Sherlock Holmes (1931 film series)
Encyclopedia
Production
Having been told he resembled Doyle's creation for years, Wontner was finally cast in the role for The Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping Cardinal
The 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...
in 1931. Wontner was noticed after portraying 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"...
at the Prince Edward Theater in 1930.
Wonter was fifty-six when he began portraying Holmes and was forced to wear a toupée
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
in the first three films to hide his bald spot. Holmes in the novels had retired at age fifty and as such, Wontner was technically too old for the part.
The Sleeping Cardinal
The Sleeping Cardinal
The 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...
was loosely based on "The Adventure of the Empty House
The 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...
" with the noticeable change that in the film version, Ronald Adair is a card cheat. Wontner was joined by Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming (actor)
Ian Fleming was an Australian born character actor with credits in over 100 British movies.He is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Watson in a series of Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1930s opposite Arthur Wontner's Holmes...
as Doctor Watson and Philip Hewland
Philip Hewland
-Selected filmography:* The Manxman * Lady Tetley's Decree * The Guns of Loos * Glamour * The Sleeping Cardinal * The Missing Rembrandt * Murder by Rope...
as Inspector Lestrade
Inspector Lestrade
Inspector G. Lestrade is a fictional character, a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle used the name of a friend from his days at the University of Edinburgh, a Saint Lucian medical student by the name of Joseph Alexandre Lestrade....
.
The Sleeping Cardinal
The Sleeping Cardinal
The 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...
was well received so producer Julies Hagen rushed a second film into production. The Missing Rembrandt
The Missing Rembrandt
The 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...
reunited director Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott was a British film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. In 1931 he directed Alibi, the first ever depiction of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famous detective, with Austin Trevor in the lead role...
with Wontner, Fleming, and Hewland and was released in 1932. Norman McKinnel
Norman McKinnel
Norman McKinnel was a Scottish stage and film actor and playwright, active from the 1890s until his death...
joined the cast as Professor Moriarty
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
. Loosely based on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
The 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 film altered the story converting a blackmailer to an art dealer. The Missing Rembrandt is now considered a lost film.
With the second film another success, The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case
The 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:...
was produced and released later the same year. For this film, Fleming was replaced by younger actor Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (actor)
Ian Hunter was a British character actor.Among dozens of film roles, his best-remembered appearances include That Certain Woman with Bette Davis, The Adventures of Robin Hood , The Little Princess and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
to better facilitate the storyline of Watson's wooing of Mary Morstan.
In 1935, Wontner returned to the role for The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes
The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes
The 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 :...
. For this film, Wontner jettisoned the toupée and Ian Fleming returned to the role of Dr. Watson. Lyn Harding
Lyn Harding
Lyn Harding was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio...
took over the role of Professor Moriarty from Norman McKinnel. Wonter's age, fifty-nine by this time, was too difficult to hide so Holmes is on the verge of retiring. The film is a very accurate adaptation of The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear
The 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...
The film received rave reviews which would lead to one final film.
In 1937, Wontner's final Holmes film, Silver Blaze
Silver 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...
, was released. Ian Fleming returned for a final turn at Dr. Watson, as did Lyn Harding as Moriarty while John Turnbull
John Turnbull (actor)
-Selected filmography:* The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss * The Wickham Mystery * Rodney Steps In * The Midshipmaid * The Medicine Man * The Man Outside * The Iron Stair...
took over the role of Inspector Lestrade from Philip Hewland. The production was far less faithful than previous films, injecting Sir Henry Baskerville from The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
into this adaptation of "Silver Blaze
Silver 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...
".
Films
- 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...
"
Reception
Vincent StarrettVincent Starrett
Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett , known as Vincent Starrett, was an American writer and newspaperman.- Biography :...
, one of the founders of the Chicago chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars
Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups, all named after the original, from various Sherlock Holmes stories in which they are a gang of young street children whom Holmes often employs to aid his cases.- Original :...
, had the following to say about Wontner's performance as Holmes:
Lionel Collier, writing for Picturgoer, agreed stating:
Wontner on radio
Wontner's final performance as Sherlock Holmes was in a 1943 BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
adaptation of "The Boscombe Valley Mystery
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.-Plot summary:Lestrade summons Holmes to a...
" with Carleton Hobbs
Carleton Hobbs
Carleton Percy Hobbs was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations between 1952 and 1969, and also starred in the radio adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour.Hobbs was born in Farnborough, Hampshire, into a...
as Dr. Watson. Hobbs himself later went on to play Holmes in a radio series.