Approved for All Ages

Sherlock Holmes: The Red Headed League

What seems at first to be a harmless prank played upon a red-headed man is soon revealed to be much more: a sinister scheme devised by the Napoleon of Crime.

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Dove Review

This TV episode, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic character, Sherlock Holmes, is masterfully crafted and well executed. Starring Ronald Howard as Holmes, the actor brings a twinkle to his eye and a zest for solving crimes. Playing Watson is H. Marion Crawford, who plays the part with a bit of an edge and temper, but he seems to constantly amuse Holmes.

The episode opens with Holmes examining a gun in his office, and then he fires it, much to Watson’s alarm and chagrin. Watson berates Holmes for this action, stating he is certain the police will soon show up to learn what has happened. Soon afterwards they find a visitor, lying prostrate, outside the office door. In a light moment in the episode the man, Jabez Wilson (Alexander Gauge), claims to have been shot at and that there were bullets literally flying by him. He adds there were at least six or seven assailants. However, Holmes owns up to being the one and only one who fired a gun, and not at Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson explains his encounter with the Red Headed League, which was supposedly founded in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and has made its way to England. He says he responded to a newspaper advertisement, calling for red headed men to show up to apply for a position. Wilson’s new assistant, Vincent Spaulding (Eugene Deckers), who assists him in his pawn shop, suggested that Wilson, with his fire red hair, apply as he would be perfect for the job.

Wilson explains to Holmes that he was chosen by a Mr. Duncan Ross (Colin Drake) to hold the job, which was copying the Encyclopedia Brittanica onto paper, starting with the letter “A”. He would work between the hours of 10 to 2 p.m. every day during the work week but he would not be permitted to leave the building during those hours. And he was well paid. He tells Holmes that after 8 weeks he had finished the letter “A” and was ready to delve into the “B’s”.  But he tells him, “Yesterday, I got a staggering blow indeed.” When he arrived at the office to copy the encyclopedia, a note was posted to the door stating, “The Red Headed League is Dissolved.” He enquired about it from the landlord of the building and was given an address but when he checked on it-it turned out to be a business which made “ladies’ unmentionables!”

Holmes tells Wilson that he is now 30 pounds richer and knows much about the letter “A” from the encyclopedia, but that he wouldn’t miss this case “for all the tea in India!”

This suspenseful episode leads Holmes to Wilson’s pawn shop where he meets Wilson’s partner, Vincent Spaulding.  He has been working in the cellar and Holmes notes that there is wear on Spaulding’s knees on his pants. Is this a clue? When Holmes uses Watson’s cane to tap on the city street outside of the pawn shop, it would seem he is putting the pieces of this mysterious puzzle together.

Without spoiling the ending, the local bank has received 30,000 Napoleon gold pieces. Could there be a planned bank robbery? If so, how does the Red Headed League play into it? Will Holmes be on top of the situation with his clever detective work?

This tightly directed episode features all the famous Holmes props, including his deerstalker hat hanging on a hat rack, and his famous pipe. The episode has procured our Dove seal for All Ages.

The Dove Take

This cleverly written and directed episode will involve the entire family to see if they can solve the crime before Holmes does!

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