Terror by Night

When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner murdered, Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

• Director: Roy William Neill
• Genre:Adventure / Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
• Runtime:57 minutes

Cast

Basil Rathbone : Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce : Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray : Major Duncan-Bleek
Dennis Hoey : Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey : Ms Vedder

In London, Vivian Vedder (Renee Godfrey), visits coffin makers Mock and Son to verify the completion of a coffin for her mother’s body, which she is transporting to Scotland that evening on the Scotch Express. As the Express pulls out of the Victoria Station, the late-arriving Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) just manages to board the train with a companion, Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray), whom the doctor introduces to Holmes as a member of his club. That night, Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson meet Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) on a speeding train to Scotland. Lady Margaret Carstairs (Mary Forbes) and her son Roland (Geoffrey Steele) employ Holmes to guard an enormous 423 carats (85 g) diamond: The famous diamond The Star of Rhodesia. Holmes examines it.

During dinner, Roland is killed, possibly poison, as deduced by Holmes. Watson’s friend, Watson, Holmes, and Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) question everyone on the train, as it is possible that one of them is the murderer. Holmes then figures out that there is a coffin on the train (brought in by the woman named Vivian and that it has a secret compartment. However, there is no diamond. He also deduces that one of the people on the train is his nemesis, Colonel Sebastian Moran. Moran and Major Duncan-Bleek are actually one and the same, and Watson has no idea of either his friend’s true identity nor of his criminal past. When Holmes goes to inspect a mysteriously open door, he is nearly pushed out the train to his death.

Holmes and Lestrade question Vivian, she admits that a man paid her to transport the coffin. Watson and Duncan-Bleek join the group and Holmes astounds them all by revealing the Star has not been stolen, but was in his possession the entire time as he used the opportunity of examining it earlier to switch the genuine stone with an imitation. Lestrade quickly takes possession of the authentic jewel. Read more