Der Mann, Der Sherlock Holmes War (aka The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes) (1937)

Two con men pass themselves off as Sherlock Holmes (Hans Albers) and Dr. Watson (Heinz Ruhmann) and a gullible public are more than happy to swallow the deceit. But they do have deductive skills and soon find themselves aiding the police in breaking a massive forgery ring. Directed by Karl Hartl, this wacky comedy is quite amusing for most of its running time but it can't sustain its one joke premise and it runs out of steam way before its dull courtroom conclusion. Albers and Ruhmann (two of the most popular German film actors in history, they worked right through the Nazi era without their popularity suffering) have an easy going chemistry and play off each other quite well. They even have a musical number as they sing to each other while taking separate baths. It's all very silly but endearing. With Marieluise Claudius, Hansi Knoteck and Hilde Weissner.