Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series) nitrate film. The UCLA Film and Television Archive restored the series, putting the films onto modern polyester film, in a process that was jointly paid for by UCLA, Warner Bros. and Hugh Hefner. In 1938 Basil Rathbone was cast as Sherlock Holmes for the 20th Century Fox adaptation of "The Hound of the Baskervilles"; Nigel Bruce was chosen to play Dr. John Watson. Darryl F. Zanuck, Gregory Ratoff and Gene Markey made the choice of Rathbone as Holmes during a conversation at a party in Hollywood. Filming began on 29 December 1938 under the direction of Sidney Lanfield and the
Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes End actor Eille Norwood in the lead with Hubert Willis as Watson. John Barrymore played the role in a 1922 movie entitled "Sherlock Holmes", with Roland Young as Watson and William Powell in his first screen appearance. This Goldwyn film is the first Holmes movie made with high production values and a major star. Clive Brook played Sherlock Holmes three times: "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" (1929), as part of an anthology film, "Paramount on Parade" (1930), and "Sherlock Holmes" (1932). In 1931 Raymond Massey played Sherlock Holmes in his screen debut, "The Speckled Band", while Arthur Wontner played Holmes