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IMDbPro

The Spider Woman

  • 19431943
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
39,758
11,571
The Spider Woman (1943)
MysteryThriller
Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of so-called "pajama suicides". He knows the female villain behind them is as cunning as Moriarty and as venomous as a spider.Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of so-called "pajama suicides". He knows the female villain behind them is as cunning as Moriarty and as venomous as a spider.Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of so-called "pajama suicides". He knows the female villain behind them is as cunning as Moriarty and as venomous as a spider.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
39,758
11,571
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Roy William Neill
    • Writers
      • Bertram Millhauser(screenplay)
      • Arthur Conan Doyle(story)
    • Stars
      • Basil Rathbone
      • Nigel Bruce
      • Gale Sondergaard
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Roy William Neill
    • Writers
      • Bertram Millhauser(screenplay)
      • Arthur Conan Doyle(story)
    • Stars
      • Basil Rathbone
      • Nigel Bruce
      • Gale Sondergaard
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 55User reviews
    • 29Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos10

    The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Gale Sondergaard in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Vernon Downing and Gale Sondergaard in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Dennis Hoey in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone and Gale Sondergaard in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hoey, and Gale Sondergaard in The Spider Woman (1943)
    Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in The Spider Woman (1943)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Basil Rathbone
    Basil Rathbone
    • Sherlock Holmes
    Nigel Bruce
    Nigel Bruce
    • Dr. Watson
    Gale Sondergaard
    Gale Sondergaard
    • Adrea Spedding
    Dennis Hoey
    Dennis Hoey
    • Lestrade
    Vernon Downing
    • Norman Locke
    Alec Craig
    Alec Craig
    • Radlik
    Arthur Hohl
    Arthur Hohl
    • Gilflower
    Mary Gordon
    Mary Gordon
    • Mrs. Hudson
    Jimmy Aubrey
    Jimmy Aubrey
    • News Vendor
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Bayless
    • Carnival Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Brandon Beach
    • Carnival Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Benson
    • Toy Doll Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    Lydia Bilbrook
    • Susan
    • (uncredited)
    John Burton
    • Radio Announcer
    • (uncredited)
    James Carlisle
    • Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cording
    Harry Cording
    • Fred Garvin
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Deery
    • Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Herschel Graham
    Herschel Graham
    • Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Roy William Neill
    • Writers
      • Bertram Millhauser(screenplay)
      • Arthur Conan Doyle(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At one point Holmes says to Watson, "If you ever see me getting too sure again, fancying myself more clever then Adrea Spedding, just whisper one word to me: pygmy." This line was inspired by the short story "The Adventure of the Yellow Face," in which Holmes tells Watson, "If it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper 'Norbury' in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you."
    • Goofs
      When the impostor posing as Matthew Ordway knocks a terrarium of black widow spiders onto the floor and Watson reaches for the gun among them, Holmes shouts "Stop it, Watson! Those insects are deadly!" Spiders are not insects, and Holmes, having just revealed Ordway to be an impostor on the basis of the man's lack of knowledge about spiders, should know this.
    • Quotes

      Artie - Shooting Gallery Attendant: Hey gov', sir, try your luck on Mussolini, Hiro Hito, or Hitler. Hit 'em where their hearts ought to be and listen to the 'ollow sound.

    • Connections
      Edited into Who Dunit Theater: Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      Loch Lomond
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      Heard as a theme

    User reviews55

    Review
    Top review
    Holmes and the femme fatale
    As the title suggests, this time Holmes has got to do with a TRUE 'spider woman' - not that she bears any resemblance to those not very charming creatures, but she's exactly as dangerous and reckless as them, and even 'works' with them (by the way, she's played by Gale Sondergaard, who specialized in mysterious and sometimes really fatal ladies)...

    But at the beginning of the story there's a mysterious series of 'pyjama suicides', where quite successful and seemingly happy people suddenly commit suicide in the middle of the night, without leaving even a note behind them; and for solving those very strange 'incidents - which aren't suicides, but MURDERS, as Holmes has already deduced - Holmes goes 'underground' in a very spectacular way. He fakes his own death, and disguised as a high-ranking Indian officer, he examines a famous casino where people play for very high stakes - because, as he knows, there's ONE thing all the 'suicide cases' had in common: they had all been notorious gamblers... And there he meets dark, beautiful Adrea Spedding - the 'spider woman'...

    So, of course, there's no great mystery there; we get to know very soon who's the instigator of those 'suicides', and how they're carried out - but that leads us to REAL, enormously poisonous spiders and other sudden, unexpected dangers and a lot of other features that render this movie REALLY suspenseful! Surely a great enjoyment for every fan of classic crime...
    helpful•3
    0
    • binapiraeus
    • Feb 28, 2014

    FAQ1

    • Chicago Opening Happened When?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 21, 1944 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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