Sherlock Holmes

partly on Charles Augustus Milverton). The larger Associated
Radio Pictures headhunted Wontner for his next picture, The
Sign of Four (1932). Made at Ealing, this was an Americanised
version of the novel with Holmes as a macho action figure. It
suffered accordingly.
Twickenham briefly changed its name to Real Art
Productions for Wontner’s fourth outing, The Triumph of Sherlock
Holmes (1935), and happily brought Holmes back down to
earth again. (The film was made under the title of The Valley  of
Fear, but had its name changed just prior to release.) Moriarty
was played by Lyn Harding (Grimesby Rylott in the 1910 stage
play  The Speckled Band – see HA Saintsbury). Harding
appeared as Moriarty again in the last Wontner film, Silver Blaze
(USA: Murder at the Baskervilles) in 1937. He reprised the role
once more for the 1943 BBC radio version of The Boscombe
Valley Mystery, aged 68, with Carleton Hobbs as Watson.
John Wood – Tall English actor, usually cast in snooty roles.
He was chosen to star in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s
1974 revival of William Gillette’s stage play, Sherlock Holmes. It
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premiered on 1 January at the Aldwych Theatre, London, and
ran for 106 performances. Wood followed the show to
Broadway, later replaced by Patrick Horgan, John Neville,