Directed by Roy William Neill, this is the fourth entry in the beloved Universal Pictures series starring Basil Rathbone. It is a quintessential wartime spy thriller that transposes Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian characters into the heart of World War II.
The Plot
The story begins with a daring rescue: Sherlock Holmes goes undercover in Switzerland to smuggle Dr. Franz Tobel, a brilliant scientist, out from under the noses of the Gestapo. Tobel has invented a revolutionary “bombsight” of unparalleled accuracy—a secret weapon that could change the course of the war.
Upon arriving in London, Tobel is wary of his invention falling into the wrong hands. He divides the bombsight into four separate parts and entrusts them to four different scientists, leaving behind a coded message consisting of strange, “dancing” stick figures. However, before the weapon can be put into production, Tobel is abducted by Holmes’ arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who has aligned himself with the Nazis to sell the invention to the highest bidder.
Holmes and Dr. Watson must race against time to decipher the “Dancing Men” code, locate the hidden components of the weapon, and rescue Tobel before Moriarty can extract the secret and hand it over to the Third Reich.
Cast & Crew
| Role | Contributor |
| Director | Roy William Neill |
| Sherlock Holmes | Basil Rathbone |
| Dr. John H. Watson | Nigel Bruce |
| Professor Moriarty | Lionel Atwill |
| Dr. Franz Tobel | William Post Jr. |
| Charlotte Eberli | Kaaren Verne |
| Inspector Lestrade | Dennis Hoey |
Key Highlights
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The “Dancing Men” Code: The film pays homage to the original Conan Doyle short story The Adventure of the Dancing Men by using its famous substitution cipher as a central plot device.
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Master of Disguise: This installment features some of Rathbone’s most memorable undercover work, including his transformation into an elderly German bookseller and a Lascar sailor.
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Moriarty’s Return: Lionel Atwill provides a chilling performance as Moriarty, portraying the villain as a sophisticated criminal mastermind whose cold intellect matches Holmes’ own.
Note: This was the first of eleven Sherlock Holmes films directed by Roy William Neill, who is often credited with perfecting the series’ signature atmospheric, “noir-lite” visual style.
