ONE WAY TICKET TO DEATH…!

Sherlock Holmes and dr. Watson (Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce) are on a train bound for Scotland where a murder is committed and a very valuable diamond is stolen.

Film no. 13 in the series shows how well-made these simple little thrillers were. In just an hour we’re offered action (Holmes is almost thrown off the train), an isolated location that increases tension, a good villain (a jewel thief, well-known from Conan Doyle stories, whose identity is kept secret for most of the film), a sense of humor (Lestrade is back after a two-movie absence) and a neat little twist near the end. 

1946-U.S. 60 min. B/W. Directed by Roy William Neill. Cast: Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (John Watson), Alan Mowbray (Major Duncan-Bleek), Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey, Mary Forbes. 

Trivia: Followed by Dressed to Kill (1946).