Themes: Murder Investigations, Star Detectives, Jewel Theft
Main Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 60 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
The penultimate entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, Terror by Night takes place almost exclusively on a speeding train, en route from London to Edinburgh. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is on board to protect a valuable diamond from the clutches of master criminal Colonel Sebastian Moran. The trouble is, Moran is a master of disguise, and could be just about any one of the other passengers. Murder and mayhem plague the train excursion before Holmes can successfully complete his mention. Poor old Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) is a bit denser than usual here, though his ingenuousness is cleverly woven into the script. Alan Mowbray, who played Inspector Lestrade in the 1932 Clive Brook adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, is seen in a pivotal supporting role. One of three Holmes entries currently in the public domain, Terror by Night is also available in a computer-colorized version (but stick with the original black-and-white). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although Terror by Night is not the best of the UniversalSherlock Holmes films, it does feature one of the more convoluted plots in the series; indeed, whereas many of the other entries concentrate on action or step-by-step plots that progress in a logical fashion, Terror is essentially concerned with keeping viewers guessing as to the identity of the jewel thief and in keeping them off guard as it does so. It does this rather well, even if it "cheats" a bit by not always providing sufficient information -- and director Roy William Neill does an excellent job of capturing small moments, grimaces, and gestures that manage to manipulate the audience's suspicions very nicely. And, of course, Basil Rathbone continues to be in tiptop form as Holmes, with the usual solid support from Nigel Bruce's amusingly befuddled Watson and a very capable supporting cast. Indeed, Terror's only real flaw is that it has comes so late in the series that a slight bit of ennui has set in; there's a tinge of "been there, done that," nothing so overt that it derails Terror, but just enough to dampen its effectiveness slightly. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
John B. Goodman - Art Director, Abraham Grossman - Art Director, Vera West - Costume Designer, Melville Shyer - First Assistant Director, Roy William Neill - Director, Saul A. Goodkind - Editor, Howard Benedict - Executive Producer, Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Milton Rosen - Musical Direction/Supervision, Mark Levant - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jack Pierce - Makeup, Jane Huizenga - Production Designer, Maury Gertsman - Cinematographer, Roy William Neill - Producer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Carl Lawrence - Set Designer, Frank Gruber - Screenwriter, David D. Martin - Technical Director, Jane Huizenga - Production Director, Arthur Conan Doyle - Short Story Author
In London, Vivian Vedder (Renee Godfrey), visits coffin makers Mock and Son to verify the completion of a coffin for her mother's body, which she is transporting to Scotland that evening on the Scotch Express. As the Express pulls out of the Victoria Station, the late-arriving Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) just manages to board the train with a companion, Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray), whom the doctor introduces to Holmes as a member of his club. That night, Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson meet Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) on a speeding train to Scotland. Lady Margaret Carstairs (Mary Forbes) and her son Roland (Geoffrey Steele) employ Holmes to guard an enormous 423 carats (85 g) diamond: The famous diamond The Star of Rhodesia. Holmes examines it.
During dinner, Roland is killed, possibly poison, as deduced by Holmes. Watson's friend, Watson, Holmes, and Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) question everyone on the train, as it is possible that one of them is the murderer. Holmes then figures out that there is a coffin on the train (brought in by the woman named Vivian and that it has a secret compartment. However, there is no diamond. He also deduces that one of the people on the train is his nemesis, Colonel Sebastian Moran. Moran and Major Duncan-Bleek are actually one and the same, and Watson has no idea of either his friend's true identity nor of his criminal past. When Holmes goes to inspect a mysteriously open door, he is nearly pushed out the train to his death.
Holmes and Lestrade question Vivian, she admits that a man paid her to transport the coffin. Watson and Duncan-Bleek join the group and Holmes astounds them all by revealing the Star has not been stolen, but was in his possession the entire time as he used the opportunity of examining it earlier to switch the genuine stone with an imitation. Lestrade quickly takes possession of the authentic jewel.
In the luggage compartment, Holmes and Watson find a train guard has been murdered by a tiny poisonous dart made out of a dissolving substance. Meanwhile, unknown to the others, Duncan-Bleek is joined in his compartment by Sands (Skelton Knaggs), a rough street criminal who came aboard via the coffin's hidden compartment and is the major's cohort in the crime. Sands knocks out a train conductor and then Sands and Moran decide to steal the diamond from Lestrade.
The Colonel and Sands knock out Lestrade and steal the diamond. However, Moran double-crosses Sands and kills him with a poison dart (which is what killed Roland). The train makes an unexpected stop in a small village to pick up several policemen led by Inspector McDonald (Boyd Davis) of the Scottish police. During the subsequent questioning, Vivian has been unwittingly involved in that she brought Sands onto the train in the coffin. (The film's plot is arranged so that the viewer will think that she is in cahoots with the criminals, when actually she is not.)
Holmes informs McDonald that Duncan-Bleek is really Sebastian Moran, but when McDonald arrests Duncan-Bleek and the police lead him away, the lights on the train are turned off and a scuffle ensues. Holmes recaptures Duncan-Bleek by throwing a coat over him in the darkness, and the officers supposedly hustle away their prisoner. As the train departs, Holmes reveals that McDonald and his men were impostors in league with Duncan-Bleek, whom Holmes had secretly handcuffed and hidden under the table during the scuffle. McDonald's prisoner is actually Lestrade, whose face was obscured by the coat. Lestrade later captures the thieves in the train station, and Holmes admits that he had recognized the phony Inspector, having met the real one once. Holmes then pulls out the real diamond, which he had recovered in the confusion.
Comic relief is provided by Inspector Lestrade arresting a pair of Hotel thieves who had stolen a teapot-and a mathematics professor who is quite rude to Watson.
The film differs from several of the other Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films set in modern-day England by not including any flag-waving speeches, Nazi criminals, or other propagandistic efforts on behalf of the Second World War. This is because the film was released in 1946, and the studios no longer found it necessary to mention World War II, which had ended the year before.
In September 1904, Doyle's friend Bertram Fletcher Robinson had a story entitled Mr. Taubery's Diamond published in The Lady's Home Magazine (see [1] & [2]). This story also features an imitation diamond and a principle character called The Honourable Carstairs.
Quotes
Watson: I broke 'em down. Gave 'em the old third degree.
