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The Secret Weapon (1942)
Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1942
Running Times: 65 mins 14 sec (UK - video) 68 mins
(USA) 68 mins 4 sec (UK - video) 68 mins 9 sec (UK - theatrical)
Format: black and white 35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono
CREDITS
PRODUCTION
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Associate Producer: Howard Benedict
SCRIPT
Script: W. Scott Darling, Edmund L. Hartmann, Edward T. Lowe Jr
Adaptation: W. Scott Darling
Story: The Dancing Men by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
DIRECTION
Director: Roy William Neill
PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Les White
EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Otto Ludwig
MUSIC
Musical Director: Charles Previn
Music: Frank Skinner, Richard Hageman (uncredited), Hans J. Salter (uncredited)
SOUND
Sound Director: Bernard B. Brown
Sound Technician: Paul Neal
Sound Mix: Western Electric Sound System
MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Gowns: Vera West
DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Jack Otterson
Associate Art Director: Martin Obzina
Set Decorators: R.A.
Gausman, Edward R. Robinson
MISCELLANEOUS
Technical Advisor: Tom McKnight
CAST
Basil Rathbone
(Sherlock Holmes)
Nigel Bruce (Dr John H. Watson)
Lionel Atwill (Moriarty)
Kaaren Verne (Charlotte Eberli)
William Post Jr (Dr Franz Tobel)
Dennis Hoey (LeStrad)
Holmes Herbert (Sir Reginald)
Mary Gordon (Mrs Hudson)
Rudolph Anders (Braun - uncredited)
Paul Bryar (Swiss waiter - uncredited)
John Burton (uncredited)
Vicki Campbell (woman pilot - uncredited)
Gerard Cavin (Scotland Yard man - uncredited)
Harry Cording (Jack Brady - uncredited)
James Craven (second officer at test - uncredited)
Harold De Becker (peg leg - uncredited)
Leslie Denison (uncredited)
George Eldredge (policeman outside Durer's - uncredited)
Paul Fix (Mueller - uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson (R.A.F. officer - uncredited)
Guy Kingsford (foot patrolman - uncredited)
George Burr Macannan (Gottfried - uncredited)
Michael Mark (George - uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt (uncredited)
Henry Victor (Professor Frederic Hoffner - uncredited)
Harry Woods (Kurt - uncredited)
SUMMARY
Sherlock Holmes rescues the inventor a revolutionary
bomb sight from Switzerland, bringing him to London before the Nazis
can get hold of his invention. But is the man that Holmes rescued really
who he claims to be?
CAPSULE REVIEW
The Universal series of Holmes films had still to
get into its stride and although The Secret Weapon is more enjoyable
than The
Voice of Terror, it's still a
clumsy propaganda piece and a routine mystery. Roy William Neill, who
would remain on board to helm the rest of the series, makes a better
job of it than John Rawlins managed in the previous film and it was
certainly a step in the right direction.
AVAILABILITY
UK
Theatrical Distributor: Geberal Film
Video Distributors: Orbit Media / Screen Classics (ORB0006 (2001))
DVD Distributor: Orbit Media (HSC0051 (2000))
USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures
Video Distributor: Front Row Video; New Media Resources; Celebrity Duplication;
Fox Video; Media / Fox Video; Madacy Entertainment; United American
Video; Anchor Bay Entertainment; Republic Entertainment
DVD Distributor: Focus Films Entertainment; Platinum Disc Corporation
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
UK
Rating: U; PG
TIMELINE
1942
September
25: UK - rated U by the BBFC (for theatrical release)
October
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release
December
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release
1954
October
11: USA - television broadcast (on CBS)
1959
September
16: UK - television broadcast (on Granada Television)
1960
March
24: UK - television broadcast (on Rediffusion)
1985
January
1: USA - video release
1987
January
1: USA - video release (Celebrity Duplication)
1989
December
13: USA - video release (Media / Fox Video)
1990
July
18: UK - rated PG by the BBFC (or video release)
1993
March
10: USA - video release(Fox Video)
1994
January
20: UK - rated PG by the BBFC (or video release)
September
14: USA - video release (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
1995
January
15: USA - video release (Madacy Entertainment)
1998
October
12: USA - video release (United American Video)
2000
June
26: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2)
October
9: UK - DVD release (Orbit Media (HSC0051))
2001
March
6: UK - video release (Orbit Media / Screen Classics (ORB0006)
May
1: USA - video release (New Media Resources)
22: USA - video release (Front Row Video)
July
3: USA - DVD release (Focus Films Entertainment)
September
19: USA - DVD release (Platinum Disc Corporation)
November
10: USA - television broadcast (on WLIW)
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
L'arma segreta - Italian title
Die Geheimwaffe - German title
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon - UK title
Sherlock Holmes Fights Back - working title
LINKS
SEQUEL TO
The Hound
of the Baskervilles (1939)
The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
Sherlock
Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
SEQUELS
Sherlock
Holmes in Washington (1943)
Sherlock Holmes
Faces Death (1943)
Spider Woman (1944)
The Scarlet Claw (1944)
The Pearl of Death (1944)
The House of Fear (1945)
Pursuit to Algiers
(1945)
The Woman in Green (1945)
Terror by Night (1946)
Dressed to Kill
(1946)
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
Classic Images no.146 (August 1987) pp.46-48
(USA)
illustrated credits, article (by Blackie Seymour)
Kinematograph Weekly no.1852 (15 October
1942) (UK)
review
Monthly Film Bulletin vol.9 p.133
credits, review (by D.B.)
Motion Picture Herald vol.150 no.1 (2 January
1943) (USA)
review
Today's Cinema vol.59 no.4789 (16 October
1942) (UK)
review
BOOKS
Universal Horrors by Michael Brunas, John
Brunas and Tom Weaver (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co (1990))
credits, review
KEYWORDS
Sherlock
Holmes; detectives; sequels
Last Updated:
10 August, 2009
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