Pursuit to Algiers
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| Pursuit to Algiers | |
|---|---|
 1946 US theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Written by | Screenplay: Leonard Lee Based on: characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Produced by | Howard Benedict |
| Starring | Basil Rathbone Nigel Bruce |
| Cinematography | Paul Ivano |
| Edited by | Saul A. Goodkind |
| Music by | Edgar Fairchild |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Pursuit to Algiers (1945) is the twelfth entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film series of fourteen. The film takes some characters and events from "The Adventure of the Red Circle". Elements in the story pay homage to an otherwise unrecorded affair mentioned by Watson at the beginning of "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", notably the steamship Friesland.
Plot
About to leave London for a much-needed vacation, Holmes and Watson receive a cryptic invitation. Intrigued, Holmes accepts and is met by the prime minister (Frederick Worlock) of the fictional country of Rovinia, who begs him to escort Prince Nikolas (Leslie Vincent) home. It turns out that his father has been assassinated, and Nikolas is the heir. Holmes agrees.
Arrangements have already been made for an airplane. When it develops problems, a smaller replacement only has room for the prince and Holmes, leaving Watson behind. When Watson protests, Holmes suggests he follow on a passenger ship bound for Algiers.
On the voyage, Watson reads that the airplane has crashed in the Pyrenees and that it is unlikely that there are any survivors. Fortunately, Holmes has an aversion of plans made by others and is aboard the ship with Nikolas. He instructs Watson to introduce the prince to the other passengers as his nephew. Though Watson suspects everyone, from American singer Sheila Woodbury (Marjorie Riordan) to exercise fanatic Agatha Dunham (Rosalind Ivan) to a secretive pair who later turn out to be archeologists, of being killers, it is not until the ship makes an unscheduled stop at Lisbon that the real Russian agents come aboard: Gregor (Rex Evans), circus knife thrower Mirko (Martin Kosleck), and a hulking mute named Gubec (William 'Wee Willie' Davis).
First, Mirko tries to kill Holmes with a knife thrown through a porthole, then Gregor substitutes an explosive party favor, but Holmes foils both attempts. Finally, the villains succeed in kidnapping the prince when they dock at Algiers, only for Holmes to reveal that the "prince" was a decoy; the real prince had been posing as a steward, hidden in plain sight the whole time.[1]
Cast
- Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
- Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson
- Marjorie Riordan as Sheila Woodbury
- Rosalind Ivan as Agatha Dunham
- Morton Lowry as Steward
- Leslie Vincent as Prince Nikolas, aka "Nikolas Watson"
- Martin Kosleck as Mirko
- Rex Evans as Gregor
- John Abbott as Jodri
- Gerald Hamer as Kingston
- William 'Wee Willie' Davis as Gubec
- Tom Dillon as Restaurant Owner
- Frederick Worlock as Prime Minister
- Sven Hugo Borg as Johansson
References
- ^ Davies, David Stuart, Holmes of the Movies (New English Library, 1976) ISBN 0-450-03358-9
