User Reviews

Well, it certainly defies political correctness, not to mention an affront to Sherlock Holmes. A woman from a wild west show finds a body in her room. She goes to home and ingratiates herself with her outrageous Texas being. Holmes finds her charming and she begins to grow on Watson. One should never get too analytical about something like this. MInnie, the young woman, plays it way over the top. She even threatens to shoot Holmes in cold blood because he isn't working out for her. There are some funny acting performances, including the buffoon, Inspector LeStrade and a Native American "gentleman" named Running Water. There is running water in every hotel room, as they say. Anyway, it's Holmes and Watson meet the Old West and the results are quite funny. Most TV series have an occasional tongue-in-cheek episode and I suppose this is one of them.

It is always fun to hear the Brits do accents - they have a long tradition of 'dialect jokes'. It is especially fun when they are doing 'Americans'.

It is special fun (and funny) when the accents are done badly.

This episode features a fabulously politically incorrect 'Red Indian', complete with a tee-pee pitched in the hotel room as well as the title character - a Texas Cowgirl with an accent that includes Georgia, Texas, Sussex and, I believe, several other jurisdictions. An international cast for the price of one performer.

This one has the usual thin plot and emphasis on cleverness. It also has the girl roping Watson for some kinky (PG) fun and Holmes pulling a peace-pipe/murder weapon switcheroo.

This is not great literature of great TV but we enjoyed it! On a per episode basis, it cost us 33 cents and that was most definitely a bargain.

The Sheldon Reynolds "Sherlock Holmes" series starring Ronald Howard had a lot of success taking the familiar characters of Holmes and Watson, and putting them in bizarre, humorous, and outlandish situations (or with such people) for comic and novel effect. The idea of Holmes solving a case brought to him by an uncouth Texas cowgirl certainly has possibilities, but on this occasion the execution lets the show down. Though Ronald Howard and H. Marion Crawford turn in their usual good efforts as Holmes and Watson, this episode depends heavily on Lucille Vines' performance as Minnie the cowgirl. Unfortunately, she's not very good.

Vines plays her part as the broadest possible stereotype in a bad accent that sounds more minstrel-show than Texas, and delivers a lot of flat and awkward line readings. There is some good material in the script (and especially fun is the scene where Watson is literally lassoed into participating in Holmes' investigation) but the crucial element of a guest star who has comic charisma and timing to pull of the material is missing. This hurts especially since the mystery of the episode is fairly standard and mainly distinguished by the fact that it involved a tomahawk.

This episode is silly enough to be entertaining, but it isn't especially good compared to other equally silly entries in this series.

How anyone could kill someone with a tomahawk and not get blood spraying everywhere is beyond ridiculous but not beyond weak script writing. How Mr. Holmes could move said body to another room without leaving a trail of blood between the rooms let alone not on his clothes and shoes is also beyond crazy. However in the end, its all merely "a distraction from the worries of life and stimulating change of thought which can only be found in the fairy kingdom of romance," as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. The Howard/Crawford series was one of the most bizarre of all the Holmes productions.

The Wild West show has arrived to London. Minnie O'Malley is the Texas cowgirl who arrives in Baker Street in a horse and cart.

Minnie wants Sherlock Holmes to get rid off a dead body that is in her hotel room. She doesn't want any scandal as she is engaged to marry an aristocrat.

The tomahawk used to kill the man is the type she uses in her act.

Holmes obliges to preserve international relations and Dr Watson is aghast. The dead man turns out to be a notorious London burglar who sometimes works with a partner.

Holmes moves the body to another room. He later gets one over Inspector Lestrade by finding the killer.

Even at 30 minutes length this is a flabby episode with a lot of silliness. Watson is lassoed by Minnie at one point.

There is a stereotypical depiction of a native American character. Characters are introduced as the story progresses leaving only one person who could be the culprit. It is not even a mystery as the writing is so bad.

I find Ron Howard to be an excellent Sherlock Holmes. The episodes seem to be light hearted yet still retain their authenticity to the character. It was true with the Texas Cowgirl who was fun and entertaining from start to finish. From the informality and jokes to the lasso she was a great addition. It was amusing see Watson also make use of the lasso and such an interesting spin on this case. Good episode.