| Sherlock Holmes | |
|---|---|
| Format | Mystery |
| Starring | Ronald Howard Howard Marion Crawford Archie Duncan |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 39 Episode list |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sheldon Reynolds |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original airing | October 18, 1954 |
The first and only American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures[1] aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds[1] and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard (son of Leslie Howard) as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson. Archie Duncan appeared in many episodes as Inspector Lestrade (and in a few as other characters). Richard Larke, billed as Kenneth Richards, played Sgt. Wilkins in about fifteen episodes. The series' associate producer, Nicole Milinaire, was one of the first women to attain a senior production role in a television series.[2]
Most of the show's 39 episodes are non-Canonical original adventures, but a few are based on Arthur Conan Doyle's stories: "The Case of Lady Beryl" (based on "The Adventure of the Second Stain"[3], "The Case of the French Interpreter" (based on "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter")[4], "The Case of the Pennsylvania Gun" (based on The Valley of Fear)[4], "The Case of the Shoeless Engineer" (based on "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb")[4], and "The Case of the Red-Headed League" (based on the "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"). The first episode, "The Case of the Cunningham Heritage," adapts the first section of A Study in Scarlet,[3] in which Holmes and Watson's relationship is established, and develops an original story from there.
Contents |
Sheldon Reynolds had been successful with his 1951 European-made series Foreign Intrigue[1] (in 1956 he directed a movie with the same title starring Robert Mitchum) and decided a Sherlock Holmes series made in France for the American syndication market might also be successful.[1]
Reynolds contacted the Doyle family and began his research into producing a Holmesian television series.[5]
Reynolds desired to present the Holmes of A Study in Scarlet.
I was suddenly stuck by the difference between the character in that book and that of the stage and screen. Here, Holmes was a young man in his thirties, human, gifted, and of a philosophic and scholastic bent, but subject to fateful mistakes which stemmed from his overeagerness and lack of experience.[1]
In early stories like that one, Conan Doyle had not yet grown tired of his character, who later became a literary monster for him. And, as literature, the earlier stories are far better. But practically every stage and screen presentation of the detective is based on the later stories.[5]
Ronald Howard, then 36,[1] was chosen to portray Sherlock Holmes. Howard shared Reynold's view of Holmes[5] and his portrayal was much more laid back than the more famous version portrayed by Basil Rathbone.[1]
In my interpretation, Holmes is not an infallible, eagle-eyed, out-of-the-ordinary personality, but an exceptionally sincere young man trying to get ahead in his profession. Where Basil Rathbone's Holmes was nervous and highly-strung, mine has a more ascetic quality, is deliberate, very definitely unbohemian, and is underplayed for reality.[2]
Howard Marion Crawford, credited as H. Marion Crawford, was cast as Watson and it was a role Crawford had long wanted to play.[2] Crawford desired to play Watson as something other than the bufoon as typified by Nigel Bruce's portrayal.[6]
I had never thought of Watson as the perennial brainless bungler who provided burlesque relief in the earlier portrayals. He is a normal man, solid on his feet, a medical student who gives valuable advice....In other words, he is a perfect foil to Holmes' youthful buoyancy.[2]
Scottish actor Archie Duncan was cast as Inspector Lestrade. Much akin to Dennis Hoey in the Rathbone/Bruce series of films, Duncan's Lestrade was used as comic relief.[3]
Besides the three principals (Howard, Crawford and Duncan), a number of actors appeared regularly in the series including French-born Eugene Deckers who played no fewer than seven different characters, including both victims and villains. The most famous actor to appear as a guest was Paulette Goddard but others who would gain fame or near-fame in the future included Delphine Seyrig, Michael Gough, Dawn Addams, Mary Sinclair, and Natalie Schafer. Barry Mackay, whose career was nearing its end, also appeared in one episode: "The Case of the Laughing Mummy".
Several sets were built in Paris for the street outside 221B Baker Street and the flat itself, both of which were designed by Michael Weight[2], the same man who built the Festival of Britain 221B exhibit.[1] There were a number of other sets build for a variety of locations and then re-dressed as necessary (homes, Scotland Yard, shops, parks, offices, etc.).
There was very little location work and most of the series was filmed in the studio with many stock shots of carriages on London Bridge and near Big Ben giving the impression of London. However, on a few occasions like "The Case of the Eiffel Tower" the French filming locations were used. French actors were extensively used in small parts and several affected English accents with varying levels of success.
Although only 39 episodes were syndicated, a second season of 39 episodes was scheduled to begin production in June 1955.[7]
Many of the episodes were directed by Steve Previn[1], the brother of composer André Previn.
In 1980, Reynolds produced a second Sherlock Holmes TV series, entitled Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Many of the 1954 TV episodes were remade in the second series.
| № | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Case of the Cunningham Heritage" | Jack Gage | Sheldon Reynolds | 18 October 1954 |
| Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes after his return from Afghanistan and is recruited as his assistant. Together they investigate a murder, with a young lady as the prime suspect. Holmes finds that the murderer is the brother of the murdered man, after his overall wealth. | ||||
| 2 | "The Case of Lady Beryl" | Jack Gage | Sheldon Reynolds | 25 October 1954 |
| Inspector Lestrade and Dr. Watson investigate a murder at the Beryl Residence, but to their surprise get a confession from Lady Beryl, which Holmes believes isn't the case. Holmes recreates the crime scene to expose the secretary Mr. Ross as the murderer. | ||||
| 3 | "The Case of the Pennsylvania Gun" | Sheldon Reynolds | Sheldon Reynolds | 1 November 1954 |
| Watson and Holmes go to Sussex to investigate the gruesome murder of Squire John Douglas with a Pennsylvanian Sawed-Off Shotgun as the murder weapon. Both Mr. Morell and Mrs. Douglas are highly suspected, but Holmes finds out John Douglas was never murdered. | ||||
| 4 | "The Case of the Texas Cowgirl" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
8 November 1954 |
| Minnie O'Malley, a cowgirl in Bison Jack's visiting rodeo show, seeks help from Holmes to remove a dead body from her hotel room. Inspector Lestrade identifies it as a known thief, and Holmes unmasks the suspect, a meek salesman in an adjacent room. | ||||
| 5 | "The Case of the Belligerent Ghost" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early | 15 November 1954 |
| Dr. Watson claims to have been attacked by a ghost of Albert Higgins. Holmes finds out this fits with the theft Blue Madonna in the Pembroke Museum exchanged for a forgery. The thief is neither more or less than the museum manager. | ||||
| 6 | "The Case of the Shy Ballerina" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early, Sheldon Reynolds |
22 November 1954 |
|
Dr Watson's hat is found at the scene of a murder, leading Lestrade to suspect him of killing a diplomat, lately returned from St Petersberg. A Russian ballet dancer and a composer are also suspects, but Holmes unmasks the diplomat's wife as the real murderer. |
||||
| 7 | "The Case of the Winthrop Legend" | Jack Gage | Harold Jack Bloom, Sheldon Reynolds |
29 November 1954 |
| Mr. Harvey Winthrop beckons Holmes to help him prevent a possible death of his brother John but this inevitably happens. The killer is none other than Harvey's fiancee Ms Hall, although Holmes has no solid evidence to expose her. | ||||
| 8 | "The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff" | Sheldon Reynolds | Lou Morheim, Sheldon Reynolds |
6 December 1954 |
| Holmes investigates murders which are marked by the death warning of a chicken claw of those who boarded the Gloria North Ship. The purpose of these murders was the murderer's vengeance against them for allowing the death of his beloved family. | ||||
| 9 | "The Case of Harry Crocker" | Sheldon Reynolds | Harold Jack Bloom | 13 December 1954 |
| Escape artist Harry Crocker begs Holmes to help clear his name of Miss King's murder he didn't do, but every clue seems to point the finger at him. Mr. Willis is found out to be the murderer out jealousy of Miss King's relationship with Harry. | ||||
| 10 | "The Mother Hubbard Case" | Jack Gage | Lou Morheim | 20 December 1954 |
| Holmes tries to seek Margaret Martini's fiancée which has a connection with seven other disappearances. Every man has been killed inside an empty house. The murderer is an old woman who used her granddaughter to lure them to kill for easy pickings. | ||||
| 11 | "The Case of the Red-Headed League" | Sheldon Reynolds | Lou Morheim | 27 December 1954 |
| The story is a simplified version of The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, but Wilson is a shop-owner rather than a pawn-broker. | ||||
| 12 | "The Case of the Shoeless Engineer" | Steve Previn | Harold Jack Bloom | 3 January 1955 |
| The story follows that of "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," but Hatherley loses a shoe rather than his thumb and escapes with the aid of the woman, Ruth Connors. Stark and his co-conspirator are captured by Lestrade with the assistance of Holmes. | ||||
| 13 | "The Case of the Split Ticket" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 10 January 1955 |
| A man asks Holmes to help him find his friend Mr. Snow to get the last piece of a sweepstake ticket to win money badly. Unfortunately Mr. Snow gets killed or so it would seem when Holmes uncovers a scam plot between Mr. Snow and Ms. Rogers. | ||||
| 14 | "The Case of the French Interpreter" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 17 January 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson seek a tortured man named Paul Charon, abducted and blackmailed by Lattimer to sign over his sister's wealth. With difficulty they find the blackmailer's hideout and rescue Charon along with his saviour M. Dubec. | ||||
| 15 | "The Case of the Singing Violin" | Steve Previn | Kay Krausse | 24 January 1955 |
| Guy Durham, a rich tea and spice merchant frightens his step-daughter Betty with ghostly violin music so that she can be declared insane; he can then acquire her vast fortune. He attempts to kill her by lethal injection and have 'Dr' Moreno sign a fake death certificate. Holmes intervenes to prevent the murder and Lestrade arrests him. He is also revealed as the murderer of the girl's fiancée, James Winant. | ||||
| 16 | "The Case of the Greystone Inscription" | Steve Previn | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
31 January 1955 |
| A lady name Ms. Millicent requests Holmes to find her fiancée missing from Greystone Castle. Holmes assists in finding the location of King Richard II's possessions before he gets the Greystone family to surrender. | ||||
| 17 | "The Case of the Laughing Mummy" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early | 7 February 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson visit a country manor to see an ancient Egyptian mummy that makes strange laughing sounds, but deduce that the sound comes from a roof-mounted weather vane. Holmes further identifies the mummy as a fake - it's actually the body of an archeologist who was killed whilst excavating the tomb. | ||||
| 18 | "The Case of the Thistle Killer" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
14 February 1955 |
| Lestrade is instructed to recruit Holmes to help find the Thistle Killer after the sixth murder. The police make preparations to catch the killer at the estimated point, Xerxes Park. Holmes finds that the killer is disguised as a police officer and is a failed police recruit. | ||||
| 19 | "The Case of the Vanished Detective" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
21 February 1955 |
| Dr. Watson is worried at the long unexplained absence of Holmes, and persuades Lestrade to help locate him. Holmes was in fact working undercover as a shopkeeper in order to catch Carson, an escaped convict. The trail leads to retired Judge Jeramiah Westlake, who originally sentenced Carson and averts a killing. | ||||
| 20 | "The Case of the Careless Suffragette" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
28 February 1955 |
| Holmes gets involved with a persistent suffragette who wants the parliament official Pimpleton down and got an anarchist Boris to make a bomb, which soon kills Pimpleton. Scotland Yard guided by Holmes finds the leader suffagette Agatha, guilty of the murder. | ||||
| 21 | "The Case of the Reluctant Carpenter" | Steve Previn | Sidney Morse, Sheldon Reynolds |
7 March 1955 |
| A terrorist/blackmailer, mistaking Lestrade for Holmes, threatens bomb outrages if a large sum is not paid. Holmes tracks down the site of the next bombing, using crude forensics, and removes the bomb from an Knightsbridge armoury with seconds to spare. The miscreant, a carpenter, is apprehended but the motive is left unexplained. | ||||
| 22 | "The Case of the Deadly Prophecy" | Sheldon Reynolds | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
14 March 1955 |
| Holmes investigates a boys' school to find a connection to deaths of people predicted by Anton. The suspect Dr. DeMounge is revealed to have hypnotised Anton to create a terror that would make blackmail easy on the local Count. | ||||
| 23 | "The Case of the Christmas Pudding" | Steve Previn | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
4 April 1955 |
| John Norton, convicted of murder, swears vengeance on Holmes before his capital punishment. After receiving a Christmas pudding, Norton shortly escapes. After evading his revenge attempt Holmes tries to find his accomplice. | ||||
| 24 | "The Case of the Night Train Riddle" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 11 April 1955 |
| Holmes and Dr. Watson search for a missing boy called Paul on the very same train they are travelling in. Paul had quarrelled with his father and decided to run away. However his "friend" and his uncle are holding him for his father's fortune. Holmes is able to prevent Paul being killed by 'Coco the Clown'. | ||||
| 25 | "The Case of the Violent Suitor" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 18 April 1955 |
| A man named Alex Dougall comes to Holmes to help prevent a marriage between violent-tempered Jack Murdock and Susan Dearing. Holmes baits Tilda into making a confession of Mr. Dearing's murder at the hands of Jack. | ||||
| 26 | "The Case of the Baker Street Nursemaids" | Sheldon Reynolds | Sheldon Reynolds, Joseph Victor |
25 April 1955 |
| Holmes receives a baby from Mrs. Durant after her husband was kidnapped. Later the baby is kidnapped. The culprit is shown to be Count Teno who wants Mr. Durant's U-Boat plans. Holmes and Dr. Watson manage to infiltrate the count's place and rescue the Durant family. | ||||
| 27 | "The Case of the Perfect Husband" | Steve Previn | Hamilton Keener | 2 May 1955 |
| Russell Partridge, a rich and respectable art collector, threatens to kill his wife at nine o' clock on their first wedding anniversary. She doesn't know if she believes him, and Lestrade doesn't either. Holmes takes the threat seriously and is able to thwart the attempted killing. He also discovers the corpses of seven previously murdered wives in a secret hiding place where few would think to look. | ||||
| 28 | "The Case of the Jolly Hangman" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
9 May 1955 |
| Holmes investigates a suicide which is shown to be a covered up murder in Glasgow leading to the suspect Henry Hamton who poses under the name Mr. Backster. Before Hamton can murder the victim's wife, Holmes shows up and he accidentally kills himself. | ||||
| 29 | "The Case of the Impostor Mystery" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 19 May 1955 |
| Holmes is blamed for faulty services, which Holmes didn't actually offer. To catch the impostor, Holmes and Dr. Watson go undercover as royal Indian rulers seeking security. Lestrade and his men chase, expose and arrest the impostor. | ||||
| 30 | "The Case of the Eiffel Tower" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris | 23 May 1955 |
| Holmes, Lestrade and Dr. Watson follow a trail to the Eiffel Tower, crossing the lines of an espionage team who seek the very coin they had, but lose it to a lady. Once they track the coin down, they cause a riot in order to summon the police. | ||||
| 31 | "The Case of the Exhumed Client" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
30 May 1955 |
| Holmes goes to a manor to investigate the murder of Sir Charles presumably at the hands of one of his heirs, but also involving a legend of the tower room. After Holmes avoids death and keeps the occupants in suspense he divulges Ms. Fransworth as the killer. | ||||
| 32 | "The Case of the Impromptu Performance" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 6 June 1955 |
| Holmes investigates the murder of Mrs. Brighton to prove her husband's innocence. With little time on his hands, he and Dr. Watson follow the trail as quickly as possible until they uncover the murderer Langlsey Prian. | ||||
| 33 | "The Case of the Baker Street Bachelors" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris, Joseph Victor |
20 June 1955 |
| A politician named Jeffrey asks Holmes to clear his name from a fight he didn't commit. Holmes and Dr. Watson go to the Marriage Bureau to plant bait for the suspects to take and eventually reveal their blackmailing activities. | ||||
| 34 | "The Case of the Royal Murder" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
27 June 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson, guests at the hunting lodge of an unnamed Central European King, witness a murder. They are able to expose the culprit as a dastardly Count, and thus avoid a war. | ||||
| 35 | "The Case of the Haunted Gainsborough" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
4 July 1955 |
| A Scot called Mr. McGregor seeks Holmes help in solving a mystery of a ghost to protect his castle. In the castle the ghost of Heather wishes to ensure safety on her precious portrait. Archible Ross hired an actress to play the ghost so the castle would be lost to him. | ||||
| 36 | "The Case of the Neurotic Detective" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 11 July 1955 |
| Multiple thefts have occurred without a trace and Holmes is becoming eccentric, which does not go unnoticed by Dr. Watson, including the telltale signs of suspicious activity he performs. It turns out that Scotland Yard was testing the local security. | ||||
| 37 | "The Case of the Unlucky Gambler" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 18 July 1955 |
| A boy called Robert Fenech asks Holmes to find his missing father who had suddenly turned to gambling. As Holmes gets the attention of a man by the name of Jack Driscoll, he also tracks down Mr. Fenech who almost switched to criminal activities. | ||||
| 38 | "The Case of the Diamond Tooth" | Sheldon Reynolds | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
19 September 1955 |
| Lestrade investigates a murder which Holmes finds has a link to a diamond tooth. Dr. Watson and Holmes search a shipping dock in disguise, meeting the murderer they overlooked earlier, who used a Boa Constrictor to kill Vagos. | ||||
| 39 | "The Case of the Tyrant's Daughter" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris | 17 October 1955 |
| Holmes investigates a murder in order to save the life of the accused, Mr. Vernon. After a series of thorough investigations, Holmes concludes that Hammingway actually committed suicide so as to throw the blame on the fiancée of his step-daughter. | ||||
When the series debuted, it was a hit. This Week declared "You won't want to miss this 4-star video event."[8] Variety reviewed the series on October 20, 1954 and called the show "a winner that avoids the customary cliches that seem inevitable in any treatment of the Conan Doyle stories."[8]
In 2005, Mill Creek Entertainment released Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Series, a three-disc DVD set featuring all 39 episodes of the series. In 2010, Mill Creek released Sherlock Holmes: Greatest Mysteries, a five-disc DVD set featuring all 39 episodes plus eight unrelated Holmes films: The Sign of Four (1932), A Study in Scarlet (1933), The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935), Murder at the Baskervilles (1937), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943), The Woman in Green (1945), Terror by Night (1946), and Dressed to Kill (1946).