The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (radio Series)
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''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is an American old-time radio show that aired on US radio networks between 1930 and 1936. The series was adapted from
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
's Sherlock Holmes stories by scriptwriter
Edith Meiser Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 – September 26, 1993) was an American author and actress, who wrote mystery novels, stage plays, and numerous radio dramas. She is perhaps best known for bringing adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories to radio in the ...
. For most of the series, Richard Gordon played Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell played
Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle f ...
. The series included multiple original stories by Meiser, in addition to Meiser's adaptations of all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories except one. Some episodes in the series were remakes of scripts that had been used for episodes in earlier seasons of the show.


Production

Edith Meiser Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 – September 26, 1993) was an American author and actress, who wrote mystery novels, stage plays, and numerous radio dramas. She is perhaps best known for bringing adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories to radio in the ...
first pitched the idea of a radio series based on Conan Doyle's detective. Episodes for the series were adapted for broadcast by Meiser. The show was titled ''Sherlock Holmes'', ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', and ''Sherlock Holmes Stories'' in different radio listings. The premiere episode featured an adaptation of "
The Adventure of the Speckled Band "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eighth story of twelve in the collection ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in '' Strand Ma ...
" (October 20, 1930). It starred
William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...
as Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell as
Dr Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel '' A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle ...
. The following episodes in the series mainly featured Richard Gordon in the role of Holmes until 1933 and
Louis Hector Louis Hector (March 19, 1883 – October 1968) was an American radio, theater, film, and television actor. He is best known for his roles of Sherlock Holmes in the 1937 broadcast of ''The Three Garridebs'' (the first US televised portrayal of Sir ...
from 1934 to 1935. Richard Gordon again played the lead role for the last season in 1936. Edith Meiser dramatised fifty-nine of the sixty Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, with the same actors, Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, playing Holmes and Watson respectively in the adaptations, including a remake of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band". The 59th Sherlock Holmes story adapted by Meiser was "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", which aired in late 1932. The story that was not dramatised, ''
The Valley of Fear ''The Valley of Fear'' is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine ...
'', would not be adapted for radio until 1960, when the
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adapted it for radio for the 1952–1969 radio series. An adaptation of ''The Valley of Fear'' was not produced because the story concerns labour relations in the Pennsylvania coalfields and was therefore thought to be potentially too political. Another Sherlock Holmes story, "
The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title ...
", was loosely adapted for episodes titled "Murder in the Waxworks" (March 1932), "The Adventure of the Ace of Spades" (May 1932), and "Murder by Proxy" (January 1933). It was not directly adapted because Meiser was concerned that broadcasting it might presage the end of the series. For the series, Meiser also wrote episodes inspired by cases alluded to in the Sherlock Holmes canon, namely "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" (June 1932 and July 1936), "The Case of Vamberry, the Wine Merchant" (December 1934), and "The Singular Affair of the Aluminium Crutch" (January 1935). Meiser also adapted two of Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Holmes stories, "The Jewish Breastplate" and "
The Lost Special "The Story of the Lost Special", sometimes abbreviated to "The Lost Special", is a mystery short story by Arthur Conan Doyle first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in August 1898. A minor character in the story is possibly implied to be Doyle ...
". Both episodes aired in November 1934. The first four seasons aired on the NBC's Blue Network. The fifth season aired on the
Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
through September 1936. The show then moved to the NBC Red network in October 1936. On the NBC network, the episodes were broadcast live and have therefore not survived. The Mutual Broadcasting System required episodes to be recorded for future rebroadcast, so sound recordings from this era of the show survived. The George Washington Coffee Company, creator of the first
instant coffee Instant coffee is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans that enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water or milk to coffee solids in powdered or crystallized form and stirring. Instant coffee solids (also called sol ...
, sponsored the series, until the fifth season, when the Household Finance Co. became the show's new sponsor.


Cast

Sherlock Holmes: *
William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...
(1930, premiere episode only) *
Clive Brook Clifford Hardman "Clive" Brook (1 June 1887 – 17 November 1974) was an English film actor. After making his first screen appearance in 1920, Brook emerged as a leading British actor in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States ...
(1930, 2nd and 3rd episodes only) * Richard Gordon (1930–1933, 1936) *
Louis Hector Louis Hector (March 19, 1883 – October 1968) was an American radio, theater, film, and television actor. He is best known for his roles of Sherlock Holmes in the 1937 broadcast of ''The Three Garridebs'' (the first US televised portrayal of Sir ...
(the fourth season, 1934–1935)
Dr Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel '' A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle ...
: * Leigh Lovell (1930–1935) * Harry West (the fifth season, 1936) The announcer and narrator was actor Joseph Bell. Little information is available about other cast members.
Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning four decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary ''Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...
played roles in many episodes. The show's writer
Edith Meiser Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 – September 26, 1993) was an American author and actress, who wrote mystery novels, stage plays, and numerous radio dramas. She is perhaps best known for bringing adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories to radio in the ...
was also an actress and occasionally played parts on the show. According to a contemporary review,
Lucille Wall Lucille Loretta Wall (January 18, 1898 – July 11, 1986)Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; was an American ...
played "the star feminine part" in the first episode. Louis Hector played Professor Moriarty in a 1932 episode before playing Holmes in the show's fourth season.


Episodes


First season (October 1930–June 1931)

This series comprised only stories adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The season aired from 20 October 1930 to 15 June 1931 and included 35 episodes, including two broadcasts of "The Noble Bachelor", adapted from "
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the tenth of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''The ...
". The first episode was "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", and the last episode of the season was an adaptation of " The Adventure of the Abbey Grange", titled "The Adventure of Abbey Grange".


Second season (September 1931–June 1932)

This series comprised some adaptations of Conan Doyle and original material devised by Meiser. The season had 33 episodes and aired from 17 September 1931 to 23 June 1932. The first episode of the season was a remake of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", and the last episode was an adaptation of "
The Adventure of the Second Stain "The Adventure of the Second Stain", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905) and the only unrecorded case mentioned pa ...
". The season included a four-episode adaptation of ''
A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title der ...
'', and a six-episode dramatization of ''
The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is se ...
''.


Third season (October 1932–May 1933)

This series comprised some adaptations of Conan Doyle and original material devised by Meiser. The series aired from 5 October 1932 to 31 May 1933 and included a six-episode dramatization of ''
The Sign of Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Pl ...
''. There were 34 episodes, though the titles of two episodes are not known. The first episode was an adaptation of "
The Adventure of the Empty House "The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in '' Collier's'' in ...
", and the last episode was "The Corpse in the Cab", an original story based on "
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Collier's'' (US) on 31 October 1 ...
". An adaptation of "
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
" aired on 28 December 1932 and was the 59th Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle to be adapted by the team of Edith Meiser, Richard Gordon, and Leigh Lovell.


Fourth season (November 1934–May 1935)

This series mostly featured original stories by Edith Meiser, and featured Louis Hector as Holmes opposite Leigh Lovell's Watson. The season, which ran from 11 November 1934 to 26 May 1935, featured 29 episodes, though two episodes have unknown titles. The first was "The Jewish Breastplate", adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Sherlock Holmes story "The Story of the Jew's Breast-Plate", which was first published in ''
The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'' in 1899. The last episode of the season was "The Reigate Puzzle", a remake of an earlier episode adapted from "
The Adventure of the Reigate Squire "The Adventure of the Reigate Squire", also known as "The Adventure of the Reigate Squires" and "The Adventure of the Reigate Puzzle", is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first publish ...
". There were also several other remakes of older episodes.


Fifth season (February 1936–December 1936)

All the scripts for the fifth-season episodes were ones that had been used previously on the show, partly because Edith Meiser was busy after signing a movie contract with
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
in May 1936. The scripts would have been modified slightly to allow for the change in sponsor and possibly the change in actors. The season featured 48 episodes, starting with "The Speckled Band" and ending with the six-part serial ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''. The season ran from 1 February to 24 December 1936.


Reception

At the end of the first season, a survey of American radio editors found that 94% said ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' was the best radio program.


References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The American radio dramas Detective radio shows 1930 radio programme debuts 1936 radio programme endings 1930s American radio programs Works based on Sherlock Holmes NBC Blue Network radio programs