Radio varieties (Sept 1940-June 1941)

Quick Watson, The Needle (Continued from page 5) flavor to his interpretcriion of the bluff doctor, Holmes' friend, assistccnt and biographer. Even the long-time friendship which bound Holmes and Watson together is duplicated in the reallife stories of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. When World War I was raging, Rathbone and Bruce, both rising young British actors, served in their country's army. that might not look well in print. We've never shared rooms in Baker street, but if we had, I think we might have got along about as Holmes and Watson did. Willie claims a better sense of humor than Watson — but that's purely his opinion". That's the opinion of most of Hollywood, too — including Rathbone, who does not believe his Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, his assistant, put their heads together to solve another spine chilling mystery on NBC's Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. When the war was over, Bruce, in spite of the effects of a serious wound, returned to the stage, and there renewed his friendship with Rathbone. "Long ago, we arrived at the point where we can insult each other with impunity", Rathbone says. "1 call him Willie, or Walrus. Usually Willie. It's simpler. And he calls me things own slanderous implication. Conan Doyle tells us that Sherlock's custom, in moments of relaxation, was to play his violin, or to listen to good music. He doesn't say much about Watson's lighter moments. But both Holmes and Watson, in the persons of Rathbone and Bruce, are practical jokers in their more relaxed moods on broadcast days. The boisterous humor of Bruce and the pointed wit of Rathbone are used to advantage on each other, and sometimes on long suffering Tom McKnight, who produces the Sherlock Holmes series. Members of the cast of Sherlock Holmes have caused Rathbone some worry of late, because they insist upon taking his portrayal of Sherlock too seriously. It all began when a small powder factory on the Pacific Coast was blown up. When Rathbone arrived for a rehearsal Sunday at NBC's Hollywood Radio City, every member of the supporting cast was waiting for him, and everyone had the same clipping, a complete story of the disaster. In chorus, they demanded, "Solve this, Mr. Holmes". Rathbone escaped that one, but he couldn't get a way from the story. As further information appeared in the papers, it was collected by the actors, with the connivance of Bruce, and saved for the next week's show. Faced with a showdown, Rathbone shrugged, and said, "Not a case for Holmes at all. That was simply an accident". The newspapers, of course, carried the opinions of investigators, and their opinion was — accident. But Rathbone can't evade Holme's reputation. He still receives newspaper clippings of unsolved crimes, with requests for their solution. Not all are jokes from the cast. Some are serious. But, although he is a serious student of Holmseiana, Rathbone confesses he is no Sherlock in the matter of deductive powers, and so the cases will remain unsolved, unless the police do the work. First heard on NBC in their "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series in 1939, Rathbone and Bruce now are in their second season on the air. Edith Meiser is author of the radio adaptations of the stories. Her treatment of. the Holmes stories is heightened by the unique musical score, written and directed by Lou Kosloff, and interpreted by an instrumental group which makes use of the bassoon, French horn, electric organ, violin and trombone to produce the weird tonal quality which is an essential part of the show. Page 20 RADIO VARIETIES — DECEMBER