Directed by John Rawlins and starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror marked a bold shift in the Holmes film series by transplanting the detective into World War II-era Britain. Produced by Universal Pictures, this was the first of twelve Holmes films made by the studio, and it reimagined Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters in a contemporary setting to serve as morale-boosting propaganda during the war.
Plot Summary
Britain is under siege—not just by bombs, but by a mysterious Nazi radio broadcaster known as the Voice of Terror, who predicts acts of sabotage before they happen. The British Intelligence Inner Council calls upon Sherlock Holmes to uncover the saboteur’s identity. With help from Dr. Watson, and a courageous East End informant named Kitty (Evelyn Ankers), Holmes infiltrates the criminal underworld and uncovers a plot that threatens national security.
Cast Highlights
- Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
- Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson
- Evelyn Ankers as Kitty
- Henry Daniell, Reginald Denny, and Thomas Gomez in supporting roles
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film’s villain was inspired by Lord Haw-Haw, the real-life Nazi propagandist William Joyce, who was executed for treason in 1946
- The train derailment scene uses stock footage from The Invisible Man (1933)
- The use of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in the film echoes the BBC’s wartime broadcasts, where the opening notes (· · · –) symbolized “V for Victory” in Morse code
- The final lines of the film are lifted from Doyle’s short story His Last Bow, which also deals with Holmes confronting German espionage
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