The Woman in Green (1945)

Sherlock Holmes investigates when young women around London turn up murdered, each with a finger severed. Scotland Yard suspects a madman, but Holmes believes the killings to be part of a diabolical plot.

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser (original screenplay), Arthur Conan Doyle (based on the characters created by) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Basil Rathbone	...	Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Watson
Hillary Brooke	...	Lydia
Henry Daniell	...	Moriarty (as Moriarity)
Paul Cavanagh	...	Fenwick
Matthew Boulton	...	Inspector Gregson
Eve Amber	...	Maude
Frederick Worlock	...	Onslow (as Frederic Worlock)
Coulter Irwin	...	Williams (as Tom Bryson)
Sally Shepherd	...	Crandon
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson

Storyline

Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently unconnected murders, and the death of a possible suspect. The trail leads to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious, glamorous woman. The fiendish Dr James Moriarty, though reported hanged in Montevideo, is suspected of being involved.

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Plot Keywords:

irish whiskey | body mutilation | professor moriarty character | sherlock holmes character | dr. john watson character | 

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Taglines:

Temptress of Pleasure - or Mistress of Murder?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invitation to Murder

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This marks the third Sherlock Holmes' movie starred by Basil Rathbone where Holmes faces Prof. James Moriarty, after The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942). Curiously, in each movie Moriarty is portrayed by a different actor: George Zucco, Lionel Atwill and Henry Daniell, respectively.

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Goofs

The bust of "Julius Caesar" which Holmes sets up as a target decoy for his would-be assassin is actually a bust of Julius Caesar's nephew and ultimate successor Augustus.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Inspector Gregson: [voiceover] I won't forget that morning, not if I live to be a hundred. I counted the men as they marched out of the Yard. They'd hardly slept for weeks. We at the CID had slept even less, for the nightmare that kept us awake was all the same nightmare. That's why we weren't surprised when the Commissioner asked us up to the conference room for a bit of a talk. He'd talk to us plenty, we knew that. But it didn't help any to know what was ahead of us.

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Crazy Credits

In the cast list at the end, Professor Moriarty's name is misspelled as professor Moriarity.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in computer-colorized version.

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Connections

Follows Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

User Reviews

Solid, moody Holmes entry.....

......very enjoyable. Hilary Brooke is seductive, Henry Daniell is a terrific Moriarty, as always Rathbone and Bruce are tops as Holmes and Watson. Here you get to see them trailing a string of hypnotist-induced murders, reminders of the Ripper killings to a degree.

Be sure to pay attention to a couple scenes, the Sniper and the Hypnotist demo. Both are what made this series are keeper.

As always they don't pad it w/ unneeded scenes or characters, so you can get your Rathbone fix in about an hour or more. There are a few noir touches and of course, the patriotic ode to London at the end.

*** outta ****