IMDb > Dressed to Kill (1946)
Dressed to Kill
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Dressed to Kill (1946) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 5)
Dressed to Kill -- A set of cheap music boxes that people are willing to kill for puts Sherlock Holmes on the case.
Dressed to Kill -- A transsexual murders one of his psychiatrist's patients, and now he's after the prostitute who witnessed it.

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   2,910 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Roy William Neill
Writers:
Arthur Conan Doyle (story) and
Frank Gruber (adaptation)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dressed to Kill on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 June 1946 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Crime | Mystery See more »
Tagline:
Queen . . . of a Crime Cult !
Plot:
Sherlock Holmes sets out to discover why a trio of murderous villains, including a dangerously attractive female, are desperate to obtain three unassuming and inexpensive little music boxes. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
This Week in Film History: Rocky, The Matrix, and More!
 (From Cineplex. 3 April 2012, 2:09 PM, PDT)
[Now Streaming] Your ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘Alvin and The Chipmunks,’ & ‘Corman’s World’ Alternatives
 (From The Film Stage. 15 December 2011, 6:00 AM, PST)
User Reviews:
The Last of the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes Stories See more (50 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Basil Rathbone ... Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce ... Dr. John H. Watson
Patricia Morison ... Mrs. Hilda Courtney
Edmund Breon ... Julian 'Stinky' Emery (as Edmond Breon)
Frederick Worlock ... Colonel Cavanaugh (as Frederic Worlock)
Carl Harbord ... Inspector Hopkins
Patricia Cameron ... Evelyn Clifford
Holmes Herbert ... Ebenezer Crabtree
Harry Cording ... Hamid
Leyland Hodgson ... Tour Guide
Mary Gordon ... Mrs. Hudson

Ian Wolfe ... Commissioner of Scotland Yard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Allen ... Scottish Man at Auction (uncredited)
Frank Baker ... Photographer (uncredited)
Guy Bellis ... Doctor (uncredited)
Wilson Benge ... Minister on Museum Tour (uncredited)
Marjorie Bennett ... Antique Shop Assistant (uncredited)
Ted Billings ... Pub Patron (uncredited)
Lillian Bronson ... Minister's Wife (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti ... Convict at Dartmoor Prison (uncredited)
Tom Dillon ... Detective Sergeant Thompson (uncredited)
Topsy Glyn ... The Kilgour Child (uncredited)
Charlie Hall ... Cab Driver (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten ... Alfred - Auction House Bookkeeper (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin ... Detective with X-ray Photos (uncredited)
Tiny Jones ... Pub Patron (uncredited)
Guy Kingsford ... Scotland Yard Undercover Convict in Dartmoor Prison (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien ... Detective at Murder Scene (uncredited)
Alexander Pollard ... Crabtree's Assistant at Auction (uncredited)
Wallace Scott ... Joe Cisto (uncredited)
Anita Sharp-Bolster ... Teacher on Museum Tour (uncredited)
Sally Shepherd ... Tobacconist (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Roy William Neill 
 
Writing credits
Arthur Conan Doyle (story) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Frank Gruber  adaptation
Leonard Lee  screenplay

Produced by
Howard Benedict .... executive producer
Roy William Neill .... producer
 
Cinematography by
Maury Gertsman (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Saul A. Goodkind 
 
Art Direction by
Martin Obzina 
Jack Otterson 
 
Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman 
Edward R. Robinson 
 
Costume Design by
Vera West (gowns)
 
Makeup Department
Carmen Dirigo .... hair stylist
Jack P. Pierce .... director of makeup
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Melville Shyer .... assistant director
Judson Cox .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Glenn E. Anderson .... technician
Bernard B. Brown .... sound director
Ronald Pierce .... sound mixer (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Russell Lawson .... matte artist (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Robert Tafur .... stunt double (uncredited)
Robert Tufer .... stunt double: Basil Rathbone (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
John J. Martin .... second camera operator (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Milton Rosen .... musical director
Richard Hageman .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Delos Jewkes .... singing voice: "Ya Never Know Just 'Oo You're Gonna Meet" (uncredited)
William Lava .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn .... 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
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
  • Hypercube  digital restoration (National Film Museum print)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Prelude to Murder" - USA (working title), USA (DVD title)
"Sherlock Holmes: Dressed to Kill" - USA (DVD title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
72 min (video version) | 76 min (copyright length)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Black & White and Color) | Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (PCA #11512, General Audience) | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
Company:
Universal PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Mention is made by Watson of two stories from the original canon, "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Solitary Cyclist."See more »
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Dr. Watson refers to having met the King of Bohemia. This refers not to the land of the Czechs, but to an imaginary place of the same name, created by Sir 'Arthur Conan Doyle' for the Holmes adventures.See more »
Quotes:
Holmes:The truth can only be found by the painstaking elimination of the untrue.See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in On the Road (2012)See more »
Soundtrack:
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)See more »

FAQ

Chicago Opening Happened When?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
19 out of 23 people found the following review useful.
The Last of the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes Stories, 20 February 2004
Author: Ralph Michael Stein (riglltesobxs@mailinator.com) from New York, N.Y.

"Dressed to Kill" puts Sherlock Holmes and the devoted but bumbling Dr. Watson on the trail of a ruthless gang intent on securing - by hook, crook or thrown dagger - three seemingly innocuous music boxes. The boxes come from a workshop in one of England's famous prisons. Perhaps vocational rehabilitation of cons has its downside.

The conspirators - a suave gentleman-type, a thuggish chauffeur and a beautiful woman - come close to writing finis to Holmes's career and his life. Of course they can not succeed where Dr. Moriarty has failed.

Set in a London past the time of Conan Doyle, the film features a never to be overused "follow that cab" episode. The usually exclusively cerebral Holmes here actually does some strenuous exercise and proves handy with a revolver.

Fun to watch, this isn't the best Rathbone/Bruce Holmes film but it's pleasant enough for a late, cold winter night's entertainment.

7/10.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (50 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Dressed to Kill (1946)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Were they aware this would be last? ctatlock
Patricia Morison habler6
Samuel johnson link? habler6
Anachronisms? ileanadu
A touch of humour. arboni23
So how does the poison gas work? 03softail
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon The Woman in Green Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror The Spider Returns Sherlock Holmes
IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Crime section IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.