Without a Clue (1988)

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writers (WGA):

Gary Murphy (written by) &
Larry Strawther (written by)

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

The flip side of Sherlock Holmes.

Plot:

A drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective - Dr Watson.

Plot Keywords:

Sherlock Holmes | Actor | Detective | Doctor | Police Inspector

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Sherlock Holmes
Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. John Watson
Jeffrey Jones	...	Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony	...	Impostor Leslie Giles
Paul Freeman	...	Professor James Moriarty
Nigel Davenport	...	Lord Smithwick
Pat Keen	...	Mrs. Hudson
Peter Cook	...	Norman Greenhough
Tim Killick	...	Sebastian Moran
Matthew Savage	...	Wiggins
John Warner	...	Peter Giles
Matthew Sim	...	Real Leslie Giles
Harold Innocent	...	Lord Mayor Gerald Fitzwalter Johnson
George Sweeney	...	John Clay
Murray Ewan	...	Archie
Stephen Tiller	...	Reporter #1
Michael O'Hagan	...	Reporter #2
Ivor Roberts	...	Reporter #3
Martin Pallot	...	Photographer
Gregor Fisher	...	Bobby at Warehouse
Caroline Milmoe	...	Constance
Steven O'Donnell	...	Henry the Bartender
James Bree	...	Barrister
Sarah Parr-Byrne	...	Singer
Clive Mantle	...	Thug #1
Dave Cooper	...	Thug #2
Richard Henry	...	Hadlers
Lesley Daine	...	Lady on Train
Jennifer Guy	...	Christabel
John Tordoff	...	Mr. Andrews
Alexandra Spencer	...	Mrs. Andrews
Elizabeth Kelly	...	Landlady
Sam Davies	...	Local #1
Adam Kotz	...	Local #2
John Surman	...	Constable at Lakes
Les White	...	Henchman #1
Chris Webb	...	Henchman #2
Andy Bradford	...	Dockworker
Evan Russell	...	Sergeant at Docks
Alan Bodenham	...	Driver
Prince the Wonder Dog	...	The Duke

Directed by
Thom Eberhardt

Writing credits (WGA)
Gary Murphy		(written by) &
Larry Strawther		(written by)

Produced by
Diana Buckhantz	....	associate producer
Ben Moses	....	associate producer
Marc Stirdivant	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Alan Hume

Film Editing by
Peter Tanner

Casting by
Noel Davis
Jeremy Zimmermann		(as Jeremy Zimmerman)

Production Design by
Brian Ackland-Snow
Martyn Hebert		(as Martyn Hébert)

Art Direction by
Terry Ackland-Snow
Robin Tarsnane

Set Decoration by
Peter James
Ian Whittaker

Costume Design by
Judy Moorcroft

Makeup Department
Lois Burwell	....	makeup artist
Sandra Exelby	....	assistant makeup artist
Peter Frampton	....	makeup artist
Betty Glasow	....	hairdresser (as Elizabeth Glasow)
Stevie Hall	....	hairdresser
Tracy Smith	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Christabel Albery	....	production supervisor
Dennis A. Brown	....	executive in charge of production
John Forrest Niss	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don French	....	first assistant director
Gerry Toomey	....	second assistant director
Kevin Westley	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Amanda Ackland-Snow	....	assistant set decorator
Andrew Ackland-Snow	....	assistant art director
Bill Bernie	....	stand-by painter (as William Bernie)
Brian Blues	....	chargehand carpenter
Tom Brown	....	assistant art director
John Campbell	....	chargehand painter
Lance Chapman	....	signwriter
Bob Eames	....	stand-by carpenter (as Robert Eames)
Dennis Fruin	....	property master
George Gibbons	....	chargehand stagehand
Ian Giladjian	....	property buyer
Robert Hill	....	stand-by props
Derek Ixer	....	dressing props
Trevor Jones	....	stand-by stagehand
Reginald Keywood	....	carpenter supervisor
Brian Lofthouse	....	dressing props
Steve Macdonald	....	stand-by props (as Stephen McDonald)
Peter Palmer	....	property buyer
John Roberts	....	stand-by painter
Chris Seddon	....	drapes
Vic Simpson	....	construction manager
Bill Stallion	....	storyboard artist
Ilua Vasic	....	chargehand plasterer (as Ilija Vasic)
Bob Walker	....	signwriter
John Wells	....	storeman
David Maconochie	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Wayne Artmen)
Gregg Baxter	....	adr editor (as Greg Baxter)
Tom Beckert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Desmond Cannon	....	assistant sound editor
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Tom Dahl)
Lee Dragu	....	foley editor
James Dean Fisher	....	foley artist
David Hildyard	....	sound recordist
Russ Hill	....	dialogue editor
Eddy Joseph	....	dialogue editor
Mike Le Mare	....	supervising sound editor (as Mike Le-Mare)
Anthony Palk	....	sound effects editor
Keith Pamplin	....	boom operator
John Pitt	....	sound maintenance engineer
John Post	....	foley artist
Carolann Sanchez-Shapiro	....	assistant sound editor (as Carolann Sanchez)
Steve Schwalbe	....	assistant sound editor
Karola Storr	....	foley editor
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Trevor Butterfield	....	special effects senior technician
Terry Glass	....	special effects senior technician
Roger Nichols	....	special effects senior technician (as Roger R. Nichols)
Neil Swan	....	special effects senior technician
David Watson	....	special effects senior technician
Ian Wingrove	....	special effects supervisor

Stunts
Del Baker	....	stunts
Brian Bowes	....	stunts
Graeme Crowther	....	stunts
Stuart Fell	....	stunts
Elaine Ford	....	stunts
Terry Forrestal	....	stunts
Frank Henson	....	stunts
Doug Robinson	....	stunts
Denise Ryan	....	stunts
Colin Skeaping	....	stunts
Rocky Taylor	....	stunts
Terry Walsh	....	stunts
Paul Weston	....	stunt coordinator
Jason White	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Graham Attwood	....	still photographer
Bob Bremner	....	gaffer
Sean Connor	....	camera trainee
Frederick Crawford	....	chargehand rigger
Bob Gomme	....	generator operator (as Bob Gomm)
Graham Hall	....	clapper loader
Martin Hume	....	camera operator
Simon Hume	....	focus puller
Alec King	....	electrician
Tom Lowen	....	stand-by rigger
Jim Smart	....	electrician
Bill Thornhill	....	best boy
Terry Townsend	....	electrician
Jimmy Waters	....	camera grip
Jimmy Worley	....	electrician (as Jim Worley)

Casting Department
Nancy Foy	....	casting: Los Angeles
Cathy Sandrich	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Keith Morton	....	wardrobe supervisor
James Smith	....	wardrobe assistant (as Jim Smith)
Sue Wain	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Natalie Baker	....	assistant editor
Joanne Chee	....	post-production coordinator
Carl Graham	....	assistant editor
Harry Hitner	....	assistant editor
William Parnell	....	assistant editor (as Bill Parnell)
Ron Wengler	....	color timer
Janelle Showalter	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Stephen A. Hope	....	music editor
Hayward Parrott	....	scoring mixer
Celia Weiner	....	music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Joe Drinkeld	....	transportation

Other crew
Michael Bishop	....	runner
Jeff Bruce	....	assistant accountant
Debra Cole	....	assistant accountant
Lisa Davila	....	runner
Robert Fabbri	....	runner
Harriet Fenner	....	production coordinator
Linda Glatzel	....	unit nurse
Dave Goodey	....	horses and carriages (as Dave Goody)
Penelope Gottlieb	....	title designer
John Hargreaves	....	runner
Laurie Hindenach	....	production estimator
Patrick Isherwood	....	production accountant
Bob Jordan	....	assistant location manager
Susan Leh	....	publicity coordinator
Ben Montanio	....	production controller
Skates Naiman	....	coordinator: Los Angeles (as Sandi 'Skates' Naiman)
Pamela Parker	....	production coordinator
Annie Penn	....	script supervisor (as Annie Wotton)
Peter Robey	....	insurance
Charles Salmon	....	location manager
Jezz Startup	....	location assistant
Gail Taylor	....	accounting assistant
Adam Walton	....	location assistant
Tristan Whalley	....	publicity assistant
Fleur Whitlock	....	runner
Brian Weske	....	personal assistant: Michael Caine (uncredited)

Thanks
John Spencer-Churchill	....	acknowledgment: Blenheim Palace scenes by kind permission of (as The Duke of Marlborough)

Production Companies

• Incorporated Television Company (ITC) (as ITC Entertainment Group) (presents)

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1988) (UK) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Orion Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Virgin Vision (1989) (UK) (VHS)
• Carlton Video (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• PVB Editions (2003) (France) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Filmax Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• AFMD (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (1990) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Divisa Home Video (2012) (Spain) (DVD)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Karelia Food (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (The Sherlock Holmes Collection)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1993) (Finland) (TV)
• VCL Video (1990) (West Germany) (VHS)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1999) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• BSX Records  score album released by (limited edition) (uncredited)
• Cinema Research  titles (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• Convoy  transport
• D&D Transport  transport
• Film Flow  transport
• Lee Lighting  electrical equipment by (as Lee Electric {Lighting} Ltd.)
• Location Technical Facilities  sound equipment by
• Ruben Sedgwick Ltd.  insurers
• Samuelson Film Service  Panaflex cameras and lenses by (as Samuelson Film Service London Ltd.)
• Set Meals  catering
• Syon Park  special thanks
• Windermere Steamboat Museum  "Lady Elizabeth" & "Bat" provided by
• Zakiya and Associates  publicist

Also Known As:

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Iceland:L | West Germany:12 (f) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-10 (1992) | Finland:K-3 (2003) | Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

The opening sequence of the movie is inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes story "The Red-Headed League." In the story, Sherlock Holmes captures John Clay and his accomplice, Archie. John Clay even calls out at one point, "Jump, Archie, and I'll swing for it!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When Inspector Lestrade leaves the British Mint in a carriage, there is just him and the driver. When he arrives at Gile's house, he now has two policemen with him and the driver.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes:[after poking a dead man with a stick] It is my opinion... that he is dead.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Time Shift: A Study in Sherlock" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Rock of Ages

Moriarty KNOWS you're an idiot.

The year was 1994, the advent of DVD was still a few years off. Laserdiscs were mainly used for films in classrooms, and the old video store down the street was STILL clutching to its 80's look of neon colors, flourescent signs and black and white striped trim. In six years it would be sold and changed dramtically. But in 1994, I walked down from my house and found this little gem. I knew how much my mother loved Sherlock Holmes, and I was a big fan of Michael Caine's, ever since I had seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. (which came out the same year as this film, incidentally).

After I brought it back home, and we watched it, I fell in love with it. The pure irony, the intellectual humor, the idiotic slapstick; every time we'd watch it it would be the most fun you could spend in two hours, it would get funnier every time. Pure escapism at its best.

Michael Caine plays the out-of-work actor Reginald Kincaid as Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley plays the true genious behind the mysteries, Watson. As the rethought storyline goes, Watson hires Reginald Kincaid to play Holmes, line for line, after Watson's first dally into writing mysteries has become a huge success. What he didn't gamble on was an alcoholic womanizing gambling idiot. We pick up the story as Moriarty has come back and as Holmes starts to seek his independance from Watson. Watson, fed up with Holmes' crap, is happy to oblige.

The more you watch it, the more jokes seem to jump out at you. We have actually fallen out of chairs watching this. Whether it be the "integrity of English literature" line or the "he KNOWS you're an idiot," its good times had by all.

I went back to the video store and over the next year, we rented the movie four times. Curious of the movie's popularity, I asked the clerk how often the movie had been rented. He told me that it had been rented six times, five of them by us. I asked if I could buy the movie and they were happy to. We've shown the movie to people over the years, all of them have loved it, and I can't imagine why such a hilarious, witty film can remain so obscure.