Rathbone or Brett? Which episode?

[Blackhorse]

I do have a singular fondness for Basil Rathbone in his Holmes role.  He is the Holmes of my eager and impressionable youth.  He has, however, been nearly if not totally eclipsed by Jeremy Brett, the Holmes of the Grenada Productions...mostly seen via Public Broadcasting...which are impeccable.

Chief among my favorites is Brett’s “The Six Napoleons”.  Among other fine moments seen as the script plays out is perhaps the most moving moment of any Holmes production.  After the mystery has been solved the usually surly Lestrade steps up to Holmes and with the greatest sincerity reveals that the men of Scotland Yard did not begrudge him but were so very proud of his work, etc.  This catches Holmes completely off guard and the expressions that Brett performs showing how touched Holmes is...are priceless...quite a beautiful moment.

So, anyway.  I just chanced upon the episode in question again on uTube.  Always worth enjoying again.

 

[peanubutter]

I will look for the Jeremy Brett flicks. Thanks for the info.

 

[Blackhorse]

On uTube

The whole episode

https://youtu.be/E7gPc0EYx-0

Most of the scene in question

https://youtu.be/278dN8DZw00

 

[peanubutter]

I watched a few episodes and found them interesting. It is tough to purge the Rathbone from my mind as the quintessential Holmes. A few more episodes may make me buy in to this version though.

 

[Blackhorse]

You’re not required to like Brett. Whatever you pick is perfectly fine. At least you’re not a Matt Frewer fan. What an abysmal mockery.

 

[SteveMKentucky]

How timely! My wife and I are in the middle of the Brett series on Britbox.

 

[peanubutter]

What a coincidence. Just after my post I stumbled on Frewer's version. I can't watch him and think of the movie, Honey I Shrunk The Kids.

 

[Blackhorse]

Yeah...but that was Rick Moranis?

 

[peanubutter]

He was the neighbor. His boys got shrunk along with Rick's family.

 

[Blackhorse]

Ahhh. Good recall. Me...I can’t get rid of his Max Headroom persona. When he does Holmes it just seems like some stupid comic playing Holmes...WRONG!

It’s actually surprising how many actors have done Holmes. Since his creation in December 1887, Sherlock Holmes has been played by over 75 actors including Sir Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston, Peter O'Toole, Christopher Plummer, Peter Cook, Roger Moore, John Cleese, Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr.

 

[Blackhorse]

The role of Holmes is reputed to be the MOST often portrayed. Here’s a fairly definitive listing.

A
Anonymous Actor (Sherlock Holmes Baffled)
Wolf Ackva
Joaquim de Almeida
Vincent Aubert
B
Tom Baker
John Barrymore
José Baviera
Rolf Becker
Brian Bedford
Harry Benham
Carlyle Blackwell Sr.
Ferdinand Bonn
James Bragington
Kurt Brenkendorf
Jeremy Brett
Clive Brook
Charles Brookfield
Radoslav Brzobohatý
C
Michael Caine
John Cleese
Peter Cook
Maurice Costello
Benedict Cumberbatch
Peter Cushing
D
James D'Arcy
Reece Dinsdale
Robert Downey Jr.
E
Howard Epps
Michael Evans
Rupert Everett
F
Hugo Flink
Francis Ford
Jacques François
Rupert Frazer
Matt Frewer
Martin Fric
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer
G
Nando Gazzolo
William Gillette
Stewart Granger
Richard E. Grant
Bruno Güttner
H
Louis Hector
Guy Henry
Charlton Heston
Anthony Higgins
Ronald Howard
I
Jeremy Irons
J
Peter Jeffrey
Edwin Jürgensen
L
Otto Lagoni
Frank Langella
Viggo Larsen
Peter Lawford
Christopher Lee
Vasily Livanov
John Longden
Radovan Lukavský
M
Patrick Macnee
Raymond Massey
Keith Michell
Jonny Lee Miller
Jarion Monroe
Roger Moore
Juan Manuel Montesinos
N
Alan Napier
Alwin Neuß
John Neville
Leonard Nimoy
Eille Norwood
O
Louis Moffat
Lauritz Olsen
Andrew Osborn
Roger Ostime
Reginald Owen
P
Michael Pennington
Igor Petrenko
Christopher Plummer
Jonathan Pryce
R
Basil Rathbone
Robert Rendel
Ian Richardson
Jalmari Rinne
Ted Rooney
Nicolas Rowe
Richard Roxburgh
S
H. A. Saintsbury
Joseph Sartchadjev
Erich Schellow
Rade Serbedzija
Benjamin Snyder
Soccer
Hermann Speelmans
Brent Spiner
Robert Stephens
Alfred Struwe
Ben Syder
T
Georges Tréville
V
Henri Virlojeux
Nikolai Volkov
W
Todd Waite
Alan Wheatley
Geoffrey Whitehead
Paxton Whitehead
Nicol Williamson
Douglas Wilmer
Arthur Wontner
John Wood
Edward Woodward

 

[whitebriar]

since having seen J. Brett as Mr. Holmes, i can no longer picture anyone else in the role--he nailed the Holmes persona--
i don't think i'd like Brett very much, or really Sherlock Holmes for that matter, as drinking companions, but i have always liked Watson--Edward Hardwicke (i believe that was his name--it's been several years now) was the best Watson for me--

i just never could make Nigel Bruce work; Watson was no clown--

my favorite program is of course, "The Hound''---it was my first exposure to the great detective, and has remained my favorite for over sixty years--

 

[Blackhorse]

Indeed.  God save the medical profession if the character Nigel Bruce plays were ever to practice.  

Yes as well to the Hound.  But the episode in which Lestrade invites Holmes to have a pint with the boys downtown because they all admired and appreciated him so very much?  Brett’s reaction is one of my favorite and one of the most touching in all of cinema.

 

[thedeep]

When you say "Sherlock" I see RATHBONE.Like someone else said, the Sherlock of my youth. I'm in my 70's. Bret came along later, when I was not so impressionable.

 

[Blackhorse]

Yeah...you OLD guys are really set in your ways.

 

[whitebriar]

i too as raised on Rathbone--he was 'the' Holmes until i saw Brett---i'm 75, but i never looked back after the Grenada series--
i believe it is because they stuck very closely to the written word in the Grenada stories--

also, Brett is just quirky enough to pin Holmes down

 

[whitebriar]

Blackhorse

your avatar sir--i can't make up my mind--is that Terry. of 'Terry and the Pirates', or is it Steve Canyon?--i'm leaning toward Steve Canyon--

looks like as many years as i read those strips i should know at a glance, but time is playing one of it's little tricks i suppose--

 

[Blackhorse]

WB - not really sure myself but I lean toward Steverino.

 

[whitebriar]

WB - not really sure myself but I lean toward Steverino.

yeah, me too--Steve was a colonel and a bit more dignified..