Update: October 8, 2025 - It only took me six [6] years, but completing this SS post as I would have originally intended has finally come to pass!!
Along with added photos, including what mainly consists of the theme for this issue, the Val Lewton Collection of gems from the 1940s, we now offer the 'Classic Period' Sherlock Holmes Collection featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce completed with "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" [1939]. This is the film of which many believe is the finest of all 14 movies Basil & Nigel starred in, all of which I'm so happy to have available for the supporters of this blog.
It wouldn't be complete without the great Professor Moriarty played here by the great George Zucco. I believe it is here where George comes into his own as cinema's force for the sinister!
Another great joins the detective team as a client, Ida Lupino, who's either loved or menaced by Alan Marshal supported by bumbling policeman, E.E. Clive, the wonderful Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson & little Billy played by Terry Kilburn who, God bless him, is still with us today as of this writing approaching age 99.
It's a great 'send-off' posting for the series and the best thing of all is that on Track #2, you'll find the feature commentary by none other than Scarlet Street's publisher, Richard Valley! So here's to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in...
"The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes" [1939] 720pHD
with the Richard Valley Commentary on the 2nd soundtrack.
The two short extras which include a photo gallery and three Holmes trailers are found via the additional two links. The trailers are not in very good shape [they all are from re-releases] but they make me all the more appreciate the Universal restorations. This particular film made when they were at 20th Century Fox was not restored but it's still in pretty good shape.
Trailers [Adventure Extras] - DVD
Adventures Photo Gallery - DVD
Happy Thanksgiving! Given the way the holidays fell this year and the timing I wanted to hold to for each post, things are coming out just a little earlier than usual. Also, normally I like to wait until Midnight so the weekend, starting Friday morning, holds the next issue of Scarlet Street but having to rely on public wi-fi (I'm in a Starbucks parking lot now) I'd rather just get it done when I can.
Today I completed washing my first load of clothes at a laundromat since leaving Mom's home in early October and was lucky to find a pretty nice place. I was at my favorite Howard Johnsons last evening but just so tired after driving for so long I didn't have it in me to do much online. I'm still tied to cooler climates due to the slow pace of government. (I only got my state license plates today and was thrown when I learned I owed almost another $500 in taxes on the vehicle I purchased. So it will be a rest-stop 'sleep-over' tonight, I'm afraid. That's not the only business still necessary I'm waiting to get done.)
I have experienced some warmer days near 70 degrees, but also many nights in the low 20s. I'm still trying to get further South before too much snow begins to fly and will keep you posted with one more final issue of SS before Christmas. (I'm still promising to 'finish' this blog 'properly' after I 'land' someday.)
Until then, enjoy Scarlet Street #54 as is! If my memory serves, I believe it was almost the final issue but Richard Valley saw to it that we had one more round with the hope of more future issues, but it was not to be. I know this one stirs up wonderful memories for me as it came out before I had one more final trip to Forry Ackerman's Birthday Bash later that year, 2005.
Wishing everyone all the best, always! We'll be in touch and talk when we can!
*Simone Simon with Tom Conway [2nd from top], Kent Smith [3rd from top & above] and Jane Randolph [above] in "The Cat People" [1942]
*Simone Simon with Kent Smith in the top 3 photos working on a scene from "The Cat People" [1942] and an example of theatre showmanship [above].
*Tom Conway and Frances Dee with Christine Gordon [2nd from top] in "I Walked With A Zombie" [1943]
*Christine Gordon from "I Walked With A Zombie" [1943]
*Jieno Moxzer sits with natives around him, including Theresa Harris with Sir Lancelot [standing] in "I Walked With A Zombie" [1943]
*Tom Conway & Frances Dee in "I Walked With A Zombie" [1943]
*Darby Jones carries off Christine Gordon in "I Walked With A Zombie" [1943]
*The ladies of "The Leopard Man" [1943] with Margo getting all choked up [top], Jean Brooks [2nd from top], Margo & Isabel Jewell [3rd from top] and Tuulikki Paananen [above].
*Tuulikki Paananen [center] is stopped at the gate by Fely Franquelli before entering the graveyard as Brandon Hurst sits in "The Leopard Man" [1943].
*In the center [L2R] has Richard Martin holding onto James Bell with Dennis O'Keefe all surrounded by the dark hoods in "The Leopard Man" [1943].
*"The Leopard Man" [1943] has Jean Brooks with James Bell [3rd from top] & with Dennis O'Keefe [above].
*Simone Simon
*Simone Simon in "The Cat People" [1942]
*Simone Simon
*Simone Simon in "The Cat People" [1942] also shown with [L2R] Tom Conway & Kent Smith.
*Simone Simon
*Simone Simon in "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944]
*Simone Simon
*Simone Simon in "Mademoiselle Fifi" [1944] with Kurt Kreuger [top].
*Simone Simon
*Simone Simon in "Mademoiselle Fifi" [1944] shown here with John Emery.
*Simone Simon with James Craig in "All That Money Can Buy" [1940]
*Simone Simon
*Orangey gets a starring role [opposite Ray Milland & Jan Sterling above] in "Rhubarb" [1951] and a career is born. The film also starred Gene Lockhart [2nd from top] and Taylor Holmes [top].
*Could Orangey have had an earlier part in "I Remember Mama" [1948] with [L2R] Philip Dorn, Irene Dunne & June Hedin?
*We know Orangey was also a star of television, as shown above in 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' in a 1955 [broadcast 1956] episode called "The Older Sister" with Carmen Mathews & Joan Lorring
*Orangey was at his most terrifying along side Grant Williams in "The Incredible Shrinking Man" [1957].
*Orangey's first color treatment was in "This Island Earth" [1955] with [L2R] Russell Johnson, Rex Reason & Faith Domergue
*Orangey's popularity continued to cross over from television into the movies with "Our Miss Brooks" [1952-56] including its 1956 movie version with Don Porter, Nick Adams & Eve Arden.
*Tracking down all of Orangey's performances can be challenging. This screen-shot [courtesy of cinemacats.com] is from "Valley of the Giants" [1965]
A *
huge* recognition here for
cinemacats.com! Without this site I couldn't have presented so many screen-shots.
*Orangey with Robert Morse and Anthony Perkins [above] in "The Matchmaker" [1958]. The cast included [Top L2R] Wallace Ford, Paul Ford, Shirley Booth, Perry Wilson & Shirley MacLaine.
*Orangey played opposite Jerry Lewis [above] in "Visit to a Small Planet" [1960].
*Virginia Mayo with James Cagney [center photo] & Gordon MacRae [above] from "Backfire" [1950].
*Virgina Mayo with George Raft in "Red Light" [1949].
*Virginia Mayo with James Cagney in "White Heat" [1949 - center photo] and "The West Point Story" [1950 - above].
*Virginia Mayo with Ronald Reagan [center photo] in "The Girl from Jones Beach" [1949] and Burt Lancaster [above] in "South Sea Woman" [1953].
*Erford Gage [left] & Marguerita Silva in "The Seventh Victim" [1943]
*[L2R] Huge Beaumont, Tom Conway, Kim Hunter, Erford Gage & Jean Brooks in "The Seventh Victim" [1943]
*Kim Hunter [left] & Isabel Jewell [right] in "The Seventh Victim" [1943]
*[L2R] Hugh Beaumont, Kim Hunter & Erford Gage in "The Seventh Victim" [1943]
*Jean Brooks with Kim Hunter & Tom Conway [top] in "The Seventh Victim" [1943]
*Richard Dix [top right, 2nd from top right, above right] shown with Skelton Knaggs [top], Russell Wade [2nd from top and above with Russell Wade by himself 3rd from top] from "The Ghost Ship" [1943]
*Richard Dix with Russell Wade [top & above] & Edith Barrett [2nd from top] in "The Ghost Ship" [1943]
*Russell Wade
*Simone Simon with Ann Carter [top three] from "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944]
*Jane Randolph and Ann Carter from "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944]
*Julia Dean with Ann Carter [2nd from top] and Elizabeth Russell [above] from "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944]
*Ann Carter in a promo photo for "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944]
*Boris Karloff [shown with Katherine Emery, top] has his artistic soul restored working for Val Lewton first in "Isle of the Dead" [1945]. Shooting began in 1944 but Boris's back problems intervened and things came to a halt. Before filming could restart [and the cast re-assembled] they shot "The Body Snatcher" and it wound up being released before "Isle of the Dead"
Nonetheless, Boris was so thankful to be part of, what he considered, a higher quality production than what he was then otherwise being forced to participate in.
*Boris Karloff's film career survives the mid 1940s in three Val Lewton movies, the first to begin shooting being, "Isle of the Dead" [1945]. He's shown [L2R top] with Ernst Deutsch, Katherine Emery and Alan Napier; Helene Thimig [2nd from top] and [above] Ellen Drew & Marc Cramer.
*[L2R] shows Marc Cramer, Ellen Drew & Jason Robards Jr in "Isle of the Dead" [1945]
*Orangey in "The Diary of Anne Frank" [1959] with Millie Perkins [top] and Richard Beymer [above].
*Orangey leads an All-Star Cast in "The Comedy of Terrors" [1963] with Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone & Joe E. Brown. The illustration for the movie [top] was done by Jack Manning and it includes Orangey & Joyce Jameson. The photo above suggests that many times there was more than one cat to assist in playing the part credited to Orangey, or as in this case, Rhubarb.
*Boris Karloff, with Russell Wade [top] is pared one final time with Bela Lugosi [above] and although Bela has only a supporting role, it was an improvement over their last film "Black Friday" [1940] of which, no matter how the studio tried to bill them both, they not only did not have any scenes together Bela's part wasn't even a supporting role.
*Russell Wade with Bela Lugosi [top], Milton Kibbee, Henry Daniell & Boris Karloff [2nd from top] and love interest, Edith Atwater [above] from "The Body Snatcher" [1945]
*Simone Simon with Daniel Gélin in "La Ronde" [1950]
*Orangey with Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" [1961].
We'll always love Orangey!
*Boris wraps up the Karloff-Lewton trilogy with "Bedlam" [1946] as shown above with Anna Lee and Billy House.
*Skelton Knaggs! A fave character actor during the latter part of the 1940s 'horror films' cycle has an uncredited role in "Bedlam" [1946]
*Boris Karloff, Robert Clarke, Anna Lee & Ian Wolfe meet up to enjoy a little "Bedlam" [1946]
*Little Frankie Dee [center] is also in the cast of "Bedlam" [1946]
*Richard Fraser gets more than just a 'hand' for his performance in "Bedlam" [1946]
*Virginia Mayo in "She's Working Her Way Through College" [1952 - top] with [L2R] Michael Pate, Peter Lorre & George Nader [center] in "Congo Crossing" [1956] and [L2R above] Nick Cravat, Robert Douglas, Burt Lancaster in "The Flame and the Arrow" [1950].
*Elizabeth Russell [above] and in a screenshot from "The Curse of the Cat People" [1944] top; from the film, "Girl of the Ozark" [1936] 2nd from top; and with Jorja Curtright, Natalie Draper, & Leatrice Joy Gilbert in "Hitler's Madman" [1943] 3rd from top.
Update: October 8, 2025 - It only took me six [6] years, but completing this SS post as I would have originally intended has finally come to pass!!
Along with added photos, including what mainly consists of the theme for this issue, the Val Lewton Collection of gems from the 1940s, we now offer the 'Classic Period' Sherlock Holmes Collection featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce completed with "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" [1939]. This is the film of which many believe is the finest of all 14 movies Basil & Nigel starred in, all of which I'm so happy to have available for the supporters of this blog.
It wouldn't be complete without the great Professor Moriarty played here by the great George Zucco. I believe it is here where George comes into his own as cinema's force for the sinister!
Another great joins the detective team as a client, Ida Lupino, who's either loved or menaced by Alan Marshal supported by bumbling policeman, E.E. Clive, the wonderful Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson & little Billy played by Terry Kilburn who, God bless him, is still with us today as of this writing approaching age 99.
It's a great 'send-off' posting for the series and the best thing of all is that on Track #2, you'll find the feature commentary by none other than Scarlet Street's publisher, Richard Valley! So here's to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in...
"The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes" [1939] 720pHD
with the Richard Valley Commentary on the 2nd soundtrack.
The two short extras which include a photo gallery and three Holmes trailers are found via the additional two links. The trailers are not in very good shape [they all are from re-releases] but they make me all the more appreciate the Universal restorations. This particular film made when they were at 20th Century Fox was not restored but it's still in pretty good shape.
Trailers [Adventure Extras] - DVD
Adventures Photo Gallery - DVD
* Supplemental images are noted with an (*) asterisk. My intention is to only enhance the reading experience and not take away from the original publication.
