I Just Watched...

[jimimac71]

Yes it was Bob Bowersox. He would go from cooking to selling computers. Kept calling the Pentium CPU, "Pentchium."
We watched David while having our breakfast. His silly happy dance was just nuts. Kathy Levine was genuine fun.
It must take a special kind of person to live and work in Pennsylvania.
I used to purchase from QVC before we even had dialup Internet.
Does everyone here know what QVC stands for?

[Hibi]

Yes it was Bob Bowersox. He would go from cooking to selling computers. Kept calling the Pentium CPU, "Pentchium."
We watched David while having our breakfast. His silly happy dance was just nuts. Kathy Levine was genuine fun.
It must take a special kind of person to live and work in Pennsylvania.
I used to purchase from QVC before we even had dialup Internet.
Does everyone here know what QVC stands for?

Of course! Quality! Value! and Convenience!

[jimimac71]

Yes it was Bob Bowersox. He would go from cooking to selling computers. Kept calling the Pentium CPU, "Pentchium."
We watched David while having our breakfast. His silly happy dance was just nuts. Kathy Levine was genuine fun.
It must take a special kind of person to live and work in Pennsylvania.
I used to purchase from QVC before we even had dialup Internet.
Does everyone here know what QVC stands for?

Of course! Quality! Value! and Convenience!

Of course I knew you knew that.

[Lorna]

I watched a HIDEOUSLY COLORIZED almost SEPIA-TONED version of TERROR BY NIGHT (1946) on youtube; this film has the reputation of being the best of the SHERLOCK HOLMES UNIVERSALS although there are some partial to THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES from 1939.

I'm not trying to make anyone mad by saying this- but "it's the least bad of the UNIVERSAL SHERLOCKS" would be a more fair assessment.

because it's not good; I mean, it's not awful either, but...(draws sharp breath)



to get to the good stuff: there are some really great miniatures and train shots worked into the film**, and it does make some exciting use out of the limited setting

[**although I note that whoever did the colorization years later seemed to be under the impression that this film was taking place IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, guess they didn't read the title card or maybe they thought it was set in ALASKA]

God, I'm sorry to say this: but BASIL RATHBONE ]looks like reheated s*** in the part, and you can't blame that on the colorization. IT WAS A bold move on BASIL'S part to say "HELL NO, I don't need any concealer and I certainly don't need a hairpiece. I've been getting thirty minutes of sleep every other night, and I think the ABSOLUTE STEAMER TRUNK-SIZED LUGGAGE SET THAT I AM CARRYING UNDER MY EYES ADDS TO MY PERFORMANCE. I mean, I really want this SHERLOCK to quite clearly be a HARDCORE LAUDANUM ADDICT even though THE CODE won't allow us to say it outright."



NIGEL BRUCE gets on my nerves too, he's not even a bad actor, but there's sort of a TERRY-THOMAS/YAKOV SMIRNOV/ FATHER GUIDO SARDUCCI aggressive presenting of stereotypes in lieu of character EVERY TIME I SEE HIM.

one of the reasons I have never taken to THE CONAN DOYLE STORIES is that they are not really meant to be solved by the reader, you're just supposed to sit and watch and be stunned at the end. and this film has that, but it also has A TWIST AT THE END that a SPINAL CORD IN A CHAIR could see coming from a mile away.

there are also a frustratingly large amount of WEIRD RED HERRINGS peppered throughout the 62 minutes.

SPOILER:

BUT I GOT ASK, PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THIS, what the HELL is up with THE MEAN OLD LADY who just DGAF that her only son is murdered???!!!!!

[HoldenIsHere]

Yes it was Bob Bowersox. He would go from cooking to selling computers. Kept calling the Pentium CPU, "Pentchium."
We watched David while having our breakfast. His silly happy dance was just nuts. Kathy Levine was genuine fun.
It must take a special kind of person to live and work in Pennsylvania.
I used to purchase from QVC before we even had dialup Internet.
Does everyone here know what QVC stands for?

Of course! Quality! Value! and Convenience!

I did not know that.

Thanks, Hibi, for the schooling.

[Hibi]

Yes it was Bob Bowersox. He would go from cooking to selling computers. Kept calling the Pentium CPU, "Pentchium."
We watched David while having our breakfast. His silly happy dance was just nuts. Kathy Levine was genuine fun.
It must take a special kind of person to live and work in Pennsylvania.
I used to purchase from QVC before we even had dialup Internet.
Does everyone here know what QVC stands for?

Of course! Quality! Value! and Convenience!

I did not know that.

Thanks, Hibi, for the schooling.

LOL!

[Lorna]

(CHRIS/KEVIN IS [ALLEGEDLY] OKAY.)

[Lorna]

1. THANK YOU, CALLER, FOR SPECIFYING THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO YOU. REAL TOM CRUISE CALLING C-SPAN ON THE NIGHT OF PRINCESS DI'S CAR CRASH ENERGY THERE.

2. Somewhere in the GERMAN WOODS there is A WITCH wondering just who the HELL stole the front door off of her cottage.

[Andree]

I like Terror By Night but then I'm partial to train flicks anyway. It's a bit
above the one where they were on a ship. From the little I've read about
the series The Scarlet Claw, the one that takes place in Canada, is
often mentioned as the best of the Universal ones. To each their own. Folks
have complained that Bruce's version of Watson is much dumber than the one
in the stories, but he does provide some good comic relief at times and one
gets accustomed to this totally clueless Watson. I haven't seen it in a while but
the old bag was some kind of minor gentry and she was simply not amused
by the death of her son. That's what servants are for. I did get a kick out of
Colonel Sebastian Moran traveling under the alias of Major Duncan-Bleek.
What a pair of names. He even gave himself a demotion. I give this one a
grade of B.

[jamesjazzguitar]

I like Terror By Night but then I'm partial to train flicks anyway. It's a bit
above the one where they were on a ship. From the little I've read about
the series The Scarlet Claw, the one that takes place in Canada, is
often mentioned as the best of the Universal ones. To each their own. Folks
have complained that Bruce's version of Watson is much dumber than the one
in the stories, but he does provide some good comic relief at times and one
gets accustomed to this totally clueless Watson. I haven't seen it in a while but
the old bag was some kind of minor gentry and she was simply not amused
by the death of her son. That's what servants are for. I did get a kick out of
Colonel Sebastian Moran traveling under the alias of Major Duncan-Bleek.
What a pair of names. He even gave himself a demotion. I give this one a
grade of B.

The Scarlet Claw is my favorite of the Universal\Rathbone Holmes films. The main reason is that it is a who-done-it. I.e. we don't learn who the killer is until the very end.

[Swithin]

I love the Rathbone/Watson Sherlock Holmes series. The Scarlet Claw is one of my favorites, although I love the others as well, though I find Terror by Night one of the weaker ones. The first two in the series, though from a different studio (Fox) and directors, are excellent: Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

In addition to The Scarlet Claw, I love The Spider Woman, The House of Fear (the one with the orange pips), and Dressed to Kill (the one with the music boxes). But I'm fond of all of them, of the stars, the amazing supporting casts, the cinematography, and the stories. Roy William Neill directed eleven of the twelve films in the Universal series.


Gerald Hamer (left) gives a brilliant performance as the villain in The Scarlet Claw.

[Bronxgirl48]

lol, according to Blabby herself (my nickname for her on the Q Message board, which is now extinct), the time away was either to pursue that jewelry business, raise her young daughters or walk out in solidarity with husband Sean when he was let go for whatever reason.

Jane and Mary Beth should have been put out to pasture years ago.

They've got a newbie who is becoming just as unbearable -- Nancy Yoon. Talks incessantly about herself in the third person ("Fancy Nancy loves this blouse!") and never truly connects with the audience (calling her viewers "them") Nancy is super bossy -- Nancy's favorite phrase to the camera people: "Can we come in tight?" Always telling them their job. Talk about a phony, Nancy's right up there. (along with Mary DeAngelis)

Then there is the infamous Shawn Killinger, who loves imparting knowledge about her husband's "Italian-American hair follicles" She's also been around a long while and must know where the bodies are buried.

Thankfully, I'm unfamiliar with many of the newer hosts as I only check in from time to time while channel surfing. I used to watch it more when I was younger. I loved Kathy Levine. She still pops up from time to time as a vendor/spokesperson. Yeah, I don't remember what Jane's stated reason for leaving was. Was so long ago. Probably wasn't true anyway. But she's hard to get rid of! Back she came! And she LOOKS 500 years old!!I (Time has not been kind). I like Mary Beth, but she's on in the daytime so I rarely see her. I would think she'll be retiring soon. Meanwhile Bobbie Ray is still shilling on HSN. She's been on the air longer than anybody!

I can't stand Shawn. She seems to have inherited Lisa Robertson's slot/berth. Another head for the remote host! UGH. How many glasses does she own???

Jane (and David) are unfortunately not going anywhere.

Shawn once told us she has always wanted to wear glasses, even as a small child. Weird. Lisa Robertson could never stop looking at herself in the monitor. Treacy does the same thing, bless her heart, lol. Mary Beth says the strangest things: "I really didn't know what a bagel was for the longest time because I was born and raised in Minnesota"

[Bronxgirl48]

THE SILENT CALL

Boy angry at family for letting his beloved doggie Pete stay with a neighbor while Dad moves the family to another state for a job opportunity. The pooch has various dull "adventures" along the way trying to return to the young master.

LASSIE COME HOME it ain't.

Poor Gail Russell looks like sh*t.

[Andree]

The Scarlet Claw is my favorite of the Universal\Rathbone Holmes films. The main reason is that it is a who-done-it. I.e. we don't learn who the killer is until the very end.

I'd likely pick The Scarlet Claw as my favorite too, with The House of Fear
as runner up. The first has a truly spooky atmosphere, which some of the others have
but not to that degree. But all the films in the series are entertaining to some degree.
I think the weakest are the ones from the early 1940s that shoehorn Holmes and Watson
into what are routine war/spy plots. They just don't work that well. It's better to keep
the two in their usual roles of solving murders and crimes.

[Swithin]

I like Terror By Night but then I'm partial to train flicks anyway. It's a bit
above the one where they were on a ship. From the little I've read about
the series The Scarlet Claw, the one that takes place in Canada, is
often mentioned as the best of the Universal ones. To each their own. Folks
have complained that Bruce's version of Watson is much dumber than the one
in the stories, but he does provide some good comic relief at times and one
gets accustomed to this totally clueless Watson. I haven't seen it in a while but
the old bag was some kind of minor gentry and she was simply not amused
by the death of her son. That's what servants are for. I did get a kick out of
Colonel Sebastian Moran traveling under the alias of Major Duncan-Bleek.
What a pair of names. He even gave himself a demotion. I give this one a
grade of B.

The Scarlet Claw is my favorite of the Universal\Rathbone Holmes films. The main reason is that it is a who-done-it. I.e. we don't learn who the killer is until the very end.

There are so many great supporting performances in The Scarlet Claw. I've already mentioned Gerald Hamer as the villain; also Miles Mander as the paranoid (with reason) judge, Arthur Hohl as the innkeeper, etc. One particularly brutal aspect of the film is the murder of the innkeeper's daughter. That was hard to take.

One actor missing from The Scarlet Claw, since it takes place in Canada, is Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade in six of the films.


Miles Mander in The Scarlet Claw.. Mander led a fascinating life, from a prominent family, he trained as an aviator and was a Captain in the Royal Army in World War I. He also worked as a sheep farmer.