Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are deep in it again this week as the take on The Pearl of Death. Using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Six Napoleons as its basis, this tale ends up being a lot of fun.

After Holmes foils Naomi Drake’s (Evelyn Ankers) attempt to steal the famous Borgia Pearl, he delivered it to the museum. But a demonstration and investigation of the institute’s alarm system allows a thief to get away with the Pearl.

As bodies begin to drop all over London, murdered with broken backs by the Creeper (Rondo Hatton), Holmes and Watson find themselves on the case. Holmes is convinced the murders have to do with the Pearl. Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) is less than sure.

But one should always bet on Holmes.

He is able to figure out what is going on, and before the end of the once again too short film, he’ll have foiled the baddies yet again.

Drake is able to stay a couple of steps ahead of Holmes most of the time, and with the Creeper on her side, she could prove unstoppable. But I don’t believe that and neither do you.

Neill has been cranking out these films with Bruce and Rathbone for awhile, and it seems to be running like a well-oiled machine. It’s fun, clever, and Rathbone gets to trot out a couple of disguises and Bruce’s Watson isn’t quite the goof he’s been by falling in holes or getting drunk with the locals.

These are crackin’ films, very entertaining, fast-paced and have great casts. And watching this one I was struck by the Creeper and Rondo Hatton. I was convinced I’d seen a character like him before. And then it struck me, The Rocketeer pays homage to him by having a baddie who looks just like the Creeper!

I get that the short runtime is one of the reason these films are so fast-paced and entertaining, but as I have often lamented, I would love a slightly longer incarnation which would let the characters and mysteries breathe a little more.

Once again I am delighting in Rathbone’s and Bruce’s performances. They bring these incarnations of the character to vivid life, and you never doubt that Rathbone’s Holmes is the smartest man in any room he walks into.

The scripts are fun, some are tighter than others. This one is very tight, and cleverly plotted. This is probably my favourite of the bunch so far. We’ll see if that changes when I dig into the next film.

Sherlock Holmes will return in The House of Fear!