Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon (1942)

Set during WWII, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) helps smuggle a scientist (William Post Jr.) out of Switzerland before the Nazis get to him. However, once safe in London, he is kidnapped by Holmes' nemesis Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) who plans to turn him over to the Nazis. Can Holmes get to him in time? Nominally based on THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Roy William Neill. I found this to be one of the lesser entries in Universal's Sherlock Holmes film franchise. It's not a murder mystery but a spy movie with Sherlock Holmes being used for a WWII propaganda film. Nothing wrong with that, such films were prolific during the war years in Hollywood. But it just isn't intriguing enough to hold our interest. As a spy film or even as a WWII propaganda movie, it's sluggish even at its brief hour and 9 minutes running time. There's no atmosphere, no curiosity in its inevitable jingoistic outcome. With Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, Kaaren Verne and Paul Fix.