This long-lost series was produced in the early 1950's, after long definitive success of Basil Rathbone in the early '40's. There had been a few other attempts at cinema, but these 39 half-hour stories were the first crack at television.
Very well cast, period settings including background shots of London, strong scripting, droll and humorous, and some very neat mysteries, it only ran one season. What went wrong? Marketing: or the lack thereof. Movies knew how to promote themselves very well in the 50's; television didn't, especially in Britain. And, this series, which boasted fine British acting talent, wasn't filmed there--or even shown there! We're lucky to have what we have of it now.
It's a charming show. Holmes' genius, so important to the canon's enduring success, is adroitly exhibited by Mr Howard. The all-important relationship of Holmes and Watson, often very clumsily portrayed through the years, comes off nicely here. Things have to move along in a half-hour show, but stories don't seem forced and they are engaging. The producers also elected to offer new stories, apart from Mr Doyles' (unlike the popular Granada series thirty years later), and so we have some new adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
I have a 5-disc set from Mill Creek Entertainment, which contains the complete--though woefully brief!--series. Enjoy!
Very well cast, period settings including background shots of London, strong scripting, droll and humorous, and some very neat mysteries, it only ran one season. What went wrong? Marketing: or the lack thereof. Movies knew how to promote themselves very well in the 50's; television didn't, especially in Britain. And, this series, which boasted fine British acting talent, wasn't filmed there--or even shown there! We're lucky to have what we have of it now.
It's a charming show. Holmes' genius, so important to the canon's enduring success, is adroitly exhibited by Mr Howard. The all-important relationship of Holmes and Watson, often very clumsily portrayed through the years, comes off nicely here. Things have to move along in a half-hour show, but stories don't seem forced and they are engaging. The producers also elected to offer new stories, apart from Mr Doyles' (unlike the popular Granada series thirty years later), and so we have some new adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
I have a 5-disc set from Mill Creek Entertainment, which contains the complete--though woefully brief!--series. Enjoy!