Evelyn Ankers was best known for playing really likeable screaming damsels of distress in horror movies, so it’s fun to see her as a femme fetale, a jewel thief in cahoots with crime genius Miles Mander. This must have been a fun role for Ankers to do, as both she and Mander undertake a variety of disguises.
They are after an expensive pearl with a dark history, rather similar to the Koh-in-Noor diamond. Mander gets away with the pearl due to stuff up by Holmes, which is a fresh twist – he has to track it down. A lot of the film is scene from the point of view of Mander and Ankers – Holmes is playing catch up a lot of the time.
There’s a joker in a pack – a ruthless killer, the Creeper, who goes around breaking people’s backs. (The next time you hear some old soul go on about violence in the movies today, tell them about the Rathbone Holmes series – bodies chopped up and put in suitcases, a killer who breaks his victims backs, throats ripped out.)
This one has more gadgets – a book with a dagger that lunges out of it, secret messages on plates. There’s also a bigger role for Lestrade and a clever bit where Holmes listens in on a conversation between Ankers and Mander, then impersonates Mander.
Mander is a smart crook (he steals a pearl from under Holmes’ noses, gets a gun off Holmes due to Holmes’s monologuing) but even though he admits to Holmes he gets a lot of ideas from him, Holmes says he doesn’t like crooks like Mander because they have the stench of cruelty. Personally I think he’s just a poor loser. (Though it is contrived that Mander doesn’t shoot Holmes at the end when he has the chance – and lets him chat away turning the Creeper against Mander).
Rondo Hatton is a surprise in this one, as the Creeper with the crush on Evelyn Ankers, who is used by Ankers and Mander for evil ends. He’s not very smart though, being easily conned by Holmes then charging at him. Still, an effective villain, and his appearance packs a wallop.
This is very strong Holmes entry, a lot of fun. No real war talk at the end, just Holmes going on about people being greedy over pearls and wouldn’t it be nice if we weren’t like that.
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