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Your Lucky Clue

During July and August of 1952, Basil Rathbone served as master of ceremonies on a television game show called Your Lucky Clue. Sponsored by Lucky Strikes cigarettes, it was a summer replacement for This Is Show Business.  The show aired Sundays at 7:30 p.m. on CBS. In each episode of Your Lucky Clue, Rathbone presented dramatic sketches depicting a murder, and the panel of guest detectives…

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Rathbone on Romance

Katharine Cornell and Basil Rathbone as Juliet and Romeo While conducting research for my review of the Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Katharine Cornell and Basil Rathbone, I came across a wonderful article about Basil that was printed in The Birmingham News, February 24, 1935. I’m sharing it here for your enjoyment.   Rathbone’s Own Life Example of His Philosophy by Gladys…

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A Year in the Life of Basil Rathbone: 1950

1950 was a busy year for Basil Rathbone. Let’s take a closer look at where he was and what he was doing. In 1950, Basil, his wife Ouida and at least one dog lived in New York City, at 9 East 92nd Street. In fact, an article about the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago indicates that Rathbone had three dogs: a Sealyham terrier, a German shepherd and a cocker spaniel. Highlighting the fact that the…

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The American Theater Hall of Fame

Rathbone as Dr. Sloper in The Heiress Rathbone fans are wondering, “Why isn’t Basil Rathbone in the American Theater Hall of Fame?” According to the website (https://www.theaterhalloffame.org/history.html), the Theater Hall of Fame honors lifetime achievement in the American theater. “To be eligible for induction, the theater professional must have given 25 years distinguished service to the…

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Rathbone Speaks about "Talkie" Films

Basil Rathbone’s first “talking picture” was The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929). Shortly after making that film, Rathbone talked with a reporter about the future of motion pictures. The following article appeared in The Indianapolis Star, June 2, 1929. Basil Rathbone wooing Norma Shearer Stage Plays Not to be Main Source of Talking Movies, Says Rathbone The successful talking picture of the future…

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Hollywood in 1930

Basil Rathbone was making films in Hollywood in 1930 (This Mad World, The Bishop Murder Case, The Flirting Widow, Sin Takes a Holiday, …). What was Hollywood like back then? Below is an aerial photo of Hollywood that appeared in the June 1930 issue of Talking Screen magazine. The street running from the top, through the center to the bottom of the picture, is Hollywood Boulevard. Vine Street…

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John Miltern: In Memorium

John Miltern Eighty-seven years ago today (January 15, 1937) Basil Rathbone’s dear friend and “foster father” was killed after being struck by an automobile while he was crossing a busy street. Jack Miltern had been living in an apartment above Basil and Ouida’s garage. His daily routine involved helping Basil Rathbone walk his six dogs in Griffith Park, which lay on the other side of Los Feliz…

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The Stratford-upon-Avon Players' Tour of North America, 1913-1914

Basil Rathbone Following the 1913 Summer Festival at Stratford-on-Avon, Frank Benson, the actor-manager of the Benson Shakespeare Company (and Basil Rathbone’s cousin), led a company of 50 members, including Rathbone, on a tour of North America. The tour was organized by the governors of the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Benson’s company traveled under the name “The…

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Favorites of the Famous

This is a short post, but hopefully you will enjoy it. I wanted to share an interview that Basil Rathbone did on the weekly radio program Favorites of the Famous, broadcast in May 1952. Host Wayne Howell, a disc jockey in Dallas, Texas, interviewed celebrities about music, including their favorites. During breaks in the interview, the station would play a portion of the celebrity’s favorite piece…

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A Farewell to Basil Rathbone

On this anniversary of Basil Rathbone’s death (July 21, 1967), I’m sharing an article that was first printed in Issue #12 (1968) of the horror fan magazine Castle of Frankenstein. Written by Calvin T. Beck, the article is a tribute to our favorite actor. Here is “A Farewell to Basil Rathbone”: Of all dramatic artists in the firmament, Basil Rathbone was one of the most beloved and respected.…

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Apologies

Happy Easter, Rathbone fans! I am sorry that so much time has passed since I last posted something on The Baz. I am in the process of moving from the East Coast of the USA to the West Coast in order to live closer to family. This process has been occupying most of my time. I promise that as soon as I am settled, I will get back to posting Basil Rathbone articles. In the meantime, enjoy some…

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Basil and Ballet

In the November 27, 1964 issue of Life magazine Basil Rathbone read an article about ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The article prompted Rathbone to write a letter to the editor, which was published in the December 18 issue. The letter reads: Sirs: You say “not since the now legendary Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova danced together” has there been such a great team as Nureyev and Fonteyn. I am curious…

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A Profile of Basil and Ouida in 1938

A Profile of Basil and Ouida in 1938

Today I’m sharing an article that I found in the March 21, 1938 edition of The Daily Mirror. SHE’S LOVED A VILLAIN FOR YEARS! by Molly Castle If I want to find the Basil Rathbones home around tea time (and tea at any time is enough of a rarity in Hollywood to be worth going after), I always choose a Monday. Because on Monday there is no racing at Santa Anita. And at the races is just where I…

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Basil Rathbone in Summer Stock

Basil Rathbone in Summer Stock

Sea Cliff Summer Theatre, Long Island In the 1950s, Basil Rathbone supplemented his income by performing in some summer stock productions. What’s “summer stock” you ask? The name refers to productions staged during the summer months (the off-season for professional theatre). Theatres hosting such “summer stock” productions are often located near resort areas. Productions are often outdoors or…

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The German Versions of Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes Films

The German Versions of Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes Films

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in their most famous roles. In 2009, film historian Amanda Field wrote England’s Secret Weapon: The Wartime Films of Sherlock Holmes, a book that explores the Sherlock Holmes films in their historical context. From the back cover:“Though the first two films were set in the detective’s ‘true’ Victorian period, Holmes was then updated and recruited to fight the Nazis.…

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On Playing Sherlock Holmes

On Playing Sherlock Holmes

Basil Rathbone, creator of radio’s version of Doyle’s famous sleuth, sees character as part of old England. The following is an article written by Basil Rathbone. Titled “On Playing Sherlock Holmes,” it was published in the March 1940 issue of Radio Varieties. Many persons ask me what is the difference in your feeling when you face the NBC microphone as Sherlock Holmes and when you face the…

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A Year in the Life of Basil Rathbone — 1940

A Year in the Life of Basil Rathbone — 1940

In 2018 I created a post about the events in Basil Rathbone’s life during 1930. Let’s jump ahead ten years and take a closer look at where Basil was and what he was doing in 1940. Where did he live? What was he doing? What did he earn? In 1940, Basil was living and working in Hollywood. Basil, his wife Ouida, and their daughter Cynthia had moved from their house on 5254 Los Feliz Blvd. to a new…