mrs. Mortimer in the novel. Mrs. Hudson isn't mentioned in the novel either.
• The trap that Holmes lays to catch the Hound is also different in the novel and film. In the novel Holmes, Watson and Lestrade are on the moor, waiting for Sir Henry to leave the Stapleton's house and walk home. They are ready and shoot the Hound before it has even scratched Sir Henry. In the film Holmes and Watson (minus Lestrade) are late getting to the moor because the carriage broke down and they don't reach Sir Henry and shoot the Hound before Sir Henry has been horribly mauled, almost to death. This is typical Hollywood: try to build up the suspense--"Will he get there in time to save Sir Henry?" It is out of character for Holmes to not have all the details worked out.
• In the film (and not in the novel) Holmes allows himself to get locked in the pit where the hound had been kept. How could Holmes be so stupid when he's supposed to be so brilliant?
• At the end of the film Holmes says, "Oh, Watson -- the needle!" This line is not in the novel, but Holmes' use of morphine is documented in other stories. This line added nothing to the story--it's amazing that the censors allowed it.

 

I've read that the reason the novel's Barrymore was changed to Barryman was Darryl Zanuck's concern of it being mistaken as a reference to the famed acting family, which of course it was not.

 

If there are no more comments about Hound of The Baskervilles, I will move on to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Let me know if some of you are still finishing up watching
the film again and I will delay it.

 

Ever wonder why the litigious Scotsman character and his psychic wife were added to the film? I assume it was due to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's move into the Spirituality movement near the end of his life. He was known to contact his late first-wife through mediums. The man who created the super-rational Sherlock Holmes financed spiritualist events and mediums like the film's character. He was very well known for this and I just think Zanuck thought it would add entertainment value. Anyone else?

 

It had been perhaps 10 years since my last viewing of HOTB until a few nights ago. I did enjoy it as much as any of my previous viewings. I believe this is the first time I had seen the seance scene, since the version I had taped years ago cut it out.

I thought it was curious that the early scenes are scored with music, but the later ones are not. It's a minor weakness but I think a score would have enhanced the mood.

As pointed out above, the romance angle was added by Hollywood. This is OK, I guess, but I could have done without it.

This is certainly the best filmed version of HOTB that I've seen. The unavoidable problem that all filmed versions share is the long stretch where Holmes does not appear. Since the only way to "fix" this issue would be to deviate from the Doyle canon, it's probably best to remain faithful to the source in this case.

In retrospect at least, both John Carradine and Lionel Atwill are cast against type. For viewers in 1939 who perhaps were not familiar with the novel, this probably caused their characters to be red herrings to the solution of the mystery.

Having never watched these films in chronological order as I am about to do, it struck me how Rathbone and Bruce play the roles as if they had been playing them for years. It will be interesting to see if we can pick up some sublte changes as the films progress.

One thing that confused me -- and I haven't had a chance to check the novel for details -- why does Lionel Atwill get so peeved at Holmes when, at the end of the scene in Baker Street, he is asked about his dog?