The Adventure of the Speckled Band (1949)
1949 · Short film · 26 min · dir. Sobey Martin
- Action
Synopsis
Sherlock Holmes gets the clues he needs to solve a murder, and to prevent another one from occurring, when he finds out that a doctor owns a poisonous snake--the deadly swamp adder. Filmed on the expensive sets leftover from the movie Joan of Arc at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City and produced for the "Your Show Time" series, the short has been released as a solo feature on many DVDs that chronicle classic Sherlock Holmes films..
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Sobey Martin
- Writer
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Studio
- Grant-Realm Productions, Jerry Fairbanks Productions, Michael Grant Productions, NBC
- Released
- 1949-03-25
- Running time
- 26 minutes
Cast & crew
- Sobey Martin Director
Arthur Shields
Melville Cooper
Evelyn Ankers
Alan Napier
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · Great Production · Max Reiner · 2012-06-03
I found this half hour version very well done. Arthur Shields as host was a pleasant surprise. He is the brother of Barry Fitzgerald. Alan Napier was an excellent Holmes. That exaggerated pipe is a h00t! Watson character is ok by me. The gals are sexy! I like the way it was shot. Lots of medium closeups makes for more compelling storytelling without calling attention to the sets in wide shots. The old castle shots were very nice. In all, a most enjoyable production. Thanks Archive. Cheers!
★★★★★ · Great Version · German Saxon · 2010-11-03
My wife and I both really enjoyed this TV version of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." The scene sets were excellent for the time and location.
★★★★★ · Wonderfully Directed · Tucsontobedty · 2021-07-23
This was an interesting experience and prospective of the speckled band.
★★★★ · Pretty good · winner55 · 2011-09-24
Alan Napier's big problem is that he's too tall to play Holmes. Indeed, that was his big problem as an actor - he was too tall for practiocally any part. He's a good Holmes here. He is not benefitted by a Watson who's protrayed as an imbecile - the more problematic the 'Holmes', the better served by a Watson who is intelligent and able. Well never, mind; Napier turns in a strong performance. The heavily-smoking book-seller link-scenes may also upset some in our puritanical anti-smoking era, but that's the way it was. The story is one of Doyle's best and is well presented.
★★★★ · Really, really good... · Jazzy792 · 2012-06-03
Winner55, in the book, Holmes was so described: "In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller."...so Alan Napier's extreme height wasn't an issue, in fact, height-wise, he was better suited for the role than any other actor. Now, Watson drove me nuts...he wasn't any help, merely comic relief. I feel they could've handled Watson better. But it's still a good interpretation and condensation of the story, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Holmes stories.
★★★★ · I'm a very poor reviewer. Please forgive me if this review is of unacceptable quality · The_Emperor_Of_Television · 2014-05-03
This is the third version of "The Speckled Band" that I've watched. The other two I've seen are a 1964 version for BBC television, and a 1979 version for Soviet television. I would say this is the least impressive of the three I've seen, but it's still pretty good. However, I did not like the character of the fiancé, I found that character to be redundant and unnecessary.
