Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (story)
Leonard Lee (original screenplay)

Release Date:

26 October 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

Holmes is recruited to escort the heir to a European throne safely back to his homeland after his father's assassination.

Plot Keywords:

King | Ship | Heir | Ocean | Ocean Liner

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. John H. Watson
Marjorie Riordan	...	Sheila Woodbury
Rosalind Ivan	...	Agatha Dunham
Morton Lowry	...	Sanford
Leslie Vincent	...	Nikolas Watson
Martin Kosleck	...	Mirko
Rex Evans	...	Gregor
John Abbott	...	Jodri
Gerald Hamer	...	Kingston
William 'Wee Willie' Davis	...	Gubec (as Wee Willie Davis)
Frederick Worlock	...	Prime Minister
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wilson Benge	...	Mr. Norton - Minister (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg	...	Johansson (uncredited)
Ernst Brengt	...	Ship's Bar Patron (uncredited)
James Carlisle	...	Aide (uncredited)
Ashley Cowan	...	Steward (uncredited)
James Craven	...	Anton Petzval - Customer (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Aide (uncredited)
Tom Dillon	...	Matthias Cherney - Restaurant Proprietor (uncredited)
John Dutra	...	Sailor steering Boat (uncredited)
Alan Edmiston	...	Man with Newspaper (uncredited)
Curt Furburg	...	Ship's Bar Patron (uncredited)
Gregory Gaye	...	Ravez (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Stinson - the Gunsmith (uncredited)
Dorothy Kellogg	...	Blonde Floozie at Bar (uncredited)
George Leigh	...	Reginald Dene (uncredited)
Joseph Marievsky	...	Ship Passenger (uncredited)
Charles Millsfield	...	Ship's Bar Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Roy William Neill

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Arthur Conan Doyle		story collection "The Return of Sherlock Holmes"
Leonard Lee		original screenplay

Produced by
Howard Benedict	....	executive producer
Roy William Neill	....	producer

Cinematography by
Paul Ivano

Film Editing by
Saul A. Goodkind

Art Direction by
John B. Goodman
Martin Obzina

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Ralph Sylos

Costume Design by
Vera West

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	director of makeup

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Seward Webb	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Robert Pritchard	....	sound technician

Music Department
Edgar Fairchild	....	musical director
Ralph Freed	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Leigh Harline	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hans J. Salter	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Paul Sawtell	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Raymond Kessler	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• MPI Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MPI Home Video (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• MPI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD) (The Definitive Collection)

Also Known As:

"Sherlock Holmes in Pursuit to Algiers" - USA (series title), USA (DVD title)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11214) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Little Europe, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The twelfth 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: Gubec, the deaf mute, shoves Holmes out of camera range and in five seconds has him not only bound securely with rope but gagged with a knotted handkerchief as well.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes:Brooklyn? Well, I knew a most charming man who lived there once. Uh he's now a resident in Sing Sing Prison.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes (1985) (V)

Soundtrack:

Cross My Heart

Holmes is a sack of spuds!

Flicking through the channels I came across this old friend and laid the zapper down. Some of the other Rathbone Holmes' are better old friends, but this'll do admirably.

When we finally leave the convoluted and circuitous (as Holmes himself admitted) opening scenes behind and get to the foggy ship where the action takes place we can relax - this is familiar territory! Holmes and Watson with the game afoot and surrounded by shady omniscient characters, a well bred damsel on the run and (for a change) a King to protect. Watson sings for the damsel, in a dangerously resonant baritone, Holmes plays with a cracker that weighs a gram too much, the Giant Rat of Sumatra is explained away...or is it?

After watching the Definitive DVD, I learn that Martin Kosleck and Leslie Vincent were gay and living together. Nothing terribly unusual of course, but whenever I watch these Holmes films the usually intrusive world of sex never enters my head, so I admit I was surprised. Rathbone apparently was disappointed that his close friend Martin was associating with someone so "talentless" - in the acting department though Basil!

How at the climax did the baddies know Watson had forgotten to take his pipe with him? This tremendous stab in the dark (!) enabled them to rough up Holmes so much that his hair was mussed.

Still great stuff.