Without a Clue (1988)

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

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writers:

Gary Murphy, Larry Strawther

Stars:

Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Sherlock Holmes
Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. Watson
Jeffrey Jones	...	Inspector Lestrade
Lysette Anthony	...	Fake Leslie
Paul Freeman	...	Prof. Moriarty
Nigel Davenport	...	Lord Smithwick
Pat Keen	...	Mrs. Hudson
Peter Cook	...	Greenhough
Tim Killick	...	Sebastian
Matthew Savage	...	Wiggins
John Warner	...	Peter Giles
Matthew Sim	...	Real Lesley
Harold Innocent	...	Mayor Johnson
George Sweeney	...	John Clay
Murray Ewan	...	Archie

Storyline

This is a Sherlock Holmes story with a difference. Here, Dr. Watson is the ace detective and has been using an actor to play the part Holmes. Holmes is a drunken actor and gets on Watson's nerves. When Watson tries to go it alone, he doesn't have much success, so he is forced to let Holmes take all the credit once more.

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Plot Keywords:

spoof | private detective | drunkenness | knocked unconscious | attempted suicide | 

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Taglines:

Meet the world's greatest detective . . . and Sherlock Holmes.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was not billed in the credits for characters for this movie, but he did receive a joke apology in the closing titles.

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Goofs

Despite using a passable English accent, the ticket master who sells Watson the tickets for the return trip to London from Lake Windermere enunciates the word 'class' in first class the American way 'classs'. A true Brit would announce it (phonetically) as 'first clarse'. The pronunciation of class depends on the accent of the Brit, any Brit born north of approximately Northampton would pronounce class as an American, does, southern English speakers would say "clarse"

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Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: What are you doing?
Dr. Watson: Thinking.
Sherlock Holmes: Right. I'm going to think too.
[Long pause]
Sherlock Holmes: What shall we think about, Watson?

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Crazy Credits

With apologies to the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

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Connections

Referenced in Diminishing Returns: Resident Evil (2017)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
Music by Thomas Hastings and lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady
Sung by Mrs Hudson (Pat Keen) at the theatre

User Reviews

A true lost gem

The premise is so clever. Sherlock Holmes never really existed. It was Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) who had been solving these cases all along, and simply hired bumbling actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine) to play the fake Sherlock Holmes.

To those who are hard-core Holmes fans, this film will be cherished. Sadly, the VHS is out of print in the USA (I bought mine used at a flea market), and DVDs are available only in Europe.

(UPDATE: The film has been released on DVD in the USA, but in Pan & Scan.)

Also, the film received hardly any promotion in the USA. But it is lavishly directed, cleverly written, and magnificently cast.

Everything about this film deserves exclamation points!

Track it down any way you can, and prepare to laugh out loud.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Without a Clue

Filming Locations:

Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,246,772, 23 October 1988

Gross USA:

$8,539,181

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,539,181

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1