March 31, 1939: Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes Films Begin

March 31, 1939: The Hound of the Baskervilles premieres, the 1st of 14 films starring Basil Rathbone, coming off his villainous turn as Sir Guy of Gisbourne for the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood, as "consulting detective" Sherlock Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as his partner in crime-solving, Dr. John H. Watson. Both characters were created by the man for whom Watson was a stand-in, Dr. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The series has defined the characters of Holmes and Watson ever since.

Based on Conan Doyle's 1902 novel, Holmes is called on by Sir Henry Baskerville, heir to a family's country estate, to find out about a large, vicious dog that has allegedly killed much of the family. Holmes discovers that the dog belongs to another heir, who wants the family fortune for himself.

This was followed later in 1939 by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, pitting the hero against his arch-enemy, Professor James Moriarty, "the Napoleon of Crime," played by George Zucco. Ida Lupino guest-stars.

The subsequent films are moved from the stories' native late Victoria era to the present day. Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror was released in 1942, and was based on the story "His Last Bow," in which an aging Holmes solved a case for the British government on the eve of World War I. In this version, Holmes leaves behind his famed deerstalker cap for a fedora, and stops a Nazi agent from sabotaging Britain at a low point in World War II.

"The Adventure of the Dancing Men," from 1903, was adapted into Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, released at Christmas 1942, as Moriarty (now played by Lionel Atwill) is now working with the Nazis. Sherlock Holmes in Washington is an original story, and closes with Holmes and Watson riding down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol Building in an open convertible, a jarring thought to anyone used to his usual Victorian London setting.

"The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" became the 1943 film Sherlock Holmes Faces Death. The 1944 film The Spider Woman is a combination of "The Sign of the Four," "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" and "The Final Problem." The Scarlet Claw, released for Summer 1944, was an original story. "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" became the 1944 film The Pearl of Death. "The Five Orange Pips" became the 1945 film The House of Fear. The Woman In Green, released for Summer 1945, was an original story, with Henry Daniell as Moriarty.

Pursuit to Algiers, released late in 1945, was an original story. "The Adventure of the Empty House" and "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" were adapted for the 1946 film Terror By Night. The last film, Dressed to Kill, released on June 7, 1946, was an original story.

Despite many subsequent attempts, including the 21st Century films with Robert Downey Jr., and the present-day TV updates Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Elementary with Jonny Lee Miller, Basil Rathbone is still the defining Holmes for many fans of the character. Bruce died in 1953, Rathbone in 1967.

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March 31, 1939 was a Friday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And the Stanley Cup Playoffs were between rounds. So there were no scores on this historic day.

There was one noteworthy event connected with sports on this day, although no one would know it for many years: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was born. The left back starred for German soccer team FC Köln and Italy's AC Milan, and was a member of the West Germany team that reached the 1966 World Cup Final, losing to England.