Directed by Roy William Neill, Dressed to Kill is the 14th and final film in the beloved Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Released by Universal Pictures, this mystery thriller wraps up the wartime-era Holmes cycle with a clever plot involving music boxes, secret codes, and stolen bank plates.
Plot Summary
Convicted thief John Davidson, imprisoned in Dartmoor, crafts three music boxes that contain a hidden code revealing the location of stolen Bank of England currency printing plates. Each box plays a slightly different version of the tune “The Swagman”, and they’re sold at auction to unsuspecting buyers.
When one of the buyers is murdered and another robbed, Holmes and Watson investigate. They discover that the villainous Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morison) is behind the scheme, using disguises and deception to retrieve all three boxes. Holmes deciphers the musical code just in time for a tense showdown and a satisfying resolution.
Cast Highlights
- Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
- Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson
- Patricia Morison as Hilda Courtney
- Edmund Breon as Julian Emery
- Frederick Worlock, Carl Harbord, and Patricia Cameron in supporting roles
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- Rathbone was reportedly tired of playing Holmes by this point, though he continued to portray the character on radio and stage
- The film combines elements from “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”, though the story is original
- During the UCLA Sherlock Holmes Restoration Project, no 35mm elements of the main title were found; the restored version uses a blow-up from a 16mm syndication print, resulting in lower resolution and grainier image quality
- One of the music boxes features a rabbit in a cabbage, made by Roullet & Decamps, a French automata company from the 19th century
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