S H E R L O C K H O L M E S --------------- ----------- Gielgud and Richardson Version 1954 - 1955 First Show: UK - 05 Oct, 1954 Last Show: UK - 21 Dec, 1954 US - Jan 02, 1955 US - Jun 05, 1955 Number Shows: UK - 12 Audition Show: none US - 22 Series Description: The character of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective has been on radio from 1930 to recent times. In the United States, long-running series presented the cases of Sherlock Holmes. In Great Britan, the listening public first heard single adventures, then short series from 6 to 12 shows over the years. In the US, Holmes first appeared on Oct. 20, 1930 in THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, a series that ran until Dec. 24, 1936. During that time, THE LUX RADIO THEATER brought the Gillette/Doyle Sherlock Holmes play to the air on Nov. 18, 1935. Orsen Welles brought the play to the air again in his MERCURY THEATER OF THE AIR on Sept. 25, 1938. The longest-running US series started on Oct. 2, 1939 and ran until June 14, 1950. It started out with the most well-remembered radio Holmes, Basil Rathbone, assisted by Nigel Bruce as Watson. Mr. Rathbone left the series at the end of the 1945-46 season. The remaining years of the series saw numerous role changes and even a network change. When the series left the air at end of the 1949-50 season, it marked the end of US production of radio Sherlock Holmes shows. On the other side of the Atlantic, things were much different. Until the 1954 12-show series that is the subject of this log, there were only 3 Sherlock Holmes shows targeted for an adult audience. These were "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (3 Jul, 1943), "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (17 May, 1945) and an adaptation of the William Gillette / Conan Doyle play (3 Jan, 1953). There were a number of Holmes adventures, targeted for a children's audience, with Carleton Hobbs as Holmes and Norman Shelley as Watson. The earliest of these aired on 15 Oct, 1952. The 12-show Gielgud/Richardson series in 1954 marked a turning point. After this series, numerous short series and single shows were produced for the British Broadcasting Corporation. The 1954 series was produced in London by Harry Alan Towers, who also produced THE LIVES OF HARRY LIME (aka: THE THIRD MAN) and THE BLACK MUSEUM. Holmes was played by Sir John Gielgud and Watson was by Sir Ralph Richardson. The series was an excellent adaptation of stories from the Sherlock Holmes canon. The performances are solid and enjoyable. The shows were adapted for radio by John Kier Cross and directed by either Val Gielgud or Martyn C. Webster. Some members of the cast are noted in the list below. Orsen Welles, who played Holmes in the MERCURY THEATER Holmes play, appeared as Professor Moriarty the in "The Final Problem". Twelve shows were aired by the BBC from 5 Oct, 1954 through 21 Dec, 1954. The series aired in the US on Jan 2, 1955. The US series consisted of 22 shows, of which the last 6 were re-broadcasts of earlier shows. Log Comments: This log is a combination of Allen Eyles book, Jay Hickerson's log (see "References" section for both) and the Soundelux Audio Publishing's cassette set. I've used titles from the Holmes canon, except for number 1. The Eyles book cites a title for that one. I've included the canon title below it. Canon titles are in quotes. Separate logs are offered for the UK and US versions. Broadcast date formats are different for each log, matching the preferred formats for the broadcast area. The UK log contains additional information, such as cast members (beyond Gielgud and Richardson) and alternate titles. The US log contains titles not broadcast in the UK and a column showing UK broadcast number. For the US duplicate shows, I've abbreviated "The Adventure of the" to "TAOT". United Kingdom Broadcast Log: (All shows broadcast on Tuesdays) Date Num Title ------------ --- --------------------------------------------- 05 Oct, 1954 1 Doctor Watson Meets Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" with John Cazabon as Inspector Lestrade Alt: The Blackmailer Alt: The First Case 12 Oct, 1954 2 "A Scandal In Bohemia" with Margaret Ward as Irene Adler. 19 Oct, 1954 3 "The Red-Headed League" 26 Oct, 1954 4 "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" with Val Gielgud as Mycroft Holmes Alt: The Traitor 02 Nov, 1954 5 "A Case of Identity" Alt: The Gas-Fitter's Ball 09 Nov, 1954 6 "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" with Elizabeth Maude as Mrs. Hudson. Alt: Rare Disease 16 Nov, 1954 7 "The Adventure of the Second Stain" 23 Nov, 1954 8 "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" 30 Nov, 1954 9 "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" 07 Dec, 1954 10 "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" 14 Dec, 1954 11 "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" 21 Dec, 1954 12 "The Adventure of the Final Problem" with Orsen Welles as Professor Moriarty (Last UK show) United States Broadcast Log: (All shows broadcast on Sundays) Date Num Title UK# ------------ --- --------------------------------------------- --- Jan 02, 1955 1 Doctor Watson Meets Sherlock Holmes 1 Jan 09, 1955 2 "A Scandal In Bohemia" 2 Jan 16, 1955 3 "The Red-Headed League" 3 Jan 23, 1955 4 "A Case of Identity" 5 Jan 30, 1955 5 "The Adventure of the Second Stain" 7 Feb 06, 1955 6 "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" 4 Feb 13, 1955 7 "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" 6 Feb 20, 1955 8 "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" 8 Feb 27, 1955 9 "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" 9 Mar 06, 1955 10 "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" 10 Mar 13, 1955 11 "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" 11 Mar 20, 1955 12 "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" -- Mar 27, 1955 13 "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" -- Apr 03, 1955 14 "The Adventure of the Golden Prince-Nez" -- Apr 10, 1955 ... no broadcast ... Apr 17, 1955 15 "The Adventure of the Final Problem" 12 Apr 24, 1955 16 "The Adventure of the Empty House" -- May 01, 1955 17 "TAOT Second Stain" (repeat) May 08, 1955 18 "TAOT Dying Detective" (repeat) May 15, 1955 19 "TAOT Solitary Cyclist" (repeat) May 22, 1955 20 "TAOT Six Napoleons" (repeat) May 29, 1955 21 "TAOT Blue Carbuncle" (repeat) Jun 05, 1955 22 "TAOT Final Problem" (repeat) (last US show) References: * "Sherlock Holmes on the Radio", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514. Covers 1930 through 1955. * "Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration", by Allen Eyles, ISBN 0-06-015620-1, copyright 1986, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., NY * "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 Reader Feedback: * Cheniston K. Roland supplied the BBC broadcast dates. * Stan Hunter supplied an alternate title for "The Bruce Partington Plans". Last Update: May 20, 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).