THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1972)
TV-Movie
Article 4443 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 2-7-2014
Directed by Barry Crane
Featuring Stewart Granger, Bernard Fox, William Shatner
Country: USA
What it is: Sherlock Holmes story

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called in to investigate the mysterious death of the former owner of Baskerville hall, and threats being made against the new Sir Baskerville moving in.

This is an average but fairly entertaining version of the Doyle novel, and though it does take some liberties with the story, it is more or less faithful to the source. According to IMDB, it was an unsold TV pilot, and I am rather curious as to what the series would have been like if it had sold; given that the pilot used one of Doyle’s original works, I wonder if the series would have followed suit or tried to come up with stories on their own. From the user comments on IMDB, a lot of people really dislike this version, and I will admit that Stewart Granger doesn’t quite seem the right choice for Holmes. Bernard Fox fares somewhat better as Watson, though he does channel a little bit of Nigel Bruce in his portrayal. Some of the sets are very unconvincing, especially the ones that take place on the moor. Nevertheless, I found myself adequately entertained by this one, though it’s certainly far from the best version of the story.