Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) is the fourth in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films which updated the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the then present day. The film is credited as an adaptation of Conan Doyle's 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," though the only element from the source material is the dancing men code. Rather, it is a spy film taking place on the background of the then ongoing Second World War with an original premise. The film concerns the kidnapping of a Swiss scientist by their nemesis Professor Moriarty, to steal a new bomb sight and sell it to Nazi Germany. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have to crack a secret code in order to save the country.
| Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon | |
|---|---|
US theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Written by | |
| Screenplay by | Edmund L. Hartmann |
| Based on | The Adventure of the Dancing Men 1903 short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Produced by | Howard Benedict |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lester White |
| Edited by | Otto Ludwig |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 68 minutes (restored version) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200,000 |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon Trailer at TCM Movie Database |
The film is one of four films in the series which are in the public domain.