Worst Sherlock Holmes

[boblipton]

I noticed today that Mike Gebert mentioned Arthur Wontner elsewhere, making me think he was referencing Wontner's performance as Sherlock Holmes from 1931-1937 as the worst performance in the role. I happen to think that Reginald Owen was worse in the role and that Johnny Lee Miller is pretty awful in the current CBS series Elementary... although I think that the problem there lies in the writing.

Given the large number of actors who have played Holmes in more than 250 movies and tv shows, who do you think has given the worst performance as Holmes?

If you have another role that has had a large number of actors in the role, feel free to let the thread veer... not that my forbidding it would stop the process.

Bob

[Penfold]

Peter Cook, as much as it pains me to say it....

[greta de groat]

I've been discussing this topic with various Sherlockians over many years, and Reginald Owen is usually the first name that comes up.

Greta

[Salty Dog]

I'm not sure that I've ever seen Owen's Holmes film, but he certainly was one of the worst
Scrooges. What a distinguished career!

[entredeuxguerres]

I happen to think that Reginald Owen was worse in the role

Be reasonable--you could hardly expect him to excell in impersonations of both Sherlock & his other alter ego, Teddy Roosevelt!

[Mike Gebert]

Actually what I was saying was that Wontner was a good Holmes in weak, somewhat cheap movies. (The comparison was to Andrew Garfield, who is a funny, lithe Spiderman in a not very good Spiderman movie.) I'm not as admiring of him as some Sherlockians, he's a bit too soft and avuncular compared to Rathbone (or Robert Stephens or Jeremy Brett), but he's certainly better than the quota quickies he's in.

But Holmes is almost impossible to play badly, except by changing him so much he's not Holmes. A good actor can have fun even in a poor adaptation (see the cheesy ones Ian Richardson did in the 80s). One I thought was weak, and in a poor film to boot, was Rupert Everett in a PBS movie; he seemed very uncomfortable in the role and showed little of Holmes' snappish intellect.

All of which reminds me of one of the great puzzles of life— how has Richard E. Grant never been cast as Holmes?

Yeah, Reginald Owen's pretty much always terrible, though I find him kind of tolerable in one of my favorite 30s movies, Trouble For Two.

[greta de groat]

\

All of which reminds me of one of the great puzzles of life— how has Richard E. Grant never been cast as Holmes?

We used to wonder in the 70s why Eric Porter had never been cast as Holmes, only to be surprised and delighted by his turn as Moriarty.

Just recently re-watched the 1932 Clive Brook Sherlock Holmes which is pretty odd, with a "love interest" for Holmes, Watson played by the dreaded Reginald Owen, and the frightening sight of Clive Brook in drag. But it does have a splendid Moriarty in Ernest Torrence. I believe i once saw the 1929 Brooks Holmes film, but seem to have erased it from memory except that it had something to do with a ship. Obviously not terribly memorable.

greta

[Frederica]

We used to wonder in the 70s why Eric Porter had never been cast as Holmes, only to be surprised and delighted by his turn as Moriarty.

Just recently re-watched the 1932 Clive Brook Sherlock Holmes which is pretty odd, with a "love interest" for Holmes, Watson played by the dreaded Reginald Owen, and the frightening sight of Clive Brook in drag. But it does have a splendid Moriarty in Ernest Torrence. I believe i once saw the 1929 Brooks Holmes film, but seem to have erased it from memory except that it had something to do with a ship. Obviously not terribly memorable.

greta

Porter made a great Moriarty. In the "worst Sherlock" sweepstakes, I'd like to cast a vote for Christopher Plummer.

[s.w.a.c.]

I'm torn between Max Headroom and Roger Moore.

I recall enjoying Murder By Decree with Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason's Watson, but it's been years since I've seen it.

[didi-5]

I'll second Matt Frewer as being particularly awful! Christopher Plummer played the role twice, in Silver Blaze as well as Murder By Decree - I liked him in both. Christopher Lee, though, was awful in his three outings as Holmes.

In early talkies, Reginald Owen is pretty dreadful. Arthur Wontner and Raymond Massey were good.

[bobfells]

I must insert a kind word for Reginald Owen. True, he was terrible as Scrooge but part of the blame is MGM's bad makeup job that made him look like a Conehead. I've never seen him as Holmes but I take everybody's word that he was bad. However, I thought he was terrific as the bombastic, empty-headed attorney Stryver in A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935) whom Ronald Colman's Sydney Carton props up with his brains. I have wondered what happened to Stryver after Carton went to the guillotine at the end of the story.

Other fine Owen performance are in VOLTAIRE (1933), MADAME DUBARRY (1934) where he played Louis XV in both, THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD (1934) where he played the historical role of Herries but had little to do, OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1934) and CALL OF THE WILD (1935), and ANNA KARENINA (1935). He later reprised his Louis XV in Bob Hope's MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1946). In the right role, I thought he was pretty effective.

[Mike Gebert]

Looks like I was wrong... sort of... though it looks to be a drama about Conan Doyle, not a Holmes film per se:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1722470/" target="_blank

[Bor Enots]

Couldn't stand that hack Jeremy Brett, or that other loser Basil Rathbone. What a waste of celluloid with either of those guys as Holmes. ..... okay now that you are totally irritated by this post let me say the opposite: These two were my favorites with a slight nod to Mr. Brett mainly because his films stayed truer to ACD than the Rathbone films. Turned on a 2010 direct to video film called "Sherlock Holmes" with a guy named Ben Syder playing the part.... or was he a jockey pretending to be Holmes. No, they actually cast the guy in the part. I turned it off after about two minutes.... so that is my least favorite, although I must admit that I only watched the two minutes.

[entredeuxguerres]

These two were my favorites with a slight nod to Mr. Brett mainly because his films stayed truer to ACD than the Rathbone films.

MUCH truer...especially in the character of Watson: no avuncular bumbler, as portrayed by Bruce, but a colleague of near-equal wit & discernment.

[Rodney]

Way off topic, but this thread wandered away from silent films a ways back... from Kate Beaton's "Hark! A Vagrant!" comic.

[FrankFay]

Arthur Wontner was not the best Holmes, but he was certainly a fine character actor- one of those figures who seldom get a leading role but who can establish the tone of a scene with only a few words and a meaningful look.

[s.w.a.c.]

Nice to see fellow Nova Scotian Kate Beaton's work showing up here, I love her Hark! A Vagrant strip and highly recommend it for her whimsical and witty take on history and literature. The Holmes/Watson strip is a particular favourite.

On a tangent, there's also a mystery show take on Conan Doyle and his mentor Dr. Joseph Bell, with former Holmes portrayer Ian Richardson as the latter, titled Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (or "Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes" depending on whether you saw it on TV or on home video). I'm sure most of it's a load of hogwash, historically, but the couple of episodes I saw were still fairly entertaining.

[Mike Gebert]

Christopher Lee, though, was awful in his three outings as Holmes.

As his excellent Mycroft in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes shows, he was just playing the wrong brother.

[fwtep]

Don't forget Michael Caine's turn as Sherlock! I rather liked that film.

[greta de groat]

Oh, i hadn't noticed that this was in the Talking About Silents section, we haven't really talked about silents. Not like we have that many silents to go on since so many are lost or out of circulation.

I like Barrymore, but despite the great cast, it somehow never catches fire. The love story doesn't help, though at least Carol Dempster is not offensive.

I've only seen a couple of the Stoll series with Eille Norwood, though apparently all of them exist. They seem to be relatively well regarded, though i've never warmed to Norwood. Maybe if i could just see the rest of them ...

I've only seen The Copper Beeches of the 1912 Eclair series exists, and M. Treville is pretty bad.

The Pordenone reports of the 1914 Hound of the Baskervilles were pretty dire, but i don't remember any comments on the performance of actor playing Holmes.

Of course, we are missing the Essanay film with William Gilette, and i've never heard of any print of the last silent Holmes film, the 1929 Hound with Carlyle Blackwell.

Back to the talkies, one of the nice things about Wontner is that he closely resembles the illustrations of Holmes in the stories. I also find him rather genial for my tastes, since i tend to enjoy the more high-strung Holmes. I'm rather startled by the 21st century Holmes performances, where Holmes has moved from high-strung to borderline Aspergers. Sign of the times, i guess.

greta

[JFK]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306418/

[Tilt Araiza]

Has there been a worse Watson than Patrick Macnee with Roger Moore? In terms of intelligence he falls somewhat shy of the jam-loving Watson in Kate Beaton's comic. He did play Watson again alongside Christopher Lee's Holmes, but I don't recall him being distinctive in any way that time (and I haven't seen Macnee's turn as Holmes, but I can't imagine it's up to much).

I must make special mention of Edward Woodward for a scenery chewing, playing-to-the-back-row-of-The-Gods Holmes in 1990's Hands Of A Murderer. I wouldn't go so far as to call him bad, he's fine for the high-camp pantomime of that movie, but I bet a purist would spit blood.

Looks like I was wrong... sort of... though it looks to be a drama about Conan Doyle, not a Holmes film per se:

I saw that at the time and weirdly, I have no memory of Holmes being portrayed in it. Doyle visits a medium and is haunted by his past (his father's alcoholism and confinement in a "nursing home" is one of the matters that is dealt with). It was part of a series call Encounters, other episodes dealt with meetings between Marylin Monroe and Simone Signoret, H.G. Wells and George Orwell, and Paul Robeson and Aneurin Bevan.

[s.w.a.c.]

Anyone remember which silent Hound of the Baskervilles was shown at Cinefest over a decade ago? I remember enjoying it, the most distinctive thing that comes to mind is how they made the hound look creepy by scratching out his eyes on the negative so that they were just glowing white. Cheapest special effect ever, but pretty effective for its time.

[silentfilm]

Don't forget Michael Caine's turn as Sherlock! I rather liked that film.

Agreed! While Michael Caine's performance as Sherlock is not the worst in the comedy Without a Clue (1988), his character Sherlock is easily the worst of all time in this comedy where Sherlock is incompetent and Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) is the smart one.

[s.w.a.c.]

Don't forget Michael Caine's turn as Sherlock! I rather liked that film.

Agreed! While Michael Caine's performance as Sherlock is not the worst in the comedy Without a Clue (1988), his character Sherlock is easily the worst of all time in this comedy where Sherlock is incompetent and Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) is the smart one.

To be fair, Caine isn't playing Sherlock Holmes, he's playing an actor who Kingsley's Watson has hired to play Holmes, so he's kind of an incompetent boob by default.

[fwtep]

By the way, I didn't mean to list Caine's Holmes in the "worst" category. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that post. I liked him and the film.

[FrankFay]

How about Charlton Heston in The Crucifer Of Blood?

[Richard M Roberts]

Anyone remember which silent Hound of the Baskervilles was shown at Cinefest over a decade ago? I remember enjoying it, the most distinctive thing that comes to mind is how they made the hound look creepy by scratching out his eyes on the negative so that they were just glowing white. Cheapest special effect ever, but pretty effective for its time.

That was the 1922 Ellie Norwood version, which I recall as being pretty good too, even though I was told by some know-it-not-at-all that it was a stiff going in. I remember the dog effect as being creepy too, and the whole thing working rather well despite a shoe-string budget.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[boblipton]

I see that the Europa film site has added the 1912 Musgrave Ritual starring Georges Tréville for anyone who wushes to look at

http://www.europafilmtreasures.eu/" target="_blank

Bob

[FrankFay]

That was not too bad- of course it departed from the story quite a bit but it kept the main plot thread. Only problem is, leaving out Holmes solving the Ritual gives him very little to do.