The Dancing Men (1 May 1984)

A gentleman is baffled when the childish drawings of little dancing men terrify his American wife. Sherlock Holmes soon discovers why.

Director:

John Bruce

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (by), John Hawkesworth (developed for television by),

Stars:

Jeremy Brett, David Burke, Tenniel Evans

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
David Burke	...	Dr Watson
Tenniel Evans	...	Hilton Cubitt
Betsy Brantley	...	Elsie Cubitt
David Ross	...	Inspector Martin
Eugene Lipinski	...	Abe Slaney
Lorraine Peters	...	Mrs King
Wendy Jane Walker	...	Saunders
Paul Jaynes	...	Walker
Bernard Atha	...	Dr Carthew
Tommy Brierley	...	Cabbie

Storyline

Hilton Cubitt seeks Sherlock Holmes' assistance in determining why a series of hieroglyphs - little pictures of dancing men - has so terrified his American wife Elsie. He knows little of his wife's background having met her in London during the Queen's Golden Jubilee but has now been very happily married for three years. The problems started a few months before when she received a letter from Chicago and more recently, when the drawings of the dancing men had been chalked on a garden wall. Holmes realizes that the symbols are a code of some sort and Mrs. Cubitt continues to receive similar messages. He also knows however that to unravel the mystery, he will have to learn more about the woman's past and her history in America.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1984 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Leighton Hall, Carnforth, Lancashire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1903, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed briefly at Hill House Hotel at Happisburgh, near Norwich. Asked to sign an autograph book, he saw in it a signature and address written in "dancing men" by G. J. Cubitt, the proprietor's son, who was then about seven years old. Conan Doyle then and there set to work upon "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," using not only the cipher, but the name Cubitt for the central character in this tale.

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Goofs

At the conclusion of the story, during Dr. Watson's epilogue, you can see modern vehicle traffic passing on the road in the background behind the manor house in the upper left hand corner.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hilton Cubitt: Elsie, what's the matter? Elsie!

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Crazy Credits

There are Paget drawings from the story during the credits.

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Connections

Version of The Mystery of the Dancing Men (1923)

User Reviews

Those little dancing men....

The story of The Dancing Men is one of my favorites - OK,as I am a huge fan of Jeremy Brett,I love all the episodes,but I like this one especially.The story is exciting and as time passes, the viewers may try to put together the meaning of the drawings themselves. But I like it mostly because of the excellent acting - Jeremy just looks gorgeous in that sexy dressing gown in the scene where he deduces that Watson did not invest in goldmines. His gestures and mimic are awesome, not to mention his wonderful diction. During the Adventures series he still was thin and quick and healthy - later, due to his illnesses and the loss of his wife his appearance changed, but his performance remained larger than life.And if I consider the fact that he was 50 when he first appeared as Sherlock Holmes, he made a miracle - for me at least, because he is absolutely convincing as Holmes somewhere in his thirties. David Burke is always great as Watson and the supporting cast did a fine job too.I recommend this episode to everyone as a fantastic introducing into the realm of my one and only Sherlock Holmes, the unforgettable Jeremy Brett.