The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
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100% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(6,105 ratings)
Though it takes a few liberties with the Arthur Conan Doyle original -- not the least of which is turning Sherlock Holmes into the second lead -- The Hound of the Baskervilles ranks as one of the best screen versions of this oft-told tale. After learning the history of the Baskerville curse from the… More Though it takes a few liberties with the Arthur Conan Doyle original -- not the least of which is turning Sherlock Holmes into the second lead -- The Hound of the Baskervilles ranks as one of the best screen versions of this oft-told tale. After learning the history of the Baskerville curse from the hirsute Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill), Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) takes upon himself the responsibility of protecting sole heir Henry Baskerville (top-billed Richard Greene) from suffering the same fate as his ancestors: a horrible death at the fangs of the huge hound of Grimpen Moor. Unable to head to Baskerville mansion immediately, Holmes sends his colleague Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to act as his surrogate. What Watson doesn't know is that Holmes, donning several clever disguises, is closely monitoring the activities of everyone in and around the estate. Meanwhile, young Henry falls in love with Beryl Stapleton (Wendy Barrie), sister of the effusively friendly John Stapleton (Morton Lowry). Holmes and Watson compare notes, a red herring character (John Carradine) is eliminated, Henry Baskerville is nearly torn to shreds by a huge hound, and the man behind the plot to kill Henry and claim the Baskerville riches for himself is revealed at the very last moment. The Hound of the Baskervilles "improves" upon the original with such embellishments as turning the villain's wife into his sister, and by interpolating a spooky séance sequence involving mystic Beryl Mercer. In other respects, it is doggedly (sorry!) faithful to Doyle, even allowing Holmes to bait the censor by asking Dr. Watson for "the needle" at fadeout time. A big hit in a year of big hits, The Hound of the Baskervilles firmly established Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as moviedom's definitive Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sidney Lanfield
- Written By
- Ernest Pascal
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
- In Theaters
- Mar 31, 1939 Wide
- On DVD
- Apr 27, 2004
- Studio
- 20th Century Fox
Critic Reviews
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Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Family-friendly Sherlock classic still a critical favorite.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It was the first in the long-running Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce teaming in the Sherlock Holmes series.
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Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Creative license aside, this film triumphs because it belongs enduringly to Basil Rathbone.
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Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Plenty of foggy atmosphere.
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Great mystery, sparked by superbly cast stars
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Richard Greene
as Sir Henry Baskerville
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Basil Rathbone
as Sherlock Holmes
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Nigel Bruce
as Dr. Watson
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Lionel Atwill
as James Mortimer M.D.
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John Carradine
as Barryman
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Wendy Barrie
as Beryl Stapleton
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Barlowe Borland
as Frankland
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Beryl Mercer
as Mrs. Jenifer Mortimer
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Morton Lowry
as John Stapleton
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Ralph Forbes
as Sir Hugo Baskerville
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E.E. Clive
as Cabby
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Eily Malyon
as Mrs. Barryman
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Nigel De Brulier
as Convict
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Mary Gordon
as Mrs. Hudson
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Peter Willes
as Roderick
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Ivan Simpson
as Shepherd
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Ian Maclaren
as Sir Charles
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John Burton
as Bruce
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Denis Green
as Jon
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Evan Thomas
as Edwin
- Harry Cording
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Lionel Pape
as Coroner

