Universal's Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) begins when a British spy goes missing while trying to deliver an important document for the Allies to his contact in the United States during World War II. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) travels to Washington D.C. along with trusty sidekick Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to apply his legendary powers of deduction to crack the case in this briskly paced thriller.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington was the fifth of fourteen pictures in the popular Sherlock Holmes film series starring Basil Rathbone in the title role. 20th Century Fox had begun the series in 1939 with The Hound of the Baskervilles, but after two films Universal took over the rights. Universal modernized the series, bringing Sherlock Holmes out of Victorian London and into the twentieth century. World War II was raging at the time, and the change allowed the studio to use the war as a topical backdrop to several of the Holmes films.

This entry into the series has the novelty of transporting Holmes from his British stomping grounds to the United States capital with a healthy dose of wartime patriotism thrown in for good measure. Sherlock Holmes in Washington also has the distinction of being the first film in the series that was not directly based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington was directed by Roy William Neill, who contributed eleven Holmes films altogether to the series. The screenplay was written by Lynn Riggs and Bertram Millhauser. Riggs co-wrote one previous film in the series, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), while Millhauser went on to write several more series films on his own including Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) and The Woman in Green (1945).

The team of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce is, as always, a delight with the pair playing beautifully off one another with the drollest of humor. The supporting cast also sparkles, including Marjorie Lord as a kidnapped socialite and Henry Daniell and George Zucco as the film's villains. Both Daniell and Zucco portrayed Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis Professor Moriarty in other films in the series - Daniell in The Woman in Green and Zucco in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939).

Sherlock Holmes in Washington received mostly positive critical reactions upon its release, with reviewers particularly praising the performances of Rathbone and Bruce. "What a public thinker, that Rathbone is! You can practically see the mighty muscles of his mind tense, grab, and get to the heart of the toughest mystery," said the New York Post. The Hollywood Reporter said, "Basil Rathbone is just what he should be in the title role, and Nigel Bruce is supplied with much bright comedy of which he is quick to make the most."

Producer: Roy William Neill (uncredited)
Director: Roy William Neill
Screenplay: Lynn Riggs; Bertram Millhauser (screenplay and story); Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Cinematography: Les White
Art Direction: Jack Otterson
Music: Frank Skinner
Film Editing: Otto Ludwig
Cast: Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson), Marjorie Lord (Nancy Partridge), Henry Daniell (William Easter), George Zucco (Stanley), John Archer (Lt. Pete Merriam), Gavin Muir (Mr. Lang - government agent), Edmund MacDonald (Detective Lt. Grogan), Don Terry (Howe), Bradley Page (Cady), Holmes Herbert (Mr. Ahrens), Thurston Hall (Senator Henry Babcock).
BW-71m.

by Andrea Passafiume