Sherlock Holmes the Classics

Rating:
Summary: THE Sherlock Holmes
Review: To me he will always be THE Sherlock Holmes. Regardless of what other people feel about Basil Rathbone, Carelton Hobbs, Clive Merrison and even Jeremy Brett, John Gielgud will always be the perfect Sherlock Holmes. And Ralph Richardson will always be the perfect Watson. Together they eclipse the whole of their peers, simply by the way they portray the master detective and his dear friend. That is the way Sir arthur wrote them, and that is what you will hear in these stories. My only complaint is that they cannot contain every scene that Doyle wrote for each story, but such were the constraints of 1950's radio (or 1990's radio for that matter). The episodes were written with a clear understanding of drama, and acted with the skill of master performers. What stands out to me is the mutual respect that Holmes and Watson share, as opposed to the browbeating that Rathbone dished out on Nigel Bruce's Watson ("Do you have to be so dense!"). And the mysteries are darn good besides. If you want to introduce someone, particularly a young person, to the world of Holmes you can do no better than this set. These are the tapes that endeared not only Sherlock Holmes to me, but dramatic radio and the skills of John Gielgud as well. You will love them.