Back on Baker Street: Experiment #12 - "Pursuit to Algiers" (1945)

In which Nick sighs a good deal and Cat keeps track of each one. Sherlock Holmes shows off a previously hidden talent for shuffleboard (!), while Watson demonstrates that he can sing leaving Nick to only sigh more.

***

It’s been coming. From the beginning we’ve been dreading it. It’s been looming like some giant 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith. It’s been haunting us like a ghost. It’s Pursuit to Algiers.

Nick: I think from the start that I have made it clear that I have not been anticipating this one. I’ve called this one the worst of the Rathbone/Bruce series if not one of the worst Sherlock Holmes movies ever. In short, reaching this one was something of a milestone.

Cat: Ever since you first approached me about beginning this crazy project with you, all I’ve heard about this movie has been, “If we can get to/through Pursuit to Algiers, we’ll be fine.” And there was always an accompanying eye roll and groan. So I’ve been eagerly waiting for this for awhile: to see if it was as bad as you always made it out to be, and because at this point we’d be “in deep” with the blog. And so, here we are. Pursuit to Algiers.

Nick: Well, I think this one really does divide fans. Some find it strangely enjoyable while others find it unwatchable. I think I may have spoiled my thoughts about this one already, but how did Catharine take to this one? I suppose there’s only one way to find out. Let’s dive right in...pray for us.

Vital Statistics:

Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

Major motion picture

Starring Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Dr. Watson), Marjorie Riordan (Sheila Woodbury), Rosalind Ivan (Agatha Dunham), Martin Kosleck (Mirko), Leslie Vincent (Nikolas), Rex Evans (Gregor), Morton Lowry (Sanford)

65 minutes, black-and-white

Thoughts:

Nick: [Heavy, heavy sigh]

Cat: For the record, I kept count of how many times Nick groaned/sighed/rolled his eyes at what we were witnessing. It happened AT LEAST nine times. If you couldn’t guess what crowd Nick is in for this movie, there you have it. Surprisingly, after all the negative lead up to this...I can’t say I feel the same way. (Nick is very, very, thoroughly disappointed in me. I’m sure he’s looking for a replacement co-blogger as I type.)

Nick: I should probably admit that my opinions on this movie have been a little strong. But, let’s go through this thing. So, we begin in London. Holmes and Watson are preparing to go on holiday in Scotland when they are approached by a number of curious people in the street. They are encouraged to go into a fish and chips bar and, through a series of very conspicuous occurrences, the two end up at number 26 Fishbone Alley. I really don’t know how to react to this beginning. It borders at times on pure parody, but it’s got some neat atmosphere and some good dialogue. Watson’s defensiveness is displayed at its full and I love his line about “loathing” fish and chips. But, it’s still just so silly.

Cat: To be honest, I might have to rewatch the beginning by myself to get a “true” opinion of it because I was already thoroughly amused by Nick’s reactions to, well, everything. However, I found the silliness enjoyable, and I too enjoyed Watson’s apparent loathing for fish and chips. Nigel Bruce has truly wormed his way into my heart, so when he’s so defensive, I find it very endearing. I think part of the reason I found the whole beginning amusing is because Holmes so very clearly is aware of the fact that something’s going on while Watson is his usual oblivious self.

Nick: Maybe you have gotten swept up in the intrigue of this beginning and you’re wondering just who and why Holmes has been drawn into this web. It transpires that Holmes is being hired by representatives of the kingdom of Rhodesia who, following the assassination of their king, are fearful for the life of his son who is currently in England. These representatives wish for Holmes to act as the (for the lack of a better word) chaperone for their future king, Nikolas. Now, something I meant to ask you while watching this: what do you think of this plot on a whole? On paper, it does have some potential and it’s sort of cool that, in some ways, the story is entering spy/espionage territory.

That actually is a cool shot

Cat: On the whole, I did think that the plot was kind of interesting and had some real potential for some cool scenes and I thought the possible spy/espionage theme could be fun. It’s not necessarily much of a mystery” for Holmes to solve, but I still thought there was potential there. I don’t think I ever asked, but how do you feel about that all? You didn’t seem to be a huge fan of the plot itself, but I wasn’t really sure.

Nick: I like the idea of the plot. I don’t like the execution of the plot. When the movie moves to the cruise ship, I find the whole thing yawn-inducing. But, let’s get to that boat. So, Holmes agrees to fly with Nikolas aboard a small airplane while Watson acts as a decoy and sails aboard a cruise ship into the Mediterranean. Interestingly, the name of the ship S.S. Friesland is something of a reference to an untold story mentioned in “The Norwood Builder” so that gets the Nick seal of approval. Watson also meets a number of curious folks aboard the ship: a young singer named Sheila, an obnoxious woman carrying a gun named Dunham, and a couple of suspicious men who are discussing transporting bodies.

Cat: You know, regular cruise ship people. I don’t really think that at least the beginning of the cruise ship scenes were anything awful. Especially since Watson is tasked with acting as the “conspicuous decoy”. Given that conspicuous seems to be how Watson acts on a normal day, seeing him purposefully try to be so was a bit amusing to me. He’s trying so hard to keep what Holmes is doing a secret and only barely succeeding. And then, as he starts getting to know the other passengers, he’s really trying to be a good and subtle detective, and couldn’t be more obvious if he tried! Though I have to say, they never really cleared up why Dunham randomly had a gun in her purse...I mean, the lady was weird enough as it was, so it wasn’t that surprising, but it was strange.

Nick: The gun was simply to make her a red herring. Though, I never, NEVER thought that she was responsible for a threat to Nikolas’ life. Anyhow, one of the highlights of the films comes when Watson learns that Holmes’ airplane has crashed and all its occupants are presumed dead. Once more, Watson believes that he has lost his friend and, again, Nigel Bruce proves that he has a great set of acting chops. I love the way that Bruce just stares out into the ocean just trying to come to grips with Holmes’ death. It’s a beautiful little scene and quite moving here in the middle of this strange film.

The return of Sad Watson

Cat: I only thought she was a crazy lady with a gun, since they never did anything with it. And that was SO SAAAAAAD! I had started to sense where the movie was going with this development, but it was still SO SAD! I don’t want to see Nigel Bruce look that sad ever, ever, ever again! (Even IF he’s really good at it - it’s just too much!) Thankfully though, as I suspected, Holmes just happens to occasionally employ plots that involve faking his death. (Apparently, they’re still effective after the first time.) He ends up being in the room that Watson’s cabin is attached to with Nikolas, both of them perfectly unharmed, which slightly confuses and greatly relieves Watson.

Nick: Yeah, Holmes does fake his death quite a bit. Well, Holmes decides to oversee Nikolas as well with Watson’s help and, once he’s introduced to the singer Sheila, she flees at the very sight of him. This, of course, leads to an infamous line of dialogue which, I must transcribe in full just to emphasize the sheer stupidity of it all:

Watson: I don’t understand it, Holmes. She seems such a nice girl. And she sings charmingly.

Holmes: My dear fellow, musical talent is hardly evidence of innocence. As a matter-of-fact, the late Professor Moriarty was a virtuoso on the bassoon.

Um...WHAT?! I...I just don’t comprehend. I fully admit that I burst out laughing when Basil Rathbone delivered that dialogue with the most deadpan of expressions.

Cat: Yeah, you found that line MUCH funnier than I did, honestly. I paused the movie so that you could let it all out at once. Sure, it was amusing, but it wasn’t that funny! I didn’t even find it all that odd. I mean, Sherlock Holmes plays the violin quite well, so it doesn’t seem that odd to me that his arch-enemy that he’s supposed to be very similar to also has a musical outlet. However, I can’t take away your amusement of that moment. (You needed something to enjoy.)

Nick: Well, let’s take a moment to ask the really important question: which of the three Moriartys that we have met in the Rathbone/Bruce series is the one who would most likely have played the bassoon? Can we picture Henry Daniell’s uber-creepy Moriarty sitting down and playing the bassoon? How about Lionel Atwill? The music-loving George Zucco? If I had to cast a vote I’d say George Zucco’s Moriarty. He seems the most cultured of the three Moriartys. Inclined to agree?

Professor Moriarty - Bassoon virtuoso?

Cat: Agreed, he’s the most likely, I think. Though I have to say, I really could almost see all of them playing the bassoon. What I can’t see is any of them taking lessons to learn to play the bassoon. That’d be weird. Really, really weird.

Nick: That conjures up some truly lovely mental images! It truly does! Well, let’s keep going. We’re (thankfully) at about the halfway point. So, with suspicion mounting around the ship’s passengers, it soon becomes apparent that the real threat is coming in the form of Mr. Gregor, Gubec, and Mirko who arrive on the boat at an unscheduled stop off the coast of Spain. As far as villains go, I suppose they’re alright, but Martin Kosleck’s Mirko is the highlight.

Cat: He was creepy looking. (And he reminded me a bit of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory for some reason?) I thought those guys were okay as far as villains go. They’re your typical shady brutes with unspecified motives, I suppose. They’re housed up in the room across from Watson, Holmes, and Nikolas - which is very suspicious. Then, they engage in the most evil of all dastardly activities….shuffleboard.

Shuffleboard?! Really?

Nick: Oh my God. Shuffleboard. Watching Sherlock Holmes playing shuffleboard is one of the most surreal and one of the most unusual things I think I have ever seen. It’s just so weird. I mean, it’s that stereotypical thing to do on a cruise ship so I suppose it made sense to have them play shuffleboard in a movie which is set on a cruise ship but...I still just don’t like it. This does, however, lead into a nice bit where Mirko attempts to kill Holmes by throwing a knife through a porthole into his cabin only for Holmes to close the porthole on Mirko’s wrist breaking it. It’s a tiny, little bit, but I love how cold and nonchalant Rathbone’s Holmes is while doing it.

Cat: Agreed, that was a cool moment. I especially liked how when Holmes sees them the next morning, neither of them acknowledge it much. It’s all, “Oh, good morning - sorry that your friend broke his wrist, how unfortunate.” I was amused by that. It was also funny to see in a later scene that he has the knife casually tucked under the edge of the set of coat hooks on the wall. Only Sherlock Holmes. Watson and Nikolas are focused on other manners, namely Sheila Woodbury. (Nikolas seems especially interested in the young singer, but they never really go anywhere with that.) Sheila continues her tradition of running away from the great detective after Watson tries to retrieve music from her music folder without her permission. To say she’s touchy on the subject is an understatement.

Nick: She’s understandably touchy because she is unwittingly smuggling stolen diamonds out of the country (a plot point which was introduced at the beginning of the film and then kind of forgotten). Anyhow, Holmes deduces this and leaves Sheila free to romance Nikolas. Before we know it, it’s the last night aboard the ship before it docks in Algiers and the crazy Mrs. Dunham has organized a party where she cajoles Watson into recounting some of Holmes’ cases. In this instance, he decides to retell “The Giant Rat of Sumatra” (the story for which the world is not yet prepared) and does so by using a stick of celery to represent Holmes and a round piece of cheese to represent himself. [Heavy, heavy sigh]

Cat: Though they cut back and forth from the party to the villains not at the party, waiting for a cleverly hidden bomb to quite literally blow up in Nikolas’ face, so you never actually hear the full story. I actually found that to be a really clever way to go about putting that in the movie (and actually thought it was pretty funny to be honest, as Holmes is far too busy making sure the bomb doesn’t blow up to listen to Watson and listen for any inaccuracies in his story.) By the end of the night, the bomb threat is neutralized and it seems as though everything is going well enough. Sheila and Nikolas get to have one last dance and Watson gets to wear a paper hat. It even looks like everything’s wrapping up nicely!

Nick: Ah, but how looks can be deceiving. Holmes, Watson, and Nikolas return to their cabin to prepare to rendezvous with Nikolas’ people when the villains (imitating Watson’s voice; he says that he does voices) break into the cabin, tie up Holmes and kidnap Nikolas. Things look bleak when Watson returns to find Holmes still tied up and the king gone, that is until Holmes rings for the steward and announces that he has the been the actual king the entire time. I will admit that that is a neat bit of subterfuge on the part of the screenwriter, but it really does come out of nowhere and isn’t exactly tied up real nicely. (It should also be mentioned that the steward is played by Morton Lowry who last turned up playing Stapleton in The Hound of the Baskervilles opposite Rathbone and Bruce.)

Cat: Yeah, that was...something. I thought the idea of him being the steward the whole time was actually quite genius (both from the point of view of the screenwriter and Holmes), and it made sense that he had a decoy for the decoy from the beginning. I think the wrap up could have been a bit better, that was my only real complaint with that. Because that’s quite literally the end. The actual king and his men exit the ship, and Holmes makes a crack about how Watson’s got too honest a face to be an actor, and they end the film. I think they could have had another minute or two where they discuss their vacation plans and the audience has a better chance for the wrap-up of the plot to sink in. Nick, do you feel similarly? What are your thoughts on how the ending comes out of nowhere?

Nick: Oh my goodness, yes. The movies ends really, really abruptly. The same goes for the last few Rathbone/Bruce films and I really don’t understand it. You may have not been a big fan of the patriotic speeches from Holmes in the earlier films, but they did at least give the films at sense of closure. Well, the last bit that we need to touch on is the music. This movie has four songs (four too many if you ask me), and one of them is sung by Nigel Bruce. I think we came to the consensus that he’s actually rather decent.

Cat: He really is! I was surprised by that! The best part of that scene though was undoubtedly when he finishes and Holmes leads a whole group of passengers into applause after Watson thought he was just singing for Sheila. Holmes was so proud of him too! And the songs last not even a minute, they’re not that unbearable. Marjorie Riordan is actually quite a good singer as well, I thought. But I’m biased in favor of that older style of singing (it makes me think of Judy Garland and that makes me very happy). To be fair though, one of the major supporting characters is a singer, so some musical numbers are practically to be expected.

Nigel Bruce's singing gets the Baz's Seal of Approval

Nick: The songs weren’t bad (don’t get me wrong), but I don’t really want them in my Sherlock Holmes movie.

It’s time for Final Thoughts:

Nick: Per usual, I like to alternate and, seeing how I went first last time, what are your overall thoughts on Pursuit to Algiers?

Cat: I...expected MUCH worse. I really, really did. I didn’t find this awful, like I thought I would. I truly didn’t. It wasn’t anything amazing or one of the greats, don’t get me wrong, but I thought it was likeable enough. There were parts of it that I found amusing (whether they were supposed to be or not), and I did actually like the very, very subtle hints of a spy/espionage theme that were present. It did feel a bit longer than it actually was, so I suppose it does drag a bit in some sports. It also doesn’t help that it’s really all in one place the whole time. But really, I didn’t mind it much. I think I really did find it strangely enjoyable (I guess I’m part of that crowd then?). Nick, you’ve made your dislike for this movie very clear, but lay it all out for us: what are your final thoughts?

Nick: Being one who is partial to hyperbole, I probably made this out to be a lot worse than it actually is. It is hardly on par with The Room or Plan 9 from Outer Space, but it is obviously the weakest of the Rathbone/Bruce films. It does have some positive elements, I will admit. However, the greatest crime that this movie commits in my mind is just that it is really dull. I feel like nothing happens for a long time and, when something does happen, I don’t find it all that interesting. It’s just a boring movie for me. So, I’ll go ahead and give my deerstalker rating while I’m at it: 2 deerstalkers out of 5. It’s without doubt the weakest in the series. Slow and plodding are the best words I could use to describe Pursuit to Algiers. And you? Official rating?

Cat: I...feel like I have to give it a 3.5 deerstalker rating. I really do. I gave you a heads up about this before we formally reviewed Pursuit to Algiers and you said that was higher than Sherlock Holmes in Washington (which was a 3.0). I think I’ve come up with a bit of an explanation for that: I feel like I can take this movie a little bit more seriously than Washington, despite its silly or laughable moments. It’s certainly not anything spectacular, but Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are still great, so it’s already got that going for it. It can be a bit dull at times, I suppose, but on the whole, I truly didn’t think it was awful. Hopefully that hasn’t ruined your opinion of me…(and hopefully this blog won’t be the end of our friendship, in one way or another…). Well, Nick, we did it. We made it through Pursuit to Algiers. We’re in this for the long run, it would seem!

Nick: [Heavy, heavy sigh]