March 24, 1939 –
… Murder, my dear Watson. Refined, cold-blooded murder….
Twentieth Century Fox’s released on this date, the first of 14 films based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
While not entirely passive, Watson’s original role was mostly as an observer of Holmes and the chronicler of his cases. With this film a new tradition began where Watson enjoyed equal billing with Holmes. In Nigel Bruce’s hands the character became a comedic foil and a bit of a bumbler. Later interpretations would vary, but the character remained greater than literature’s original enigma.
Oh Watson, the needle!
The Haus of Dcaligari 