Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about feature films.
Arthur Wontner is arguably the best film portrayer of Sherlock Holmes. His fifth and final outing as Holmes in Murder at the Baskervilles (1937). The film was released in the United Kingdom in 1937 but was not released in America until January 15, 1941. Wontner was excellent as usual but Murder at the Baskervilles is the weakest offering in the
The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935) is one of the five Sherlock Holmes films starring Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes. Director Leslie S. Hiscott adapted the Sherlock Holmes novel The Valley of Fear but added to the story to give Professor Moriarty and Col. Sebastian Moran roles in the story. A significant portion of the movie is the retelling of
I’m continuing with watching some old Alan Ladd movies that I first saw thirty years ago on American Movie Classics (AMC), when they showed classic movies. I recently watched Appointment with Danger (1950), which was as entertaining as I remembered it. Paramount Pictures released Appointment with Danger (affiliate link) in London in 1950 but didn’t release it in the United
In the second surviving Sherlock Holmes film (affiliate link) starring Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes, two criminals have escaped prison. They are seeking to exact revenge on the men, who double crossed one of the criminals, Jonathan Smalls. Smalls told two of the wardens of his prison where a large fortune was hidden. The wardens find the treasure, have a
Also known at The Sleeping Cardinal, Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour (1931) is the first Sherlock Holmes film starring Arthur Wontner in the title role. The film concerns a young man, who has been cheating at bridge to regain his lost wealth. Professor Moriarty uses the information in an attempt to blackmail the young man Ronald Adair, portrayed by Leslie Perrins.
Roland V. West bought the rights and directed The Bat (1926), one of the first “old dark house” mysteries for United Artist in 1926. Arthur Edeson was the cinematographer for both this film and The Old Dark House (1932), which share similar Expressionist elements. Both films are set in large mansions, which have seen better days. The key to the
On September 27, 1941, Warner Brothers Film Corporation released Sergeant York (1941). The film (affiliate link) tells the story of Sergeant Alvin C. York, a reluctant World War I hero from the small town of Pall Mall, Tennessee. Western film veteran Gary Cooper stars as Sergeant York. The film begins with the contrast of a Sunday church service and the
I’ve been on an Alan Ladd kick lately. When I was still in college, I watched a number of Alan Ladd films one summer. I’ve been watching them over again the last few weeks on Amazon Prime. I’ll share some of these films over the next few months. The first film I watched was Thunder in the East (1951) starring
William Powell’s fifth turn as S.S. Van Dine’s detective Philo Vance may have been his best. The Kennel Murder Case (1933) finds Philo Vance trying to solve the murder of Archer Coe. Coe had many enemies but the greatest mystery for Vance is how Coe was murdered in a locked room. Vance attended a dog show with Coe and his
On September 16, 1932, RKO Pictures released The Most Dangerous Game (1932), a film about a big game hunter becoming the hunted. Joel McCrea plays big game hunter Bob Rainsford. Rainsford is on a yacht off the South American coast discussing his latest hunt, when another guest asks him, “Do you ever think how the tiger felt?” Rainsford laughs at