The Baker Street Cinematograph

I purchased a copy of David Stuart Davies book 'Holmes of the Movies" published in 1977. 

That's not much of a blog post on it's own, but one of my 'favorite things' is finding an item inlaid into a book. In this case, I found a single sheet of paper printed. on both sides, and dated 1977 (the same year the book was published). The document was created by Jon Lellenberg for the National Film Society in Washington, D.C., for 5 November 1977. The document concludes with a description of the Baker Street Cinematograph, a Sherlockian group I've not heard of. 

Given the topic, author, and timing, I feel this is worth transcribing and sharing - though I should say the single-sentence review of the DSD book is fairly brutal !!

What do you think of Lellenberg's list?

THE FILM MYSTIQUE OF MR, SHERLOCK HOLMES

Jon L. Lellenberg, National Film Society, Washington, D.C., November 5, 1977

Filmbooks

• Michael Pointer, The Sherlock Holmes File, Clarkson, N. Potter Inc., 1975. Highly recommended ; worth its price as a portrait gallery alone.
• Robert Pohle & Douglas Hart, Sherlock Holmes on the Screen, A.S. Barnes & Company, 1977. A first-rate survey of Sherlock Holmes films.
• David Stuart Davies, Holmes of the Movies, Clarkson, N. Potter Inc., 1977. Very superficial and error-ridden account of the subject.
• Ron Haydock, Deerstalker, Scarecrow Press, forthcoming 1978. Bibliographical survey of Holmes on film and television, of unknown quality.
• Chris Steinbrunner, The Cinema of Sherlock Holmes, Citadel Press, forthcoming 1978. A recommended study of Sherlock Holmes films.

Landmarks of Sherlock Holmes Films

1. SHERLOCK HOLMES BAFFLED, unknown cast. 1900, American Mutoscope and Biograph Company (US). The earliest known Sherlock Holmes film.

2. THE SPECKLED BAND, Georges Treville, 1912, Franco-British Film Company (US/Fr). First of a series of eight, Sherlock Holmes films became a big business at this time.

3. A STUDY IN SCARLET, James Bragington. 1914, Samuelson Film Mfg. Co. (UK). The first feature Sherlock Holmes Film. Followed by H.A. Saintsbury in The Valley of Fear (1916), the first time Holmes was portrayed on film by a first-rank actor.

4. SHERLOCK HOLMES, William Gillette. 1916, Essanay (US). The film version of the great stage play, starring the actor who molded the public image of Sherlock Holmes.

5. SHERLOCK HOLMES, John Barrymore. 1922, Goldwyn Pictures (US). Gustav von Seyffertitiz (Moriarty), Roland Young (Watson). The first Holmes film made on an "A" budget.

6. THE SIGN OF FOUR, Eille Norwood. 1923, Stoll Pictures Productions (UK). The culmination of a series of forty-seven Holmes films, the first to update Holmes into contemporary times.

7. THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Clive Brook. 1929, Paramount (US). The first Holmes film in sound, made the same year as the last silent Holmes film. Followed by Brook in Sherlock Holmes (Fox, 1932), with Ernest Torrance as Moriarty.

8. THE SPECKLED BAND, Raymond Massay. 1931, British & Dominion Studios (UK). Lyn Harding (Grimesby Rylott). Photgrapher by Freddie Young. The first British Holmes film in sound, the film version of the stage play.

9. THE SLEEPING CARDINAL, Arthur Wontner. 1931, Twickenham Film Studios (UK). Wontner is perhaps the best Sherlock Holmes on film. Followed by The Missing Rembrandt (1932), The Sign of Four (1932), The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935), and Silver Blaze (1937). 

10. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Basil Rathbone. 1939, Twentieth Century Fox (US). Nigel Bruce (Watson). The most famous Sherlock Holmes on film, in a splendid return to period format. Followed by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and the series of twelve Universal films (1942-1946).

11. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Peter Cushing. 1959, Hammer Films (UK). Andre Morrell (Watson), Christopher Lee (Sir Henry). The first Sherlock Holmes film in color. Cushing would later star as Holmes in a BBC television series in the late 1960s.

12. A STUDY IN TERROR, John Neville. 1965, Compton-Cameo Films (UK). Donald Houstin (Watson), Robert Morley (Mycroft Holmes). The last major Holmes film to be made for the sake of the adventure.

13. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Robert Stephens. 1970, Mirisch Productions (US/UK). Colin Blakeley (Watson), Christopher Lee (Mycroft Holmes). Directed by Billy Wilder. The first film to tamper with Holmes's image, the release version is only two-thirds of the completed film.

14. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, George C. Scott. 1971, Universal (US). Joanne Woodward (Watson). A film about the desire to be Sherlock Holmes, rather than about Holmes himself.

15. THE SEVEN-PERCENT SOLUTION, Nicol Williamson. 1976, Universal (US). Robert Duvall (Watson), Laurence Olivier (Moriarty), Alan Arkin (Sigmund Freud). The film version of the bestselling novel.

Forthcoming: LIMEHOUSE (based upon The Return of Moriarty by John Gardner) with Donald Sutherland; THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (the tenth film version!) with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore ; SHERLOCK HOLMES AND SAUCY JACK. 

Holmes on Television

The first appearance of Sherlock Holmes on television was in 1937, in a U.S. live broadcast of The Three Garridebs ; the first series began in 1951 with Alan Wheatley, on BBC in Great Britain. Since that time Holmes has been played on television by Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, Douglas Wilmer, Peter Cushing, John Cleese, Christopher Plummer, and others. The first feature Sherlock Holmes film made for television appeared in 1972, The Hound of the Baskervilles with Stewart Granger ; followed in 1976 by The Return of the World's Greatest Detective with Larry Hagman, and Sherlock Holmes in New York with Roger Moore as Holmes and John Huston as Moriarty. There will be more.

The Baker Street Cinematograph

is an organization established to perform four functions in the area of Sherlock Holmes films: (1) to assist in the preservation of rare Holmes films threatened with destruction due to age and neglect ; (2) to collect and preserve related filmic materials for research and scholarly purposes ; (3) to assist in making Holmes films available for viewing by Sherlockians and scion societies of the Baker Street Irregulars ; and (4) to sponsor an annual showing of rare Sherlock Holmes films during the Baker Street Irregulars weekend in New York every January. For information write to Richard L. Katz, The American Film Institute, 501 North Doheny Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068, or Chris Steinbrunner, WOR-TV, 1440 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.