At the Rylott estate a scream echoes through the manor. Violet Stoner (Joyce Moore) staggers from her bedroom and falls to the floor dead. Her death is mysterious and there is an inquest. Dr. Watson (Athole Stewart), being a family friend, attends. Also there is Violet’s sister Helen (Angela Baddeley) and the girls’ stepfather Grimesby Rylott (Lyn Harding).
A year later Helen becomes engaged to a young man named Curtis (Ivan Brandt). He tells her that he must go to Rangoon since his employer bought another plantation and his boss is sending him there. He will be away at least six months to a year. Helen is devastated by this news. She firmly believes that if he leaves something really bad will happen and she will never see him again. She asks him to take her with him. He is thrilled at the news. He tells her he must go to Amsterdam tomorrow but he will be back by the next day. Then they will get married on Friday and leave for Rangoon on Saturday.
Helen’s stepfather is not happy with this news. If she marries she will inherit her mother’s estate and Rylott will be relegated to receiving s stipend. He tells his housekeeper, and cohort, Mrs. Staunton (Nancy Price) that he will deal with her the same way he did her sister when she wanted to get married. Rylott has some builders come in and start some work in Helen’s bedroom. Since the room will be under construction Helen will have to sleep in Violet’s old room. Helen is suspicious and afraid of her stepfather. She is certain that if she stays in Violet’s room she will not live to get married. She goes to see Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes (Raymond Massey) for help.
“The Speckled Band” was released in 1931 and was directed by Jack Raymond. It is a British crime mystery based on the 1892 story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as well as the 1910 play that was also adapted from the story. It is the third sound film done on a Sherlock Holmes story. The film stars Raymond Massey as Sherlock Holmes and Athole Stewart as Dr. Watson.
There were a lot of liberties taken with the original story. There were additional characters added, and Holmes now lives at 197 Baker Street. He also has a front office complete with secretaries and modern office equipment including an intercom system, typewriters, dictation machines and a makeshift database.
The film is old and choppy so it’s a little difficult to follow. The original film is said to be some ninety minutes long but other sources put it at an hour and six minutes long. Unfortunately much of the film has been chopped up and the only known remaining film is only about forty-nine minutes in length. What is left is old, fuzzy and badly edited. As for how Massey is as Sherlock Holmes is difficult to say considering the state of the film. What is viewable shows him as no worse than any of the other dozens of people who have played Sherlock Holmes.
This is Raymond Massey’s first credited role. Massey was the father-in-law of Jeremy Brett. Brett played Sherlock Holmes in the Granada television series from 1984 to 1994. Brett was married to Massey’s daughter Anna from 1958 to 1962. Lyn Harding, who played the evil step-father, would go on to play Professor Moriarty in “The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes” 1935 and “Murder at the Baskervilles” 1937.