Silver Blaze – 1937 | 71 mins | Crime, Mystery | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Silver Blaze was a Sherlock Holmes b-movie murder-mystery based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story and shot at Julius Hagen’s Twickenham Film Studios. The modest script takes the original Silver Blaze story and incorporated references to The Hound of the Baskervilles, Inspector Lestrade and arch-enemy Professor Moriarty. This was the last of six outings by Arthur Wontner as the Baker Street sleuth; his sardonic Holmes is a genial detective and lacks some of the acerbic impatience subsequent actors would bring to the role, whilst Ian Fleming’s austere Dr Watson is a formidable assistant rather than a bumbling sidekick as portrayed by Nigel Bruce.

Recuperating Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner) and Dr Watson (Ian Fleming) take a holiday at Baskerville Manor, the home of old friend Sir Henry Baskerville (Lawrence Grossmith) and location of their famed Dartmoor investigation twenty-years earlier. Coincidentally, Inspector Lestrade (John Turnbull) is also visiting the West Country to investigate Barchester races and tips Holmes to bet on Silver Blaze in the cup. Meanwhile, Holmes old adversary Professor Moriarty (Lyn Harding) has been employed by a bookie to ensure Silver Blaze never reaches the starting line. Silver Blaze is duly stolen and the trainer is found dead. Holmes investigates and believes Moriarty is involved.