Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. John Watson, reveal the clues and solve the crimes in each mystery that makes it's way to their drawing room at 221B Baker St.

Ronald Howard played the character of Holmes with a youthful exuberance not seen in previous portrayals. Here was a detective who enjoyed his work, relished each new mystery that was laid out before him and attacked it with a vibrant energy. It was refreshing, different, but not so far removed from Doyle's creation that it was unrecognizable. H. Marion Crawford played the role of Watson quite well, and was, at times, reminiscent of Nigel Bruce's buffoonish characterization in the film series with Basil Rathbone. Best of all though was the chemistry of the two actors, and the way they played with the subtle humor found in the scripts.

Filmed for American television and shot in France, the production value of the series is quite good. Costumes, sets and acting are top notch for a series filmed in the 1950's. While a few episodes are adaptations of the original short stories (The Redheaded League), others take inspiration form incidents in the books to give us something new and original (The Laughing Mummy). The episodes do tend to wrap things up quickly without delving too deeply into Holmes' detective skills, but they make up for it by being fun, pure and simple.