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Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

Play trailer Poster for Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon 1942 1h 8m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) saves noted Swiss physicist Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.) from the Gestapo in Zurich and smuggles him to London. There, Tobel is reunited with his wife, Charlotte (Kaaren Verne), to whom he gives a coded message in the event he disappears. Tobel presents the weapon he developed to government officials, and when he is subsequently abducted by arch-villain Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), Holmes and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) risk their lives to find him.
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Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

Critics Reviews

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Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies May 2, 2006
2.5/5
The pacing is slack, the big mystery not mysterious enough, and the showdowns between Holmes and Moriarty a bit too silly for my taste. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Aug 23, 2005
B
Not a great Sherlock (too many plot holes), but one that's entertaining, never dull and has a lot of intrigues going for it. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 21, 2026 Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon = a *3* star Movie! See more Apr 22, 2023 Rating: 6/10. 68/100 See more Mar 10, 2019 Brilliant old school Sherlock Homes movie. See more andy f @RT81936104 Oct 18, 2017 Although it is one of the wartime ones, this has the main cast at the top of their game and the film maintains a spooky atmosphere throughout. Watson asleep on the job once again and other Holmes familiarities are played out at their best. See more Jan 2, 2017 While no masterpiece, a very fun thriller with enough twists and turns to keep your attention and enough acting prowess to keep you entertained. See more Jun 10, 2013 Not a great Sherlock (too many plot holes), but one that's entertaining, never dull and has a lot of intrigues going for it. See more Read all reviews
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

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Cast & Crew

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Roy William Neill

Director

Basil Rathbone

Sherlock Holmes

Nigel Bruce

Dr. John H. Watson

Lionel Atwill

Prof. Moriarty

Karen Verne

Charlotte Eberli

William Post Jr.

Dr. Franz Tobel
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Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) saves noted Swiss physicist Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.) from the Gestapo in Zurich and smuggles him to London. There, Tobel is reunited with his wife, Charlotte (Kaaren Verne), to whom he gives a coded message in the event he disappears. Tobel presents the weapon he developed to government officials, and when he is subsequently abducted by arch-villain Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), Holmes and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) risk their lives to find him.
Director
Roy William Neill
Producer
Howard Benedict
Screenwriter
W. Scott Darling, Edmund L. Hartmann, Edward T. Lowe Jr.
Distributor
Universal Pictures, Take 2 Video
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 5, 2011
Runtime
1h 8m
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