Terror by Night (1946)

When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner is murdered, Sherlock Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Frank Gruber (screenplay), Arthur Conan Doyle (adapted from a story by) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray	...	Maj. Duncan-Bleek
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey	...	Vivian Vedder
Frederick Worlock	...	Prof. William Kilbane (as Frederic Worlock)
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Margaret Carstairs
Skelton Knaggs	...	Sands
Billy Bevan	...	Train Attendant
Geoffrey Steele	...	Roland Carstairs

Storyline

Holmes is hired by Roland Carstairs to prevent the theft of the Star of Rhodesia, an enormous diamond owned by Carstairs' mother, Lady Margaret. Believing the diamond will be stolen on a train trip from London to Edinburgh, Holmes deftly switches diamonds with Lady Margaret while in her compartment. Soon after, Roland is murdered and the fake diamond is stolen. Red herrings abound as Holmes, aided by Dr. Watson and Inspector Lestrade, discover the murderer's hiding place and deduce that long-time foe Moriarty's henchman Colonel Sebastian Moran is somehow involved in the crime.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | diamond | rhodesia | train | colonel | 

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Taglines:

One Way Ticket to DEATH..!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes: Terror by Night

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2018, the UK film channel "Film 4", showed a version of this film, and at least one other 1940s Universal Rathbone Sherlock film, with a modern end card "NBC Universal Television Distribution". This would make sense, as although the film would be (out of copyright) public domain in the USA, in a large portion of the world the film would still be in active copyright to Universal Pictures. Besides which, as its a Universal Picture, they would have access to their own highest available quality masters.

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Goofs

Early in the movie the discovery of the Star of Rhodesia is shown. The diamond picked out of the mud looks perfectly clear, with sharp edges. However, raw diamonds have rough round edges and appear quite ordinary, with only a hint of regular crystal form.

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Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: Thank you, Lady Margaret. We'll be as unobtrusive as possible.
Lady Margaret Carstairs: That would be a novelty from a policeman.

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Alternate Versions

In some prints, scenes are repeated at the conclusion to illustrate Holmes' explanation scene.

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Connections

Follows The Scarlet Claw (1944)

User Reviews

Pardon Me Boys Is That the London to Edinburgh Choo Choo?

As fast-paced, tightly-woven Sherlock Holmes mystery as you will find, Terror by Night tells of a famous jewel being transported from London to Edinburgh with the watchful eye of Sherlock Holmes and befuddled, faithful Watson in tow. Along for the ride are Inspector Lestrade, arch-criminal Colonel Sebastion Moran, a cast of eccentric, Victorian-type characters including a wonderful professor of mathematics(not Moriarity), and a train that gives off the right mood for murder and intrigue. I really liked this addition to the series of Holmes' films. It is not the finest of the lot, but it ranks right up there in terms of what it delivers. Good, solid direction from Holmes veteran Roy William Neill, quality, reliable acting from leads Rathbone and Bruce, exceptional character acting from Alan Mowbry and company, and a zippy pace connected to a script that is able to develop the plot and suspense despite the length of the film being just under an hour. All aboard! You won't regret taking this ride if you like good, old-fashioned suspense.