The Spider Woman (1944)

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser (screenplay)
Arthur Conan Doyle (story)

Release Date:

21 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Here is crawling death sent to Sherlock Holmes by the most fiendish killer of all...

Plot:

Sherlock Holmes has to solve a mystery about a series of suicides of known gamblers.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Sherlock Holmes | Spider | Entomologist | Shooting Gallery

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Doctor Watson
Gale Sondergaard	...	Adrea Spedding
Dennis Hoey	...	Lestrade
Vernon Downing	...	Norman Locke
Alec Craig	...	Radlik
Arthur Hohl	...	Gilflower
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sylvia Andrew	...	(scenes deleted)
Wilson Benge	...	Unspecified Clerk (unconfirmed)
Marie De Becker	...	Charwoman (scenes deleted)
John Rogers	...	Unspecified Clerk (unconfirmed)
Donald Stuart	...	Unidentified Character [AFI catalog name: Artie] (unconfirmed)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (USA) (review title)
The Spider Woman (UK)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #9470)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The seventh of fourteen films based on Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional consulting detective Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Holmes studies a 'low, rambling structure' in a photo to determine if the scene is really India. The picture appears as dots as it should under magnification - except a flag, on which is written 'Sun Valley.' The flag is clearly inked on.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: [Describibg Andrea Spedding as she is being arrested] A remarkable woman! Audacious and deadly as one of her own spiders!

Movie Connections:

Spin off The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946)

The Female Of The Species Is More Deadly Than The Male

Sherlock Holmes matches wits with THE SPIDER WOMAN, a fiendish femme fatale responsible for a series of ingenious London murders.

Holmes & Watson face one of their most dangerous enemies in this highly enjoyable little crime mystery. Angry arachnids, toxic gas, Hitler's deadly heart and a very sinister little boy are only some of the elements Holmes must contend with in order to solve the latest crime spree to baffle the Metropolitan Police. Behind it all is the malice of a clever, cruel & cunning woman who gleefully challenges the great detective to do his best to stop her.

The movie is not without its faults. The brief running time and abrupt conclusion are unfortunate, and the ultimate reason for all the murders is really not all that exciting, but the vivid characters and dangerous adventure more than compensate for the film's shortcomings.

Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce remain perfect in their leading roles. Rathbone obviously relished playing the cerebral genius and he gets to spice out his characterization with a couple of dead-on disguises. Bumbling Bruce only grows more lovable with each passing film, playing his part with fierce loyalty as well as charming naiveté.

Oscar winning actress Gale Sondergaard portrays the title role with deadly feline guile, teasing Holmes the way a cat plays with a mouse. Alec Craig & Arthur Hohl steal a few screen moments as eccentric entomologists. Back for their recurring roles are Dennis Hoey as dogged Inspector Lestrade and dear Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson.

This film -- which was based on wisps of plot from Conan Doyle's

The Final Problem, The Empty House, The Speckled Band, The Sign of Four, and The Devil's Foot -- followed SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) and preceded THE SCARLET CLAW (1944). Miss Sondergaard reprised her villainous role two years later in THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK (1946).