Knowing a good bet when they had one, Fox had this sequel to Basil Rathbone ’s initial Holmes pic out before the year was out. On the positive side, Holmes & Watson are now unequivocal leads, we keep the period settings, Ida Lupino is the classiest imperiled gal they’d ever help & Zanuck even popped for Leon Shamroy as lenser. On the down side, the old Wm Gillette play (loosely adapted) was never much good, George Zucco makes a colorless Moriarty, & the bifurcated plot is too much for Fox hack Alfred Werker to maintain suspense on. And poor Nigel Bruce gets pretty shabby/condescending treatment from Holmes & his scripters. They forgot that for many fans of the series, Watson not Holmes, c’est moi!
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