T H E N E W A D V E N T U R E S O F ----- ----- ------------------- --- S H E R L O C K H O L M E S --------------- ----------- 1946-1947 Season Tom Conway / Nigel Bruce Version First Show: Oct 12, 1946 Last Show: Jul 7, 1947 Number Shows: 38 Audition Show: none Series Description: From 1939 to 1946, Basil Rathbone played the role of Sherlock Holmes opposite his friend, Nigel Bruce as Dr. John H. Watson, both on the screen and on radio. On May 27, 1946, Mr. Rathbone portrayed Holmes for the last time in the last show of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOOMES 1945-46 season, "The Singular Affair of the Baconian Cipher". Rathbone had been offered a seven year contract to continue in the role, but he wanted to return to the theater and was honestly tired of portraying the famous detective. (He did play Holmes twice more, once on the TV version of SUSPENCE series, in "The Adventure of the Black Baronet" (May 26, 1953) and in a stage production of Sherlock Holmes, the Doyle/Gillette play (opened Oct. 30, 1953, NYC). Besides the absence of Basil Rathbone, the 1946-47 season saw a number of other changes. Without Rathbone, Petri Wine dropped sponsorship. Kremel hair products became sponsor. The show moved from Mutual to ABC. The announcer changed from Harry Bartell to Joseph Bell, who had served in that role early in the Mutual run. And, Sherlock Holmes was now played by Tom Conway. Conway was a good choice for Holmes. He had played the role of the Falcon in the movies and was a seasoned actor. He had a similar clipped accent to Rathbone. Had it not been for audience acceptance of the Holmes characterization by Rathbone, the Conway/Bruce duo may have survived. Although there wasn't the Rathbone/Bruce interplay, they performed their roles well. However, Nigel Bruce's role was more prominent than it had been. In fact, he was given top billing. Even with excellent scripts by Dennis Green and Anthony Boucher, all the changes to the series were too much for the audience to absorb. At the end of one season, Conway and Bruce were replaced by John Stanley and Alfred Shirley. There were further changes in cast, but the series ended at the close of the 1949-50 season on June 14, 1950. Log Comments: Titles and dates came from the Brilliance Corp. and Simon & Shulster tape volumes. The source/ISBN field indicates company and ISBN number, where "BC" is Brilliance Corp., and "SS" is Simon & Shulster. The Eyles book (see "References" below) gave the number of shows in the 1946-47 season as 39. Jay Hickerson's log says the show for Jan. 10, 1947 was pre-empted and aired the following week on Jan. 27. This agrees with the Simon & Shulster date for this show. This log assumes only 38 shows. Most scripts were developed from events suggested in the Arthur Conan Doyle stories. The titles of shows based on the Sherlock Holmes canon will be in upper case. Chronological Log: Date Num Title / Notes Source: ISBN ------------ --- ----------------------------------- ---------------- .. Heard Saturdays, 9:30 PM EST .. Oct 12, 1946 1 "The Adventure of the Stuttering SS:0-671-79411-6 Ghost" Oct 19, 1946 2 "The Adventure of Black Angus" BC:1-56100-898-2 Oct 26, 1946 3 "The Clue of the Hungry Cat" BC:1-56100-875-3 Nov 02, 1946 4 "The Adventure of the Original SS:0-671-79412-4 Hamlet" Nov 09, 1946 5 "The Singular Affair of the Dying BC:1-56100-875-3 Schoolboys" Nov 16, 1946 6 "The Adventure of the Genuine BC:1-56100-943-1 Guarnarius" Aka: "The Mystery of the Murdered Violinist" Nov 23, 1946 7 "The Adventure of Sally Martin" BC:1-56100-876-1 Nov 30, 1946 8 "The Strange Death of Mrs. BC:1-56100-876-1 Abernetty" Dec 07, 1946 9 "The Singular Affair of the Coptic SS:0-671-79413-2 Compass" Dec 14, 1946 10 "The Adventure of the Elusive BC:1-56100-898-2 Emerald" Dec 21, 1946 11 "The Adventure of the Grand Old BC:1-56100-877-X Man" Dec 28, 1946 12 "The Singular Affair of the White BC:1-56100-877-X Cockerel" Jan 04, 1947 13 "The Darlington Substitution" SS:0-671-79416-7 .. Moved - Mondays, 8:30 PM EST .. Jan 13, 1947 14 "THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEVIL'S BC:1-56100-899-0 FOOT", from "His Last Bow" Jan 20, 1947 ... pre-empted ... Jan 27, 1947 15 "The Singular Case of the Babbling SS:0-671-79414-0 Butler" Feb 03, 1947 16 "THE ADVENTURE OF THE DYING BC:1-56100-899-0 DETECTIVE", from "His Last Bow" Feb 10, 1947 17 "The Strange Case of the BC:1-56100-978-8 Persecuted Millionaire" Feb 17, 1947 18 "The Adventure of the Haunted BC:1-56100-900-8 Bagpipes" Feb 24, 1947 19 "The Adventure of the Horseless BC:1-56100-900-8 Carriage" Mar 03, 1947 20 "Queue for Murder" BC:1-56100-901-6 Mar 10, 1947 21 "The Singular Affair of the BC:1-56100-901-6 Ancient Egyptian Curse" Mar 17, 1947 22 "The Strange Case of Professor BC:1-56100-923-7 Presby or The Creeping Man" Mar 24, 1947 23 "The Adventure of the Scarlet Worm" BC:1-56100-923-7 Mar 31, 1947 24 "The Adventure of Maltree Abbey" BC:1-56100-978-8 Apr 07, 1947 25 "The Adventure of the Tolling Bell" Apr 14, 1947 26 "The Adventure of the Carpathian BC:1-56100-924-5 Horror" Apr 21, 1947 27 "THE LION'S MANE", from "The Case BC:1-56100-924-5 Book of Sherlock Holmes". Apr 28, 1947 28 "The Island of Death" BC:1-56100-950-4 May 05, 1947 29 "The Remarkable Affair of the BC:1-56100-950-4 Pointless Robbery" May 12, 1947 30 "THE ADVENTURE OF WYSTERIA LODGE", BC:1-56100-951-2 from "His Last Bow" May 19, 1947 31 "The Hartley Street Murders" BC:1-56100-951-2 May 26, 1947 32 "The Adventure of the Submerged BC:1-56100-943-1 Nobleman" Jun 02, 1947 33 "THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE", from "The BC:1-56100-944-X Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" Jun 09, 1947 34 "Murder in the Locked Room" BC:1-56100-944-X Jun 16, 1947 35 "Death in the North Sea" BC:1-56100-945-8 Jun 23, 1947 36 "THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BC:1-56100-945-8 BAND", from "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" Jun 30, 1947 37 "The Adventure of the Innocent BC:1-56100-946-6 Murderess" Jul 07, 1947 38 "The Adventure of the Iron Maiden" BC:1-56100-946-6 References: * "Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration", by Allen Eyles, ISBN 0-06-015620-1, copyright 1986, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., NY * "Sherlock Holmes on the Radio" Log, Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, Ct 06514 * "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 * Brilliance Corporation, P.O. Box 481, Grand Haven, MI 49417, (1-800-222-3225) * Simon & Schuster, 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ 07675-9987 Reader Feedback: * Shawn Thomas provided the title for show #25. Last Update: Jun 07, 2004 This log informational only and does not imply that I have these shows for trade or sale. The shows may still be protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from authorized dealers. The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis. Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M. Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).