Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
| Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon | |
|---|---|
1943 US theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Produced by | Howard Benedict |
| Written by | |
| Screenplay by | Edmund L. Hartmann |
| Based on |
The Adventure of the Dancing Men 1903 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
| Cinematography | Lester White |
| Edited by | Otto Ludwig |
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Production
company |
Universal Pictures
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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68 minutes (restored version) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
 Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon Trailer at TCM Movie Database
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Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943) is the fourth in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films which updated the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the present day. The film is credited as an adaptation of Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," though the only element from the source material is the dancing men code. Rather, it is a spy film taking place on the background of the then ongoing Second World War with an original premise. The film concerns the kidnapping of a Swiss scientist by their nemesis Professor Moriarty, to steal a new bomb sight and sell it to Nazi Germany. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have to crack a secret code in order to save the country. The film is one of four films in the series which are in the public domain.
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) pretends to be a Nazi spy to aid scientist Dr. Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.) and his new invention, a bombsight, in escaping a Gestapo trap in Switzerland. Holmes and Franz fly to London, where Holmes places him under the protection of his friend, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce). The scientist slips away against Holmes' instructions for a secret reunion with his fiancee, Charlotte Eberli (Kaaren Verne), and gives her an envelope containing a coded message. He tells Charlotte to give it to Holmes if anything should happen to him. Leaving Charlotte's apartment, an attempt to abduct him by German spies is foiled by a passing London bobby.
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Wikipedia