The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - 001 | Old Time Radio Classic Detective Series

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce Shows. The original, and the best. Well, not really the original but still the best! Rathbone and Bruce were the quintessential Holmes & Watson on screen, and proved equally popular on the radio. Their shows lasted from 1939 to 1946, but unfortunately for us, very few of the recordings survive from before 1945 and the ones that do are of a poorer quality. This series features some adaptations of original Conan-Doyle stories, and a few tales from the pen of Edith Meiser, who left as writer in 1943 after a disagreement with the sponsor regarding the amount of violence in the shows. Gawd only knows what she would make of modern crime drama. Nigel Bruce & Tom Conway Shows. When Basil Rathbone left the series in 1946 he was replaced by Tom Conway as Sherlock Holmes, with Nigel Bruce continuing on as Dr. Watson. This series had 39 episodes, 38 of which are currently in circulation. Tom Conway is good in the role and had a voice similar to Rathbone, and Bruce is fabulous playing Watson as per usual. This series features two adaptations of original Conan-Doyle stories, The Adventure of the Devil's Foot, and The Speckled Band. John Stanley & Alfred Shirley Shows. Nigel Bruce retired from the role of Dr. John H. Watson in 1947, thus a notable date in the history of Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Unfortunately, Tom Conway's portrayal of Holmes proved unpopular with the public, possibly because of his somewhat clipped delivery, and he also left the series in 1947. The very capable British actor John Stanley took up the role of Sherlock Holmes, whilst fellow Brit Alfred Shirley played Dr. Watson. Audience figures were dwindling due to the rise of television, and regrettably this pairing lasted just one series running for a mere nine months. However I like this series and listen a few of the episodes often, and it features seven adaptations of Conan-Doyle original stories including The Mazarin Stone, and The Case of Shoshcombe Old Place. John Stanley & Ian Martin Shows. In 1948 Alfred Shirley left the series and was replaced by Ian Martin in the role of Dr. Watson. Alas, it was for just four episodes. The reason as to why or under what circumstances Martin left, I can not ascertain. This series of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and until the end of its run in 1950, has each episode begin with a particularly dramatic but short preview of the recording, e.g. "I regret using my hunting crop on your hand, sir, but you were rather obstinate. You are wanted for murder!". A trivial but interesting development in the style of popular entertainment, continuing a shift from mellow to melodramatic. These four entertaining stories include an enjoyable adaptation of the classic original Conan-Doyle story The Bruce-Partington Plans. John Stanley & Wendell Holmes Shows.Ian Martin gave up the part of Dr. Watson in 1948 and the American actor Wendell Holmes took over. These shows are enjoyable and a nice addition to anyone's collection. The story-telling is fast-paced but with a reduced running time – just over twenty minutes with the adverts removed – and the plots are a tad thinner and more outlandish than in previous series. This partnership features another version of the original Conan-Doyle story, The Adventure of the Devil's Foot. Ben Wright & Eric Snowden Show. In 1949 the final series of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes began, with Ben Wight and Eric Snowden taking over as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Wright had already appeared in the Rathbone & Bruce series as a stand-in Holmes in The Singular Affair of the Egyptian Curse, whilst Snowden played Dr. Watson in The Terrifying Cats when Nigel Bruce was unavailable. Only one of the Wright & Snowden shows has survived the ravages of time, and 19 of them have unknown titles. The single remaining episode is The Duke of Hollywell, a tale of blackmail amongst the aristocracy which runs at just under two-and-twenty minutes – after the adverts have been expunged. So, enjoy this last surviving story of the Old-time Radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - 001 0:00 The Adventure of the Stuttering Ghost 24:29 The Adventure of the Black Angus 49:50 The Clue of the Hungry Cat 1:13:42 The Adventure of the Original Hamlet