The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles - 1977 | 85 mins | Comedy | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Paul Morrissey.
Producer: John Goldstone.
Script: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Paul Morrissey. (from the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle)
Cinematography: Dick Bush and John Wilcox.
Editing: Glenn Hyde and Richard Marden.
Production Design: Roy Forge Smith.
Costume Design: Charles Knode.
Sound Department: Gerry Humphreys and Brian Simmons.
Original Music: Dudley Moore.

The Cast

Peter Cook - Sherlock Holmes
Dudley Moore - Doctor Watson/Mr. Spiggot/Mrs. Ada Holmes
Denholm Elliott - Stapleton
Joan Greenwood - Beryl Stapleton
Terry-Thomas - Dr. Mortimer
Max Wall - Arthur Barrymore
Hugh Griffith - Frankland
Irene Handl - Mrs. Barrymore
Kenneth Williams - Sir Henry Baskerville
Roy Kinnea - Ethel Seldon
Prunella Scales - Glynis
Penelope Keith - Massage Parlor Receptionist
Spike Milligan - Policeman
Jessie Matthews - Mrs. Tinsdale

Plot Synopsis

A second joint lead-role installment following Bedazzled and the low-point of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s uneven cinema output. Cook and Moore, portraying Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson respectively, give us their painfully unfunny interpretation of Conan Doyle’s famed classic, The Hound of the Baskervilles, supported by a distinguished cast of British comedy stalwarts including Terry-Thomas, Kenneth Williams, Denholm Elliott, Hugh Griffith, Spike Milligan and Roy Kinnear.

Director and one-time Andy Warhol collaborator Paul Morrissey attempts to engineer an uninspired spoof in the vein of Carry On Sherlock but equal co-writers Cook and Moore must shoulder some responsibility for the endless succession of either ill-judged or mistimed jokes. Inspiration would appear to be lacking when even Pete n’ Dud’s one-legged man routine is replicated for an interview scene. It is suitably fitting that as the final credits roll an unseen audience showers Moore with rotten vegetables.

When Dr. Mortimer (Terry-Thomas) visits Baker Street seeking help in solving the mystery of the curse that hangs over the Baskerville family, Holmes (Cook) being exhausted by his most recent case sends the Welsh-speaking Watson (Moore) on his first solo assignment to Baskerville Hall. Holmes meanwhile takes a well deserved rest in London’s seedy nightspots. Watson investigates the strange goings on at Baskerville Hall and begins to suspect everyone he questions, including himself and Sir Henry Baskerville (Kenneth Williams), until frustrated at every step; he has to call for the great detective to help him out.