Product Description
Long out of print and virtually impossible to find even in the rare book market, this autobiography recalls to life one of the most eminent actors of his time. Sherlock Holmes fans will be much interested in Basil Rathbone's remarks on the character with whom he has been so closely identified. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Great Book = Not your run of the mill Hollywood yarn.
Great book full of fun, interesting, and sometimes downright fact-is-stranger-than-fiction antedotes of this dedicated stage and screen actor who led a full and varied life without sleeping around with everyone in Hollywood.Imagine that, a guy who loved and was devoted to his wife, wasn't a drug addict, and still was able to handle fame and have fun!

Basil Rathbone a Genius On and Off Stage
I always enjoyed Basil's performances in his movies. His autobiography gives so much insight into a brilliant man. He also had a high moral character, even though he was portrayed as a villian in many of his "motion pictures". I regret I never saw him perform liveon stage, I'm sure he was brilliant. His reflections on his life, stage and movie career are very interesting. I especially enjoyed his remarks on some of the greats that new and performed with on stage and in Hollywood.

Please pass the Basil!
An excellent book! Well written, you can HEAR Rathbone reading it to you... for a window into the world of cinema past, this book is a MUST!

In and Out of Character
Although this book is out of print, and selling for $50 to $200+, I was lucky enough to find it at a much better price, and brand new! Basil Rathbone is my favorite Holmes (next to Jermey Brett) and his book is wonderfully written.

A life well lived
Not so much a book as a transcripts of conversations with a favourite uncle while sitting back with port and cigars.
Though written over 50 years ago the life of Phillip St John Basil Rathbone is still a great story,we mostly remember him as Sherlock Holmes or perhapd the Sheriff of Nottingham but details of his earlier all but hidden.What caused me to look for more about him came from finding out he had won a Military Cross in WW1 as an intelligence officer and I wanted to know what he had done.In fact it only gets a passing reference.

However,we learn much of his early life,family,friends and first love,his time in the armyand then his career as the actor we know and love.

What is refreshing in this type of tell all story is that throughout it he condemnsno one,puts down no one a total gentleman as we used to say.As i read it I could hear his voice as if he was there in the room with me now and again going off at a tangent and recalling something that has just entered his mind as one does when when chatting.

In short I thoroughly enjoyed the life of an actor I have always admired and would gladly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good yarn.Sit backin your favourite armchair and enjoy.

Malcolm T Ward ... Read more

Product Description

Universally acclaimed as the maestro of horror and the morbid, Edgar Allan Poe's dark gift has for more than a century and a half set the standard for the genre.

Now, Caedmon Audio presents a classic collection of Poe's most terrifying tales performed by two of the most brilliant interpreters of his work ever to be recorded: Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone.

Between them, they perform 20 of Poe's chilling stories and poems, creating an unforgettably intense listening experience.

Customer Reviews (41)

Poe fans
If you are a "Poe" fan and especially if you remember listening to the old radio stories that gave you the chills you will love this! The readings are done in such a way that you cannot help but visualize in your mind being right there in each scene that is being told. What a great way to relax away a bad day!

disappointed
I love Edgar Allan Poe and I thought it would be extra spooky and fun to have the likes of Price and Rathbone, but they did not captivate me at all.I would rather read my book than listen to this collection. It is now sitting on a shelf untouched after one run through - bummer.

perfect casting
Excellent collection. Basil Rathbone and Vincent Price are the perfect readers. Great listen on a dark and stormy night!

Could Have Been Much Better
Yes the recordings are as good as the other reviewers say they are.However a couple of nits:

1. The recordings run into one another. Not having listened to these works for many years, several times it took me a bit to realize that one had ended and I was now listening to another masterpiece.A little breathing room between pieces or even a quick title announcement would have been appreciated.

2. There is no listing of what is on what disk on either the box or the CD holder insert.That means you have to use the paper insert to find what you want or scan the tiny silver font on green disk labels.Unfortunately my insert was missing.It would have been so much nicer to have the play list printed on the cd holder where it would be handy whenever I pulled one out.

phooey
Audiobooks are books meant to be read aloud, enunciation and clarity are among the most important.

Using these very old recordings done for a 'dramatic appeal' has left me with a feeling of wanton waste of money.

Basil Rathbone's renditions are from a Shakespearean attempting to do Poe. If he would simply read. Alas, he acts, not reads.

All of his recordings are:Volume too low, adjust up, volume to high, adjust down, yelling, adjust down again, whispering, adjust up again, etc. etc. ad nauseum.One cannot possibly hear using one setting of volume.

It is a waste of money. Find a human who can read it and enunciate and let me do the fantasizing and imagining and conjuring. The poetry and prose should stand up alone and by itself, not acted upon. Rathbone died in 1967. The recording is over 50 years old!!

Anyone who needs it play acted is not getting the correct message. It's about the words, not the actor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Ultimate Guide to Basil Rathbone
Mr Druxman's book on the actor Basil Rathbone has everything you could ever need to know about this great man, who although best known for his stunning portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, had a long career of many wonderful, varied roles. This book has an excellent first part on the biography of Rathbone and his family-showing a side of Rathbone that the cinema goer, who found themselves terrified of his villanous roles would be surprised to see-with his love of his wife and children, followed by a brilliantly detailed section on all of his films-from silent to sound.
The book is written carefully and handles the life of the star brilliantly, without being star-struck. The book is packed with all sorts of photographs (black and white) from the star's childhood onwards. A must-have for any fan of the great actor.
Also contains quote from many actors who worked alongside Rathbone, through his long and distinguished career.
The only fault one could find with this book is that it has not been re-printed/re-published more recently! It deserves to be. ... Read more

Product Description

CLASSIC SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES FROM
THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO AT A NEW LOW PRICE!

From 1939-1946 Americans gathered around their radio to listen to The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- featuring Basil Rathbone as the high strung crime solver and Nigel Bruce as his phlegmatic assistant, Dr. Watson.

Witty, fast-paced and always surprising, these great radio plays -- written by the prolific writing team of Anthony Boucher and Denis Green -- are as fresh today as they were then.

The latest audio technology was employed to bring the best audio quality and fidelity to the original performances, which feature nostalgic war-time announcements, original commercials and radio narrations.

This special CD edition includes 12 of the series' best episodes:

The Unfortunate Tobacconist and The Paradol Chamber

The Viennese Strangler and The Notorious Canary Trainer

The April Fool's Day Adventure and
The Strange Adventure of the Uneasy Easy Chair

The Strange Case of the Demon Barber and The Mystery of the Headless Monk

The Amateur Mendicant Society and The Case of the Vanishing White Elephant

The Case of the Limping Ghost and The Girl with the Gazelle

When Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were chosen to play Holmes and Watson in the 1939 film The Hound of the Baskervilles, no one realized that they would be forever linked with the characters of the great detective and his loyal friend. The immediate success of the film led to their being chosen to portray Holmes and Watson on the radio for 8 years in 213 episodes of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Classic Old Radio
Great old radio shows of Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce.The mysteries are not based on the original stories by Doyle but are interesting just the same.These are shows from later in the series (it ran from 1939-46).The commercials for Petri wine are hokey, but you can overlook that.There are even interesting announcements for the war effort.A must for the Sherlock Holmes fan.

Missing Titles
The CD is very good.Unfortunatly your site did not list the titles of the shows.I already had them on another CD I purchesd from you ... Read more

Product Description
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, and Tom Conway appear in two vintage radio dramas, originally broadcast in the 1940s, featuring the incomparable Sherlock Holmes--""The Night Before Christmas"" and ""The Darlington Substitution."" ... Read more

Product Description

CLASSIC SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES FROM
THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO AT A NEW LOW PRICE!

From 1939-1946 Americans gathered around their radio to listen to The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- featuring Basil Rathbone as the high strung crime solver and Nigel Bruce as his phlegmatic assistant, Dr. Watson.

Witty, fast-paced and always surprising, these great radio plays -- written by the prolific writing team of Anthony Boucher and Denis Green -- are as fresh today as they were then, and feature perfect sound along with nostalgic war-time announcements, original narrations and radio commercials. This special CD collector's edition includes:

The Case of the Out of Date Murder and The Waltz of Death

Colonel Warburton's Madness and The Iron Box

A Scandal in Bohemia and The Second Generation

In Flanders Fields and The Eyes of Mr. Leyton

The Tell Tale Pigeon Feathers and The Indiscretion of Mr. Edwards

The Problem of Thor Bridge and The Double Zero

When Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were chosen to play Holmes and Watson in the 1939 film The Hound of the Baskervilles, no one realized that they would be forever linked with the characters of the great detective and his loyal friend. The immediate success of the film led to their being chosen to portray Holmes and Watson on the radio for 8 years in 213 episodes of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Old Radio Shows
These are classic Sherlock Holmes radio mysteries from the 1940's starring Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce.They are from late in the series (the shows ran from 1939-46).Most are from original scripts & not from the Conan Doyle stories.Rathbone & Bruce are great.Try to overlook the hokey Petri wine commercials.There are also some interesting war announcements.Radio classics that are a must have.

Classic Old Time Radio
Sherlock Holmes, a classic detective, well done by Basil Rathbone in these old time radio classics.I bought these for parents in their 70's and they can't believe how it takes them back to those good old radio days.I still enjoy listening to them, even if the wine commercials are a little corny. ... Read more

Product Description
The haunting of Sherlock Holmes

Exactly as broadcast on May 20, 1946

"It's the first time in my career that i've ever had a ghost for a client!" exclaims Sherlock Holmes. On a holiday in a small Balkan country, Holmes and Watson observe the execution of the beautiful opera singer, Lilly Rhena, who was accused of spying. Yet shortly after her demise, she visits the detective and his companion in their hotel suite. Can Holmes and Watson unravel the mystery without putting their own lives in peril?

THE BACONIAN CIPHER

Exactly as broadcast on May 27, 1946

A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR OR A MESSAGE OF MURDER? Holmes detects a strange message in the "Agony Column" of the London Times. With the help of Dr. Watson and a French detective, Sherlock Holmes is led into a curious plot of murder and intrigue. This is the last appearance of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce together as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the radio.

The Haunting of Sherlock Holmes and The Baconian Cipher were broadcast over the Mutual Broadcasting System on May 20, 1946 and May 27, 1946 respectively. For more than forty years these episodes were believed lost until 1987, when the Los Angeles group 221 "A" Baker Street Associates announced their discovery. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's daughter, Dame Jean Conan Doyle, graciously granted permission for a re-release of the shows, and the latest audio technology was employed to bring the best possible audio quality and fidelity to the original performances. The Haunting of Sherlock Holmes and The Baconian Cipher were written by the prolific radio writing team of Anthony Boucher and Denis Green and star Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Enjoyable Fare
These two radio shows expose us not only to the great Sherlock Holmes but to English culture.

Masterful, timeless work by Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce
This radio series, which aired in the 1940's, is still as fresh as the day Boucher and Green borrowed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pen and decided to write some "further" adventures of the great man.Their storiesare based on incidents suggested in the original Doyle tales and arebrought to life in splendid fashion by the consumate radio and screen duetof Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.The sound effects are superior, themood is at times dark, often humourous and always mysterious andentertaining. ... Read more

Product Description
This tape features a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories read by the actor Basil Rathbone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Basil Rathbone is great!
When this item arrived, I was disappointed because they sent me the abridged version and it only had four stories instead of five.But I decided to give it a chance and I found that Basil Rathbone narrates Sherlock Holmes as good as he portrayed him on the radio or other recorded media such as "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," which is now on Compact Disc, with the exception of the final four episodes in the series. (But I believe they will get those on CD soon.)

As to this narration itself, I felt that Mr. Rathbone set out to speak as John H. Watson, M.D. in the fashion he was so used to hearing, that of Nigel Bruce's interpretation of the character.There are times (and I don't know if it is him or the audio cassette) but Basil Rathbone sounds more like Nigel Bruce's Dr. Watson than Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.I enjoyed the tape trememdously and would even recommend the abridged version to someone who is a fan of Sherlock Holmes and/or Basil Rathbone.

So I do give this narration five stars with no hesitation.My only regret is that Rathbone didn't narrate more Sherlock Holmes stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Basil Rathbone, Tom Conway, and Nigel Bruce perform in two radio dramas, originally broadcast during the 1940s, as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the case of ""The Accidental Murderess"" and ""The Adventure of the Blarney Stone."" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The games afoot!
I enjoyed this so much I named my Son after one of the Characters! Truthfully I can't get enough of it. I absolutely love the way they begin each Episode, Dr. Watson inviting us in as he stokes the Fire, tells us a bit about his Dogs and shares a glass of Perti Wine. You feel as though you're right there the sound(s), speech are very clear. For those who watch Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce in the Movies you'll enhance your appreciation for not only these Actors, but the Mysteries as well. The only thing mysterious about this and the other Discs in this Collection is...why you're reading my Review when you could have already ordered them!?

Classic 40's radio mystery
If you like old time radio shows then this series is a 'must buy'. I owned the cassette tapes from the original release of these sets back in the late 80's. True reproduction right down to the Petri wine commercials. It's a trip to the past and a 'must have' for every Rathbone / Bruce fan.

"I should be delighted"
"Murder in the Casbah" is the third CD collection of 1945/1946 radio broadcasts starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.Its title episode is prefaced by CD presenter Ben Wright pointing out that Holmes and Watson travel from London to Algiers in the space of a musical bridge, but in fact this foreign journey seems more believable than those in such other episodes as "The Vanishing Elephant" (on a previous CD set)."Murder in the Casbah" is an unusually good episode in which for once, although the crucial clues are fairly and clearly presented, I did not perceive their significance until Holmes explained it -- a satisfying experience."The Tankerville Club" is a Colonel Moran story.Although Watson's encounter with Moran here might seem to contradict his later unfamiliarity with him in Conan Doyle's "The Empty House", this is a forgivable lapse, since Conan Doyle himself committed a similar solecism with respect to Watson's knowledge of Moriarty in "The Final Problem" and "The Valley of Fear".

"The Strange Case of the Murderer in Wax" was performed on a theater stage for a large audience of servicemen.Perhaps to appeal to that audience, it is an unusually action-packed story -- but, refreshingly, Holmes himself expresses dissatisfaction at the case's conclusion with its having been resolved physically rather than mentally, giving the case an authentically Holmesian feeling in its very unusualness.Holmes adopts one of his most startling disguises in this story, which inspires him to be even ruder to Watson than usual; but a couple of scenes later, he is touchingly glad to see Watson, even though the doctor appears on the scene an hour earlier than Holmes had requested.The audience of men in uniform gives this story a gratifyingly loud and enthusiastic ovation.

"The Man With the Twisted Lip" is a reasonably faithful but somewhat reduced adaptation of the Conan Doyle story.The opening scene with Kate Whitney's visit to the Watson household is merely described by Watson rather than dramatized, and Watson's ensuing visit to the opium den is actually less fully told here than in the reworking of the same scene at the beginning of "The Eyes of Mr. Leyton" (on the previous CD set).Very unfortunately, the CD intro to "The Man With the Twisted Lip" includes a major spoiler for the story.

"The Guileless Gypsy" is an extremely unusual episode in that it presents a quasi-romantic attachment for Holmes with a woman other than Irene Adler.A scene in which Holmes' fortune is accurately told seems to violate the rational nature of the Conan Doyle stories, but is forgivable due to its Holmesian tone and detail."The Camberwell Poisoners" (misspelled as "Camberville" on the CD and packaging) is a version of an "unrecorded adventure" mentioned in the Canon for which Watson gave not only the title, but the basic plot gimmick of the story.The tale writers Denis Green and Anthony Boucher have woven around that gimmick is extremely dark -- perhaps more dark than Conan Doyle would have ventured to write -- with an especially downbeat closing sentiment from Holmes.

"The Terrifying Cats", set in Rome, is one of the best episodes on these Rathbone CDs, despite featuring a breathtakingly appalling Italian accent from the actor playing Inspector Bellini.Holmes stories set outside Great Britain often feel unauthentic, but Boucher and Green cleverly tie this story to the end of another "unrecorded adventure" from the Canon, "the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca".Because Nigel Bruce was ill the week this episode was broadcast, Watson was played by Eric Snowden, whose Watson sounds much more intelligent than Bruce's despite not being written any differently.

"The Submarine Caves" is a quasi-sequel to Conan Doyle's "The Bruce-Partington Plans"; Holmes' brother Mycroft sends Holmes and Watson on their mission, although he remains offstage.This episode was broadcast after the end of World War II, but still reflects wartime anti-German attitudes.It is unusual for a Sherlock Holmes story in general and this series in particular in that, much as in a "Columbo" episode, the identity of the culprits is quite clear early on -- so clear that I erroneously thought they would turn out to be innocent -- and the suspense of the story comes from wondering how Holmes will outwit them.

"The Living Doll" is a dark but charming story set after Holmes' retirement, involving a little girl who comes to Holmes for help when her doll is mutilated."The Disappearing Scientists", which takes place on the very day Holmes retires, is an especially clever story in that none of the suspects ever appear, and Holmes solves the case without meeting any of them!

The two episodes on the final CD of the set, "The Speckled Band" and "The Purloined Ruby", are introduced with dramatized scenes in which Harry Bartel, the announcer of the original broadcasts, "goes back in time" to meet Irene Adler, with whom he discusses the two Holmes cases in question.Although this is a charming idea, it is not quite logically carried out.When Bartel tells Irene that he had sat down to discuss "The Purloined Ruby" with Watson, this does not jibe with the fact that that episode was in fact hosted by a different announcer.

Given that the other Conan Doyle adaptations on these CDs are quite faithful to the original texts, it is deeply surprising that "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" substantially and unnecessarily alters the most highly-regarded of the Holmes short stories.The basic outline of the plot is the same, but major details are altered, including Watson knowing Holmes' client from years earlier when they were strangers to each other in the original tale.(Some of the differences reflect elements of Conan Doyle's stage adaptation of the story.)"The Purloined Ruby" ends the CD collection on a weak note with the unexplained return of a character whose resurrection is entirely impossible to make believable.

Like the other CD releases in this series, "Murder in the Casbah" is a fun collection of Holmes pastiches, and "The Terrifying Cats" is, in my opinion, exceptional.

THE JOY OF RADIO STILL LIVES!!
It continues to be a microcosum of the world at that time, completewith Perti wine commercials, war bonds, GAS RATIONING, SUGAR, AND EATING STEAK AGAIN,and most excellent performances of Rathbone and Bruce.Immortal writing, portrayal of Holmes and Watson.!!!!
Don't Miss a single episode.!!!

Radio is forever
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are well known for their Sherlock Holmes films, which were produced by universal.An interesting fact is that the universal contract provided that each week these two men could have the day off.On this day, they would go into the radio studios of the Mutual Broadcasting System, where they would give two performances of the same show.Remember, in those days, there was no global Communications Network as we know it today and soul, two performances were necessary; one for the East Coast and one for the west.This was something that these two professionals were very used to.Listening to these shows, one realizes just for professional Rathbone and Bruce really were.These shows were recorded live, with no editing for mistakes.In radio, if you made a mistake, you simply had to keep going.You had to know the material backwards and forwards because the studio audience was counting on you to transport them to 18th century London, far away from the news of the war.At home, there were other drives, Peter drives, and, price ceiling.But for one day a week, Americans could forget about all that and travel with Holmes and Watson, as they undertook another case filled with murder, industry, and intrigue at the turn of the sentry.And Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce acted as tour guides to this adventure.Now at last , these wonderful adventures have been released on CD so that people of my generation, who were not know all lucky enough to be born during this time radio broadcasts were a staple of american entertainment, can now enjoy them.These shows providing ample evidence that dramatic radio is not dead after all.Dead,?No, radio is forever ... Read more