Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series) Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series) A series of fourteen films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories were released between 1939 and 1946; the British actors Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. The first two films in the series were produced by 20th Century Fox and released in 1939. The studio stopped making the films after these, but Universal Studios acquired the rights from the Doyle estate and produced a further twelve films. Although the films from 20th Century Fox had large budgets, high production values and were set in the Victorian
Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes 1960s, there was a BBC TV series entitled "Sherlock Holmes" with Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock. Peter Cushing, who had earlier played the detective in the Hammer version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles", later took over from Wilmer in the lead role. The 24 part series "Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" (1979–1980) starred Geoffrey Whitehead as Holmes and Donald Pickering as Watson. In 1982, Granada Television aired an eight-part series entitled "" which told the story of Holmes' youth. The show starred Guy Henry as Sherlock Holmes. Also in 1982, the BBC produced an adaptation of The Hound of