Basil RathboneFilmography

The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

Synopsis: One of the most memorable characters in the history of literature is that of Sherlock Holmes. The sleuth made famous by the pen of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is so real that many people do not know that he is a character of fiction. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Dr. Watson Read More

Autopsia de un Fantasma

Actors: John Carradine, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: The Spanish/Mexican Autopsy of a Ghost might have escaped our notice altogether had not a company called Sinister Cinema made it available to the home-video market. In this uneasy mixture of comedy and horror, a mad scientist uses dead bodies to create a race of zombies. Basil Rathbone, making his Read More

Soldier in Love

Synopsis: This 17th-century British costume drama is taken from the life of the first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill. Originally he and his wife Sarah were held in high esteem by Queen Anne. But when they involved themselves in political intrigue, they were socially and financially ruined. ~ Sandra Read More

Hillbillys in a Haunted House

Actors: Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: Horror, comedy, and country corn combine when country singers Woody Weathrby and Boots Malone get caught in a big storm en route to the Nashville Jamboree and end up taking shelter in a creepy looking old mansion that is said to be haunted. Though plenty of spooky things go on there, the hapless Read More

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

Actors: Deborah Walley, Tommy Kirk, Aron Kincaid, Basil Rathbone, Quinn O'Hara, Boris Karloff, Jesse White, Dwayne Hickman

Synopsis: American-International's Beach Party series came to an abrupt end with Ghost in the Invisible Bikini. Because of such tangible reasons as contractual commitments, coupled with such intangibles as illness and death, most of the series "regulars" are absent. Deborah Walley and Aron Kinkaid fill the Read More

Planet of Blood

Actors: John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper

Synopsis: Shot on a miniscule $50,000 budget, and including footage from a 1959 Russian film that was later purchased by Roger Corman, this science fiction feature finds a tiny planet slowly dying. With the inhabitants in danger of perishing, some kind-hearted astronauts bring a green-blooded female alien Read More

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Faith Domergue, Marc Shannon, Christopher Brand, John Bix

Synopsis: Astronauts fly to Venus and find the planet filled with dangers gleaned from the epic Russian sci-fi film Planeta Bur (1963). Much of the film was shot on the set of executive producer Roger Corman's film Planet of Blood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Comedy of Terrors

Actors: Joe E. Brown, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: On the verge of bankruptcy, undertaker Vincent Price hits upon a novel method of drumming up business. Together with his cringing assistant Peter Lorre, Price sneaks into the homes of wealthy old men under cover of night and smothers the sleeping occupants to death--then collects a hefty Read More

Pontius Pilate

Synopsis: This Italian drama tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from the viewpoint of the Roman emperor's procurator in Israel who must try to quell a Jewish revolt. In a bizarre twist, John Drew Barrymore plays both Jesus and Judas in the film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Magic Sword

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Anne Helm, Gary Lockwood, Liam Sullivan

Synopsis: In this fun-filled adventure-fantasy, a rookie knight embarks upon a valiant quest to save a princess who has been captured by a malicious magician. Along the way he must battle the usual assortment of dragons, ogres and other mythical beings. He is assisted by a good witch who gives him a magic Read More

Two Before Zero

Actors: Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: This undistinguished, anti-communist documentary was the only film ever directed by William Faralla and was meant to take advantage of popular sentiment at the time it was released. Basil Rathbone metaphorically represents History and Mary Murphy is perhaps the Western free world. Both narrate a Read More

A Christmas Carol

Tales of Terror

Actors: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Debra Paget, Maggie Pierce

Synopsis: Roger Corman's Tales of Terror stars Vincent Price in a trio of short stories, liberally adapted by Richard Matheson from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The film gets off to a rousing start with "Morella," in which Price's bitterness over the long-ago death of his wife results in tragedy for his Read More

Mystic Prophesies and Nostradamus

Victoria Regina

Synopsis: This biopic chronicles the reign of England's Queen Victoria from her ascension to the throne in 1837 to her Diamond Jubilee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Last Hurrah

Actors: Spencer Tracy, Jeffrey Hunter, Dianne Foster, Pat O'Brien, Basil Rathbone, John Carradine

Synopsis: Spencer Tracy stars in John Ford's sentimental adaptation of Edwin O'Connor's novel about the final campaign of a big city mayor, loosely based upon the life of Boston politician James Curley. Tracy is Frank Skeffington, the political boss of an Eastern city dominated by Irish-Americans. Read More

Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates

Actors: Tab Hunter, Peggy King, Basil Rathbone, Jarmila Novotna, Carmen Mathews

Synopsis: Adapted by Sally Benson (Meet Me in St. Louis) from the novel by Mary Mapes Dodge, this dazzling musical version of Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates) stars 1950s Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter in the title role (as Hans, not the Skates). Living in a small Dutch village, Hans yearns to compete Read More

The Court Jester

Actors: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Cecil Parker

Synopsis: Danny Kaye spoofs medieval swashbucklers in this classic musical comedy. While the infant King of England awaits his rightful place as leader of the British Empire, his rule is usurped by Roderick (Cecil Parker), an evil pretender to the throne. Brave rebel leader The Black Fox (Edward Ashley) Read More

The Black Sleep

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, Herbert Rudley, Tor Johnson

Synopsis: Given its cast and director, it is disheartening that The Black Sleep isn't any better than it is. Basil Rathbone heads the cast as Sir Joel Cadman, who uses a mind-controlling drug known as "The Black Sleep" to place brilliant scientist Gordon Ramsay (Herbert Rudley) under his control. Cadman Read More

We're No Angels

Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: Samuel and Bella Spewack's English adaptation of French playwright Albert Husson's morbidly humorous stage piece My Three Angels was brought to the screen as the heavily laundered but still wickedly funny We're No Angels. The scene is French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Humphrey Bogart Read More

A Christmas Carol

Actors: Fredric March, Basil Rathbone, Richard Miles

Synopsis: Produced as an installment of television's Shower of Stars, Maxwell Anderson's adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic stars Fredric March as Ebenezer Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as the spirit of Jacob Marley. Just when it seems that Scrooge has had his fill of the holiday season, a visit from Read More

Casanova's Big Night

Actors: Bob Hope, Joan Fontaine, Audrey Dalton, Basil Rathbone, Hugh Marlowe

Synopsis: Bob Hope tries to capture the comic magic of his 1946 costume farce Monsieur Beaucaire with the splashy Technicolor romp Casanova's Big Night (filmed in 1952, released in 1954). Set in 18th century Venice, the film casts Hope as Pippo, the humble tailor of notorious ladies' man Casanova (an Read More

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Actors: Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, Pat O'Malley, John Floyardt

Synopsis: Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a two-part Walt Disney cartoon feature based on a pair of well known stories. The first half of the film is an adaptation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, all about gawky 17th century schoolteacher Ichabod Crane and his love for the beautiful Katrina. The Read More

The Wind in the Willows

Synopsis: Wind in the Willows was originally released as the second half of the 1949 Disney animated feature Ichabod and Mr. Toad. While the first portion of the film was devoted to a sprightly adaptation of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the second portion was a cartoonization of one of Read More

Prelude to Murder

Synopsis: Prelude to Murder is the last of the many Sherlock Holmes adaptations that starred Basil Rathbone as the observant and logical private detective alongside Nigel Bruce as his more outgoing partner, Dr. Watson. The story concerns printing plates swiped from the Bank of England as well as a Read More

Terror by Night

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey

Synopsis: The penultimate entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, Terror by Night takes place almost exclusively on a speeding train, en route from London to Edinburgh. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is on board to protect a valuable diamond from the clutches of master criminal Colonel Sebastian Moran. The Read More

Heartbeat

Actors: Ginger Rogers, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Adolphe Menjou, Melville Cooper, Mikhail Rasumny, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: A remake of the 1939 French film Battement de Couer, Heartbeat reunites star Ginger Rogers with her Kitty Foyle director Sam Wood. Ms. Rogers plays Arlette, a reform school alumnus who is recruited by Faginlike Professor Aristide, headmaster at a school for pickpockets. Before long, Arlette Read More

Dressed to Kill

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison, Harry Cording, Frederic Worlock

Synopsis: Based on the prolific Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries, Sherlock Holmes is on the job again. This time the inmate of a British prison has incorporated stolen Bank of England engraving plates into a series of music boxes he has made and multiple criminals are out to find them. Holmes must be first. Read More

The Woman in Green

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell, Paul Cavanagh

Synopsis: Based on Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Empty House, this "Sherlock Holmes" entry finds Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) trying to solve the case of the "Finger Murders". Several beautiful women have been found slain, all with their right forefingers severed from their Read More

Pursuit to Algiers

Actors: Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: Taking place almost exclusively on a transatlantic ocean liner, this easygoing Sherlock Holmes entry finds Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) escorting Far Eastern regent Nikolas (Leslie Vincent) on a diplomatic mission. A group of assassins have targeted Nikolas for extermination Read More

The House of Fear

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Aubrey Mather, Dennis Hoey, Paul Cavanagh

Synopsis: This excellent Sherlock Holmes adventure is based on Conan Doyle's The Five Orange Pips. Most of the action takes place in a remote Scottish mansion, home of "The Good Companions," a group of elderly eccentrics. After taking out insurance policies on one another, the club members begin dropping Read More

Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Dennis Hoey, Vernon P. Downing

Synopsis: Someone in London has driven several prominent men to madness and suicide. Normally, Scotland Yard would call in Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to help solve the case, but Holmes has recently perished in an accident. Or has he? Officially declared dead, Holmes is able to move about undetected as Read More

The Scarlet Claw

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gerald Hamer, Paul Cavanagh, Arthur Hohl

Synopsis: Though it is not based on any Conan Doyle story, The Scarlet Claw is regarded by Baker Street aficionados as the best of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) journey to Canada to investigate a series of mysterious murders. All the victims have been Read More

The Pearl of Death

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Evelyn Ankers, Miles Mander

Synopsis: This above-average entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series is loosely based on the Conan Doyle story The Six Napoleons. On this occasion, Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are assigned to guard the priceless Borgia Pearl, a "cursed" gem that has inspired scores of murders over Read More

Bathing Beauty

Actors: Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone, Bill Goodwin, Ethel Smith

Synopsis: If you've never seen a '40s singing, swimming musical this may be the one to catch. Featuring a mammoth cast, including such notables as Xavier Cugat, Basil Rathbone, Red Skelton, and Esther Williams, this is a swimming spectacular. The plot's quite thin: Skelton plays a lovesick songwriter who Read More

Frenchman's Creek

Actors: Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Cordova, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Cecil Kellaway

Synopsis: Daphne du Maurier's novel formed the basis for this romantic adventure saga. Lady Dona St. Columb (Joan Fontaine), an English noblewoman, is unhappily married to the weak-willed Harry St. Columb (Ralph Forbes), while Harry's sinister best friend Lord Rockingham (Basil Rathbone) makes no secret of Read More

Above Suspicion

Actors: Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Conrad Veidt, Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen

Synopsis: If you believe all-American Fred MacMurray as an Oxford don, you'll probably swallow the rest of Above Suspicion. Newly married to Joan Crawford, MacMurray goes on a honeymoon in prewar Germany. Actually it's more business than pleasure: they are secret agents for the British, attempting to Read More

Crazy House

Actors: Cass Daley, Basil Rathbone, Patric Knowles, Martha O'Driscoll, Leighton Noble, Thomas Gomez

Synopsis: Olsen and Johnson's followup to their zany, iconoclastic Hellzapoppin' was the more conventional Crazy House. The premise: Having nearly laid waste to Universal while filming Hellzapoppin', O & J are thrown out of the studio when they arrive with plans for a new picture. Only momentarily daunted Read More

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Milburn Stone, Arthur Margetson

Synopsis: There are those who consider Sherlock Holmes Faces Death to be the best of Universal's Holmes series, though others hold out for 1944's The Scarlet Claw. Based loosely on Conan Doyle's The Musgrave Ritual, the plot finds Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) being summoned to the Read More

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Marjorie Lord, Henry Daniell, George Zucco

Synopsis: One of the silliest and most unbelievable of the Universal Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock Holmes in Washington is also undeniably one of the most enjoyable. The story gets under way when an Allied spy (an unbilled Gerald Hamer, one of this series' "regulars") smuggles a valuable piece of Read More

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, Reginald Denny, Thomas Gomez

Synopsis: From the first frame of its opening credits, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror promises (and subsequently delivers) mystery and thrills several layers deep -- following a short prologue intended to introduce Holmes to contemporary England (circa 1942), there is a series of terror broadcasts Read More

Crossroads

Actors: William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, Claire Trevor, Basil Rathbone, Margaret Wycherly, Felix Bressart

Synopsis: An innocent man is put on trial, but is he really as innocent as he claims? Diplomat David Talbot (William Powell) and his bride Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr) are enjoying a honeymoon in Paris when David is confronted by extortionists who demand money in exchange for not turning him in to the police. Read More

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Kaaren Verne, Lionel Atwill, William Post, Jr.

Synopsis: The second of Universal's "modernized" Sherlock Holmes films pits the Great Detective (Basil Rathbone, of course) against that "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill). Surpassing his previous skullduggery, Moriarty has now aligned himself with the Nazis and has dedicated himself to Read More

Fingers at the Window

Actors: Lew Ayres, Laraine Day, Basil Rathbone, Walter Kingsford, Miles Mander

Synopsis: A fun though abortive bid to pair crime-solving duo Lew Ayres and Laraine Day for a series of thrillers, this murder mystery benefits from good performances by the leads. The plot involves a series of axe murders in Chicago being perpetrated by the patients of an insane asylum, all of whom have Read More

Paris Calling

Actors: Elisabeth Bergner, Randolph Scott, Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Lee J. Cobb

Synopsis: Made just before America's entry into World War II, Paris Calling is one of the earliest French Underground adventures. When the German march into Paris, a polyglot of French patriots organize to undermine the Nazi occupation troops (represented by Lee J. Cobb, who plays his character with a Read More

The Black Cat

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, Bela Lugosi, Gale Sondergaard

Synopsis: 1941's The Black Cat is neither a remake of the 1934 Karloff-Lugosi film of the same name, nor does it bear the slightest relation to the same-named Edgar Allan Poe story (as if the 1934 picture did!) The fact that the heroes are played by Hugh Herbert and Broderick Crawford is indication enough Read More

International Lady

Actors: George Brent, Ilona Massey, Basil Rathbone, Gene Lockhart, George Zucco

Synopsis: Hungarian actress Ilona Massey stars as an operative for the Axis in this slightly tongue-in-cheek wartime melodrama. She spends her working hours signalling secret messages to enemy U-boats. George Brent is the U.S. counterspy sent to track down the security leak. Brent's job is made doubly Read More

The Mad Doctor

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Ralph Morgan

Synopsis: Basil Rathbone is the batty physician of the title, a sophisticated gentleman who woos and weds several of his wealthy women patients. Unfortunately the ladies have a bad habit of dying prematurely, with the above-suspicion doctor diagnosing these deaths as the result of disease. Given the film's Read More

The Mark of Zorro

Actors: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Eugene Pallette

Synopsis: This is perhaps the best of the many Zorro films as Tyrone Power gives an outstanding performance as the alternately swishing and swashbuckling son of a 19th century California aristocrat. As a champion of the oppressed, Zorro must face a wicked governor portrayed by J. Edward Bromberg, who, of Read More

Rhythm on the River

Actors: Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant, Oscar Shaw

Synopsis: Billy Wilder was among the screenwriters of this easy-to-take Bing Crosby musical. Basil Rathbone dominates the proceedings as Oliver Courtney, a popular composer whose most successful tunes were actually ghost-written by musician Bob Summers (Crosby) and lyricist Cherry Lane (Mary Martin). Read More

Rio

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Victor McLaglen, Sigrid Gurie, Robert Cummings, Leo Carrillo

Synopsis: Though running a mere 75 minutes, Rio has enough plot for ten movies. Basil Rathbone and Sigrid Gurie, previously teamed in The Adventures of Marco Polo, head the cast as crooked French financier Paul Reynard and his wife Irene. Sentenced to a ten-year term in a French penal colony for bank fraud Read More

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Actors: Richard Greene, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, John Carradine, Wendy Barrie

Synopsis: 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 Read More

The Tower of London

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Barbara O'Neil, Ian Hunter

Synopsis: Basil Rathbone's real-life son, John Rodion, has his head chopped off early on in this historical melodrama often mistakenly referred to as a horror film. Yes, a second-billed Boris Karloff does stomp about on a club-foot as the Duke of Glouchester's chief executioner, Mord, but Karloff's presence Read More

Son of Frankenstein

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson

Synopsis: The most elaborate--and longest--of Universal's Frankenstein series, Son of Frankenstein represents Boris Karloff's last appearance in the role of the Monster. The title character is played by Basil Rathbone, who with wife Josephine Hutchinson and son Donnie Donegan returns to the Old Country to Read More

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, Alan Marshal, E.E. Clive, Terry Kilburn

Synopsis: Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce make their second screen appearances as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Ostensibly based on the stage play by William Gillette, the film owes nothing to the play beyond the characters of Holmes, Watson, Billy the page boy and Read More

The Sun Never Sets

Actors: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Basil Rathbone, Barbara O'Neil, Lionel Atwill, Virginia Field

Synopsis: In this patriotic British adventure, two courageous brothers try to keep war from erupting in Africa and stop a megalomaniacal arms baron from ruling the world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Sherlock Holmes Double Feature

The Dawn Patrol

Actors: Errol Flynn, David Niven, Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp, Melville Cooper

Synopsis: This 1938 remake of Howard Hawks' 1930 film The Dawn Patrol is faithful to the original's basic plotline. The story is set during World War I; the scene is the French headquarters of the British Royal Flying Corps, 59th division. The corps is suffering heavy losses, a fact that ace pilot Courtney (Errol Flynn Read More

If I Were King

Actors: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France

Synopsis: If I Were King is a delightful costume adventure tale set in 14th century France, during the reign of Louis XI, and inspired by the legend of the rebel poet François Villon, whose exploits were filmed earlier as The Beloved Rogue (1927) with John Barrymore, and later transformed into the musical Read More

The Adventures of Marco Polo

Actors: Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie, Basil Rathbone, George Barbier, Binnie Barnes

Synopsis: Gary Cooper stars in this lavish and often comic retelling of the life of the famed Italian explorer. Marco Polo (Cooper) crosses the sea in search of treasure and adventure, with the help of his loyal if cowardly sidekick Binguccio (Ernest Truex), and finds both in China, where as the nation's Read More

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Actors: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles

Synopsis: In order to avoid the material copyrighted by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. for his 1922 Robin Hood, the scripters of this Flynn version relied on several legendary episodes that had never before been filmed, notably the battle between Robin and Little John (Alan Hale Sr., who played this part three times Read More

Confession

Actors: Kay Francis, Ian Hunter, Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp

Synopsis: German director Joe May brought a decidedly Teutonic ambience to his American film Confession--no surprise, since the film was based on the 1935 German production Mazurka. Kay Francis plays a onetime singer who confesses to the murder of her pianist, Basil Rathbone. In flashback, we learn that Read More

Tovarich

Actors: Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone, Anita Louise, Melville Cooper

Synopsis: Two members of the Russian monarchy pose as French servants while hiding the Czar's fortune. This unlikely plot is at the core of this successful 1937 Hollywood comedy-drama starring the French-born Charles Boyer as Prince Mikail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff. The prince and his wife, Grand Duchess Read More

Make a Wish

Actors: Bobby Breen, Basil Rathbone, Marion Claire, Henry Armetta, Ralph Forbes

Synopsis: Canary-voiced boy wonder Bobby Breen once more croons his way into our hearts in Make a Wish. While vacationing at a boys' camp, the rambunctious Breen befriends famed composer Basil Rathbone. Stuck for an inspiration for his latest operetta, Rathbone at last finds it when he meets Breen's Read More

Love From a Stranger

Actors: Ann Harding, Basil Rathbone, Binnie Hale, Bruce Seton, Jean Cadell

Synopsis: Love From a Stranger was adapted from a play by Frank Vosper--which, in turn, was based on a story by Agatha Christie (though you'd never know it from the print ads for this film, which reproduced Ms. Christie's name in microscopic typeset). Ann Harding plays a lovely but somewhat naive young Read More

Secret Interlude

Synopsis: In this drama, a vicious valet plans to kill another servant after he learns that she has secretly married his boss's son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Private Number

Actors: Robert Taylor, Loretta Young, Patsy Kelly, Basil Rathbone, Marjorie Gateson

Synopsis: Private Number is the old saw about the wealthy young man who marries his family's serving girl. This time Richard Winfield (Robert Taylor) is the handsome, aristocrat hero, while Ellen Neal (Loretta Young) is the gorgeous, low-born heroine. Though they oppose the match, Richard's parents cope Read More

Romeo and Juliet

Actors: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: Director George Cukor and producer Irving G. Thalberg's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, a lavish production of Shakespeare's tale about two star-crossed lovers, is extremely well-produced and acted. In fact, it is so well-done, that it is easy to forget that Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are too Read More

The Garden of Allah

Actors: Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Tilly Losch, Joseph Schildkraut

Synopsis: Marlene Dietrich stars as the noble Domini Enfilden in this third film version of Robert Hichens' 1904 novel. After caring for her dying father, Domini is told by her Mother Superior (Lucille Watson) that she should go to the Algerian desert to rest and seek sanctuary. On her way to the town of Read More

A Tale of Two Cities

Actors: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: It is a tale known well, filmed many times over the years, but never better than this early black and white version from the MGM Studios, David O. Selznick producing. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"-- Charles Dickens juxtaposes England and France, George and Louis, tradition Read More

David Copperfield

Actors: W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Freddie Bartholomew, Maureen O'Sullivan, Madge Evans, Frank Lawton, Edna May Oliver

Synopsis: David Copperfield was MGM's major Christmas release for its 1934-1935 season and also the first of producer David O. Selznick's major "literary" films for that studio. While a great deal of editing and streamlining was necessary to distill Charles Dickens' massive novel into 133 minutes of screen Read More

Captain Blood

Actors: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Lionel Atwill, Ross Alexander

Synopsis: When British actor Robert Donat dropped out of Warner Bros. Captain Blood, the studio took a chance on its new contractee, Tasmania-born Errol Flynn. Adapted from the novel by Rafael Sabatini, the film is set during the oppressive reign of King James II. Irish physician Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) Read More

Kind Lady

Actors: Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone, Mary Carlisle, Frank Albertson, Dudley Digges

Synopsis: Though habitually unlucky in love, wealthy London recluse Mary Herries (Aline MacMahon) succumbs to the charms of handsome artist Henry Abbott (Basil Rathbone). She is persuaded to invite Abbott into her home, only to discover that he has a sinister ulterior motive. With the help of his Read More

The Last Days of Pompeii

Actors: Preston S. Foster, Basil Rathbone, David Holt, John Wood, Alan Hale, Louis Calhern

Synopsis: RKO Radio's spectacular production The Last Days of Pompeii utilizes the title but precious little else of the famous Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton historical novel (at least the film admits as much in the opening credits). Preston S. Foster stars as Marcus, a happy-go-lucky Ancient Roman blacksmith Read More

House of Menace

Synopsis: When MGM remade its 1935 film Kind Lady in 1951, the earlier picture was retitled House of Menace to avoid confusion. The 1935 version stars Aline MacMahon, previously cast as wisecracking golddiggers, as a wealthy unmarried Londoner who befriends a charming but untalented artist (Basil Rathbone). Read More

Anna Karenina

Actors: Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew, Basil Rathbone, Maureen O'Sullivan, May Robson

Synopsis: This second filmization of Leo Tolstoy's novel is widely regarded as the best version. Greta Garbo plays the title character, the sheltered wife of Czarist official Rathbone. Intending to dissuade Rathbone's brother (Reginald Owen) from a life of debauchery, Garbo is sidetracked by her own Read More

A Feather in Her Hat

Actors: Pauline Lord, Basil Rathbone, Louis Hayward, Billie Burke, Wendy Barrie

Synopsis: Legendary stage actress Pauline Lord made but a few films, but was always worth watching whenever she took command of the screen. In Feather in Her Hat, Lord plays cockney storekeeper Clarissa Phipps, who worries that her son Richard will grow up being ashamed of her humble vocation. Thus, she Read More

Loyalties

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Heather Thatcher, Miles Mander, Joan Wyndham, Philip Strange

Synopsis: In this British drama, based on a popular play, a wealthy young Jew goes to a weekend house party and finds himself victimized by anti-Semitic guests. To add insult to injury, his wallet is then stolen. The fellow exposes the pilferer and threatens to take him to court until the other guests Read More

One Precious Year

Synopsis: A classy woman has an affair with a rake after she learns that she has a terminal disease in this British melodrama. When the cad dumps her, the woman's husband soon learns of her shenanigans, but he forgives her. She then gets even better news when her doctor tells her that they have finally Read More

A Woman Commands

Actors: Pola Negri, Roland Young, Basil Rathbone, H.B. Warner, Anthony Bushell

Synopsis: A Woman Commands is often cited as silent screen star Pola Negri's first talking picture. Actually, it was her first American talkie and almost her last, posting a $265,000 loss for RKO Radio. Ordered to marry Serbian king Alexander (Roland Young), noblewoman Maria Draga (Negri) does what Read More

After the Ball

Actors: Esther Ralston, Basil Rathbone, Jean Adrienne, Marie Burke, George Curzon

Synopsis: The German comedy Opera Ball is the model upon which this film is based. Several seedy adventures erupt, as when Basil Rathbone thinks he is engaging the diplomat's wife in an affair, but it is actually the maid. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

This Mad World

Synopsis: In this espionage drama set during WW I, a French agent sneaks behind enemy lines into Alsace-Lorraine and decides to see his mother, who owns an inn. While there, the spy falls for a German general's wife and with her embarks upon a passionate romance. The romance is destroyed when the spy admits Read More

Sin Takes a Holiday

Actors: Constance Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Kenneth MacKenna, ZaSu Pitts

Synopsis: Ahead of its time for liberated thinking, this is still really just a classic romance with a love triangle thrown in on the side. While on a trip to Paris, a woman meets a man that makes her reconsider her marriage of convenience (she had married her boss to save him from his girlfriend!). ~ Tana Read More

A Lady Surrenders

Actors: Conrad Nagel, Genevieve Tobin, Basil Rathbone, Rose Hobart, Carmel Myers

Synopsis: In this melodrama, a husband gets on with his life after his wife goes to Europe to get a divorce. Thinking the deed done, the husband marries another. Unfortunately, his first wife returns and tells him that she never went through the procedure and that she has no intention of ever freeing him. Read More

The Lady of Scandal

Actors: Ruth Chatterton, Basil Rathbone, Ralph Forbes, Nance O'Neil, Frederick Kerr

Synopsis:
Based on Frederick Lonsdale's The High Road, The Lady of Scandal is typical of the "teacup drama" genre so prevalent during the early talkie period. It all begins with down-to-earth musical comedy star Elsie (Ruth Chatterton) visiting the home of her aristocratic fiancee, John (Ralph Forbes. Read More

A Notorious Affair

Actors: Billie Dove, Basil Rathbone, Kay Francis, Montagu Love, Ken Thomson

Synopsis: The sacrifice of a socialite is chronicled in this romantic drama. To be with her beloved musician, the wealthy woman gives up her wealth and social standing. Tragedy ensues when she discovers that he is having an affair with another noblewoman causing her to take up again with an old flame. When Read More

The Flirting Widow

Actors: Dorothy Mackaill, Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, William Austin

Synopsis: Basil Rathbone unexpectedly plays the romantic lead in The Flirting Widow. Dorothy Mackaill stars as a wealthy young lady whose father has forbidden her younger sister (Leila Hyams) to marry before Dorothy does. To help sis out, Dorothy "invents" a husband, whom she claims is a British colonel Read More

The Bishop Murder Case

Actors: Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion

Synopsis: Nine years before stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone essayed the character of S.S. Van Dyne's dilettante detective Philo Vance in The Bishop Murder Case. The murderer this time is a mysterious figure known only as "The Bishop." Plotting his killings in the systematic manner Read More

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

Actors: Norma Shearer, Basil Rathbone, George Barraud, Herbert Bunston, Hedda Hopper

Synopsis: This early talkie was based on Frederick Lonsdale's successful Broadway play. Fay Cheyney (Norma Shearer) is a cunning jewel thief who impersonates a wealthy widow as she travels to Monte Carlo, planning on stealing a fortune in pearls from one Mrs. Webley (Maude Turner Gordon); Fay's henchmen Read More

Great Deception

Actors: Ben Lyon, Aileen Pringle, Basil Rathbone, Sam Hardy, Charlotte Walker

Synopsis: The Great Deception is set during WWI. Educated in Germany, British youth Cyril Mansfield (Ben Lyon) is seemingly uncertain of his loyalties when the War breaks out. Refusing to enlist in the British army, Cyril is accused of being a slacker and a coward. He then commits the ultimate betrayal by Read More

Masked Bride

Actors: Mae Murray, Francis X. Bushman, Roy D'Arcy, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis: In the 1920s, when a motion picture featured an Apache, it wasn't referring to Native Americans but to denizens of the Parisian Underworld. By the end of 1925, the Apache theme had been pretty much worn through, but the Parisian settings made a nice backdrop for Mae Murray, who was given the Read More

Trouping with Ellen

Actors: Helene Chadwick, Mary Thurman, Gaston Glass, Basil Rathbone, Riley Hatch

Synopsis: Helene Chadwick, Gaston Glass, and a relative newcomer to the screen named Basil Rathbone were the stars of this comedy-drama, which was based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Earl Derr Biggers. Chadwick is Ellen Llewellyn, a chorus girl who is loved by orchestra leader Andy Owens (Glass), a Read More

The School for Scandal

Innocent