Dec. 25, 1942|United States|68 Min.|n/A
Genre: Action;Adventure;Crime;Mystery;Thriller
Description: Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, released in 1942, stars Basil Rathbone as the iconic detective. The story begins with Holmes posing as a Nazi spy to help Dr. Franz Tobel, played by William Post Jr., and his groundbreaking bombsight invention escape a Gestapo ambush in Switzerland. Together, Holmes and Tobel travel to London, where Holmes entrusts Tobel to the care of his trusted friend, Dr. Watson, portrayed by Nigel Bruce.
Against Holmes’ advice, Tobel secretly meets his fiancée, Charlotte Eberli, played by Kaaren Verne, and entrusts her with a coded message, instructing her to hand it to Holmes if anything happens to him. After leaving Charlotte’s apartment, Tobel narrowly avoids an abduction attempt by German spies, thanks to a passing London police officer.
Tobel later demonstrates his bombsight to Sir Reginald Bailey and representatives from Bomber Command. To safeguard his invention, Tobel divides it into four parts, each assigned to a separate Swiss scientist whose identities are kept confidential. However, Tobel soon goes missing, prompting Inspector Lestrade to alert Holmes. Holmes receives Tobel’s envelope from Charlotte, only to discover a message from his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who is now collaborating with the Germans.
To uncover Moriarty’s plans, Holmes disguises himself as Ram Singh, one of Moriarty’s former associates, and ventures into London’s Soho district. He is eventually captured by Moriarty’s henchmen but is rescued by Watson and Lestrade, who notice suspicious activity involving a heavy sea chest. Holmes returns to Charlotte’s apartment, determined to decode the message and save Tobel’s invention from falling into the wrong hands.
Cast director: Roy William Neill
Cast actor: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, William Post Jr., Kaaren Verne, Dennis Hoey, Holmes Herbert, Harry Cording, Harold De Becker, Paul Fix
Original name: Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon