Basil Rathbone:
Master of Stage and Screen

  
Updated July 1, 2010
 

 

photo from "The Hound of the Baskervilles," copyright 20th Century Fox
 		  

 
   
This website exists to honor one of Hollywood's greatest screen and stage actors: Basil Rathbone. Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the 1930s and 1940s, Rathbone gave outstanding performances in many, many other films as well. Rathbone also appeared in many plays, and his voice could be heard in numerous radio broadcasts and recordings.

 

  

New this week:  New photos have been added to the review of the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood.

The schedule of Basil Rathbone films being shown on TV in July is on the Schedule page.

 
 

.Photo of the Month

Basil Rathbone and Melville Cooper as Sir Guy of Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
 

 
 

Basil Rathbone Marathon on TCM

Turner Classic Movies is showing Basil Rathbone films all day on Sunday, August 1, 2010. Here's what we can look forward to:

Anna Karenina
Crossroads
The Last Days of Pompeii
The Bishop Murder Case
A Tale of Two Cities
Bathing Beauty
Fingers at the Window
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Confession
David Copperfield
Captain Blood
Tales of Terror

Check your local listings for showtimes.
 
 

 

  

 
     
Available on CD:
24 of the Sherlock Holmes radio programs from the 1940s.

Volume 1 (12 episodes):
The Unfortunate Tobacconist
The Paradol Chamber
The Viennese Strangler
The Notorious Canary Trainer
The April Fool's Day Adventure
The Uneasy Easy Chair
The Demon Barber
The Headless Monk
The Amateur Mendicant Society
The Vanishing White Elephant
The Case of the Limping Ghost
The Girl with the Gazelle

Volume 2 (12 episodes): The Case of the Out of Date Murder; The Waltz of Death; Colonel Warburton's Madness; The Iron Box; A Scandal in Bohemia; The Second Generation; In Flanders Fields; The Eyes of Mr. Leyton; The Tell Tale Pigeon Feathers; The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards; The Problem of Thor Bridge; The Double Zero
   
 England's Secret Weapon examines the way Hollywood used Sherlock Holmes in a series of fourteen films that spanned the years of World War II in Europe. Author Amanda Field, a film historian and member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, has drawn on new, original material from the archives in this analysis of the Sherlock Holmes films that starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Click here for more information.

 

Check out this wonderful video montage of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, made by Julie, the Ravin' Maven of Classic Film.

Spotted on YouTube: Someone with way too much time on his or her hands has recreated the final duel between Robin Hood and Sir Guy of Gisbourne (from The Adventures of Robin Hood) using LEGO figures! It's very cleverly done. Click here to see it (opens in new window).

Features of this website: Click here for a description of the icons in the left column, which represent the pages of this website, and LINKS to other interesting Sherlock Holmes and Basil Rathbone sites.  You can search for particular words or phrases using the search tool below.

PicoSearch

Links to film reviews can be found on the Films page. Reviews without pictures are old ones to which I plan to add pictures as soon as possible. Most recent review: the 1929 film The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.

How much do you know about Basil Rathbone? Try to solve my Basil Rathbone Crossword Puzzle!

Click here to read the 1918 newspaper citation concerning the award of the Military Cross to Basil Rathbone.

Visit the Potpourri section of this site for "Ode to Basil" and other poems written about Rathbone, as well as "Leaving Baker Street" -- an article by Andy Demsky.

Have you ever wondered,
"What if Basil Rathbone had played other famous movie roles?"  Click here to explore this question.
 

 

Tell Turner Classic Movies what Rathbone films you'd like to see. Write to:

Charlie Tabesh (charles.tabesh@turner.com )
Vice President of Programming
Turner Classic Movies
1050 Techwood Drive
Atlanta, GA 30318		  

This page was created by and is maintained by Marcia Jessen.
All original content is © Marcia Jessen, 2010.

  
I'm happy to receive your comments or suggestions by e-mail, but please put something in the subject line to indicate that your message is a Rathbone-related question or comment. Like many other people, I am inundated by junk mail. I will not open e-mails with nothing in the subject line, or something like "Hi," "Hello," or "Hi there."
Thanks,
Marcia

Comments or suggestions?
 E-mail me!
Do you believe you have received a virus or other objectionable e-mail (porn, spam) from me? Please click here and read before you e-mail me to complain.

Acknowledgments

I am deeply appreciative of the many people who have given me information about Basil Rathbone, shared personal stories, inspired me, and helped me build up my Rathbone collection. Among them are David M, Greg, Joanna, Simon, Debbie, Mary, John, Lisa, David C, and Anthony.  Many THANKS for all you've done and continue to do!

 

Buy Basil Rathbone films at Amazon.com
In Association with Amazon.com

This site has been voted a 4-star StarPages site by visitors to Star Pages, the largest celebrity search engine on the internet.

Classic Performers SiteRing Logo by Meredy

 

 
 

click to go to top of page
Top of
Page

Site Map

All original content is © Marcia Jessen, 2010