DRESSED TO KILL (Universal, 1946), produced and directed by Roy William Neil, comes to a close with the studio's twelfth and final "Sherlock Holmes" installment (1942-46) starring Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson). Acquiring a title already used for the 1941 "Michael Shayne" entry for 20th Century-Fox starring Lloyd Nolan, this DRESSED TO KILL, not an unofficial remake, is nothing more than an adaptation from an untitled story by its creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this time involving inexpensive music boxes.
Opening with an overview of what an off-screen narrator describes as, "Dartmoor Prison, isolated from the outside world by walls of granite," introduces one of two prisoners (later revealed as John Davidson, played by Cyril Delevanti), working on music boxes that gets shipped out monthly to the Gaylord Auction Room. Its auctioneer, Mr. Crabtree (Holmes Herbert), sells three identical music boxes to three individual buyers, Julian Emery (Edmund Breon), Evelyn Clifford (Patricia Cameron), proprietress of the Clifford Toy Store; and William Kilgour for his little girl (Topsy Glyn). An hour after the auction closes, Colonel Cavanaugh (Frederick Worlock), arriving too late for purchase the boxes in question, acquires the names and addresses of its buyers. Julian Emery (Edmund Breon), a collector, affectionately called "Stinky" by his former school chum, Doctor Watson (Nigel Bruce), interests his friend and colleague, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) after being told by Emery of how his apartment was burglarized with only a music box stolen in the middle of the night. Later, Emery is found stabbed to death followed by Kilgour's daughter found bound and gagged inside a closet of her home by Holmes. With Holmes now on the case, assisted by Inspector Hopkins (Carl Harbord - filling in for Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade), the ace detective realizes these are not just ordinary music boxes for that the tunes are identical, yet different. Narrowing down Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morison) to be the ring leader responsible for the murder of Sergeant Thompson (Tom P. DIllon) of Scotland Yard for tailing her, it's now up to Holmes to decoding the music box and motive behind all this.
With Patricia Morison as the co-starring villainous, DRESSED TO KILL might have been a great opportunity for a return guest appearance of Gale Sondergaard matching wits with Sherlock Holmes as she did in THE SPIDER WOMAN (Universal, 1943). There's even a song ditty, "You Never Know Who You're Going to Meet" which clues in on Holmes getting to meet with another deadly female, Hilda Courtney, her associates, Colonel Cavanaugh (Worlock) and dagger throwing chauffeur, Hymie (Harry Cording). As in most, but not all Holmes escapades, Holmes faces a near death experience. In this instance, Holmes with mouth taped, gets lifted onto a suspended hook above, hanging by his handcuffed wrists, left inside by villains in a locked parking garage with the turned-on motor from an automobile exhausting poisonous fumes. Had this been a weekly chaptered serial, this particular scene would most definitely close with the title card, "To be continued next week." For this 72 minute feature, everything is presented in one seating for its viewers munching on popcorn or treating themselves with a basket of fish and chips.
Though not quite a high note conclusion, at least the series itself didn't resume long enough to produce some really inferior products. For DRESSED TO KILL, it did indicate Watson to be Arthur Conan Doyle or being the writer of exploits to past Holmes cases submitted to Strand Magazine. It is also Watson who unwittingly helps Holmes with his case through some meaningless suggestions/ self verbal thoughts that prove valuable. Of the supporting players, including Ian Wolfe as The Commissioner, only series regular, Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson, appears very briefly. As much as Holmes happens to be the master of many disguises, only Patricia Morison shows how she's really dressed to kill (figuratively speaking) for one memorable scene.
Whether intentional or not, regardless of how popular, everything must come to an end, including a film series such as this classic partnership of Holmes and Watson. Yet, for this final theatrical episode, it might have been quite elementary having Holmes announcing his retirement from crime solving for its fadeout. Though Holmes' retirement never take place on screen, Rathbone's retirement from the role actually did, but didn't end all possibilities for future Holmes theatrical mysteries in later years enacted by other notable British actors as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Having fallen to public domain, DRESSED TO KILL, available on video cassette and later DVD from various distributors, in black and white or colorized formats, as well as presented on numerous public television and/or cable channels, especially on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: March 8, 2004), is a satisfactory conclusion to a popular series that shows there's no place like Holmes. (**1/2)
Opening with an overview of what an off-screen narrator describes as, "Dartmoor Prison, isolated from the outside world by walls of granite," introduces one of two prisoners (later revealed as John Davidson, played by Cyril Delevanti), working on music boxes that gets shipped out monthly to the Gaylord Auction Room. Its auctioneer, Mr. Crabtree (Holmes Herbert), sells three identical music boxes to three individual buyers, Julian Emery (Edmund Breon), Evelyn Clifford (Patricia Cameron), proprietress of the Clifford Toy Store; and William Kilgour for his little girl (Topsy Glyn). An hour after the auction closes, Colonel Cavanaugh (Frederick Worlock), arriving too late for purchase the boxes in question, acquires the names and addresses of its buyers. Julian Emery (Edmund Breon), a collector, affectionately called "Stinky" by his former school chum, Doctor Watson (Nigel Bruce), interests his friend and colleague, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) after being told by Emery of how his apartment was burglarized with only a music box stolen in the middle of the night. Later, Emery is found stabbed to death followed by Kilgour's daughter found bound and gagged inside a closet of her home by Holmes. With Holmes now on the case, assisted by Inspector Hopkins (Carl Harbord - filling in for Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade), the ace detective realizes these are not just ordinary music boxes for that the tunes are identical, yet different. Narrowing down Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morison) to be the ring leader responsible for the murder of Sergeant Thompson (Tom P. DIllon) of Scotland Yard for tailing her, it's now up to Holmes to decoding the music box and motive behind all this.
With Patricia Morison as the co-starring villainous, DRESSED TO KILL might have been a great opportunity for a return guest appearance of Gale Sondergaard matching wits with Sherlock Holmes as she did in THE SPIDER WOMAN (Universal, 1943). There's even a song ditty, "You Never Know Who You're Going to Meet" which clues in on Holmes getting to meet with another deadly female, Hilda Courtney, her associates, Colonel Cavanaugh (Worlock) and dagger throwing chauffeur, Hymie (Harry Cording). As in most, but not all Holmes escapades, Holmes faces a near death experience. In this instance, Holmes with mouth taped, gets lifted onto a suspended hook above, hanging by his handcuffed wrists, left inside by villains in a locked parking garage with the turned-on motor from an automobile exhausting poisonous fumes. Had this been a weekly chaptered serial, this particular scene would most definitely close with the title card, "To be continued next week." For this 72 minute feature, everything is presented in one seating for its viewers munching on popcorn or treating themselves with a basket of fish and chips.
Though not quite a high note conclusion, at least the series itself didn't resume long enough to produce some really inferior products. For DRESSED TO KILL, it did indicate Watson to be Arthur Conan Doyle or being the writer of exploits to past Holmes cases submitted to Strand Magazine. It is also Watson who unwittingly helps Holmes with his case through some meaningless suggestions/ self verbal thoughts that prove valuable. Of the supporting players, including Ian Wolfe as The Commissioner, only series regular, Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson, appears very briefly. As much as Holmes happens to be the master of many disguises, only Patricia Morison shows how she's really dressed to kill (figuratively speaking) for one memorable scene.
Whether intentional or not, regardless of how popular, everything must come to an end, including a film series such as this classic partnership of Holmes and Watson. Yet, for this final theatrical episode, it might have been quite elementary having Holmes announcing his retirement from crime solving for its fadeout. Though Holmes' retirement never take place on screen, Rathbone's retirement from the role actually did, but didn't end all possibilities for future Holmes theatrical mysteries in later years enacted by other notable British actors as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Having fallen to public domain, DRESSED TO KILL, available on video cassette and later DVD from various distributors, in black and white or colorized formats, as well as presented on numerous public television and/or cable channels, especially on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: March 8, 2004), is a satisfactory conclusion to a popular series that shows there's no place like Holmes. (**1/2)