Basil Rathbone (1892–1967)
Author of Dressed to Kill [1946 film]
About the Author
Image credit: www.basilrathbone.net/
Works by Basil Rathbone
The Sci-Fi Invasion! (Cosmos- War of the Planets, Assignment Outer Space, Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, Warning… (2006) 9 copies
Sherlock Holmes: Greatest Mysteries 4 copies
SHERLOCK HOLMES 3 copies
Sherlock Holmes In Dressed To Kill 2 copies
Sherlock Holmes in the Spider Woman 2 copies
"Christmas Carol in Prose Harmony", (Charles Dickens, Basil Rathbone), Columbia: HL 9523 — Narrator — 1 copy
Sherlock - Terror By Night 1 copy
Dressed To Kill 1946 1 copy
reads edgar allan poe LP 1 copy
Sherlock Holmes Box Set 1 copy
Associated Works
The Game Is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches, and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes (1994) — Contributor — 198 copies, 2 reviews
Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / The Bride of Frankenstein / Son of Frankenstein / The Ghost of… (1931) — Actor — 59 copies
The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection [14 films starring Basil Rathbone] (2006) — Actor — 40 copies
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection — Actor — 18 copies
20 Movies: Family Pack — Actor — 15 copies
TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One [Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter /… (2007) 14 copies
Sherlock Holmes Collection: Dressed to Kill [and] Terror by Night (Double Feature Video) (2004) — Actor — 13 copies
The Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume 2 (The House of Fear / The Spider Woman / The Pearl of Death / The Scarlet Claw) (2003) 8 copies
TV Classics: The World's Most Famous Detectives, Volume 4: Sherlock Holmes (2002) — Actor — 7 copies, 1 review
25 Mystery Classics — Actor — 6 copies
TCM: The Sherlock Holmes Collection: Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon / The Woman in Green [videorecording] — Actor — 6 copies
Colonel Warburton's Madness & Other Mysteries: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2004) — Narrator, some editions — 6 copies
Sherlock Holmes: The House of Fear / The Pearl of Death — Actor — 5 copies
Mystery Classics: Murder by Television / Sherlock Holmes in Terror by Night / State Department File 649 / Sherlock… (2013) — Actor — 5 copies
Mystery Classics: Bluebeard / The Death Kiss / Sherlock Holmes in Dressed to Kill / Torture Ship (2013) — Actor — 5 copies
Basil Rathbone reads Edgar Allan Poe — Reader — 4 copies
Peter and the Wolf, Tubby the Tuba, and Pan the Piper — Performer — 2 copies
Sherlock Holmes : The Definitive Collection Volume 1: The Hound of the Baskervilles / Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of… — Actor — 2 copies
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1977) — Narrator — 2 copies
Anna Karenina [1948 film] includes 4 Bonus Movies — Actor — 1 copy
Mystery Collection: 250 Movies — Actor — 1 copy
Tovarich [1937 film] 1 copy
Mystery Classics, Pt. 3: Topper Returns, The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes, & The Woman in Green (2008) — Actor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Rathbone, Philip St. John Basil
- Birthdate
- 1892-06-13
- Date of death
- 1967-07-21
- Burial location
- Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York, USA (Shrine of Memories Mausoleum)
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Place of death
- New York City, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Hollywood, California, USA
England, UK - Education
- Repton School, Derbyshire, England, UK
- Occupations
- actor
- Organizations
- British Army (WWI)
- Awards and honors
- Tony Award (Best Actor in a Play, 1948)
Military Cross - Agent
- Bertha Klausner
- Short biography
- Basil Rathbone rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films. He frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters. His most famous role, however, was the heroic one of Sherlock Holmes. He portrayed the great detective in a total of 14 Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946 and also in a radio series. His later career included Broadway, television, and spoken word recordings. In 1948, he won a Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance as Dr. Austin Sloper in the original production of The Heiress. Rathbone served with distinction as an intelligence officer in World War I, in which his brother was killed. This experience contributed to his decision to remain a British subject even though he lived in the USA for many years.
Members
Reviews
Basil Rathbone recalls his life starting from his first few years in South Africa, then on to his upbringing in England, and his career on stage and in film, most notably as what some today still regard as the best Sherlock Holmes. (I must admit, my favorite has shifted to Benedict Cummerbatch, but Rathbone is a close second.) In his account, Rathbone disposes of much of his movie career in one chapter and Sherlock Holmes gets another chapter. Throughout he manages to relate interesting anecdotes, including a couple extended stories he folds into the mix, including one about a perfect butler who worked for him until arrested over his sideline as a holdup artist - the butler served his time, went straight, and died in the Battle of Britain. Rathbone also shares his observations on acting as well as modern entertainment media. One wonders what he would think of the flood of (non) reality TV. At the end, he accepts his idleness in later years as something that happens to actors and begins making the rounds with a one-man show which he reveals was pioneered by Charles Laughton. His hobby was fencing and a friend of mine who attended one of Rathbone's presentations said Rathbone claimed he could've cut Errol Flynn to pieces in Captain Blood or Robin Hood. Although he doesn't mention that here, I've heard it elsewhere, also. Another tidbit he doesn't mention, but fencing hobbyist Rathbone crossed swords with Tyrone Power, son of the female fencing champion of Ohio, in The Mark of Zorro, another favorite A quick read, quite enjoyable, with a nice selection of black and white photos.… (more)
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 49
- Also by
- 98
- Members
- 244
- Popularity
- #93,239
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 18
- Languages
- 1
“You're assuming heaven is his destination?” — Hilda Courtney
To most of us on the planet, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are the only Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson we can accept in the role. This entry in the “B” series from Universal is a bit unusual, sort of a hybrid between the two “A” pictures made at Fox and the fun “B” franchise which came afterward. It retains some of the humor and fun of the latter, but also has a more straightforward story in the Holmes vein. This is mostly due to it being based on one of Conan Doyle's stories, albeit updated to modern London. Viewers will find it amusing when Holmes teases Watson about his latest story, A Scandal in Bohemia, appearing in The Strand magazine!
This one starts off with the production of music boxes in prison which find their way to auction. Though plain and ordinary looking, the tune is quite unusual, and apparently of great value. When Watson’s old pal Stinky is murdered over the one he purchased, Holmes manages to outwit a formidable foe in the lovely but black hearted Mrs. Courtney (Patricia Morison) and obtains one of the three sold at auction. He discovers a code within the Australian tune and the game is afoot to prevent another murder and financial disaster for England.
Morison was quite lovely and proves a worthy opponent for our favorite Londoner, actually besting him at one point and nearly disposing of him! Directed by Roy William Neill as usual, fans of the “B” films may find this a bit less energetic than some of the others, having more in common in tone with the two made at Fox. It is quite enjoyable, however, and has a terrific line from Watson at its conclusion fans will relish. A fine entry in the Universal franchise, and one fans must have.… (more)