The Hound of the Baskervilles

1939 Directed by Sidney Lanfield

On his uncle's death Sir Henry Baskerville returns from Canada to take charge of his ancestral hall on the desolate moors of Devonshire, and finds that Sherlock Holmes is there to investigate the local belief that his uncle was killed by a monster hound that has roamed the moors since 1650, and is likely to strike again at Sir Henry.

Basil Rathbone Nigel Bruce Richard Greene Wendy Barrie Morton Lowry Lionel Atwill Beryl Mercer John Carradine Eily Malyon Barlowe Borland Nigel De Brulier Lionel Pape E. E. Clive Ralph Forbes Ian Maclaren Mary Gordon Ruth Terry Mary Young Kenneth Hunter Vesey O'Davoren John Graham Spacey David Thursby Peter Willes Leonard Carey Rita Page Jack Egger Frank McLure Brandon Beach

Alternative Titles

Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, Der Hund von Baskerville - Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Il mastino dei Baskerville

mystery thriller

80 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Elwood B. ★★★★½

Potentially the Holy Grail of detective stories, executed through all forms of media and with a variety of iconic actors lending their talents to the screen; this 1939 version however is probably the most worth watching, especially when you dare call yourself a Sherlock Holmes-fanatic.
Quite good, my dear Rathbone, quite good.
Review by RKO_Chester ★★★ 3

6.25/10
This film makes several big changes from the book, omitting the character of Laura Lyons and changing certain aspects of other things that I shouldn't mention here. What I can say is that the Stapleton characters, Beryl (Wendy Barrie) and Jack (Morton Lowry) are rather superficially portrayed here.
And Basil Rathbone is not in about 1/3 of the film! (the lead star herein is Richard Greene, who plays Sir Henry Baskerville). As a result, unfortunately, we get a bit too much of Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson. I'm sure he has a great many fans, but I feel that his portrayals are a tad on the bumbling side for me when he doesn't have Holmes by his side.
I have…
Review by PUNQ ★★★½ 4

As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I was going to love this! The first one with Basil Rathbone, and Nigel Bruce as his Dr. Watson of course. Superb cast and wonderful Victorian sets at the Fox lot for the first American version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Almost as if it was straight out of a Universal horror film with heavy fog laying in the air. The only thing missing was the atmospheric music making this film too quiet in the sound department to truly capture the suspense. Becomes a little tame in sections without it. But this leaves a lot of room for great acting, especially from Rathbone & Bruce cementing their characters to perfection, an eccentric performance from Lionel Atwill and creepy looks from John Carradine. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) is a haunting film which gets the American Sherlock Holmes franchise off to a wonderful start.
Review by Fint ★★★½ 9

So, last night I watched The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. In the BluRay extras there is an interview with Christopher Lee who, in his habitual grandiose manner, informs us that at the end of the 1939 Baskervilles, Holmes' final words are, "Watson, the needle!" We thought, "Really?" So we dug out the boxset tonight for a rewatch and, do you know what, the old codger was right! I think the censor must have been on a comfort break.
This is the first Rathbone/Bruce and they are supporting actors in their own movie. Basil Rathbone is billed second to Richard Greene! I mean, WTF? It's got lashings of foggy Fox studio atmosphere but the direction is lumpy and the young actors are dull. But we have John Carradine and Lionel Atwill lurking creepily and we witness the birth of one of the best cinematic double acts ever. And that's worth taking a short cut over the misty moors for.
Review by Andrew ★★★★½ 2

Foreword: A brief scene of dialogue about kidnapping and rape.
A nearly two hundred year old curse plagues the Baskerville family, a legendary hound has haunted their old estate in Devonshire since 1650. On a fog filled night the beast had claimed its newest victim, Sir Hugo Baskerville. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are on the case and begin to investigate the comings and goings on the moor. They begin to unravel a plot that is much more real and dangerous than the shadow hound. Death waits around every corner in The Hound of the Baskervilles and the latest heir to Baskerville Hall is the prime target of the legendary beast.
I have reviewed a few other adaptations of the…
Review by mandijo ★★★★ 13

Ok, this one was great! I loved it!
I was surprised at how little Basil Rathbone was in it though. I really like him, he’s so calm and proper and smooth. And he and Nigel Bruce are so good together.
Also, Richard Greene was a cutie!
I had to watch this in pieces over several days. I’m looking forward to watching it again all in one sitting.
It’s on YouTube for anyone interested:
youtu.be/XE2_QUFJq8U
Review by Raúl Dudas-Lyne ★★½

The Rathbone and Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies are my ultimate comfort films. I've loved them since I was a very small child, and I will defend them to anyone. I even love the radioplays that were made with the two of them around the same time. But this first one - where everything is still played entirely straight - is kinda average.
Review by Steve G 🐝 ★★ 5

Films I Watched On TV While I Was 'Working'
I hate Sherlock Holmes.
I've always found him to be an arrogant, smartarse twat, and that's why my history with him has been a few of these Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce Holmes films watched when I was a kid (this was probably one of them) and those episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that he's in and that's it. And those are about my least favourite episodes too.
I don't think there's anything at all interesting about watching a detective who's always fucking right about everything. These bloody things are all the same. Nigel Bruce says something. Rathbone says yes very good Watson - but you're completely wrong, old…
Review by Silversaxophone ★★★½ 2

This is Conan Doyle’s description of Sherlock Holmes from A Study in Scarlet: ‘In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing and his thin hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination.’ It is also a description of Basil Rathbone, the definitive Holmes in the movies. He is the classic version from which all other actors interpreting Holmes either deviate or aspire to. One notable aspect lacking in his characterization, which plagues the recent interpretations, is an air of smugness. Rathbone’s Holmes is a scientist…
Review by Steve P ★★★★

Like nearly all the best ideas, the long running Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series, owes its origins to the powers of alcohol.
As Hollywood legend has it, producers Darryl F. Zanuck and Gene Markey attended a cocktail party where they were accosted by a drunken lady insisting they brought Holmes to the big screen. Zanuck joking teased "But who would play Holmes?", To which Markey interjected "why Basil Rathbone of course!". Rathbone's reported presence at the party possibly brining him to the fore in Markey's mind.
With the benefits of time, Rathbone was an obvious choice to play Holmes; his aquiline features, his frame, his voice, his presence, but at that point this was an actor heavily typecast…
Review by Cam ★★★½

Put it all together and what have you got?
Murder, my dear Watson, refined cold-blooded murder.
A well executed version of the classic tale with some great touches and a tremendous sense of atmosphere.
Everybody knows that Basil is fantastic in this role, but man, I just gotta say that Basil is fantastic in this role.

Nevertheless, I insist he was murdered! Murdered, I tell you!
Cinematic Time Capsule - 1939 Ranked
Review by Richmondhill ★★★★

In the 1980s before early evening ‘yoof’ television launched on BBC2, that channel would occasionally screen more antediluvian entertainment in the form of filmed detective series - Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan and so on. Coming after a blue Monday back at school, these fog-cloaked yarns were a weekly teatime treat and probably helped establish my penchant for the genre [DEF II - the Beeb’s subsequent youth strand did not have the same effect].
That this series - mainly the later Universal entries - generally played fast and loose with Conan Doyle’s characterisations, plots and eventually whole stories was noticeably tempered by Rathbone’s clear and beguiling interpretation of Holmes (even bumbling Bruce was bearable in context if not canon), which before…

Recent reviews

Review by Matt Hamilton ★★★★

Debut of the Rathbone / Bruce incarnation of Holmes and Watson, and a fine beginning it is too. A massive hit, the film proved to be the first of 14 outings fo the pair. The story is well known, heir to the Baskerville estate finds himself in the middle of the mythical hound roaming the moors, facing danger at every turn. Excellent stuff.
Review by Random 🎲 Arnold ★★★★

Even with all the modern adaptations when I hear the name Sherlock the image I see and voice I hear is that of Basil Rathbone. Here in his first adventure as the detective he is joined as always by the ever bumbling Nigel Bunce as Doctor Watson. My challenge this year is an easy one - to watch in order the Rathbone movies and see which ones I have viewed before. But now to rest...
"Oh, Watson... the needle!"
Elementary my dear Basil! #1
52 in 52 in 52 Rewatches #7
Review by RKO_Chester ★★★ 3

6.25/10
This film makes several big changes from the book, omitting the character of Laura Lyons and changing certain aspects of other things that I shouldn't mention here. What I can say is that the Stapleton characters, Beryl (Wendy Barrie) and Jack (Morton Lowry) are rather superficially portrayed here.
And Basil Rathbone is not in about 1/3 of the film! (the lead star herein is Richard Greene, who plays Sir Henry Baskerville). As a result, unfortunately, we get a bit too much of Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson. I'm sure he has a great many fans, but I feel that his portrayals are a tad on the bumbling side for me when he doesn't have Holmes by his side.
I have…
Review by Samuel Guglielmo ★★★★

I would have simply pet the dog. Dunno how I ended up on a 1939 Sherlock Holmes movie but I'm glad I did.
Review by Beggarsoshat ★★★★

First Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun, more lavish and expensive than either the British Arthur Wontner series or the crappy Reginald Owen one. Not surprising since Fox spend a lot of money on it, ramping up the period detail and gothic atmosphere. Rathbone is fun as Holmes, if a little too avuncular, and the mechanics of this particular story means Watson isn't entirely useless yet.
Fine support from Richard Greene and the smashing Lionel Atwill. Presumably the rules of the day is why it's just assumed someone will catch the culprit instead of him actually sinking into the Grimpen Mire. Still, amusing that it ends with Holmes telling Watson to shoot him up with heroin.
Review by Beefy Fella ★★★½

I finished the Hound of the Baskervilles novel last night, so I decided to watch this adaption today. I really enjoyed it for the most part, mainly because of how great Basil Rathbone is as Holmes. The beginning and end are pretty much straight adaptations from the novel, but the middle is reworked and changed around. I think this is mainly because Holmes appears so little in the middle of the book and they didn't want to have a Sherlock Holmes movie without Sherlock Holmes, so they sped up the process. I don't care for a lot of the changes they make as it makes the plot a lot less intricate than Arthur Conan Doyle originally wrote it to be.…
Review by Sayantan Mitra ★★★★

Wohoooo. I just want to say. It is better than the BBC series for me. No modern cinema can achieve this classicness.
Review by ullmann ★★★½

Both the comfort of its familiar plot and the on-screen chemistry between its leading duo, make for a most entertaining start to this film series.
Review by ArturoVH ★★★★½

Even though it's not one of my favorite Sherlock stories, it was quite well adapted. The only major flaw is how much it gives away the mystery. The rest is really good, the actors portray their roles perfectly, with some humor and wit, and the technical aspects were advanced for its time, including environments, lighting, camera work and (the short pieces of) action.
Review by stewartkillala ★★★

And the Rathbone/Holmes marathon continues! I recently found out that load of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films are free on YouTube and I've been working my way through them. And they are highly enjoyable hokum and we'll worth watching.
Review by jon10g ★★★★★

The best Holmes of them all! A classic!
Review by ToTheMovies ★★★

Good