Arthur Wontner
Encyclopedia
Arthur Wontner was a British
actor
best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
's master detective Sherlock Holmes
in five films from 1931 to 1937
. These films are:
Reportedly, Wontner landed the role of Sherlock Holmes thanks to his performance of Holmes imitation Sexton Blake
in a 1930 stage production.
Of all Wontner's films as Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Rembrandt is no longer available. It is officially a lost film
. It is possible to obtain all of the others.
Silver Blaze was renamed Murder at the Baskervilles on its US release in order to make the most of the publicity which had been generated by Basil Rathbone's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. In many respects Wontner's film can be seen as a sequel as it is set twenty years after the events of the more famous story.
Wontner's son became the well-known hotelier and Lord Mayor of London
Sir Hugh Wontner
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's master detective Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
in five films from 1931 to 1937
Sherlock Holmes (1931 film series)
-Production:Having been told he resembled Doyle's creation for years, Wontner was finally cast in the role for The Sleeping Cardinal in 1931. Wontner was noticed after portraying Sexton Blake at the Prince Edward Theater in 1930....
. These films are:
- The Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping Cardinal is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, though it is not based on any one particular story it draws inspiration from "The Empty...
(1931) (US title: Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour) based on Doyle's two stories, "The Adventure of the Empty HouseThe Adventure of the Empty House"The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Public pressure forced Conan Doyle to bring the sleuth back to life, and explain his...
" and "The Final Problem" - The Missing RembrandtThe Missing RembrandtThe Missing Rembrandt is a British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner, Jane Welsh, Miles Mander, and Francis L. Sullivan. Sherlock Holmes goes on the trail of a Rembrandt painting, stolen by a drug-addicted artist...
(1932) (still considered lost) based on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus MilvertonThe Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes and was published in 1904....
" - The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest CaseThe Sign of Four (1932 film)The Sign of Four is a 1932 British crime film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Arthur Wontner, Ian Hunter and Graham Soutten. The film is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes story The Sign of the Four and was made at Ealing Studios.The film is also known as The Sign of Four:...
(1932) - The Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock Holmes is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and based on The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.- Plot summary :...
(1935) based on The Valley of FearThe Valley of FearThe Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915, and the first book edition was published in New York on 27 February 1915.- Part I: The Tragedy of Birlstone... - Silver BlazeSilver Blaze (film)Silver Blaze is a 1937 British, black-and-white, crime and mystery, directed by Thomas Bentley, starring Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes, Ian Fleming as Dr. Watson and Ronald Shiner as Simpson the Stable Boy / Jockey...
(1937) (US title:Murder at the Baskervilles, release 1941) based on "Silver BlazeSilver Blaze"Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted in 1937 to a film starring Arthur Wontner, and an ITV drama starring Christopher Plummer which was...
"
Reportedly, Wontner landed the role of Sherlock Holmes thanks to his performance of Holmes imitation Sexton Blake
Sexton Blake
Sexton Blake is a fictional detective who appeared in many British comic strips and novels throughout the 20th century. He was described by Professor Jeffrey Richards on the BBC in The Radio Detectives in 2003 as "the poor man's Sherlock Holmes"...
in a 1930 stage production.
Of all Wontner's films as Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Rembrandt is no longer available. It is officially a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
. It is possible to obtain all of the others.
Silver Blaze was renamed Murder at the Baskervilles on its US release in order to make the most of the publicity which had been generated by Basil Rathbone's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. In many respects Wontner's film can be seen as a sequel as it is set twenty years after the events of the more famous story.
Wontner's son became the well-known hotelier and Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
Sir Hugh Wontner
Hugh Wontner
Sir Hugh Walter Kingwell Wontner GBE, CVO, was an English hotelier and politician. He was managing director of the Savoy hotel group from 1941 to 1979 and its chairman from 1948 to 1984, continuing as president until his death. He was also chairman of the Savoy Theatre from 1948 until his death...
.
Filmography
- Lady Windermere's FanLady Windermere's Fan (1916 film)Lady Windermere's Fan is a 1916 British silent comedy film directed by Fred Paul and starring Milton Rosmer, Netta Westcott and Nigel Playfair...
(1916) - The BigamistThe BigamistThe Bigamist is a 1953 movie written by Collier Young from a story by Larry Marcus and Lou Schor and directed by Ida Lupino. Young was married to Joan Fontaine at the time and had previously been married to Ida Lupino....
(1916) - Bonnie Prince CharlieBonnie Prince Charlie (1923 film)Bonnie Prince Charlie is a 1923 British silent historical film directed by Charles Calvert.-Cast:*Ivor Novello as Prince Charles Stuart*Gladys Cooper as Flora MacDonald*A.B...
(1923) - The Diamond ManThe Diamond ManThe Diamond Man is a 1924 British crime film directed by Arthur Rooke and starring Arthur Wontner, Mary Odette and Reginald Fox. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace. The movie is silent and black and white. Distributed by Butcher's film service, script written by Eliot Stannard, and produced...
(1924) - Eugene AramEugene Aram (1924 film)Eugene Aram is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by Arthur Rooke and starring Arthur Wontner, Barbara Hoffe and Mary Odette. It was based on the novel Eugene Aram by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton which depicts the life of the eighteenth century criminal Eugene Aram.-Cast:* Arthur Wontner as...
(1924) - The Infamous Lady (1928)
- A Gentleman of ParisA Gentleman of Paris (1931 film)A Gentleman of Paris is a 1931 crime drama film directed by Sinclair Hill, based on the story "His Honour, the Judge" by Niranjan Pal.- Cast :* Arthur Wontner as Judge Le Fevre* Vanda Gréville as Paulette Gerrard* Hugh Williams as Gaston Gerrard...
(1931) - The Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping Cardinal is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, though it is not based on any one particular story it draws inspiration from "The Empty...
(1931) - The Sign of FourThe Sign of Four (1932 film)The Sign of Four is a 1932 British crime film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Arthur Wontner, Ian Hunter and Graham Soutten. The film is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes story The Sign of the Four and was made at Ealing Studios.The film is also known as The Sign of Four:...
(1932) - The Missing RembrandtThe Missing RembrandtThe Missing Rembrandt is a British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner, Jane Welsh, Miles Mander, and Francis L. Sullivan. Sherlock Holmes goes on the trail of a Rembrandt painting, stolen by a drug-addicted artist...
(1932) - Condemned to DeathCondemned to DeathCondemned to Death is a 1932 British crime film directed by Walter Forde and starring Arthur Wontner, Gillian Lind and Gordon Harker. It was adapted from the play Jack O'Lantern by James Dawson which was itself based on a novel by George Goodchild....
(1932) - The Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock Holmes is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and based on The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.- Plot summary :...
(1935) - Royal CavalcadeRoyal CavalcadeRoyal Cavalcade is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley , Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, Will Kellino and Marcel Varnel. The film features Marie Lohr, Hermione Baddeley, Owen Nares, Robert Hale, Austin Trevor, James Carew,...
(1935) - Line EngagedLine EngagedLine Engaged is a 1935 British, black-and-white, thriller directed by Bernard Mainwaring and starring Ronald Shiner as Ryan It was produced by British Lion Film Corporation.-Synopsis:...
(1935) - Dishonour BrightDishonour BrightDishonour Bright is a 1936 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Eugene Pallette, Betty Stockfeld and Diana Churchill and was based on a story by Ben Travers.-Plot:...
(1936) - Second Bureau (1937)
- The Live WireThe Live WireThe Live Wire: Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949 is a recording of a concert by Woody Guthrie in Newark, New Jersey, one of a small number of surviving live recordings of the folksinger. The program consists of Guthrie answering questions from his wife Marjorie about his life, and singing songs...
(1937) - Thunder in the CityThunder in the CityThunder in the City is a 1937 British drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Edward G. Robinson, Luli Deste, Nigel Bruce and Ralph Richardson.- Plot summary :...
(1937) - Silver BlazeSilver Blaze"Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted in 1937 to a film starring Arthur Wontner, and an ITV drama starring Christopher Plummer which was...
(1937) - Storm in a TeacupStorm in a TeacupStorm in a Teacup may refer to:*a variation of Tempest in a teapot, an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion*Storm in a Teacup , a 1937 British film....
- The Terror (1938)
- 13 Men and a Gun13 Men and a Gun13 Men and a Gun is a 1938 British-Italian war film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Arthur Wontner, Clifford Evans and Howard Marion-Crawford...
(1938) - Kate Plus TenKate Plus Ten (film)Kate Plus Ten is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Jack Hulbert, Genevieve Tobin and Noel Madison. It was adapted from the Edgar Wallace novel Kate Plus Ten. It was also released as Queen of Crime. Kate, the leader of a gang of criminals, works as secretary to an...
(1938) - Old IronOld IronOld Iron is a 1938 British drama film directed by Tom Walls and starring Richard Ainley, Henry Hewitt, Eva Moore and Cecil Parker.-Cast:* Tom Walls as Sir Henry Woodstock* Eva Moore as Lady Woodstock* Cecil Parker as bernette...
(1938) - The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
(1943) - Blanche FuryBlanche FuryBlanche Fury is a 1948 drama film starring Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. It was adapted from a novel by Joseph Shearing. In Victorian era England, two schemers will stop at nothing to acquire the Fury estate, even murder.-Plot:...
(1948) - The Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive Pimpernel is a 1950 British period adventure film by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Despite having been shot in color, it was released in the United States in black and...
(1950) - Brandy for the ParsonBrandy for the ParsonBrandy for the Parson is a 1952 British comedy film directed by John Eldridge and starring Kenneth More, Charles Hawtrey, James Donald and Jean Lodge. A young couple get mixed up in a smuggling ring. It was based on a novel by Geoffrey Household...
(1952) - GenevieveGenevieve (film)Genevieve is a 1953 British comedy film produced and directed by Henry Cornelius and written by William Rose. It starred John Gregson, Dinah Sheridan, Kenneth More and Kay Kendall as two couples comedically involved in a vintage automobile rally...
(1953) - Sea DevilsSea DevilsSea Devils is a 1953 British-American historical adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson and Yvonne De Carlo. The story was adapted from the novel Les Travailleurs de la mer by Victor Hugo...
(1953) - Three Cases of MurderThree Cases of MurderThree Cases of Murder is a 1955 British drama film comprising three stories. Though the stories are separate and unrelated, Alan Badel appears in all three....
(1955)
External links
- Murder at the Baskervilles (1937) viewable at Archive.org
- The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935) viewable at Archive.org
- The Sign Of Four (1932) viewable at Archive.org
- Sherlock Holmes: The Sleeping Cardinal (1931) viewable at Archive.org