The first and only (until 2012's Elementary) American television series of Sherlock Holmes adventures[1] aired in syndication in the fall of 1954. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds[1] and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard (son of Leslie Howard) as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson.
| Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Case of the Cunningham Heritage" | Jack Gage | Sheldon Reynolds | 18 October 1954 |
| After his return from Afghanistan, Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes and is recruited as his assistant. Together they investigate a murder, with a young lady as the prime suspect. Holmes finds the real murderer and learns his motive. | ||||
| 2 | "The Case of Lady Beryl" | Jack Gage | Sheldon Reynolds | 25 October 1954 |
| Inspector Lestrade and Dr. Watson investigate a murder at the Beryl residence, but to their surprise get a confession from Lady Beryl, which Holmes does not credit. Holmes recreates the crime scene to expose the actual murderer. | ||||
| 3 | "The Case of the Pennsylvania Gun" | Sheldon Reynolds | Sheldon Reynolds | 1 November 1954 |
| Watson and Holmes go to Sussex to investigate the gruesome death of Squire John Douglas; the weapon was a Pennsylvania sawed-off shotgun. Mr. Morell and Mrs. Douglas are suspected, but Holmes finds out John Douglas was not murdered. | ||||
| 4 | "The Case of the Texas Cowgirl" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
8 November 1954 |
| Minnie O'Malley, a cowgirl in Bison Jack's visiting rodeo show, seeks help from Holmes to remove a dead body from her hotel room. Inspector Lestrade identifies it as a known thief, and Holmes unmasks the suspect. | ||||
| 5 | "The Case of the Belligerent Ghost" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early | 15 November 1954 |
| Dr. Watson claims to have been attacked by the ghost of Albert Higgins. Holmes finds a link to the theft of the Blue Madonna in the Pembroke museum, which has been exchanged for a forgery. | ||||
| 6 | "The Case of the Shy Ballerina" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early, Sheldon Reynolds |
22 November 1954 |
|
Dr Watson's hat is found at the scene of a murder, leading Lestrade to
suspect him of having killed a
diplomat
lately returned from
Saint Petersburg. A Russian ballet dancer and a composer are also
suspects, but Holmes unmasks the real murderer. Natalie Schafer, known for her later TV role as Mrs. Howell in Gilligan's Island, plays the late diplomat's wife. |
||||
| 7 | "The Case of the Winthrop Legend" | Jack Gage |
Harold Jack Bloom, Sheldon Reynolds |
29 November 1954 |
| Harvey Winthrop asks Holmes to help him prevent his brother's potential death, but Holmes is unsuccessful in this and comes to suspect Harvey's fiancée. | ||||
| 8 | "The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff" | Sheldon Reynolds | Lou Morheim, Sheldon Reynolds |
6 December 1954 |
| Holmes investigates murders, marked by the prior warning of a chicken claw, of those who had boarded the ship Gloria North. | ||||
| 9 | "The Case of Harry Crocker" | Sheldon Reynolds | Harold Jack Bloom | 13 December 1954 |
| Escape artist Harry Crocker begs Holmes to help clear his name of a murder he didn't do, although clues seem to point to him. The murderer is revealed to have been jealous of the victim's relationship with Harry. | ||||
| 10 | "The Mother Hubbard Case" | Jack Gage | Lou Morheim | 20 December 1954 |
| Holmes tries to seek Margaret Martini's fiancé in a story connected with seven other disappearances. Every man has been killed inside an empty house. Holmes uncovers the murderer's identity and motive. | ||||
| 11 | "The Case of the Red-Headed League" | Sheldon Reynolds | Lou Morheim | 27 December 1954 |
| The story is a simplified version of The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, but Wilson is a shop-owner rather than a pawnbroker. | ||||
| 12 | "The Case of the Shoeless Engineer" | Steve Previn | Harold Jack Bloom | 3 January 1955 |
| The story follows that of "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," but Hatherley loses a shoe rather than his thumb and escapes with the aid of the woman, Ruth Connors. Two co-conspirators are captured by Lestrade, with the assistance of Holmes. | ||||
| 13 | "The Case of the Split Ticket" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 10 January 1955 |
| A man asks Holmes to help him find his friend, Mr. Snow, to get the last piece of a sweepstake ticket. Mr. Snow is apparently killed, but Holmes uncovers a fraud. | ||||
| 14 | "The Case of the French Interpreter" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 17 January 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson seek a tortured man named Paul Charon, abducted and blackmailed to sign over his sister's wealth. With difficulty they find the blackmailer's hideout and rescue Charon along with his saviour, M. Dubec. | ||||
| 15 | "The Case of the Singing Violin" | Steve Previn | Kay Krausse | 24 January 1955 |
| Guy Durham, a rich tea and spice merchant, frightens his step-daughter Betty with ghostly violin music so that she can be declared insane and he can acquire her fortune. Holmes intervenes to prevent her murder and Lestrade arrests the perpetrator, who also murdered the girl's fiancé, James Winant. | ||||
| 16 | "The Case of the Greystone Inscription" | Steve Previn | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
31 January 1955 |
| Ms. Millicent requests Holmes to find her fiancé, missing from Greystone Castle. Holmes assists in finding the location of King Richard II's possessions and gets a family to surrender. | ||||
| 17 | "The Case of the Laughing Mummy" | Sheldon Reynolds | Charles Early | 7 February 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson visit a country manor to see an ancient Egyptian mummy that allegedly makes strange laughing sounds, but Holmes deduces that the sound comes from elsewhere. Holmes further identifies the supposed mummy as the body of a latter-day archaeologist. | ||||
| 18 | "The Case of the Thistle Killer" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
14 February 1955 |
| Lestrade is instructed to recruit Holmes to help find the Thistle Killer after the sixth murder. The police make preparations to catch the killer at Xerxes Park, where Holmes finds him in a surprising disguise. | ||||
| 19 | "The Case of the Vanished Detective" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
21 February 1955 |
| Dr. Watson is worried at the long, unexplained absence of Holmes, and he persuades Lestrade to help locate him. Holmes was in fact working undercover as a shopkeeper in order to catch Carson, an escaped convict. The trail leads to retired judge Jeremiah Westlake, who had originally sentenced Carson. | ||||
| 20 | "The Case of the Careless Suffragette" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
28 February 1955 |
| Holmes gets involved with a persistent suffragette, and an anarchist makes a bomb, which kills Pimpleton, a parliament official. Scotland Yard, guided by Holmes, finds the murderer. | ||||
| 21 | "The Case of the Reluctant Carpenter" | Steve Previn | Sidney Morse, Sheldon Reynolds |
7 March 1955 |
| A terrorist/blackmailer, mistaking Lestrade for Holmes, threatens bomb outrages if a large sum is not paid. Using crude forensics, Holmes learns the site of the next bombing and removes the bomb from a Knightsbridge armoury with seconds to spare. The miscreant is apprehended, but the motive is unexplained. | ||||
| 22 | "The Case of the Deadly Prophecy" | Sheldon Reynolds | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
14 March 1955 |
| Holmes investigates a school for boys to find a connection to the deaths of people that had been predicted by Anton, in a plot that involves hypnosis and blackmail. | ||||
| 23 | "The Case of the Christmas Pudding" | Steve Previn | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
4 April 1955 |
| John Norton, convicted of murder, swears vengeance on Holmes before his execution. Norton receives a Christmas pudding and escapes. After evading his revenge attempt, Holmes tries to find his accomplice. | ||||
| 24 | "The Case of the Night Train Riddle" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 11 April 1955 |
| Holmes and Dr. Watson search for a missing boy called Paul on the train they are travelling in. Paul had quarrelled with his father and decided to run away. Holmes is able to prevent Paul, being held for his father's fortune, from being killed. | ||||
| 25 | "The Case of the Violent Suitor" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 18 April 1955 |
| Alex Dougall comes to Holmes to help prevent a marriage between violent-tempered Jack Murdock and Susan Dearing, daughter of a murder victim. Holmes secures a confession and learns the identity of the murderer. | ||||
| 26 | "The Case of the Baker Street Nursemaids" | Sheldon Reynolds | Sheldon Reynolds, Joseph Victor |
25 April 1955 |
| Holmes receives a baby from Mrs. Durant after her husband is kidnapped. Later, the baby is also kidnapped. Holmes and Dr. Watson manage to infiltrate the home of the culprit, who wants Mr. Durant's U-boat plans, and they rescue the Durant family. | ||||
| 27 | "The Case of the Perfect Husband" | Steve Previn | Hamilton Keener | 2 May 1955 |
| Russell Partridge, a rich and respectable art collector, threatens to kill his wife at nine o'clock on their first wedding anniversary. She doesn't know if she believes him, and Lestrade doesn't either. Holmes takes the threat seriously and is able to thwart an attempt on her life. He also makes a gruesome discovery in a secret hiding place. | ||||
| 28 | "The Case of the Jolly Hangman" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
9 May 1955 |
| Holmes investigates a suicide, which is shown to be a covered-up murder in Glasgow leading to a suspect who poses under another name. Before he can murder the victim's wife as well, Holmes shows up. | ||||
| 29 | "The Case of the Impostor Mystery" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 19 May 1955 |
| Holmes is blamed for faulty services which he didn't actually offer. To catch the imposter, Holmes and Dr. Watson go undercover as maharajas seeking security. Lestrade and his men chase, expose and arrest the imposter. | ||||
| 30 | "The Case of the Eiffel Tower" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris | 23 May 1955 |
| Holmes, Lestrade and Dr. Watson follow a trail to the Eiffel Tower, crossing an espionage team who seek the coin they'd had but lost to a lady. Once they track the coin down, they provoke a riot to summon the police. | ||||
| 31 | "The Case of the Exhumed Client" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
30 May 1955 |
| Holmes goes to a manor to investigate the murder of Sir Charles, presumably at the hands of an heir. In a story also involving a legend of the tower room, Holmes avoids death and keeps the occupants in suspense, then divulges the actual killer. | ||||
| 32 | "The Case of the Impromptu Performance" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 6 June 1955 |
| Holmes investigates the murder of Mrs. Brighton to prove her husband's innocence. With little time to lose, he and Dr. Watson quickly follow the trail to uncover the murderer. | ||||
| 33 | "The Case of the Baker Street Bachelors" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris, Joseph Victor |
20 June 1955 |
| A politician named Jeffrey asks Holmes to clear his name from a fight he didn't take part in. Holmes and Dr. Watson go to the marriage bureau to bait a trap for their suspects, and reveals their blackmailing activities. | ||||
| 34 | "The Case of the Royal Murder" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
27 June 1955 |
| Holmes and Watson, guests at the hunting lodge of an unnamed Central European king, witness a murder. They are able to expose the culprit and avoid a war. | ||||
| 35 | "The Case of the Haunted Gainsborough" | Steve Previn | Charles Early, Joseph Early |
4 July 1955 |
| Mr. McGregor seeks Holmes's help in solving a mystery of an apparent ghost. | ||||
| 36 | "The Case of the Neurotic Detective" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 11 July 1955 |
| Multiple thefts have occurred without a trace of the perpetrator, and Holmes is becoming eccentric, while Dr. Watson becomes suspicious of his activities. | ||||
| 37 | "The Case of the Unlucky Gambler" | Steve Previn | Lou Morheim | 18 July 1955 |
| A boy, Robert, asks Holmes to find his missing father, who had turned to gambling. Holmes gets the attention of a man named Jack Driscoll and tracks down the father, Mr. Fenech. | ||||
| 38 | "The Case of the Diamond Tooth" | Sheldon Reynolds | George Fass, Gertrude Fass |
19 September 1955 |
| Lestrade investigates a murder — which, Holmes finds, has a link to a diamond tooth. Dr. Watson and Holmes search a shipping dock in disguise to meet the murderer, who had used a boa constrictor to kill Vagos. | ||||
| 39 | "The Case of the Tyrant's Daughter" | Steve Previn | Roger E. Garris | 17 October 1955 |
| Holmes thoroughly investigates the apparent murder of Hammingway in order to save the life of the accused, Mr. Vernon, the fiancé of hi | ||||