Reviews (22)

FUN!
The Secret Weapon is one my all time favorite Rathbone and Bruce films. It's wonderful to have it on DVD! The Universal Holmes series continues to be a great source of fun and I've always enjoyed seeing Holmes and Watson transplanted into the 1940's and dealing with W.W.II intrigue and Nazi spies. The Secret Weapon adds the nefarious Moriarty to the mix! I won't argue that the Universal Holmes movies had the most logical elements, but they always highly entertained me. The Secret Weapon is no exception. I found this one to be a blast. Great stuff!

News Flash! Colorized print is from 20th Century Fox!
Most of the reviews shown underneath this colorized-b/w combo disc of "Secret Weapon" seem to be discussing discs issued by other companies. I am (normally) a total believer that discs from "no name" issuers are to be avoided like the plague, as the print quality will almost always be inferior; one of the best lessons I ever learned about buying DVD's was that if it isn't issued by a major studio (Paramont, Fox, Universal, etc.), and that if that info isn't clearly listed on the outer packaging, then it isn't worth buying. Over the years, I've learned that there are a few exceptions; Artisan normally puts out nice prints, and one of the old "villians" of VHS, GoodTimes, seems to have changed it's spots and has issued some very nice prints (some of the "Airport" films); but in general, the "major studio or don't buy it" rule still applies.
This issue was inexpensive, so I decided to take a chance. I can't recall the name of the issuer that's shown on the outside of the case, but once it starts to play, the 20th Century Fox logo makes it very clear that this is at least a co-effort, and why they don't show Fox's name on the cover is beyond me. The picture quality/sound is really very good (as I say, many or all of the reviews shown under this particular issuance were apparently written for other companies' editions of this same title)...so, bottom line is: the colorzied option is fun, not garish or saturated, and the print is very clear. Also offers the film in b/w for you purists, and that's just another reason to get these versions.

Reread "His Last Bow"--Homes went up against the Kasier!
First of all, this is not quite a Sherlock Holmes film.It has Holmes, but no deerstalker cap. no calabash pipe, and no magnifying glass.It does have Holmes keep observations, and it is loosely based (14% of the film at least) is based on the canonical story "The Dancing Men." Furthermore, it is not set in Victorian England, but during the Blitz of WWII.If you can get past all of this, it is quite an enjoyable film.

It is essentially a B spy film.Since it does not focus on Bond's gadgets, or any heroessuper alien powers, you actually get a story that has a Bourn Identity fell to it.This is what saves the film--you see normal people with keen minds solving a riddle and trying to get the targeting equipment.

As a Sherlock film, it falls flat on it's face.It is a vague, pale ditto-copy of "The Dancing Men," and is barley a Holmes filmAs a spy film, it is fairly good, and is a good family film.The only objectionable material is there is a torture scene, which, by 1940's standard, is a bit graphic--about 10 years old and over.However,Kids see this type of thing all the time while playing HALO.

Most other reviews have blasted this film, primarily for the continuity jump from 1890's to 1940's.I would remind these people that Holmes is a timeless charter, as the Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century cartoon shows.

Moreover, the Nazi blitz was a real thing. Think of the scene where Holmes and Dr. Tobel were walking to 221-B Baker street, and cross over the rubble and bombed-out buildings. The Brits needed this film for the moral. That is why they had that corny speech at the end of the film. This was not a bleached-teethed marketing monkey or airhead exec, but a soul-surge of a people on the brink of a very real and present disaster.

For the die-hard Sherlockinas, I would also ask them to reread "His Last Bow":He was at odds with the Kaiser.Having him fight Hitler is by no means a stretch of the imagination.

This is a good Saturday afternoon or rainy day film.

A weak plot does a great disservice to Professor Moriarty
As a Holmesian traditionalist truly spoiled by the unsurpassed performances of Jeremy Brett as the great detective, I find it difficult to fully embrace the old 1940s Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone.If for no other reason, it's just odd to see Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade transported to the World War II era.Obviously, this film is not a product of any of the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (although it is extremely loosely based on his story The Dancing Men), a fact made manifest to even the most casual of observers by the overall weaknesses of this plot.While Holmes displays some of the remarkable talents of observation he is famous for, he can't hold a mental candle to Doyle's Holmes, and his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, displays none of the mental acumen that made him Holmes' intellectual equal in the stories of the canon.

There is a propaganda element to Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, as the plot pits Holmes in a race against time to keep a military secret from falling into the hands of the Germans.Holmes' final speech, I might add, surely did an effective job of rallying British audiences amidst the dark days of 1942.A Swiss scientist has invented a new bombsight capable of greatly increasing the accuracy of bombs, and Holmes is sent to Switzerland to safeguard Doctor Franz Tobel and conduct him and his innovative bombsight to London - before he and his discovery fall into the hands of the Gestapo.Once safely ensconced in the British capitol, though, Tobel refuses to part with his secret, insisting that he alone oversee the production of his nifty bombsight.Naturally, he soon disappears - courtesy of Professor Moriarty.The only solid clue Holmes has to work with is a piece of paper bearing the faintest of imprints of a coded message the scientist left behind (here's where your dancing men come in).Normally, a renewal of the struggle between Holmes and Moriarty lifts a Holmesian story to great heights, but neither great man really impressed me - especially Moriarty, who came across as a sad amateur rather than the greatest criminal mastermind in England.Furthermore, no matter what you might think of Professor Moriarty, I for one do not believe he would betray his own country.

Rathbone makes for an interesting and, by and large, successful portrayer of the great detective (even though it looks as if he and Shemp Howard shared the same barber).Dr. Watson (played by Nigel Bruce) is almost buffoon-like at times and barely manages to shine even in the presence of Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey).Personally, I was not very impressed by Lionel Atwill's portrayal of Professor Moriarty, but the weakness of his character here would naturally preclude any actor from excelling in the role.

This is still an interesting film with some enjoyable moments, and the atmosphere is, at times, noticeably Sherlockian, but Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon is very much in the pastiche vein and, as such, delivers only the palest of incarnations of the great detective - although I must admit the World War II propaganda aspect of the film makes it a little more interesting than it would otherwise be.

"We meet again, Professor Moriarty..."
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON is one of the Basil Rathbone "Sherlock Holmes" films that I watched many, many times while a youngster and adored completely.Thanks to this DVD featuring a newly restored print, I'm watching the film in much better condition today that has probably been seen in decades.And I'm overjoyed that the film is as delightful to the adult-me as it was to the mini-me.

"Thousands are finding strength in Guinness!" proclaims the side of a double-decker bus in a stock footage establishing shot.This is the second film which pits Sherlock Holmes directly against the Germans during World War II.Holmes had previously fought for the Allies in THE VOICE OF TERROR, and would do so again in SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON.After these three films, Universal would keep Holmes and Watson in their contemporary setting, but would limit them to more conventional crime-fighting.For my money, this is the best of the three.The plot is a variation on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Dancing Men", and the code-breaking storyline is quite apt for a WWII-era escapade.

The storyline concerns a new invention which we're told could single-handedly turn the tide of the war -- a new bomb sight, the creation of Doctor Tobel, a brilliant Swiss scientist, who has decided to hand over his device to the British Government.And just as the Allies were fighting the Axis Powers, Holmes finds himself struggling against his greatest enemy, Professor Moriarty.Moriarty is, of course, working for Germany, for no immediately obvious reason other than the fact that they're the film's dual bad guys.

I love the interaction between Holmes and Watson.Yes, it's a huge exaggeration of the characters as originally written, but I can't fault its entertainment value.Right from the very beginning, they're bouncing fun lines off each other (almost entirely at Watson's expense).Holmes patiently explaining the plot to Watson, or neglecting to explain his disguise until Watson's makes a fool of himself to Scotland Yard, or the pair of them independently complaining about the other's untidiness.Utterly ticklish material and performed superbly by the actors.

And, of course, there's the great intangible that this film possesses in spades -- atmosphere.It's rare to see a Sherlock Holmes adaptation without a good menacing sense of atmosphere (it almost seems inherent in the format), but when you put that together with that certain mood of a good thriller which films of the 1940s seemed to produce effortlessly and you really have something.

Yes, there's something very iconic about seeing London's most famous address, "221B Baker Street", standing amid bomb wreckage, smashed buildings and piles of heavy sandbags.The humorous sequences I mentioned earlier are perfectly balanced with some strong noir-like set pieces: the smuggling of Dr. Tobel out of Zurich under the nose of the Gestapo, Holmes' disguised jaunt through Soho, the tracking of Moriarty to his lair.The dialog is delightfully smooth as well.You can see Basil Rathbone and Lionel Atwill (Prof. Moriarty) drinking in their lines like wine of the finest vintage, practically purring their "my dear Holmes" and "my dear Professor" to each other.

There are no DVD extras to speak of, although the digitally restored picture and sound go a long way towards making up for that.I did watch a few of the scenes with the closed captioning on and was shocked by how poor the transcription was.A lot of phrases seemed to be dropped from the captioning completely, which is unfortunately not unusual, but seemed particularly bad in this case.Numerous mistakes ("conceded" instead of "conceited", "We don't need your confounded submarine" rather than "We'll meet your...", etc) were very obvious, in many cases completely altering the meaning of sentences.It wrecks one of the films cleverest lines:"[It] was so simple that it fooled us.I was looking for something ingenious; this is ingenuous" is rendered as "[It] was so simple that it fooled us.I was looking for something ingenious; this is ingenious." Yes, I realize it's only one transposed letter, but it's sort of an important one.

I'm very glad this film still holds up for me, as it's always a huge disappointment when you revisit something you enjoyed as a child only to discover that you had absolutely no taste or discretion when you were eight.I'll be slowly working my way through the rest of the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce films now that they're all released on DVD, taking in both movies that I've seen before and ones that I'm ignorant of.I can only hope that the ones I'm not experiencing for the first time are as fun for the adult as they were for the child. ... Read more

Description

BASIL RATHBONE NIGEL BRUCE
In SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON
Digitally Restored in 35mm
The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" inspired THE SECRET WEAPON. The wartime plot pits Sherlock Holmes once more against his nemesis, the villainously brilliant Professor Moriarty, who was believed dead but is now working for the Nazis. The Nazis have assigned Moriarty to kidnap Dr. Franz Tobel, the inventor of a new super bombsight.Sherlock Holmes outwits the enemy agents and escapes with Tobel and his precious invention. But despite elaborate precautions, the inventor later disappears before the process of manufacturing the bombsight is perfected.

Holmes and Watson must stop the Nazis from getting their hands on the new bombsight,wrapped in a code of dancing men. Using a variety of disguises - a Swiss inventor, the Lascar sailor Ram Singh, and an old German bookseller, Holmes puts his own life on the line in a race against the clock to prevent Moriarty from carrying out his evil plans. THE SECRET WEAPON is also the first of the films to introduce Dennis Hoey as Scotland Yard detective Inspector Lestrade.Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It's Holmes Against Moriarty--and the Nazis!
Although the first two movies Basil Rathbone made as Sherlock Holmes ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were in the original Victorian setting, Hollywood subsequently decided that even Holmes could pitch in during the propaganda years of World War II. And so, he donned modern dress and rode about in fast cars in pursuit of Nazi collaborators, aided as ever by Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), who oddly enough was still wearing a suspiciously Edwardian collar.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" is one such vehicle. Somewhat prophetically, the secret weapon is a type of super bomb and its inventor is a much-sought-after fellow. So Holmes goes over to the mainland to fetch him and bring him to the right side, England. While the inventor is very glad to be rescued from the Nazis by Holmes, for some inexplicable reason, he keeps leaving the flat, giving Basil Rathbone an opportunity to put on greasepaint and go scouring the wharves for this guy in cognito as a toughened seaman. That's actually the second disguise BR wears; before the movie's over, he'll indulge a few more times. Well, the upshot is that with all of his goings-about, the stupid inventor eventually gets kidnapped by Holmes' nemesis, Dr. Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), who of course puts him to the screws to get info out of him. Will Holmes get there in time? Since this review is being written in English not German, I think you can figure it out for yourself.

Rathbone does a pretty good job in his various incarnations; actually, what strikes me most about him aren't his disguises, but his rather unique coiffure when he's being just plain Holmes. It is a style where the locks around his temples are brushed forward, not back, to make him look as though he were just about to set his hair in curlers. I know he does sport this hairdo again in "SH in Washington", but sad to say, this attempt to make Sherlock Holmes a trendsetter in the world of hairstyles came to naught. Ah well, what he does well, he does well, and so after the culprits are rounded up, Holmes ends the piece by reciting from the "this blessed isle" speech of "Richard II", demonstrating once again that British pluck that did indeed forestall Nazi domination. Not great cinema, but fine for easy viewing.

Rathbone, gloriously brilliant as Sherlock Holmes
The second film in Universal's series of Sherlock Holmes adventures starring Basil Rathbone as the Great Detective and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" was one of several titles in the series to fall into the public domain, hence its availability over the years in numerous bargain bin editions of poor quality. Thanks to UCLA's restoration program, this title is now available in all its original black and white glory.

Like Universal's first entry in the series, this one drags Holmes out of his original Victorian era habitat to match wits with the Nazis. But those disappointed with the modernization gimmick should be happy to learn that Holmes' arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty is on hand, as well, this time in the person of the magnificent Lionel Atwill who brought his creepy elegance to some of the best films Universal made in the 40s.

The plot has little to do with "The Dancing Men," the Arthur Conan Doyle story referred to in the credits, and this film is neither as visually striking or as well-written as "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," or most of the 10 films to come, but it has Rathbone, incadescently brilliant as the greatest master detective of them all, and that's enough to make it a winner.

Brian W. Fairbanks

This is NOT the UCLA restored version!!
Despite what several customers have written (one even chastising others for slamming this DVD "when it hasn't even been released yet") this is NOT THE RESTORED VERSION, this is the dupey, scratched, and horrid sounding transfer that's been around for several years. MPI, not Focus Film, is the distributor of the new restored versions of this series. That said, if you come across a used copy of this version cheap (and I mean CHEAP!!) it has a few nice extras not found on the MPI, like the re-issue trailer (ironically looking better than the feature itself on this disc), and a generous helping of Rathbone / Bruce radio shows that are fun. But for the feature itself the UCLA restoration is the ONLY way to go.

The Needle to the Last, eh Holmes?
It's one of the paradoxes of Basil Rathbone's wartime anti-Nazi Sherlock Holmes films (Voice of Terror, SH in Washington, and this one) that while the plots and settings are mostly terrible, he is so good in them. Despite a bizarre wind-swept hairstyle meant to make him look younger, he blazes through every scene with so much bite and attack that you hardly register how flimsy the plots are. Here he also has great acting rapport with Lionel Atwill, who makes a wonderfully repulsive Professor Moriarty -- a heavy lidded cockroach with nice hints of sadism and depravity (it may not have been acting, kids). At the climax, changed into a lab coat in order to drain Rathbone's blood "drop by drop," he's as over-the-top sinister as Seinfeld's arch-nemesis Newman. The movie itself is ancient kiddie matinee fare, but it benefits from director Roy William Neill's attention to staging and atmosphere. It also looks fairly sharp in this UCLA restoration -- don't even think of buying any other edition, all of them faded, choppy public-domain prints.

This Version will be better than Any previously available.
I am frustrated that reviews of past DVD releases of this title are listed under this upcoming restored version. This is ludicrous and laziness on the part of someone!!! How can a review be asking customers to not buy this edition when it hasn't even been released to the public yet!! Furthermore it slams the quality of an upcoming RESTORED VERSION. WAKE UP!!!!!
I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Secrets Behind A Small Town
King's Row starts off with a view of a sign that announces that the town of King's Row is a great place to live and have a family. The rest of the movie shows you just how untrue that sign was. The film turns the romantic view of life in a small town upside down, exposing a lot of vices and prejudices. The performances are a mixed bag. Ann Sheridan gives one of her best performances as the girl from the wrong side of the tracks (literally), and Ronald Reagan surprises with an effective job as the victim of a sadistic doctor. But Robert Cummings is sometimes laughable as the very idealistic young doctor and Betty Field is over the top as his troubled girlfriend. The supporting cast is generally fine, with an especially fine performance by Nancy Coleman, who should have become a star but didn't. The movie is both dramatic and entertaining, and if you like stories about small towns like I do, then don't miss this one. It's an eye-opener!

A grim soap opera with Ronald Reagan's finest performance
"Kings Row" is the most distinguished film of Ronald Reagan's actor career, for which he drew his best reviews. However, by the time it was released in 1942, Reagan was in the Army and his film career had received a fateful interruption that would eventually lead to his shifting to a political career. I remember that when Breshnev was preparing to meet with President Reagan the Soviet leader screened several of Reagan's films, and "King's Row" was the one that impressed him. If you have already seen this film, directed by Sam Wood, you know why.

The film focuses on five childhood friends who grow up to complicated lives. Parris Mitchell (Robert Cummings) has become a medical student, studying privately with Dr. Alexander Tower (Claude Rains), whose daughter Cassandra (Betty Field) is a sheltered neurotic. Louise Gordon (Nancy Coleman) has been raised by harsh parents who warn here away from playboy Drake McHugh (Reagan), who is living off an inheritance. Drake ends up falling for Randy Monoghan (Ann Sheridan), the former tomboy who has grown up in to a most practical working class girl. Things then get very dark. First, when Dr. Tower discovers Cassandra is pregnant he kills her and himself. Then, after losing his fortune and taking a job at the railroad yard, Drake is injured and Dr. Gordon (Charles Coburn) decides to amputate the young man's legs as a punishment for his former hedonism. This is what leads to Reagan's unforgettable scene when he wakes up and discovers what has been done to him. The scene could have become ludicrous, but Reagan pulls it off and it is clearly his finest moment as an actor.

"Kings Row" is based on the novel by Henry Bellamann, which is a massive story of sadism and thwarted love in what was clearly the "Payton Place" of its day, set in a quiet Midwestern town at the turn of the (last) century. A lot of the novel's elements, such as incest, homosexuality and euthanasia were never going to make it into the film forcing screenwriter Casey Robinson to salvage what he could (e.g., turning the incest between Dr. Tower and his daughter Cassandra into a question of insanity). Robinson also gave the movie a "happier" ending (originally, Drake McHugh dies of cancer after his legs are unnecessarily amputated). Even more radical was the casting, since few in Hollywood were comfortable with Sheridan, Cummings and Reagan having the three lead roles. However, all of them perform admirably, as does Field and the supporting cast of veteran character actors.

Reagan would go on to entitle his autobiography "Where's the Rest of Me?" after the famous line he screams when he awakens to discover his legs are gone. He often told the story about what it was like to film the scene, his worried preparation for him to find the moment in him as an actor and director Wood waiting for Reagan to give the go ahead. For his parent, Reagan always credited Ann Sheridan, who was not supposed to be in the scene. But when he suddenly started calling for Randy she rushed into the room in character and Reagan delivered a powerful scene.

"King" Size Entertainment
I am not a fan of Ronald Reagan on any level, but the one movie I've always heard talk about when discussing Reagan as an actor has been "Kings Row" the movie filmbuffs reserve as one of Reagan's best films.

I saw this movie mainly for two reasons. The first being, it's one of my grandmother's favorite movies, the other, the death of the former President.

"Kings Row" is quite an accomplised film from director Sam Wood, a man who has directed serval American classics that would take up too much space if I recited them all here, but they include "Goodbye Mr. Chips", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "The Pride of the Yankees", and two Marx Brothers comedies "A Night at the Opera", and "A Day at the Races".

"Kings Row" directly and indirectly takes on what must have been a lot of taboo subjects. One of the main ones being fornication.

The movie starts off with a shot of a sign that reads; "Kings Row, a great pace to raise your children". From that we are suppose to suspect this is a friendly small town, that to some would seem being. Everybody knows each other and spreads the town's gossip and the people give excited waiting for the local events, but as the film goes on we find out there is much going on behind everyone's back.And the town is not as innocent as it seems.

The film's main characters are Parris Mitchell (Robert Cummings) and Drake McHugh (Reagan) who have remained friends since childhood. Now that both are older they are soon starting to discover the secrets that lie beneath the town and some of its citizens.

The movie has a terrific cast including Claude Rains as Dr. Tower, a man who is trying to help Parris become a doctor, he also happens to be the father of Cassie (Betty Field), the love of Parris' life. Then there Dr. Henry Gordon (Charles Coburn) who is known to give usual operations and is the father of Louis (Nany Coleman), the girl Drake plans to marry. And there's Ann Sheridan as Randy Monaghan.

Just about everyone in the film does a good job acting wise, but I think it's Cummings' movie all the way, not Reagan. But either way you look at it you have to admit "Kings Row" is an interesting film that holds your interest.

Bottom-line: Well made dramatic suspense film notably known as one of Ronald Reagan's best films, but Robert Cummings gives one of his best performances. Well worth seeing.

Wow! What a job Reagan does!
I've always been a big fan of Reagan the President, but I studiously avoided Reagan the Actor. I had seen just one movie of his - ironically, "Bedtime for Bonzo" - and while it was a cute little romp, I didn't walk away from it, bowled over by Reagan's acting ability.

TCM had a Reaganfest this week because of the president's death, so I tuned in to see "King's Row." All I can say is WOW! I seriously underestimated him!

Not only is Reagan handsome, he steals the movie! You can find out the plot details from other reviews, but I'll guarantee you, when he wakes up to find out his legs have been amputated, you'll be riveted to the screen.

Reagan delivers a bravura performance, tough and touching at the same time. If you always assumed Reagan was a B-movie actor, this movie will blow that assumption to smithereens!

good melodrama, great cast
This is a riveting soap opera with a cast that holds all the pieces together, and keeps the sometimes improbable plot fascinating at all times for the viewer.
It was filmed on a soundstage, with very effective scenic design by William Cameron Menzies...I just love the skies !
Brilliantly conceived and directed by Sam Wood, it's based on Harry Bellamann's best-selling novel. The excellent Erich Wolfgang Korngold score also adds to the drama and atmosphere.

Set in a turn of the century small town, where the dark secrets and vile motives of some contrast with the goodness of others, the best scenes are between Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan.
The chemistry between them is a delight, and their acting so real, one feels one is sharing the moment with them, even though this was filmed over 60 years ago. They shine as Randy and Drake, two strong, independent, and fun loving souls.

With the exception of one or two scenes with rather stilted dialogue between Betty Field and Robert Cummings, the pacing never lags. There are great actors even in the supporting roles, like Dame Judith Anderson and Maria Ouspenskaya. Claude Rains is absolutely marvelous, and steals every scene he's in.

This classic was nominated for several Oscars...B&W Cinematography (James Wong Howe), Director, and Best Picture, but lost to a "Mrs. Minever" sweep.
It's perhaps Ronald Reagan's best performance, so this film is a piece of American history, as well as being highly entertaining. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It's Holmes Against Moriarty--and the Nazis!
Although the first two movies Basil Rathbone made as Sherlock Holmes ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were in the original Victorian setting, Hollywood subsequently decided that even Holmes could pitch in during the propaganda years of World War II. And so, he donned modern dress and rode about in fast cars in pursuit of Nazi collaborators, aided as ever by Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), who oddly enough was still wearing a suspiciously Edwardian collar.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" is one such vehicle. Somewhat prophetically, the secret weapon is a type of super bomb and its inventor is a much-sought-after fellow. So Holmes goes over to the mainland to fetch him and bring him to the right side, England. While the inventor is very glad to be rescued from the Nazis by Holmes, for some inexplicable reason, he keeps leaving the flat, giving Basil Rathbone an opportunity to put on greasepaint and go scouring the wharves for this guy in cognito as a toughened seaman. That's actually the second disguise BR wears; before the movie's over, he'll indulge a few more times. Well, the upshot is that with all of his goings-about, the stupid inventor eventually gets kidnapped by Holmes' nemesis, Dr. Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), who of course puts him to the screws to get info out of him. Will Holmes get there in time? Since this review is being written in English not German, I think you can figure it out for yourself.

Rathbone does a pretty good job in his various incarnations; actually, what strikes me most about him aren't his disguises, but his rather unique coiffure when he's being just plain Holmes. It is a style where the locks around his temples are brushed forward, not back, to make him look as though he were just about to set his hair in curlers. I know he does sport this hairdo again in "SH in Washington", but sad to say, this attempt to make Sherlock Holmes a trendsetter in the world of hairstyles came to naught. Ah well, what he does well, he does well, and so after the culprits are rounded up, Holmes ends the piece by reciting from the "this blessed isle" speech of "Richard II", demonstrating once again that British pluck that did indeed forestall Nazi domination. Not great cinema, but fine for easy viewing.

Rathbone, gloriously brilliant as Sherlock Holmes
The second film in Universal's series of Sherlock Holmes adventures starring Basil Rathbone as the Great Detective and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" was one of several titles in the series to fall into the public domain, hence its availability over the years in numerous bargain bin editions of poor quality. Thanks to UCLA's restoration program, this title is now available in all its original black and white glory.

Like Universal's first entry in the series, this one drags Holmes out of his original Victorian era habitat to match wits with the Nazis. But those disappointed with the modernization gimmick should be happy to learn that Holmes' arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty is on hand, as well, this time in the person of the magnificent Lionel Atwill who brought his creepy elegance to some of the best films Universal made in the 40s.

The plot has little to do with "The Dancing Men," the Arthur Conan Doyle story referred to in the credits, and this film is neither as visually striking or as well-written as "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," or most of the 10 films to come, but it has Rathbone, incadescently brilliant as the greatest master detective of them all, and that's enough to make it a winner.

Brian W. Fairbanks

This is NOT the UCLA restored version!!
Despite what several customers have written (one even chastising others for slamming this DVD "when it hasn't even been released yet") this is NOT THE RESTORED VERSION, this is the dupey, scratched, and horrid sounding transfer that's been around for several years. MPI, not Focus Film, is the distributor of the new restored versions of this series. That said, if you come across a used copy of this version cheap (and I mean CHEAP!!) it has a few nice extras not found on the MPI, like the re-issue trailer (ironically looking better than the feature itself on this disc), and a generous helping of Rathbone / Bruce radio shows that are fun. But for the feature itself the UCLA restoration is the ONLY way to go.

The Needle to the Last, eh Holmes?
It's one of the paradoxes of Basil Rathbone's wartime anti-Nazi Sherlock Holmes films (Voice of Terror, SH in Washington, and this one) that while the plots and settings are mostly terrible, he is so good in them. Despite a bizarre wind-swept hairstyle meant to make him look younger, he blazes through every scene with so much bite and attack that you hardly register how flimsy the plots are. Here he also has great acting rapport with Lionel Atwill, who makes a wonderfully repulsive Professor Moriarty -- a heavy lidded cockroach with nice hints of sadism and depravity (it may not have been acting, kids). At the climax, changed into a lab coat in order to drain Rathbone's blood "drop by drop," he's as over-the-top sinister as Seinfeld's arch-nemesis Newman. The movie itself is ancient kiddie matinee fare, but it benefits from director Roy William Neill's attention to staging and atmosphere. It also looks fairly sharp in this UCLA restoration -- don't even think of buying any other edition, all of them faded, choppy public-domain prints.

This Version will be better than Any previously available.
I am frustrated that reviews of past DVD releases of this title are listed under this upcoming restored version. This is ludicrous and laziness on the part of someone!!! How can a review be asking customers to not buy this edition when it hasn't even been released to the public yet!! Furthermore it slams the quality of an upcoming RESTORED VERSION. WAKE UP!!!!!
I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It's Holmes Against Moriarty--and the Nazis!
Although the first two movies Basil Rathbone made as Sherlock Holmes ("The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") were in the original Victorian setting, Hollywood subsequently decided that even Holmes could pitch in during the propaganda years of World War II. And so, he donned modern dress and rode about in fast cars in pursuit of Nazi collaborators, aided as ever by Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), who oddly enough was still wearing a suspiciously Edwardian collar.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" is one such vehicle. Somewhat prophetically, the secret weapon is a type of super bomb and its inventor is a much-sought-after fellow. So Holmes goes over to the mainland to fetch him and bring him to the right side, England. While the inventor is very glad to be rescued from the Nazis by Holmes, for some inexplicable reason, he keeps leaving the flat, giving Basil Rathbone an opportunity to put on greasepaint and go scouring the wharves for this guy in cognito as a toughened seaman. That's actually the second disguise BR wears; before the movie's over, he'll indulge a few more times. Well, the upshot is that with all of his goings-about, the stupid inventor eventually gets kidnapped by Holmes' nemesis, Dr. Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), who of course puts him to the screws to get info out of him. Will Holmes get there in time? Since this review is being written in English not German, I think you can figure it out for yourself.

Rathbone does a pretty good job in his various incarnations; actually, what strikes me most about him aren't his disguises, but his rather unique coiffure when he's being just plain Holmes. It is a style where the locks around his temples are brushed forward, not back, to make him look as though he were just about to set his hair in curlers. I know he does sport this hairdo again in "SH in Washington", but sad to say, this attempt to make Sherlock Holmes a trendsetter in the world of hairstyles came to naught. Ah well, what he does well, he does well, and so after the culprits are rounded up, Holmes ends the piece by reciting from the "this blessed isle" speech of "Richard II", demonstrating once again that British pluck that did indeed forestall Nazi domination. Not great cinema, but fine for easy viewing.

Rathbone, gloriously brilliant as Sherlock Holmes
The second film in Universal's series of Sherlock Holmes adventures starring Basil Rathbone as the Great Detective and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" was one of several titles in the series to fall into the public domain, hence its availability over the years in numerous bargain bin editions of poor quality. Thanks to UCLA's restoration program, this title is now available in all its original black and white glory.

Like Universal's first entry in the series, this one drags Holmes out of his original Victorian era habitat to match wits with the Nazis. But those disappointed with the modernization gimmick should be happy to learn that Holmes' arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty is on hand, as well, this time in the person of the magnificent Lionel Atwill who brought his creepy elegance to some of the best films Universal made in the 40s.

The plot has little to do with "The Dancing Men," the Arthur Conan Doyle story referred to in the credits, and this film is neither as visually striking or as well-written as "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror," or most of the 10 films to come, but it has Rathbone, incadescently brilliant as the greatest master detective of them all, and that's enough to make it a winner.

Brian W. Fairbanks

This is NOT the UCLA restored version!!
Despite what several customers have written (one even chastising others for slamming this DVD "when it hasn't even been released yet") this is NOT THE RESTORED VERSION, this is the dupey, scratched, and horrid sounding transfer that's been around for several years. MPI, not Focus Film, is the distributor of the new restored versions of this series. That said, if you come across a used copy of this version cheap (and I mean CHEAP!!) it has a few nice extras not found on the MPI, like the re-issue trailer (ironically looking better than the feature itself on this disc), and a generous helping of Rathbone / Bruce radio shows that are fun. But for the feature itself the UCLA restoration is the ONLY way to go.

The Needle to the Last, eh Holmes?
It's one of the paradoxes of Basil Rathbone's wartime anti-Nazi Sherlock Holmes films (Voice of Terror, SH in Washington, and this one) that while the plots and settings are mostly terrible, he is so good in them. Despite a bizarre wind-swept hairstyle meant to make him look younger, he blazes through every scene with so much bite and attack that you hardly register how flimsy the plots are. Here he also has great acting rapport with Lionel Atwill, who makes a wonderfully repulsive Professor Moriarty -- a heavy lidded cockroach with nice hints of sadism and depravity (it may not have been acting, kids). At the climax, changed into a lab coat in order to drain Rathbone's blood "drop by drop," he's as over-the-top sinister as Seinfeld's arch-nemesis Newman. The movie itself is ancient kiddie matinee fare, but it benefits from director Roy William Neill's attention to staging and atmosphere. It also looks fairly sharp in this UCLA restoration -- don't even think of buying any other edition, all of them faded, choppy public-domain prints.

This Version will be better than Any previously available.
I am frustrated that reviews of past DVD releases of this title are listed under this upcoming restored version. This is ludicrous and laziness on the part of someone!!! How can a review be asking customers to not buy this edition when it hasn't even been released to the public yet!! Furthermore it slams the quality of an upcoming RESTORED VERSION. WAKE UP!!!!!
I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!! ... Read more