| Sherlock Holmes in Washington | |
|---|---|
1943 US Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Roy William Neil |
| Produced by | Roy William Neill |
| Written by | Bertram Millhauser |
| Based on | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Starring | Basil Rathbone Nigel Bruce |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
| Cinematography | Lester White |
| Editing by | Otto Ludwig |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
| Release date(s) | April 30, 1943 |
| Running time | 71 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) is the fifth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes movies. It is a adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Bruce-Partington Plans but transferred to times of World War II. Oscar Homolka was originally cast as Holmes's elder brother Mycroft, but from family reasons he refused and Mycroft's character was replaced by "Mr. Ahrens" from Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon played by Holmes Herbert.
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A British agent carrying a vital document is murdered on his way to deliver it in the USA. Holmes deduces he was carrying the document in the form of microfilm and goes to Washington with Watson to find the killer and retrieve the document before it falls into the hands of an "international spy ring". Before his death, the agent managed to pass the microfilm into the unwitting hands of a Washington debutante and bride-to-be. There are some amusing moments when the microfilm, which has been inserted into a "V for Victory" match folder, gets passed from hand to hand at a party unknowingly, and at one point is discarded by the chief criminal. Holmes and Watson track down the criminals, rescue the bride-to-be and regain the microfilm.
George Zucco played Professor Moriarty in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), while Henry Daniell would portray him in the subsequent Holmes film The Woman in Green (1945).