Terror by Night (1946)

When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner is murdered, Sherlock Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Frank Gruber (screenplay), Arthur Conan Doyle (adapted from a story by)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray	...	Maj. Duncan-Bleek
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey	...	Vivian Vedder
Frederick Worlock	...	Prof. William Kilbane (as Frederic Worlock)
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Margaret Carstairs
Skelton Knaggs	...	Sands - Moran's Accomplice
Billy Bevan	...	Passenger Car Attendant Taking Tickets
Geoffrey Steele	...	Hon. Roland Carstairs

Storyline

Holmes is hired by Roland Carstairs to prevent the theft of the Star of Rhodesia, an enormous diamond owned by Carstairs' mother, Lady Margaret. Believing the diamond will be stolen on a train trip from London to Edinburgh, Holmes deftly switches diamonds with Lady Margaret while in her compartment. Soon after, Roland is murdered and the fake diamond is stolen. Red herrings abound as Holmes, aided by Dr. Watson and Inspector Lestrade, discover the murderer's hiding place and deduce that long-time foe Moriarty's henchman Colonel Sebastian Moran is somehow involved in the crime.

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | train | sherlock holmes | theft | inspector | 

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Taglines:

MURDER... at 90 Miles an Hour!

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Genres:

Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes: Terror by Night

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The thirteenth 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.

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Goofs

Early in the movie the discovery of the Star of Rhodesia is shown. The diamond picked out of the mud looks perfectly clear, with sharp edges. However, raw diamonds have rough round edges and appear quite ordinary, with only a hint of regular crystal form.

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Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: The young lady is taking her mother to Scotland for burial.
Inspector Lestrade: In a coffin?
Sherlock Holmes: That is the customary method, I believe.

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Connections

Follows Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

User Reviews

One of the Best Classic Sherlock Holmes Films !

Movie goers in the late 1930's and 40's thought this team of actors performed exactly how Sherlock Holmes was suppose to be in real life. Basil Rathbone,(Sherlock Holmes),"The Black Cat",'41 always gave an outstanding performance and his very appearance added greatly to his role as the famous English detective from London, England. Nigel Bruce(Dr. John H. Watson),"The Corn Is Green",'45 played the sidekick to Holmes and appeared goofy at sometimes. This entire film dealt with a long train ride, running in and out of compartments and even looking into a coffin. Alan Mowbray,(Maj.Duncan-Bleek),"I Wake Up Screaming",'41 gave a great supporting role and kept Dr. Watson busy playing Gin Rummy during the "Lionel Train Ride" in Black & White! Skelton Knaggs,(Sands),"Bedlam",'46, put his ugly face into the plot and as always gave a great supporting role. If you love Classic Holmes Films and these great veteran actors, this is just one of the great films Rathbone & Bruce appeared in!