The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case (1932)

When a peg-legged prisoner (Graham Soutten) reveals a secret in return for his escape and is then betrayed, he bides his time before escaping and setting about claiming the treasure for himself. He has been away for such a long time that some of the valuables have rather bloodily changed hands and one necklace that he wants to retrieve now belongs to “Mary” (Isla Bevla). Now she knows it’s provenance isn’t whiter than white but when “Small” menacingly seeks it back, she engages the services of “Holmes” (Arthur Wontner) and “Watson” (Ian Hunter) who are soon putting some meat on the bones of their investigation. It’s not the most challenging for the little grey cells, this mystery, but with a bit of help from Scotland Yard’s finest “Insp. Jones” (Gilbert Davis) this jigsaw is knitted together well and Wontner is natural with the part. He takes his time, looks fastidious, meticulous and gels well with Hunter to present a pairing that you just know will get the job done, despite the fact that they are mere “amateurs” in this sleuthing business. The production is fairly low budget and low spec, but the audio effects work quite effectively, there’s some fun from the dialogue and a lively brawl at the denouement to finish things off.