Basil Rathbone was the classic Sherlock Holmes

Bill Knight column for Dec. 24, 25 or 26

The newest cinema version of Sherlock Holmes will be released this week, when Will Ferrell assumes the role of the detective and John C. Reilly takes over the part of Dr. John Watson. Co-starring Ralph Fiennes as Professor Moriarty and Hugh Laurie as Mycroft Holmes, “Holmes and Watson” follows others’ interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, from Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr., to Jonny Lee Miller and actors ranging from Ian McKellen and Peter O’Toole to Jeremy Brett and Matt Frewer.

For generations, however, the thinking-person’s crime fighter was Basil Rathbone, who made “Holmes infallible, virtuous, eccentric – a fixed point in a changing age,” according to Tom Soter in Video magazine. “He makes sense of the nonsensical, brings order where there was chaos, and overcomes problems instead of letting them overcome him.”

In 60 mysteries, mostly short stories, Doyle created the iconic figure from 221B Baker St. who drew praise from fans including Mark Twain, O. Henry and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

More than the stories were some 130 movies, and Rathbone is still the actor most closely identified with Holmes the violinist, boxer, swordsman, chemist and amateur sleuth.

“There was nothing lovable about Holmes,” Rathbone said. “He seemed capable of transcending the weakness of mere mortals such as myself, understanding us perhaps, accepting us and even pitying us, but only purely and objectively.”

Rathbone created Hollywood’s best-remembered Holmes in 14 movies and 273 radio shows. As an actor, Rathbone could be villainous, too, playing cads in “The Mark of Zorro” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” He earned Oscar nominations for his work in 1936’s “Romeo and Juliet” and 1938’s “If I Were King.”

The next year he became Holmes in Fox’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” which was enough of a hit to generate a sequel, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” the best of the bunch. Rathbone nailed the role – and created enjoyable chemistry with co-star Nigel Bruce as Watson.

After the first two for Fox, the series moved to Universal, which changed the setting from Victorian England to contemporary times to battle Moriarty or Nazis. Available on video or online, here are the Rathbone classics, in alphabetical order:

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” (1939). The last series movie set in the 1800s, this has George Zucco as Moriarty, whose machinations wind up at the Tower of London. Ida Lupino co-stars.

“Dressed to Kill” (1946). The Bank of England is missing currency printing plates, and Holmes and Watson tie them to a collection of music boxes. The feature was the last in the Rathbone/Bruce partnership.

“Hound of The Baskervilles” (1939). Rathbone and Bruce’s debut as Holmes and Watson has them tracking down the demonic dog that’s haunted a clan for centuries. The cast includes John Carradine, Richard Greene and Lionel Atwill.

“House of Fear” (1945). The “Good Comrades Club” has members getting murdered. Based on Doyle’s “Adventure of the Five Pips” story, it co-stars Dennis Hoey.

“Pearl of Death” (1944). A string of murders baffles Scotland Yard, and Holmes must intercede – and deal with “the Creeper” (Rondo Hatton, one of Hollywood’s most memorable villains).

“Pursuit to Algiers” (1945). Holmes and Watson accompany a foreign prince home after his father is murdered.

“The Scarlet Claw” (1944). Serial murders in a Canadian village draw in Holmes and Watson – in North America for a conference on the supernatural.

“Sherlock Holmes Faces Death” (1943). Watson is in charge at a mansion housing wounded soldiers, and murders begin. It co-stars Milburn Stone (Doc Adams from TV’s “Gunsmoke”) and Hillary Brooke.

“Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon” (1942). Moriarty and Holmes race to get a bomb sight that might mean victory in World War II. Lionel Atwill is Doyle’s sinister villain.

“Sherlock Holmes and The Voice of Terror” (1942). Nazi conspirators wreak havoc in Great Britain. Reginald Denny and Henry Daniell co-star.

“Sherlock Holmes in Washington” (1943). Secret World War II documents have ended up in North America, and the Londoners must retrieve them, but American criminals prove as heinous as Europe’s. George Zucco, Henry Daniell and Marjorie Lord (from TV’s “Make Room for Daddy”) co-star.

“Spider Woman” (1944). Holmes and Watson investigate a series of suicides, but Gale Sondergaard steals this film as the title character, who uses poisonous spiders to kill. It’s one of the best Holmes pictures – with Rathbone facing death in various ways.

“Terror by Night” (1946). Sort of a train version of “Pursuit to Algiers,” this revolves around the murder of a fellow passenger, the owner of a cursed jewel.

“Woman in Green” (1945). Moriarty is behind a series of weird “finger murders” not unlike a modern Jack the Ripper.