The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

Director:

Sidney Lanfield

Writers:

Ernest Pascal (screenplay)
Arthur Conan Doyle (novel)

Release Date:

31 March 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson investigate the legend of a supernatural hound, a beast that may be stalking a young heir on the fog-shrouded moorland that makes up his estate.

Plot Keywords:

Moor | Death | Sherlock Holmes | Boot | Doctor

Cast

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 (as Nigel de Brulier)
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson
Ian Maclaren	...	Sir Charles (as Ian MacLaren)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leonard Carey	...	Hugo's Servant (uncredited)
Kenneth Hunter	...	Ship's Officer (uncredited)
Vesey O'Davoren	...	Ship's Steward (uncredited)
Rita Page	...	Chambermaid (uncredited)
John Graham Spacey	...	Ship's Porter (uncredited)
Ruth Terry	...	Betsy Ann (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Open Carriage Driver (uncredited)
Peter Willes	...	Roderick (uncredited)
Mary Young	...	Betsy Ann's Mother (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lanfield

Writing credits
Ernest Pascal		(screenplay)
Arthur Conan Doyle		(novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles") (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

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

Original Music by
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Charles Maxwell		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)
David Raksin		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
J. Peverell Marley		(photography) (as Peverell Marley)

Film Editing by
Robert L. Simpson		(as Robert Simpson)

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
Gene Bryant	....	assistant director (uncredited)

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

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

Other crew
Harold Lloyd Morris	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (1939) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1976) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MPI Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MPI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | UK:PG | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #5037) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1939)

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After being out of circulation for many years, partly because of the 1959 Hammer remake in Technicolor starring Peter Cushing, this film was restored and re-released to theaters in 1975 with great fanfare, to the point of having the national evening news do a story on it. The film was shown at its full 80-minute length, and newspaper and magazine articles commented on the fact that the line "Oh, Watson, the needle!", referring to Holmes' cocaine habit (and usually misquoted as "Quick, Watson, the needle!") was put back in after having been cut by the censors. As an added attraction, the studio added a rare sound film featurette which showed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books, talking about his creation.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film is set in 1889, but when Holmes searches the moor with his pocket lantern, it is obvious the prop had been retrofitted with an electric light-bulb instead of an alcohol fueled flame.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Sherlock Holmes:Oh, Watson - the needle!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bewitched: Follow That Witch: Part 2 (#2.31)" (1966)

Rathbone and Bruce-The Definitive Holmes & Watson

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" was the first movie that paired the great actor Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as his bumbling yet lovable assistant, Dr. Watson. The two actors embody the characters of Holmes and Watson, and it's a delight to see the interaction between the two. This movie is great on all levels, from the creepy atmosphere of the moors where the "hound from hell" roams, to the performances of all the actors involved. Richard Greene, who plays Sir Henry Baskerville, and John Carradine also give solid performances. I remember watching this movie on late night TV with my sister when I was a kid and being genuinely frightened by the scenes on the moor when Richard Greene is being chased by the hound. For me this is the best of the Sherlock Holmes series of movies that was made in the late 1930's and 1940's. A must see!