SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR—-“Watson, there’s not a moment to lose!”  From 1942, the third of the fourteen Holmes/Watson oldies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, shifting studios (Universal taking over from Fox) and after three years of rights-wrangling (the first two came out in 1939) it bounced the duo up in time from the Victorian/Edwardian eras to do some sleuthing during the dark days of the Second World War. This sly-of-handling was accomplished with an introductory title card: “SHERLOCK HOLMES, the immortal character of fiction created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is ageless, invincible and unchanging. In solving significant problems of the present day he remains – as ever – the supreme master of deductive reasoning.”  *

London. Not enough that England is being pounded by the Luftwaffe, radio broadcasts from the Nazis hector the public and confound the government via ‘The Voice of Terror’, venomously pinpointing destructive acts of sabotage moments before they occur. Stymied, brass of the ‘Homeland Inner Security Council’ grudgingly accept help from civilian ‘amateur’ detective Holmes and his hardy helper Watson. Sussing suspects may ruffle feathers and risk lives, but rats must be revealed.

“People of Britain, greetings from the Third Reich. This is the voice you have learned to fear. This is the Voice of Terror. Again, we bring you disaster: crushing, humiliating disaster. It is folly to stand against the mighty wrath of the Fuhrer. Do you need more testimony of his invincible might to bring you to your knees? Very well.”

The script done by Lynn Riggs (The Garden Of Allah) and John Bright (If I Had A Million, The Brave Bulls) was based on Doyle’s 1917 short story “His Last Bow: The War Service Of Sherlock Holmes”, set during WW1. This first entry from Universal was directed by John Rawlins (Arabian Nights, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome), and while the studio didn’t have the more plush resources of 20th Century Fox, they were proficient at delivering a lot with little. Rathbone and Bruce continue to lock in their interpretations and are backstopped with a good supporting cast and excellent cinematography from Elwood Bredell (The Killers).

Helping or hindering: Evelyn Ankers, looking great, with some neat closeups and a ‘let’s fight’ speech; Reginald Denny, calm member of the Council; Henry Daniell, snide member of the Council; and Thomas Gomez, 36, debut, as someone who has to learn about Democracy the hard way.

The ‘Voice’ was provided by Edgar Barrier. Also in the cast: Montagu Love, Hillary Brooke, Harry Cording, Rudolph Anders and Fred Graham. Box offices took in $1,400,000, #155 for the year, crammed with morale raisers. Case solved in 65 minutes.

“Good old Watson. The one fixed point in a changing age. There’s an east wind coming all the same. Such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson. And a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it’s God’s own wind nonetheless, and a greener, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared.”

* “London Can Take It!”—fight back in ’42—-Mrs. Miniver, In Which We Serve, Went The Day Well?, One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing, Eagle Squadron, The First Of The Few, Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon.