The Woman in Green

Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently unconnected murders, and the death of a possible suspect…

• Director: Roy William Neill
• Genre:Adventure / Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery
• Runtime:65 minutes

Cast

Basil Rathbone : Holmes
Nigel Bruce : Watson
Hillary Brooke : Lydia
Henry Daniell : Moriarty
Paul Cavanagh : Fenwick

When several women are murdered and their forefingers severed, Holmes and Watson are once again called into action, but Holmes is at first, baffled. Widower Sir George Fenwick (Paul Cavanagh), after a romantic night alone with his girlfriend Lydia Marlowe (Hillary Brooke), is hypnotized into believing that he is responsible for the crimes. He is certain that he is guilty after he awakes from a stupor and finds a woman’s forefinger in his pocket. His daughter comes to Holmes and Watson without realizing that Moriarty’s henchman is following her. She tells Holmes and Watson that she found her father burying a forefinger under a pile of soil. She has dug up the forefinger and shows it to them.

Fenwick is then found dead, obviously murdered by someone to keep him from talking. Holmes theorizes that Moriarty, who was supposed to have been hanged in Montevideo, is alive and responsible for the crimes. Watson is then called to help a woman who fell over while feeding her pet bird. He leaves, and minutes later, Moriarty appears and explains that he faked the phone call so he could talk to Holmes. He then leans one of the chairs back, obviously signaling someone. Holmes sees an open window in an empty house. When Moriarty leaves, Watson arrives. Holmes explains what Moriarty did, notices that a window shade that was shut in the empty house is now open, and tells Watson to investigate.

Inside the empty house Watson, looking through the window, believes that he sees a sniper shoot Holmes in his apartment. Holmes then appears at the house and explains that he put a bust of Julius Caesar there because of the bust’s resemblance to his own face (Holmes realized that as soon as he sat there, Moriarty would have him killed). Inspector Gregson takes the sniper, a hypnotized ex-soldier, away, but the sniper is killed a little while later on Holmes’s doorstep. Read more