Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Directed by John Rawlins
Written by Lynn Riggs, John Bright, and Robert Hardy Andrews based on the story “His Last Bow” by Arthur Conan Doyle
1942/USA
Universal Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] [first lines] Voice of Terror: [off-screen] Germany broadcasting. Germany broadcasting. People of Britain, greetings from the Third Reich. This is the voice you have learned to fear. This is the Voice of Terror. Again, we bring you disaster: crushing, humiliating disaster. It is folly to stand against the mighty wrath of the Fuhrer. Do you need more testimony of his invincible might to bring you to your knees? …[/box]

This is an OK war-time entry in the Sherlock Holmes series.

“The Voice of Terror” emerges on the radio from some unknown source to predict with unerring accuracy calamities to be visited upon the British by the Nazis.   The “Intelligence Inner Council” calls in Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to root out the culprits.  With the help of Watson (Nigel Bruce) and a patriotic London low-lifer (Evelyn Ankers), Holmes gets to work but not fast enough to satisfy naysayers on the council.  When “The Voice” uncharacteristically predicts an attack on the Scottish coast in the future, all begin to fear that an invasion of the island is at stake.  With Reginald Denny as a council member and Thomas Gomez as a Fifth Columnist.

I thought this was one of the better entries in the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes cycle, though that doesn’t make it a must see except for fans.