Terror by Night

Plot synopsis:
An off-screen narrator tells of the deadly curse carried by the fabulous "Star of Rhodesia" diamond, then takes us to a London coffin-maker's, where Vivian Vedder (Renee Godfrey) arranges a special coffin for her late mother. She'll be taking it on the 7 PM train to Edinburgh. At Euston Station, Roland Carstairs (Geoffrey Steele) meets Holmes (Basil Rathbone), whom he has hired to guard his mother Lady Margaret (Mary Forbes), who has already boarded the train back home to Scotland. Actually, he's there to guard the Star of Rhodesia, which she has owned for many years, but was the object of an attempted theft when Lady Margaret wore it at a royal function. Holmes is certain the thieves will try again. Apparently, Scotland Yard agrees, as Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) is also taking the trip. The train begins to pull out, and Watson (Nigel Bruce) and his old army friend Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray) barely manage to board. They had bumped into each other, and forgotten the time as they reminisced. Carstairs brings Holmes to his compartment, where his mother is skeptical about the aid of a "policeman", but she lets Holmes examine the Star.While Holmes, Watson, Duncan-Bleek, and Lady Margaret are in the dining car, Carstairs falls onto the floor of his compartment. Lestrade hears the thud, but finds the door to the Carstairs compartment locked. Holmes arrives and has the attendant (Billy Bevan) open it. They find Carstairs dead and the box that had contained the Star empty. The body shows no wounds aside from a tiny spot of blood, but Holmes declares it's murder, since a thief arriving right after Carstairs died of natural causes is too improbable. Watson, unimpressed with Lestrade's plodding, decides to try questioning suspects himself. (Thus suspects are those who occupy compartments in the same car, as the attendant was at the door to the leading car, and the trailing car is the locked luggage van.) Watson gets nowhere at all in his attempt with cranky William Kilbane (Frederick Worlock), a professor of mathematics. However, when he questions Alfred Shallcross (Gerald Hamer), he gets an immediate confession. Watson summons Holmes and Lestrade, only to learn that Alfred was confessing to having stolen a teapot from the hotel where he stayed in London. Lestrade is not amused, but neither he nor Holmes can get any more cooperation from Prof. Kilbane than Watson did. Later, Holmes tells Lestrade that this puts him in mind of Colonel Sebastian Moran, master jewel thief and amateur mathematician.Holmes is nearly pushed off the train by an unseen assailant, but he manages to hang on to the outside and eventually climb back aboard. He and Watson enter the luggage van and convince the guard there to let them examine the coffin. It has the remains of an elderly woman in the top part, but also a false bottom that could have hidden the murderer. The two of them, plus Lestrade and Duncan-Bleek pay a call on Vivian, who admits that she was hired to take the coffin to Edinburgh. She knew about the compartment in the coffin, but was being paid. Holmes asks if her employer was Duncan-Bleek, but she says she never saw him before. Watson is shocked that Holmes would subject his old friend to that kind of suspicion. Later, Holmes reveals that he's had the real Star all along, and Lestrade takes it. Back in the luggage van, Holmes and Watson discover that the guard has been murdered. He also has a tiny spot of blood, but this time they find the tiny gelatin dart that delivered poison. Unlike the case of Carstairs, there hadn't been enough time for it to dissolve in the wound.Holmes's assailant, a man named Sands (Skelton Knaggs) renders the attendant unconscious so he can visit Duncan-Bleek unobserved. He reports how he dealt with the guard and the attendant, and turns the diamond he stole over to the Major, who knows it's the fake planted by Holmes. He has Sands club Lestrade and grab the real gem, then kills Sands with his poison-dart airgun. He leaves, and Holmes and Watson arrive to revive Lestrade. The train stops just across the Scottish border, where an Inspector MacDonald (Boyd Davis) and his men board. MacDonald, claiming jurisdiction because he's from the Edinburgh police, has them all move to the dining room to conduct his investigation.Holmes tells MacDonald that Duncan-Bleek is Moran, but the latter pulls the emergency brake cord, and a fight in darkness ensues. It ends with Holmes triumphant, and the vanquished tangled up in his coat. MacDonald takes the prisoner off the train, which starts off for Edinburgh. Holmes points out to Watson that Moran lies unconscious on the floor. As he revives, he's startled not to find himself in the company of MacDonald, who was actually his accomplice. However, Holmes realized that (mainly because he knew the real MacDonald), and the man the fake police took off the train was Lestrade. Meanwhile, Lestrade has untangled himself, pulled a gun on his supposed captors, and arrested them. Moran wants to take solace in the fact that Holmes doesn't have the Star, but of course the detective has pulled yet another switch, and reveals the real diamond.

Tags: murder

Review:
Good film of the splendid Sherlock Holmes-Basil Rathbone and his loyal companion Watson-Nigel Bruce series including a first-range nasty , a Doctor Moriarty's disciple , named Sebastian Moran.
When the fabulous Star of Rhodesia diamond is robbed on a train bound from London to Scotland and the son of its owner is killed , Holmes and Watson help Inspector Lestrade - a likable Dennis Hoey as botcher as Nigel Bruce - which of his suspect fellow passengers is culprit.
Who's the killer and the thief?.Penultime outing in the Rathbone / Bruce Sherlock Holmes series with the master sleuth up a fabled jewel robbing and against a series of murder on a London to Edinburgh train .
Holmes must discover the thief murderous and the responsible ultimately results to be the Colonel Sebastian Moran , an arch-villain and Dr Moriarty's hoodlum.This whodunit film has a fine atmosphere , it's in black and white with lights and shades that originate a suspenseful setting aboard the train .
There's not a second of screen time wasted in telling the tale of the Star of Rhodesia diamond that is stolen aboard an express train--and, of course, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Insepctor LeStrade are all aboard the train, having been advised that someone is going to make an attempt to steal it.This low-budget Universal entry is easily one of the best of the Universal features co-starring BASIL RATHBONE and NIGEL BRUCE.
Rathbone is completely suave and relaxed as Holmes, less snappy than usual in the way he treats Watson and much more likable in the role than he has been in other entries.The plot abounds with the usual assortment of suspicious characters, but of all the supporting players ALAN MOBRAY is the one who stands out as the man who befriends Watson.Despite the low-budget trimmings and overuse of miniatures to show a train racing through the fog at night, the story is taut and the whole affair is intriguing enough to keep you watching until the unusual ending--where a double twist is completely unexpected.Highly enjoyable Holmes adventure, well-paced and entertaining..
Good, solid direction from Holmes veteran Roy William Neill, quality, reliable acting from leads Rathbone and Bruce, exceptional character acting from Alan Mowbry and company, and a zippy pace connected to a script that is able to develop the plot and suspense despite the length of the film being just under an hour.
This Basil Rathbone-Sherlock Holmes adventure involves a bunch of suspects on a train, each looking guilty making the viewer undecided who really is the culprit who trying to steal a precious diamond, "The Star Of Rhodesia."With all these suspects (who are fun to watch), there a number of twists every five minutes to keep us all guessing.
One of the many Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce appearing as Holmes and Watson, "Terror By Night" is distinguished by a good, atmospheric setting on a train.
Much of the plot itself is fairly routine, but the setting and a good climax make this a worthwhile film.The action takes place on a train heading from London to Edinburgh, with Holmes being employed to protect a valuable diamond.
The setting also allows Bruce, as the well-meaning but bumbling Dr. Watson, to have some of his best moments as he earnestly but unsuccessfully tries to help with the investigation.While unspectacular, most fans of the Holmes series should find "Terror By Night" pleasant and entertaining..
This means with a meagre "running" time of 57 minutes I should have had 85.5 thrills, and does this astounding feat of mathematic calculation make me Colonel Sebastian Moran?!I've always enjoyed this penultimate Rathbone Holmes film, although my daughter (Chunky Chops) has always been rather bored by it and only ever watches it again because we've usually seen the previous twelve outings in quick succession.
One of the better entries in the Basil Rathbone Holmes series, with Watson and Inspector Lestrade bumbling more comically than usual and all the action set aboard a moving train.
Music is by Hans Salter and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.Plot finds Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) hired to protect Lady Margaret Carstairs (Mary Forbes) and her precious diamond, the Star of Rhodesia.
Holmes and his trusty companion Dr. Watson (Bruce), will need to keep their wits about them.The thirteenth and penultimate film in the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes series, Terror by night is a considerable improvement on the one before it, Pursuit to Algiers.
The passengers of a train running from London to Edinburgh endure TERROR BY NIGHT when a murderer goes after a fabulous gem.Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce yet again step into the personas of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic characters, Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson.
Chubby Billy Bevan is a friendly train attendant, and Boyd Davis does well with his small role as a gruff Scots Police Inspector.There must always be eccentrics in every Sherlock Holmes film, and this one is well served by imperious Mary Forbes as an insufferable noblewoman; cranky Frederick Worlock as a most displeased mathematics professor; Gerald Hamer & Janet Murdock as a very nervous married couple; and little Skelton Knaggs as a creepy killer.Movie mavens will recognize marvelous old Sir C.
Holmes and Dr. Watson are hired to keep an eye on the "Star of Rhodesia"; a most precious jewel that travels from London to Edinburgh, along with its owner, Inspector Lestrade from Scotland Yard and a whole carriage of oddly behaving suspects.
On the other hand however, thanks to a couple of effective and innovating elements, avid fans of the Sherlock Holmes cycle could righteously claim that "Terror by Night" is a very underrated and actually one of the best film in the series!
Penultimate Rathbone Holmes film sees Sherlock and Watson on a train trying to prevent the theft of a priceless diamond and figure out who murdered the son of the diamond's owner.
A sinister and suspicious lot of passengers surround them in their carriage and before long the man is dead and the gem stolen.With Lestrade (who just happens to be there) and Watson (who almost misses the train) to 'help', Holmes views each and every passenger with suspicion as the Scotch Express (the what?) rockets through the dark countryside.
Terror By Night takes most of the intriguing elements of the previous Holmes film (Pursuit to Algiers), leaves out the extraneous bits which hampered that particular film, cranks up the suspense, and roars out of the station on the rails of a complex and entertaining mystery.The film follows Holmes and his friend/chronicler Watson on a train voyage, where Holmes has been commissioned to guard a precious stone.
Dennis Hoey also puts in the last of his six performances as Inspector Lestrade here, and contributes his usual warm, if perpetually inept (the character, not the actor), presence.Overall, I'd rate Terror By Night as one of the top five films in the Universal Holmes series.
Terror By Night is one of the better Basil Rathbone Sehrlock Holmes movies.In this one, Holmes and Dr Watson are assigned to a case involving a diamond, The Star of Rhodesia to prevent it from being stolen while on the train.
The only fault I noticed was the exterior shots of the train which showed different ones, including a model and non-British trains.As usual, Rathbone is joined by Nigel Bruce as Watson and the rest of the cast includes Alan Mowbray and Dennis Hoey.Terror By Night is an excellent mystery and they certainly don't make them like this anymore.Rating: 4 stars out of 5..
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are hired by Roland Carstairs to travel with him and his mother on a train from England to Edinburgh.
Holmes(Basil Rathbone) and his faithful sideman Dr. Watson(Nigel Bruce)are hired to guard against the theft of Lady Margaret Carstairs'(Mary Forbes)precious "Star of Rhodesia", a diamond huge enough to choke a pony.
However, the myriad suspicious characters extend beyond those few to a married couple who are obviously concealing a secret, a laconic baggage car attendant, the conductor, and the dining car steward; if they are aboard, they are a suspect.The eleventh in Universal Studios's Sherlock Holmes series, "Terror by Night" was directed by dependable Roy William Neill from an original story written by Frank Gruber using snippets from a few Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
Another great moment is its conclusion, almost reminiscent to how author Agatha Christie ("Murder on the Orient Express") or famed movie director Alfred Hitchcock ("The Lady Vanishes") might have handled a train mystery such as this.Being another Holmes entry to have fallen into public domain, TERROR BY NIGHT, available on video cassette and DVD formats from various distributors, presented on numerous public broadcast or cable television stations over the years, should not disappoint any devotees of the series, especially when shown from time to time on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: March 8, 2004) or anywhere else.
Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) also suspects a second attempt to steal the diamond and has come aboard with a rather transparent cover story about going to Scotland to do some fishing.Holmes must figure out which of the passengers or train crew members is Moran before they reach Edinburgh.
Having seen all of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films of the 40's on my DVD collection, which I highly recommend, Terror By Night is one of the best of the series.
As serials go, the Sherlock Holmes films featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce range from 'really rather clever' to 'absolutely tedious', and this one, a kind of variation on Agatha Christie's 'Murder on the Orient Express', comes somewhere in the middle.An expensive jewel goes missing (shades of the Conan Doyle tale 'The Blue Carbuncle') while our heroes (and Lestrade, who says he is going fishing but we never really find out about the Scotland Yard business he is really on), travel from London to Edinburgh alongside a crusty professor, a brusque spinster, a nervous couple, and Watson's close friend Duncan (he plays for the Gentlemen at Lord's).All are suspects but the protagonist can be guessed fairly early on.
"Terror by Night" was made in 1946 and is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
Watson is especially dumb in this one, and the script has built into it a comic scene between him and a train passenger he comes up against.What these films always had going for them was atmosphere, interesting acting, and of course, Rathbone, whose age is starting to show in this one.
The plot for this one see Holmes once again employed to help protect a valuable jewel (with a violent history, natch) from being stolen (Pearl of Death, anyone?), the gimmick being that almost the entire action takes board on a steam train travelling from London to Edinburgh.As always, Rathbone and Bruce are excellent as Conan Doyle's classic crime-fighting duo, but they are about the only good thing in this otherwise disappointing mystery: an uninspired script introduces plenty of characters as suspects and umpteen red herrings, but does very little of interest with them, and the action unfolds in a predictable manner, with several of the film's key 'twists' being obvious long before their reveal.This film also features one of the worst performances of the entire series, courtesy of Renee Godfrey as obligatory babe with a secret, Vivian Vedder; the lady might be stunning to look at, but my god she's awful in this film, every line delivered in an unconvincing accent that ranges from mid-west American to unspecific European, but never once sounding like a Londoner, as intended.5.5 out of 10, but not good enough for me to round my rating up to a 6..
Along with "Rome Express" (1932) and "The Lady Vanishes" (1938), this late entry in the famous Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes series is a remarkable achievement, given its tiny budget and short running time.A classic example of 'less is more', director Roy William Neill keeps the tension cranked high and the pace taut, with a splendid cast of character actors and an admirable special effects team that creates the illusion of the action really being on a British express train of the mid 1940s.The use of back projection, especially in the brilliantly staged sequence where Holmes is kicked outside of the speeding train by the killer, is truly admirable.
It's no Orient Express but the film is reasonably interesting with Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) on hand to guard a valuable jewel.
This last-but-one of the Rathbone&Bruce 'Sherlock Holmes' adaptation, IMO, is neither a typical one nor one of the best entries in the series - in a whole train full of suspects, the huge diamond 'Star of Rhodesia', is being stolen, recovered and stolen again, and no less than three people are murdered for it; and, since Professor Moriarty by now seems to be 'finally' dead, there has to be a substitution for him for a battle of wits with Sherlock Holmes: the infamous jewel thief Sebastian Moran...Now, this is admittedly a REAL whodunit, because we have to guess until the last moment who is this Sebastian Moran - but how can we, with not only so many red herrings sticking out of every compartment door, but also without a really consistent story?
Holmes, however, solves the case triumphantly and cunningly, as ever (and once again foreseeing ALL the traps the 'Moriarty successor' may have laid for him); but even at the end, it doesn't look really convincing to a classic whodunit fan...Anyway, there's no denying that this film, too, has got its special features that makes it worth watching, no matter how much it confuses us: there's the claustrophobic atmosphere of the train (some Agatha Christie feeling here...), there are some genuinely creepy and suspenseful moments - and there's more humor than we usually find in a 'Sherlock Holmes' movie (once again, chiefly thanks to our good friend Dr. Watson)!
Roy William Neil once again directs Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson in this film using elements from previous stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Terror by Night is the thirteenth of the Sherlock Holmes film series to star Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and was directed by Roy William Neill.
Now Holmes and Watson have to find the murderer before the train makes its final stop.The movie did show a sort of lack of emotion in the character of Lady Margaret, although it was part of the plot, as it is commented by the other characters in the movie, it didn't go well with me the viewer, although death is expected at some time, the death of Roland was a turn off for me as it was not expected at all.The movie's twist and turns are worth seeing although the movie is not as captivating or as fun as Pursuit to Algiers, it did show good writing and direction in the part of Frank Gruber and William Neill.It is a nice DVD to get.www.lagsreviews.com.
There were fourteen films in the series featuring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.
(You may wish you could exit the train before this tedious mystery grinds to a halt!)I've seen about half of the Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone, and I'd say most are fun to watch and some are very good.
Terror By Night was one of the last of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes mysteries that Universal Studios made.
It finds Holmes and Watson escorting the fabulous Star of Rhodesia diamond and its owners, mother and son Mary Forbes and Geoffrey Steele on the train from London to Edinburgh.A whole section of the film has obviously been edited out because there is reference to an earlier attempt to steal the fabulous jewel.
Terror by Night (1946)** 1/2 (out of 4) Unlucky number thirteen doesn't turn out too bad for Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) as the duo find themselves on a train from London to Edinburgh where they must protect a priceless diamond.
It's a "Sherlock Holmes" crime-drama starring Basil Rathbone as everyone's favourite, Victorian-era, super-sleuth.On a speeding night-train heading from London to Edinburgh, Scotland - The priceless "Star of Rhodesia" diamond goes missing - And it's now up to the dynamic duo of Holmes and Watson to sift through a bevy of suspicious characters in order to recover this precious gem.Filled to overflowing with brilliant deductions, shadowed mystery, and deadly intrigue - "Terror By Night" moves along at a very brisk pace with its brief, 60-minute running time..
Scotland Yard detective Inspector Lestrade(Dennis Hoey)is on board also assigned to watch over the safety of Carstairs and her diamond, assisting Holmes as they pursue the ones responsible for the murders as the moving train heads on it's destination to Edinburgh.
Basil Rathbone impresses as Holmes and Nigel Bruce is amusing as Watson even if the character is rather bumbling.
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are back as the detecting duo Holmes and Watson, in Terror by Night, the 13th of 14 films starring the pairing.
Hired by Roland Carstairs to prevent the theft of the Star of Rhodesia on a train between London and Edinburgh Holmes and Watson have their hands full with lots of potential suspects.
Sherlock Holmes is aboard a night train from London to Edinburgh, guarding a famous jewel, the Star of Rhodesia.
Terror by Night begins in London at Euston station as the worlds foremost detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) & his trusty assistant Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) board a train to Edinburgh.
It's not long before Roland has been found murdered & the Star stolen, Holmes, Watson & Lestrade are on the case...Produced & directed by Roy William Neill Terror by Night was the last but one in a series of Holmes films that totals fourteen made between 1939 & 1946 to star Rathbone & Bruce as Holmes & Watson.