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Sherlock Holmes |
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Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes as been the subject of
many radio dramatizations over the years. This CD set consists of the most
significant ones: (I)
BASIL RATHBONE / NIGEL BRUCE
COLLECTION For
seven years, the Sherlock Holmes Radio Show actually starred both Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. They began in 1939 and continued through the mid
40's, while the two were also cranking out 14 Hollywood films. The radio
stories even included commercials & promotional advertisements for their
current Sherlock Holmes movie
offerings. These
programs were action packed, filled with atmosphere, and featured great music
by Lou Kosloff, as well as excellent sound effects. It has been reported that
Denis Conan Doyle, son of the writer, watched a radio production with
Rathbone and Bruce in 1941, and was heard to say, "Éadmirable,
absolutely admirable." A
total of 51 complete episodes have survived - all are
presented here and each has been carefully restored (II)
TOM CONWAY / NIGEL BRUCE
COLLECTION When
Basil Rathbone left the role of
Holmes for the New York stage, actor Tom Conway stepped in as replacement. Apparently some people
didnÕt even realize that Rathbone was gone as many felt that ConwayÕs voice
was so similar. It also helps that Nigel Bruce continued as Dr. Watson so
there was a sense of continuity that might not have been there with two
totally different actors. One
major improvement occurred with this new series: orchestra accompaniment -
which replaced the (cheaper option) organ used in the latter series of
Rathbone / Bruce episodes. Original music was composed and conducted by Alex
Steiner making these Conway / Bruce
episodes far more atmospheric than previous productions. The
set up was essentially the same: narrator / introducer Joseph Bell calls around to Watson's study for a fireside
"chat" with the good doctorÉ whence the listener is plunged into
another intriguing and baffling case which only the master detective can
solve. Lead
writer Edith Meiser continued to
both create new stories for the characters and do adaptations of DoyleÕs
original tales. Several times Meiser would even bring back HolmesÕ nemesis, Professor
Moriarty, but not frequently enough
that he wore out his welcome. Heard
today, "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", with Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, not only retain their entertainment value but compare quite
favorably with the earlier series with Rathbone. Conway as Holmes does
capture RathboneÕs style and
Nigel Bruce is always charming as the sometimes baffled but always loyal Dr.
Watson. A
total of 38 episodes have survived (note that Tom Conway was ill for one
episode - The Ancient Egyptian Curse - and was replaced by Ben Wright) - all are
presented here and each has been carefully restored (III) SIR JOHN GIELGUD AND SIR RALPH
RICHARDSON COLLECTION In
1954, Harry Alan Towers enticed
noted British stage & screen performers in Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson to play Holmes and Watson (respectively) in an
excellent BBC adaptation of stories from the Sherlock Holmes canon. The first
episode (The Blackmailer) is
actually a story about how Watson meet the crime-solver. Towers,
who had successfully produced The Lives of Harry Lime (aka The Third Man) radio series (also available from this website)
starring Orson Welles, scored a
coup for this Sherlock Holmes series when he talked Welles into playing Professor
Moriarty alongside Gielgud &
Richardson in the gripping episode: The Final Problem. This episode represents the final (?) battle
between Holmes and his great nemesis Moriarty culminating in a thrilling
climax at the Reichenbach Falls. Twelve
shows were aired by the BBC in 1954.
The series aired in the US in 1955 and consisted of the original 12
episodes plus a further 4 new episodes which included the "Holmes has
survived Reichenbach" episode: The Adventure of the Empty House. In all 16 episodes were produced. Continuity
Note: When all 16 programs were
broadcast in the US, the order was changed as repeats from the 12 UK aired programs
were aired along with the 4 new ones. To maintain continuity between The
Final Problem & The Adventure of the Empty House which (logically & chronologically) must follow
one another, the latter has been given a fictitious date: namely 1955-03-13
instead of the actual broadcast date which was 1955-04-24. (IV)
ORSON WELLES' MERCURY THEATRE PRODUCTION Harking
back to 1938, Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre broadcast a fascinating 1 hour production called Sherlock
Holmes (often called The
Immortal Sherlock Holmes). It was
based upon the play by William Gillette and featured all the things that one would expect in a story about
Conan Doyle's greatest creation. This classic tale saw Holmes (as played by Orson
Welles) again pitting his wits
against his greatest foe, Professor Moriarty. (V)
THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES In
2002, director Patrick Rayner and dramatist Bert Coules collaborated to produce The Further Adventures
Of Sherlock Holmes. These were
altogether quite different to any Sherlock Holmes stories that had come
before. Bert
Coules set about creating a wholly new set of dramas, which were to be based
on references by Dr Watson to other, un-recorded cases mentioned in the
original Sherlock Holmes tales. So each was an entirely new Sherlock Holmes
story which was based on a Òthrowaway referenceÓ from an actual Arthur Conan
Doyle short story or novel about the famous sleuth. For
example, in the well known Sherlock Holmes short story ÒThe Solitary
CyclistÓ, the following words can be found at the beginning of the tale: ÒÉ Miss Violet SmithÕs É visit
was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for he was immersed at the
moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar
persecution to which John Vincent Harden, the well known tobacco millionaire,
had been subjected.Ó No
further mention is made of John Vincent Harden nor of his problem but Coules,
using this reference only, wrote an all new original (and compelling) story
titled ÒThe Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent HardenÓ – the third
of the series and available for immediate download below. For
all of these innovative programs, Clive Merrison played Holmes, and Andrew Sachs was Watson. Merrison had already developed a strong
following amongst aficionadas of Holmes on radio having played the role many
times previously, whilst Sachs - perhaps better known as Manuel in TVÕs
Fawlty Towers - played Father Brown
on BBC Radio in the 1980s (also
available from this website). Thus
far there have been 16 of these new stories - each of 45 minutes duration. Want
to check out Jeffery Richards's 30 minute BBC Radio documentary: Sherlock
Holmes on Radio? How about the
first ever Rathbone / Bruce episode? What about an excellent Tom Conway /
Nigel Bruce entry? How about Gielgud, Richardson & Welles going at it The Final Problem? Or Bert Coules' production of The Peculiar Persecution of Mr
John Vincent Harden with Merrison
& Sachs? These
can be freely downloaded to your computer - just right button click on any
link below and chose "Download Linked File" (or words to that
effect). The files sizes range from about 18Mb to 30 Mb - download time will
depend on your (broadband) speed Jeffery
Richards's 30 minute BBC Radio documentary: Radio
Detectives - Sherlock Holmes.mp3 The
first ever Rathbone / Bruce episode: SHRB_1939-11-06
The Bruce-Partington Plans.mp3 An
excellent atmospheric Conway /
Bruce episode: SHCB_1946-10-19
The Case of The Black Angus.mp3 Gielgud,
Richardson & Welles going at it: SHGR_1954-12-21
The Final Problem.mp3 Bert
Coules' production with Merrison / Sachs: SHFA_2002-02-13
The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden.mp3 These
4 MP3 CDs consist of Sherlock Holmes on Radio, a 30 minute documentary
presented by Professor Geoffrey Richards, a 3 minute retrospective from Peggy
Webber who appeared alongside Rathbone & Bruce in several of the radio
shows, as well as all 51 surviving (& complete) thirty minute episodes of
Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce All
38 thirty minute episodes of Sherlock Holmes starring Tom Conway and Nigel
Bruce are also included - each is of excellent quality having been patiently
restored to their former quality. Also
included is the entire 16 episode run of the Gielgud / Richardson series
(with The Final Problem starring Orson Welles as Moriarty being a stand-out!)
along with Welles' 1938 Mercury Theatre production: The Immortal Sherlock
Holmes. The
entire collection (thus far) of Bert Coules' The Further Adventures Of
Sherlock Holmes is also included. A. Sherlock
Holmes on Radio Documentaries 1.
A 30 minute BBC
documentary with Professor Geoffrey Richards 2.
A 3 minute
retrospective from Peggy Webber B. Sherlock
Holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce 1.
SHRB_1939-11-06 The
Bruce-Partington Plans.mp3 2.
SHRB_1940-03-11 The
Retired Colourman.mp3 3.
SHRB_1940-10-06 The
Copper Beeches.mp3 4.
SHRB_1944-05-15
Adventure of the Missing Bloodstain.mp3 5.
SHRB_1945-03-26 The
Book of Tobit.mp3 6.
SHRB_1945-04-02 The
Amateur Mendicant Society.mp3 7.
SHRB_1945-04-09 The
Viennese Stranger.mp3 8.
SHRB_1945-04-23 The
Notorious Canary Trainer.mp3 9.
SHRB_1945-04-30
Unfortunate Tobacconist.mp3 10.
SHRB_1945-05-07 The
Purloined Ruby.mp3 11.
SHRB_1945-05-14 On the
Flanders.mp3 12.
SHRB_1945-05-21 The
Paradol Chamber.mp3 13.
SHRB_1945-09-03 The
Limping Ghost.mp3 14.
SHRB_1945-09-10
Colonel Warburton's Madness.mp3 15.
SHRB_1945-09-17 Out of
Date Murder.mp3 16.
SHRB_1945-09-24 The
Eyes of Mr Leyton.mp3 17.
SHRB_1945-10-01
Problem of Thor Bridge.mp3 18.
SHRB_1945-10-08 The
Vanishing Elephant.mp3 19.
SHRB_1945-10-15 The
Manor House Case.mp3 20.
SHRB_1945-10-22 The
Great Gandolfo.mp3 21.
SHRB_1945-10-29 Murder
In the Moonlight.mp3 22.
SHRB_1945-11-05 The
Fifth of November.mp3 23.
SHRB_1945-11-12 The
Speckled Band.mp3 24.
SHRB_1945-11-19 Double
Zero.mp3 25.
SHRB_1945-11-26
Accidental Murderess.mp3 26.
SHRB_1945-12-03 Murder
in the Casbah.mp3 27.
SHRB_1945-12-10 A
Scandal in Bohemia.mp3 28.
SHRB_1945-12-17 The
Second Generation.mp3 29.
SHRB_1945-12-24 Night
Before Christmas.mp3 30.
SHRB_1945-12-31 Case
of the Iron Box.mp3 31.
SHRB_1946-01-07
Hampton Heath Killer.mp3 32.
SHRB_1946-01-14 Murder
Beyond the Mountains.mp3 33.
SHRB_1946-01-21
Telltale Pigeon Feathers.mp3 34.
SHRB_1946-01-28
Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber.mp3 35.
SHRB_1946-02-04
Indiscretion of Mr Edwards.mp3 36.
SHRB_1946-02-11 The
Guileless Gypsy.mp3 37.
SHRB_1946-02-18
Camberwell Poisoners.mp3 38.
SHRB_1946-02-25 Murder
at the Opera.mp3 39.
SHRB_1946-03-04 The
Submarine Caves.mp3 40.
SHRB_1946-03-11 The
Living Doll.mp3 41.
SHRB_1946-03-18
Blarney Stone.mp3 42.
SHRB_1946-03-25 Girl
with the Gazelle.mp3 43.
SHRB_1946-04-01 April
Fool's Adventure.mp3 44.
SHRB_1946-04-08
Disappearing Scientists.mp3 45.
SHRB_1946-04-15 Mystery
of the Headless Monk.mp3 46.
SHRB_1946-04-22
Tankerville Club Scandal.mp3 47.
SHRB_1946-04-29 The
Waltz of Death.mp3 48.
SHRB_1946-05-06 Man
with the Twisted Lip.mp3 49.
SHRB_1946-05-13 Uneasy
Chair.mp3 50.
SHRB_1946-05-20
Haunting of Sherlock Holmes.mp3 51.
SHRB_1946-05-27
Baconian Cipher.mp3 C. Sherlock
Holmes with Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce 1.
SHCB_1946-10-12 The
Adventure of the Stuttering Ghost.mp3 2.
SHCB_1946-10-19 The
Case of The Black Angus.mp3 3.
SHCB_1946-10-26 The
Clue of the Hungry Cat.mp3 4.
SHCB_1946-11-02 The
Adventure of the Original Hamlet.mp3 5.
SHCB_1946-11-09 The
Adventure of the Dying Schoolboys.mp3 6.
SHCB_1946-11-16 The
Adventure of the Genuine Guarnarius.mp3 7.
SHCB_1946-11-23 The
Adventure of The Sally Martin.mp3 8.
SHCB_1946-11-30 The
Strange Death of Mrs Abernetty.mp3 9.
SHCB_1946-12-07 The
Singular Affair of the Coptic Compass.mp3 10.
SHCB_1946-12-14 The
Adventure of the Elusive Emerald.mp3 11.
SHCB_1946-12-21 The
Adventure of the Grand Old Man.mp3 12.
SHCB_1946-12-28 The
Singular Affair of the White Cockerel.mp3 13.
SHCB_1947-01-04 The
Darlington Substitution Case.mp3 14.
SHCB_1947-01-13 The
Adventure of the Devil's Foot.mp3 15.
SHCB_1947-01-27 The
Babbling Butler.mp3 16.
SHCB_1947-02-03 The
Adventure of the Dying Detective.mp3 17.
SHCB_1947-02-10 The
Strange Case of the Persecuted Millionaire.mp3 18.
SHCB_1947-02-17 The
Adventure of the Haunted Bagpipes.mp3 19.
SHCB_1947-02-24 The
Horseless Carriage.mp3 20.
SHCB_1947-03-03 Queue
For Murder.mp3 21.
SHCB_1947-03-10 The
Affair of the Ancient Egyptian Curse.mp3 22.
SHCB_1947-03-17 The
Strange Case of Professor Presbury.mp3 23.
SHCB_1947-03-24 The
Adventure of the Scarlet Worm.mp3 24.
SHCB_1947-03-31 The
Adventure of Maltree Abbey.mp3 25.
SHCB_1947-04-07 The
Tolling Bell.mp3 26.
SHCB_1947-04-14 The
Adventure of the Carpathian Horror.mp3 27.
SHCB_1947-04-21 The
Lion's Mane.mp3 28.
SHCB_1947-04-28 The
Island of Death.mp3 29.
SHCB_1947-05-05 The
Remarkable Affair of the Pointless Robbery.mp3 30.
SHCB_1947-05-12 The
Adventure of Wisteria Lodge.mp3 31.
SHCB_1947-05-19 The
Harley Street Murders.mp3 32.
SHCB_1947-05-26 The
Adventure of the Submerged Nobleman.mp3 33.
SHCB_1947-06-02 The
Red-Headed League.mp3 34.
SHCB_1947-06-09 Murder
in the Locked Room.mp3 35.
SHCB_1947-06-16 Death
in the North Sea.mp3 36.
SHCB_1947-06-23 The
Adventure of the Speckled Band.mp3 37.
SHCB_1947-06-30 The
Adventure of the Innocent Murderess.mp3 38.
SHCB_1947-07-07 The Adventure
of the Iron Maiden.mp3 D. Sherlock
Holmes with Sirs John Gielgud & Ralph Richardson 1.
SHGR_1954-10-05 The
Blackmailer.mp3 2.
SHGR_1954-10-12 A
Scandal In Bohemia.mp3 3.
SHGR_1954-10-19 The
Red-Headed League.mp3 4.
SHGR_1954-10-26 The
Traitor.mp3 5.
SHGR_1954-11-02 A Case
of Identity.mp3 6.
SHGR_1954-11-09 Rare
Disease.mp3 7.
SHGR_1954-11-16 The
Second Stain.mp3 8.
SHGR_1954-11-23 The
Norwood Builder.mp3 9.
SHGR_1954-11-30 The
Solitary Cyclist.mp3 10.
SHGR_1954-12-07 The
Six Napoleons.mp3 11.
SHGR_1954-12-14 The
Blue Carbuncle.mp3 12.
SHGR_1954-12-21 The
Final Problem.mp3 (Orson Welles as Moriarty) 13.
SHGR_1955-03-13 The
Adventure of the Empty House.mp3 14.
SHGR_1955-03-20 The
Specked Band.mp3 15.
SHGR_1955-03-27 Silver
Blaze.mp3 16.
SHGR_1955-04-03 The
Golden Prince-Nez.mp3 E. Orson
Welles' Mercury Theatre 1.
MT_1938-09-25 The
Immortal Sherlock Holmes.mp3 F. The
Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes 1.
SHFA_2002-01-30 The
Madness of Colonel Warburton.mp3 2.
SHFA_2002-02-06 The
Star of the Adelphi.mp3 3.
SHFA_2002-02-13 The
Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden.mp3 4.
SHFA_2002-02-20 The
Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson.mp3 5.
SHFA_2002-02-27 The
Saviour of Cripplegate Square.mp3 6.
SHFA_2004-05-18 The
Abergavenny Murder.mp3 7.
SHFA_2004-05-25 The
Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith.mp3 8.
SHFA_2004-06-01 The
Tragedy of Hanbury Street.mp3 9.
SHFA_2004-06-08 The
Determined Client.mp3 10.
SHFA_2004-06-15 The
Striking Success of Miss Franny Blossom.mp3 11.
SHFA_2008-12-26 The
Remarkable Performance of Mr Frederick Merridew.mp3 12.
SHFA_2009-01-02 The
Eyes of Horus.mp3 13.
SHFA_2009-01-09 The
Thirteen Watches.mp3 14.
SHFA_2009-01-16 The
Ferrers Documents.mp3 15.
SHFA_2010-04-05 The
Marlbourne Point Mystery (Part I).mp3 16.
SHFA_2010-04-06 The
Marlbourne Point Mystery (Part II).mp3 |