Murder at the Baskervilles (1937)
"Silver Blaze" (original title)

Sherlock Holmes takes a vacation and visits his old friend Sir Henry Baskerville. His vacation ends when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a double-murder mystery. Now he's got to ... See full summary »

Director:

Thomas Bentley

Writer:

Arthur Conan Doyle (story)

Stars:

Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Lyn Harding

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Arthur Wontner	...	Sherlock Holmes
Ian Fleming	...	Dr. Watson
Lyn Harding	...	Professor Moriarty
John Turnbull	...	Inspector Lestrade
Robert Horton	...	Col. Ross
Lawrence Grossmith	...	Sir Henry Baskerville
Judy Gunn	...	Diana Baskerville
Arthur Macrae	...	Jack Trevor
Arthur Goullet	...	Col. Sebastian Moran
Martin Walker	...	James Straker
Eve Gray	...	Mrs. Mary Straker
Gilbert Davis	...	Miles Stanford
Minnie Rayner	...	Mrs. Hudson
D.J. Williams	...	Silas Brown
Ralph Truman	...	Bert Prince

Storyline

Sherlock Holmes takes a vacation and visits his old friend Sir Henry Baskerville. His vacation ends when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a double-murder mystery. Now he's got to find Professor Moriarty and the horse Silver Blaze before the great cup final horse race.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | sherlock holmes | horse race | animal trainer | race fixing | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murder at the Baskervilles

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Julius Hagen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min 65 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Visatone Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final screen appearance by Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes.

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Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: [to Inspector Lestrade] We're old friends. I should hate to see you make such an ass of yourself as wrongfully to arrest the future son-in-law of Sir Henry Baskerville.

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Connections

Version of The Return of Sherlock Holmes: Silver Blaze (1988)

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Soundtracks

"In a Spring Garden"
(uncredited)
Music by Alex Roloff
De Wolfe Music Ltd

User Reviews

fairly good early Holmes movie

Arthur Wortner appeared as Conan Doyle's great detective in six films, four of which survive today. Silver Blaze was the last one, by which time Wortner was over sixty, although still looking the picture of Holmes as he appeared in the Paget illustrations of Strand Magazine.

This version of Silver Blaze takes some liberties with the story; it involves Sir Henry Baskerville, plus Professor Moriarty (an engaging and entertaining performance from Lyn Harding), and Colonel Moran from The Empty House. However it retains the same twists and turns which were present in the original story and, as a film, it works very well.

Filmed on the cheap with obviously faked sets (notably when Holmes and Watson transfer their investigations to 'the moors') it is good to see Wortner's excellent Holmes, sardonic and sharp. Dr Watson is played by Ian Fleming, who is fairly good as well.

John Turnbull as Lestrade is a good foil for Holmes, and one can sense the level of tolerance and grudging admiration that exists between the two crime-solvers.

For Sherlockians, this version of Silver Blaze compares well with the one created during the 1980s as part of Granada's TV adaptations, and stands up well in its own right as a B-picture mystery.