The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone
and Nigel Bruce makers of Bromo Quinine coal tablets bring you
another adventure of Sherlock Holmes.
Will Basil wrap bonus Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor
Watts? Watch out for coals, ladies and
gentlemen. They're very prevalent now and a
little cold may be the start of a serious illness.
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And now, as we make our way through the night to Doctor
Watson's hospitable door, we notice a feeling of spring in
the air. The buds are swollen on the
trees, still black and dripping from the rain, the smell of
warm, damp earth. Delicious.
Hey Mr. Benny. Well, hello Doctor Watson.
I didn't see you in the dark. I've been out checking out to
see if my Magnolias survived the winter.
Any casualties? No, they all seem to be fairly
bursting with bugs. There's nothing as delicious as
that first faint whistle of spring, all as treacherous.
Come along to the house before we both catch our just a cold.
After you, Sir. Not a trauma, boy.
None of that age before beauty Nonsense.
I'm not as equipped as always. Oh.
What's this front hall littered with trunks?
Of suit? Oh yes.
I'm afraid my annual wanderlust is broken out rather early this
spring. I'm often a little jaunt first
thing tomorrow morning, but come along into the study does.
That mean that this is the last of our storytelling evening.
For this material, I'm afraid it does well.
I I trust I'm not too forward if I hope to be invited back again
in the. Fall.
Of course not. You know.
We'll be waiting for your time. Oh, thanks very much.
Very decent of you to put up to the hand rings of an old fellow
like yourself. I appreciate it, you know, But
sit down, Mr. Many. Sit down there over there in the
usual chair. Let's get on with our story
before I get all glittering sentimental.
You're going to tell us about Professor Moriarty tonight,
aren't? You.
Well, I had intended to, but I've changed my mind.
I'm going to tell you the Adventure of Retired.
Colorman instead Retired Colorman.
Isn't that a military chance? No, it isn't.
Mr. Joseph P Amble has been the junior member of Brick, Fall and
Amble, manufacturers of artistic paint boxes.
He made quite a tired little fortune, retired from business
at the age of 61 for the House of Lewis Shuman and settled down
for the next year, 1897. I think it was It's your Full
marriage marry. He was married the woman's 30
years his junior. Always a bit risky.
Within two years he was as miserable as creature as crawls
beneath the sun. Jumping ahead of the story
again. As I was saying, this is the 20.
3rd of April. 18199 An Iranian disagreeable April it had been.
Holmes was in a melon, clear and philosophic mood that morning as
he stood by the window watching the raindrops chasing one
another down down the page. Rain had always depressed him
and he was not working on a case when he was working on a case.
I don't believe you realise that there was such a thing as
weather. Look at that beastly rain hasn't
stopped for three days. Might as well be another flood.
Heaven only knows what transgressions could have
brought it on. There's been a really first
class crime for months. Cheer up home, Cheer up.
It's probably good for the crops.
Or something. Shortage in crime?
The rain, of course, probably makes the little bugs sprout to
the little. Shoot, Shoot a blasted.
Optimistic. More likely.
Rotting all the seeds that's already been planted.
Rain. Where that deuce does it all
come from this confounded English climate?
Why any man with half a brain stays on this rain soaked
mistbound island is beyond me. Why don't the men have anything
to do with it? It's the ladies.
God bless them. This climate gives them perfect
complexions, and there's so many lovely creatures about what
Englishmen would think of quitting the country.
So much beauty as a Jake screen. Oh, rubbish.
What's rubbish? This thing has given you a
temporary softening of the brain.
I regret to say it seems to have that effect on most
impressionable male. Impressionable nonsense.
When a woman is concerned in one of your cases, you've never even
noticed whether she's 60 or 60 and then you don't care whether
she's got a well turned ankle or whether she's flat footed.
Why should I? Holmes, there are times when I
think you're a cold blooded. Fish, possibly.
Watson, Possibly. Why do you suppose the pool
doesn't show up? Not fool.
Josiah P Embley. Is he one of your clowns?
I suppose I may call him so He's consent to me by Scott and Yard.
Quite by this Cloud, to be exact.
Let's consider the case fairly hopeless if Lestrade hands the
matter over to me of his own accord.
Look, Holmes is a is a cab drawing up in front of our front
door. He must, he must see your client
Mr. Ambler. Yeah, strange looking
individual. Hey, Watson.
Quite an old fella looks literally bowed down with care.
But no weakling. Look at those shoulders in that
chest, the framework of a giant. He's arguing with the cab driver
about the fare. Huh.
Which is the penny they. Must say I don't like his face
so fierce and eager, and the way those snaky locks of grizzled
hair stick out from under his head.
I wonder. What he's worrying What's
worrying Mr. Embley? Willing to bet it has nothing to
do with money. Imagine Nothing else could upset
him to any great extent. Nonsense.
Home. You always look on the base side
of human nature. It is now.
Come in, come in. Which of you is Sherlock?
Holmes I am. This is my friend Doctor Watson.
I'm a broken man. He's rubbed me the spine, taken
everything I had in the world. I thought he was my friend and
he took everything. And I'd come under my nose in my
own house, rob me. He did.
Yes, I felt sure it was a question of money.
And he who said money, he stole my wife, the light of my life,
the apple of my eye. It's true, she was very
expensive, but after all, she was my wife and he stole her.
And now it's for Emily My. Beautiful blonde wife's hair
like gold and my securities. The money I saved up years of
hard work. All wrong.
Yeah. Thank you.
First, tell us about your wife. And how long have you been
married? Two years.
Two years and she's tired of me already. 2 little years.
Unite good men. Easy.
More facts and fewer recriminations.
Where to get to the bottom of this case?
Well. Three years ago I retired,
Bought a house. Big house at Lewisham.
Cost me plenty of money, That house.
Did well, Sir? I'd never lived alone in a big
house before, and that's sort of lonely house began to need
looking after. So I thought I'd start looking
around for the wife. Nice, healthy young wife, to
look after me. Then I'm at Ella.
And some girl she was, too. A good cook.
Hair like gold could bake a beef and kidney pie that with melt in
your mouth. So I thought, I might as well
get married. Very practical, I'm sure.
That's what I think it is that. Time, but Lord myself.
Money. A woman runs into there.
Made my heart bleed the way the money.
Went. I should have thought you'd have
been glad when the other fella took her off your hands.
But who was this? Who's in cheap clothing?
His name was Doctor Ray Ernest. A young fella used to come
overnight and play chess with me I.
See, he's told you why. And my securities, yes.
But truly, the securities are registered.
You can hardly hope to convert them.
Maybe not, but I must have them back.
And you've got to find those securities for me, Mr. Holmes,
you've got to find them. And your wife, of course.
Of course, of course. Wherever she is, they are.
Quite on the other hand, Mr. Emberley, I confess I don't see
that I can be of much service. It's a routine matter and I'm
sure that Scotland Yard would be only two.
Guys, not a single. Security.
Well, very well, very well, very well.
And we'll do our best, Doctor Watson.
We'll take a run down to your house at Lewisham to look over
the ground. Hardly expected to come yourself
after my heavy financial loss. Nobody cares if an old man's
heart is. Broken.
Stop that blubbering. I'm not coming myself because
I'm preoccupied with the case of the two Coptic patriarchs.
This particular case doesn't seem to be very complicated, I'm
sure, Mr. Amberley, but Doctor Watson can handle it as well as
I could myself. Well.
That's the best that you can offer, I suppose.
I'm as. Dissatisfied, pampered.
That's what she was. And that young man that he
picked profit. I treated him like my own son,
yet the man of the house. And now look how they treated
me. Me you'll never harm.
Quite. And now a good day, Mr.
Amberley. Oh yes, Well oh good day Mr.
Holmes. And I actually expect Doctor
Watson this afternoon to have my address I believe.
Oh dear. Gratitude.
I must say, Holmes, I like the way you've shoved all this off
onto my shoulders. Coptic patriarchs, indeed.
You just don't want to go. Right, Watson, Right.
The very first time you've been begging for a case all to
yourself for months. Well, here it is.
Yes, in a nice. Case you've given me, I must say
that old. Oh, my daughter.
Oh, my ducats, eh? With the emphasis on the ducats,
if I'm not mistaken. All confound that passage.
That's better. That's that's good.
Hello. One steps on the stairs, Watson,
if I'm not mistaken and in a triumphant mood.
Hello Holmes. Well, I'm back.
Hail the conquering hero with successful afternoon.
I take it to the right of victory in your eyes.
I did manage to dig up a cool. How about Mr. Emily's state of
residence? What's it like?
And of course, at the Haven. Oh, charming.
Is isn't it? I think the place that interests
you. Homes.
You know, that particular quarter, the monotonous brick
streets. The where is suburban highways?
Well, right in the middle and lies this beautiful old home
surrounded by a high sun baked wall, bottled with lichens and
topped with Moss. The sort of walls.
You may admit the perjure once, and I note that it was a high
brick wall. I should have guessed it was the
Haven, even if I hadn't asked a lounger who's smoking a certain
St. Lounger.
Here's a cold, dark little moustache now with a curious
look in his eye. With Great Kinder.
Glasses and the tonic type in. Good.
How'd you know? Oh, the fool.
A child of 10 could have seen through there from.
Mr. Holmes I don't. See.
Never mind. Continue with this story,
Watson. Well, I'd hardly entered the
gateway before I saw Mr. Emily coming down the drive to meet
this. He began at once pouring out his
grievances. He walked back to the house.
Together and. Well, once inside the wall, I
must say I've never seen a place worth kept garden, running to
weeds and then a dreadful neglect.
The house too was slapping little to the last degree.
It just goes to show what happens to a place when there's
no woman in her hand about to keep it in order.
Yes, but Missus Amberley had only been missing a few days.
Hardly time for so much disintegration to take place.
I must have set in before she left.
Possibly. At any rate, Miss Stanley seemed
to be ashamed of it. He's doing his best to remedy
it, though I must admit that his efforts looked A trifle
ineffectual. What's to become of me?
My wife gone.
Most of my fortunes stolen. Now all come in, Doctor Watson.
Come in. Yeah, you see what remains and
what used to be called my home. And the Eastman's home is New
Castle, so they say. But home is where the heart is
in my heart. And look out, Doctor Watson.
Look out that wood waste testing.
Oh look. At that look at that my my best
pair of trousers. Too bad.
OK, if you're almost getting that part of, sorry, I shouldn't
have left that part of faint in the middle of the package.
I suppose that when one got alone in the house, one
forgetting. Alone.
So you've been doing this fainting yourself?
You must take this strange occupation.
Under the circumstances, one must do something to ease an 18
heart and step in here. Doctor Watson, this is my study,
my I. See.
You've just finished painting woodwork in this room too.
The smell of paint. It's not DRY yet, that's why I
have. A fire in here.
Now let me see, where did you keep your security?
In the face in that wall, this room is really a strong.
Room like a bank. With an arm shatter on the
window and an arm door feather proof.
That's the irony of it. No season without.
Could have taken my money. But my wife.
My own wife. There's a picture.
Doctor Watson on Memento taking in a wedding dress.
That's. Looking well, Emily, it doesn't
look too so I love. Piper the Great The very night.
That very night, I bought two other circle seats at the
Haymarket Theatre. What?
Did they give it? A treat?
I did. She go.
Now last moment said she felt sick that she had a headache.
She did. I believe that went alone.
When I came back, she was gone. I'm safe with friends.
Just a minute. What night was that, Miss Emma?
That was Thursday. Oh fuck.
Yes, and our new ticket money wasted.
She was always wasting money, May.
I have that ticket, Miss. Emma.
Hold on, hold on. You've got it in the fire.
Know why? I.
Wanted to get rid of it. I want to get rid of everything
that reminds me of that. Yeah, give me that picture.
I see. Yeah, take the fire.
She goes closer. May have soul burning torment.
Is their pictures burning now? One person fell away, Watson.
This case begins to look more somber than I suspected.
You could only have brought me that ticket, Watson I.
Did my best home. I may not have the ticket
itself, but I did notice the number of the.
Seat. Oh, bravo, Watson.
How did you happen to remember? It as a matter of fact it was my
place in form at school 31 from the bottom and and so it it it's
stuck in my head. Splendid old fellow.
Then Amberley's seat must have been 30 or 32.
Hear me, Hear me. Now, who can that be?
Whoever it is the Yes, yes, yes, here.
He comes up the stairs fairly running.
Come in. Well, bless my soul.
If it isn't our old friend. Our good friend.
Mr. Amberley. What's up?
I. Tell you, Mr. Holmes, I can't
make anything of it here, see for yourself.
Come at once, without fail and give you information as to your
recent last signed Elman at the Vicarage.
Dispatched at 210 from Little Pearlington.
Little Pearlington and Essex I believe.
Not South and Frinton. You will start at once of
course. Watson, look up the train.
It's. Probably a hope what could
anyone in little Pearlington but?
I'm a very responsible person. Where's my crock?
But yes, here it is. We'll look up this minister of
the Gospel, EEE Elman. Elman.
Here it is JC Elman, MA, living of Moss.
More come little Burlington. Yes, but I still don't, surely,
Mr. Amberley, you want to find your wife and your lost
security. Because, of course, particular
waste of time and money here. We are here, we are here we are.
Here's train from Liverpool Street at 5:20.
Yes, you just have time. Mr. Emily.
You go downstairs and heal a cab.
I'll help Doctor Watson throw a few things in the bag.
Do. You think I need Doctor Watson?
That's I better go alone. It may be a trap, probably.
No, I. Think I shall go.
Mr. Amberley It would make the worst possible impression on
both police and on myself. If you refuse to follow up so
obvious a queue, we should feel that you are not in earnest
about this investigation. Very well, very well.
I'll go. Perhaps you'd you'd better go
with him home. What?
Take your case, Watson, after the brilliant ways in which
you've handled it. No, no, no, no, no.
Go along Mr. Embley or you'll miss your train.
Very well, but. Yeah, you're welcome, Watson.
Here, here. Here's your bag.
It's packed as you never know when you may be called off on a
case like this. I packed it for you.
I. Do think quite now, whatever you
do, see that he really does go to little Burlington again.
Quite. Should he break away and try to
return, get to the nearest Telegraph station and send me
the single word voted, I will arrange to have it reach me
wherever I am. What?
You have something to look into it at this end there.
I have Watson. This case is beginning to take
on a rather curious and sinister aspect.
Above all, old man, take good care of yourself and Mr.
Amberley. Before we find the outcome of
Watson's curious mission, ladies and gentlemen, I have a few
words to say. Here's what you want to do when
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The first symptom of a cold Ask for bromo, BROMO quinine,
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I found this rain. Everything's as down to the
black Holocaust cutter. The haven, shitty little haven
this is. I couldn't find a window
unmatched. Not much chance on the 1st
floor. The old boys, two quarters,
second story window. Perhaps they managed to scale
this porch pillar, this confounded rain.
Come on. There we are.
Yeah, there's a window that's unmatched.
Easy, easy, easy. One foot over the hill up.
With your ends up with the Michael, you thought I wouldn't
see you prowling? Around down below.
Eh, well, I've. Caught your red ended.
Nice wild. Goose chase?
That turned out to be that friend of yours, Sherlock Holmes
is. A fool, I'm sure.
Mr. Emily, if you'll call and see him, he can explain.
Explain. Explain nothing.
That Vicar has never seen that telegram before.
The way you treated it, you might have thought people,
suspicious characters and missing the last train and
having to sit up all night in the confounded station with the
rain dripping through the roof. Well, we could have gone to a
hotel. Got to be a.
Hotel that costs money. Got to an hotel indeed.
Here's your house, Mr. Emily. I think I'll go along home now
and get some breakfast. You will not.
You're going to come into the house and see if everything's on
I look up there. Do we need to go over the porch?
It's different. Perhaps you left it like that.
You're so rubbish. I'll.
Tell you, I don't like to look for this.
Where's my tea? Where's my tea?
Here it is. Soon find out.
I say, please gloomy look. Look, look, someone see here,
right? Enough footprints on the fresh
paint. You'll find him if I had to tear
the face apart. Assembly, we're here waiting for
you in the. Study home, good heaven we
start, you get. It here.
Dined in through the upstairs window.
That's very, very young man. Yes, burglary has always been an
alternative profession that I cared to adopt it, But I was
glad I hadn't. When I walked into Inspector
Lestrade's gun last night, he thought I was a burglar too.
But come, we're we're keeping him waiting.
He's in the library. Here they are, Lestrade.
I told you we could expect them back before 10.
No, but look here, that's not the stars.
That's the man I saw lodging in front of the gate yesterday
afternoon. The fellow with the black
moustache from the glasses. That's right, Doctor Watson.
Yes, the star fondly imagines. That's the.
Disguise. Oh no.
Look here. No.
It's obvious to anyone who takes take the I.
Don't know for this I won't have two busy bodies prowling around
my house in the middle of the night and what's more, Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, I said. But you sent that telegram
yourself. Very clever of you, Mr. Amberly.
Very clever. You look the title pale.
I thought a night in the country might.
Be I What kind of a fool you take me, for I have you put
behind the bars, all of you. Surely not in speculus.
Glad why he's from Scotland Yard I.
Don't tell if it's from the house alone.
Yeah, none of that. I know this great Breaking into
my house in the middle of the night.
Oh, I'll get you for that. What were you doing in here last
night? Answer me that.
Looking for the bodies Looking for the bodies, The bodies of
your wife and Doctor Ernest. What have you done with them?
You murdered them. In this room we have ample.
Proof Stop. Him watch some stopping.
He's got a capsule in his hand. It's poison.
He's got to swallow it. No, no.
Get that up, put it up, spit it
out, Spit. It out, Mr. Emily, if you please
everything decently and in this proper place, take him away.
Let's try it right. Come.
Along now, no more. Monkey.
What a seed. That old brute emble is a
murderer. How did you find it out?
Well, the first clue was the theatre ticket, which you didn't
use. We found that out.
That destroyed his alibi. Yes.
The theatre people assured us that there had been two empty
seats, not just one. The second clue was the smell of
fresh paint. What would be trying to hide by
that? What gas?
He asphyxiated his wife and Doctor Ernst of this room.
Good heaven. His strong room, which was as
near airtight as anything can humanly possibly be.
But how? Well, that's what I wanted to
find out. That's what I was looking for
when I broke into the house last night.
What did you find? Look here.
That is the gas pipe along the skirting.
Here it rises in the wall, in the angle there, and ends in
that plaster rose in the center of the ceiling where it's
concealed by that ornamentation ends wide open.
How? How horrible.
Yes, and look here, Look near the floor.
What do you make out? 2 words written on the wall.
We were, we scroll, we were what?
What does that mean? The poor devil was trying to
write. We were murdered.
I can see the whole gasp. You see, it was last Thursday
night. Emily had lured his wife and
doctor Ernest into this room. Oh, listen to that wind.
I wish. It would stop.
It's not too bad in this room. Have a little game in here.
Hey, Doctor Ernest, just you sit here, entertain the doctor while
I go and look for the chest. Man.
If you don't, man, close the door.
There's such a draft. There's much cozier in here with
the dark. Much cozier he.
Said wind only wouldn't hold. I feel so depressed.
Is there something terrible we're going to happen?
Nonsense. My name is Emily.
This house is getting on your nerves.
There's any wonder. He gets worse and worse.
Oh, Doctor Ennis, I'm so frightened.
He must go away. Now, don't be alarmed, Mrs.
Emily. I've had your husband under
observation sometime. I'm afraid he isn't quite
normal. It it isn't safe for you to stay
here any longer. But.
Doctor Ernest, don't you understand?
I can't leave my husband. Heaven knows what would happen
if I left him alone. We could.
Get a nurse to take care of him. You can't.
Stay here with him. What was that?
He was outside the door listening.
Oh, Doctor Ernest, this is terrible.
What can we do? You hear that?
It's the gas. Someone turned on the gas.
I can, Harry. Harry, we've got to get out of.
Here on the door locked. He's got the door, the.
Window no head locked to this. I am shattered, Emily.
Emily, that is all. Realize what this means?
He's going to kill us. He must have gotten mad, I'm
afraid. Yes, yes.
It's what I was. Afraid of He's a maniac.
I'm homicide in here. Oh, this is horrible with with
press. What a.
Fool I want what? Can we do?
I feel so faint. I can hardly breathe.
Here. Here.
Lie down on the floor. Yeah, it's.
Better down here. It's no use.
I can't stay, stay awake. I don't mind anymore.
Quite all right, really. This is Emily.
Don't give up.
I do think too I. Just.
Warn people. It's dangerous.
I I can't think. God, I can't breathe.
I can't think. What a tragic story, Doctor
Watson. And was Mr. Amberley and saying
they. Decided he was.
He ended his days in an asylum. Did they ever find the bodies?
Yes, at the bottom of an old well, the opening of which has
been cleverly concealed by a dog.
I see. And now I'm afraid it's it's
time to say goodbye. Well not goodbye Doctor Watson,
I'll reply. Just as you say, Mr. Manning.
Anyway, in conclusion, I want to thank you and our radio
audiences who so patiently listen to the reminiscences of a
of a sentimental old Fuller. And I want to wish you all, old
and young, an extremely happy summer.
Thank you Doctor Watson. Ladies and gentlemen, in just a
moment Dazzle Rathbone would like to say a few words still.
But first, may I give you a word of advice?
Remember the danger of the so-called common cold.
Remember the sickness it can cause and the bills it can cost.
Act promptly, decisively, at the first sign of a cold.
Take famous Bromo Quinine tablets.
Bromo Quinine tablets have a reputation.
Their fame extends to all quarters of the globe.
Their merit is an assured fact. Reliability is the one thing you
want in any medicine, especially in a medicine for the relief of
cold. Don't wait.
Don't procrastinate. When you feel a cold coming on,
go right to your druggist and get a box of Bromo Quinine
tablets. The small cost may save you a
lot in grief and expense, as clearly for Bromo Quinine Coal
tablets. And now here's Basil.
Rattle, ladies and gentlemen. To me, Sherlock Holmes has
always been one of the greatest characters ever created.
Tonight, as our present series ends, I'd like to thank our
sponsor, the makers of Bromo Quinine, for giving me the
opportunity of playing homes on the air, especially by such an
inspired Doctor Watson as Nigel Bruce.
Speaking to myself and Mr. Bruce May, I express our gratitude to
our radio audience for the many letters of interest and
encouragement that we received. And finally, a word of
appreciation to all the performers and others concerned
with this program who have helped so immeasurably in making
the Baker Street Days live again and now until fall.
It's time for me to say Beauvoir, and good luck.
You have been listening to A Sherlock Holmes Adventure
adapted by Edith Miser from Sarasa Conan Doyle Story, The
Retired Colorman, Will Basil Rathbone, Sherlock Holmes and
Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The Sherlock Holmes series was
produced by Tom McKnight. This program was presented from
Hollywood by the makers of Bromo Quinine coal Tablets.
Quick relief for cold. This is Knox Manning speaking.
This is the National Broadcasting Company.