The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)

Director:

Gene Wilder

Writer:

Gene Wilder (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Comedy | Mystery

Plot:

The younger brother of the consulting detective tries to steal Sherlock's glory by solving an important case assisted by an eccentric Scotland Yard detective and a lovely but suspicious actress.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Sherlock Holmes | Punctuation In Title | Queen Victoria | Apostrophe In Title

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Sigerson Holmes
Madeline Kahn	...	Jenny Hill
Marty Feldman	...	Sgt. Orville Stanley Sacker
Dom DeLuise	...	Eduardo Gambetti (as Dom De Luise)
Leo McKern	...	Moriarty
Roy Kinnear	...	Moriarty's Assistant
John Le Mesurier	...	Lord Redcliff
Douglas Wilmer	...	Sherlock Holmes
Thorley Walters	...	Dr. Watson
George Silver	...	Bruner
Nicholas Smith	...	Hunkston
John Hollis	...	Moriarty's Gunman
Aubrey Morris	...	Coach Driver
Tommy Godfrey	...	Fred
Susan Field	...	Queen Victoria

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (USA) (promotional title)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (Australia)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:T | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG

Company:

Jouer Films

Trivia:

Gene Wilder's directorial debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Sigerson Holmes is eating the chocolates from the floor, he gets chocolate all over his face. Through the scene, the chocolate smudges on his face change. First it’s very heavy, then its nearly gone and very light, and then when the camera angle is panned out the smudges are heavier.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Royal Herald: The Foreign Secretary, Lord Redcliff!
Lord Redcliff: [rehearsing what to say under his breath] Your Majesty, being inside of your confidence is the greatest joy I've ever known. Ahem...
Queen Victoria: [handing him the document] Lord Redcliff, the fate of England is now in your hands.
Lord Redcliff: Your Confidence... being inside of Your Majesty is the greatest single joy I've ever known.
[realizing what he's said, he tosses the document away]
Lord Redcliff: Woof!
Lord Redcliff: It's alright, Your Majesty! I've got it! I've got it. All's well that ends well!
Queen Victoria: Shit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Thin Blue Line (1988)

Soundtrack:

Simply Crazy

The first movie I ever saw ...

All right I take that back. This may not have been the first movie I ever saw (I think that was either "Return of the Jedi" or "The Rescue Rangers"), but this was the first movie I remember enjoying thoroughly. This is the bonding film for my dad and I. He used to quote Madeline Kahn's lines all the time while we were growing up ("I have a little dimple on my cheek ..."). Like my impassioned review of Wonka for IMDb, I'm again very partial to the acting of Gene Wilder, who I believe is one of American's all-time comic gems. He was a master of body comedy. Just look at him when he finds Zero Mostel kissing a client in "The Producers." I love this movie because it is so absurd. I remember thinking that as a child, but watching it now, do I really understand. I guess a lot of people didn't "get it" because the movie was so unconventional. Wilder's acting as Sherlock (or as he puts it "Sheer-Luck") Holmes's younger brother is funny as hell, but Marty Feldman as a cross-eyed detective? Even better. And the other casting is fantastic too - Kahn, Leo McKern, Dom DeLuise and Roy Kinnear all act brilliantly.

This movie will always mean more to me than most people. However, I urge you to see it if you always wanted to or never even heard about it, because I believe you will definitely take something positive away from it.