Sherlock Holmes - E10: The Mother Hubbard Case
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
Sherlock Holmes tracks down a murderer who uses a young girl to lure victims to empty houses, where they are killed.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
Sherlock Holmes tracks down a murderer who uses a young girl to lure victims to empty houses, where they are killed.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:30Mr. Mr.
00:59Well, isn't it rather late for a young lady to be out alone?
01:04Do you live here?
01:06No.
01:07Then you must be visiting here, are you?
01:09My name is Frances Elizabeth Wright.
01:13I live at 67 Tiffley Road.
01:17I'm lost.
01:18Oh, you're lost.
01:20Could you take me home, please?
01:22I'm afraid.
01:24I should say I will.
01:25Come on.
01:27That's the way it began.
01:29Nothing extraordinary.
01:31For in a large city like London, a lost child is such a common occurrence
01:35that many are far seeing Bobby
01:37arms himself with a bag of chocolates in addition to his nightstick.
01:41No one suspected
01:43that this was the beginning of a case
01:45that was to rock all England.
01:59All right.
02:01If you insist.
02:04I know this man isn't going to do us any good.
02:07But what's the use of talking to you?
02:10Just as stubborn as your mother.
02:13I suspect we're having visitors.
02:15Oh, really?
02:17I'm afraid so.
02:18I'm afraid so.
02:20I'm afraid so.
02:21I'm afraid so.
02:22I'm afraid so.
02:24I'm afraid so.
02:25I'm afraid so.
02:27I'm afraid so.
02:28I'm afraid so.
02:30I'm afraid so.
02:31I'm afraid so.
02:33I'm afraid so.
02:34I'm afraid so.
02:51Come along, Mr. Gillespie.
02:53I don't think you're quite dressed to receive attractive young ladies.
02:56How may I help you, sir?
02:58Uh, Martini. George Martini is my name.
03:01This is my daughter, Margaret, who is of the stubborn opinion that you can help her.
03:05It will be a privilege, sir.
03:07Oh, may I introduce my very good friend, Dr. Watson?
03:10How do you do?
03:12How do you do, sir?
03:14Oh, yes. Won't you sit down?
03:17Oh, yes. I'm so sorry.
03:27How can I be of any assistance to you?
03:30This is rather a confidential matter.
03:34Oh, yes. Yes.
03:36Dr. Watson is both the soul of discretion and my invaluable colleague in all my cases,
03:41especially the more delicate ones.
03:45I see.
03:47Well, there's this fellow, Richard Trevor is his name,
03:51who's been courting Margaret here.
03:54A sly one, if I ever saw one.
03:56I could tell by the shape of his ears
03:59and the fact that he belonged to that upstart Shield and Castle club.
04:03There was nothing wrong with his ears.
04:05They were beautiful, both of them.
04:08Nevertheless, he gave her the impression that he was going to see me last night
04:12and ask for her hand in marriage.
04:15Instead, the scoundrel sent me some fantastic note about being detained
04:19and then never appeared at all.
04:22Do you want to find out what happened to him?
04:25What did Mr. Trevor say in his note?
04:28That he would be detained because he had run into a little girl who was lost
04:33and was taking her home.
04:35Have you made any inquiries at his home?
04:38Yes. With father, of course.
04:41I don't think it's gentile to go to a man's rooms, even if he is your fiancé.
04:46Quite right. Quite right.
04:48There was no sign of him, but his clothes were all there.
04:51He wouldn't run off without his clothes, would he?
04:54No. No. Hardly.
04:56A pure guess.
04:58A deduction.
04:59Just as I deduced that you have a scar on the left side of your head
05:02which you received in a naval battle.
05:05I'll be bound. How did you know that?
05:08Well, a right-handed man normally parts his hair on the left.
05:11Your parting is on the right,
05:13thereby indicating that you changed it at some time or another to hide a mark.
05:17As to how you got it,
05:19it appears to me by the fact that you carry on your watch chain
05:22the insignia of His Majesty's ship Assault,
05:25which everyone remembers distinguished herself heroically off the coast of Africa.
05:29Well done, Holmes. I declare well done.
05:36Will you investigate, Mr. Holmes?
05:38We'll look into the case immediately, Miss Martini.
05:40And as soon as we have any information for you, we'll let you know.
05:43I shall be forever in your debt.
05:45Or I will be after I see his bill.
05:48Here's our address.
05:49That won't be necessary, sir.
05:51I saw it marked on your hatband when you came in.
05:53If you'll forgive me, sir,
05:55a rather extraordinary precaution against the loss of a bowler only worth two guineas.
06:00Come, dear.
06:02Come.
06:18Not long after moving in with Sherlock Holmes,
06:20I had come to the conclusion that his mind was as organised as his housekeeping was not.
06:26He was without a doubt the most perfect reasoning observing machine I had ever encountered.
06:31And just watching him think had become sheer fascination.
06:34I tried to put myself into his brain now
06:37and deduce what had happened to the missing Mr. Trevor.
06:40Did it occur to you he might have had an accident
06:43and even now be lying in a hospital at this very moment?
06:46You, being a doctor, would think of that.
06:49But if that were the case,
06:51surely the hospital would have informed someone by now.
06:54Maybe he skipped off and left with them.
06:56There's no guarantee he won't come back for his clothes or have them sent on to him.
06:59I'd grant that if he hadn't sent that note.
07:01A man deserting a girl isn't likely to send a note at all.
07:05And if he did, he couldn't conceive, as Mr. Martini put it, of such a fantastic one.
07:11The case is more than complex, Watson.
07:14And when we solve it, we shall also know what became of the others.
07:18What others?
07:20Oh, Watson, would you pass me my tobacco pouch?
07:25Hmm? Well, where is it?
07:28It's in the toe of the Persian slipper, under your chair.
07:32All right.
07:36Here you are.
07:38Oh. Thank you, Watson.
07:41Now, what others?
07:44Well, it's come to my attention during the past two weeks
07:47that seven men have disappeared, totally evaporated from the face of London.
07:51They had no reason to run away, every reason to stay.
07:56Trevor fits perfectly into this fabric.
07:58You mean, then, that there's more in this
08:00than just the disappearance of that young lady's fiancé?
08:03Unless you accept eight consecutive coincidences.
08:08Could you accompany me this afternoon?
08:10Hmm? Where?
08:12To the last place where Trevor must have been before he met the little girl.
08:17But you don't even know where that was.
08:19I'd say it was the upstart Shielden Castle Club.
08:23Why there?
08:25Well, if you were about to confront a man like Mr. Martini
08:28to ask for the hand of his daughter in marriage,
08:30what would you do first?
08:32I'd probably have a couple of stiff drinks first.
08:34And if you were a member? At the Shielden Castle Club, eh?
08:39I'd jove, Holmes, of course. That's just what I would do.
08:42You see, Watson, you've been of invaluable assistance to me already.
08:54But you must tell us if he was here last night.
08:56He's missing. We're trying to find him.
08:58It's no use, sir. You'll have to do without my help.
09:01This is a gentleman's club.
09:03What has that got to do with it?
09:05He may not want to be found, if you know what I mean, sir.
09:09Now, look here. That's the way to do it.
09:12I'm going to tell you where he is.
09:14I'm going to tell you where he is.
09:16I'm going to tell you where he is.
09:18I'm going to tell you where he is.
09:21Now, look here. That's the way it is, sir.
09:24I'm sworn to preserve the privacy of our members.
09:27And having two little tops to feed,
09:29I'm not one to invite getting the sack.
09:46I say, where have you been?
09:48This is meant to be your case, you know, and I've been doing all the investigating.
09:51Do you know that Trevor was here last night?
09:53How do you know?
09:54Well, to my utter amazement, one of my keys fitted the door to the office.
09:57I went through all the chits and found one signed by him.
09:59It's just as you thought.
10:00He boasted his courage with the aid of stimulants from the bar.
10:03Do you mean you've broken into the office?
10:05Do you want to have us arrested?
10:07Us?
10:09Yes, by keeping the barman occupied, he was served as my accomplice.
10:13Now, really, Holmes, you've gone too far.
10:15Now, the thing to do is to find the carriage that both Trevor and the little girl took.
10:18How do you know they didn't walk?
10:20Well, if she lived near enough to walk home,
10:22is it likely that Trevor would have sent a message saying he was going to be detained?
10:25What extraordinary reasoning.
10:27Not extraordinary at all, my dear fellow.
10:29Really quite ordinary.
10:31What on earth do you think you're doing, mate?
10:37Finding the cabbie who picked up Trevor and the little girl
10:40was a matter of stationing ourselves at the hack stand
10:43outside the Shield and Castle Club
10:45and doggedly questioning every driver who stopped there.
10:48One finally remembered the pair,
10:50but owing to brisk business that night,
10:52could not be at all sure where he set them down.
10:55The address he brought us to was a guess,
10:57and from the looks of it, a very bad one.
11:00Well, I think we're on a wild goose chase.
11:03Doesn't look as if anyone lived here for a long time.
11:06Do you realize these papers are at least a week old?
11:08Well, then, the cabbie made a mistake.
11:10He's brought us to the wrong address.
11:12You know, without very much difficulty, I think I might be able to...
11:15Holmes! Holmes, please, not again.
11:17Keep a good look out, will you?
11:19Look, Holmes, this is housebreaking. We can go to prison for years for this.
11:21You can't just go opening doors all over London just because...
11:24Holmes, there's somebody coming.
11:26Just stand in front of him and behave quite normally.
11:38What's a normal behavior for housebreaking?
11:43You coming?
11:44Look here, Holmes, a doctor doesn't do this sort of thing.
11:46I'm sure it's unethical. You can't expect me to...
11:48Holmes!
12:02What are we looking for?
12:04I'm not quite sure yet.
12:06You won't find anything here.
12:07You said yourself the house has been unoccupied for the last week.
12:12Leaves in the night, that's what we are.
12:14A child's been here recently.
12:16Oh, what makes you think that?
12:17Do you remember as a youngster, Watson,
12:19penciling in mustaches on the faces of the advertisements?
12:23I suppose so.
12:25But what's that got to do with it?
12:30When I looked at those newspapers outside,
12:32I noticed that someone had penciled in a handlebar mustache
12:36on a woman advertising headache powder.
12:40I'd assume that a child did it.
12:43More than that, since the papers were only a day old,
12:46I'd also assume that a child has been here very recently.
12:51Why should the child bring Trevor here to an unoccupied house?
12:55That, Watson, is the core of our problem.
12:58Excuse me a minute.
12:59Oh.
13:00Oh.
13:09Good heavens!
13:16Trevor?
13:17Fairly safe assumption, Watson.
13:20Yes.
13:21And from the pallor of his skin,
13:22I'd say he'd recently been given an overdose of strychnine.
13:25I'd also deduce that he's the eighth victim of a very strange murderer.
13:31THE END
13:37Dash the tea, Holmes.
13:39I'm waiting for some word from you.
13:41About what?
13:42Well, about the murder.
13:43Ever since we got back here, you've behaved as if nothing had occurred.
13:45And yet I'd wager anything that you've...
13:47You're hot with some theory as to who's done it and why.
13:50I'm afraid we've run out of Indian.
13:52I think we've got some China, if I can find it.
13:56My guess is it's a creme passionel.
13:59You're ruling out the robbery motive.
14:00Trevor was left without a shilling.
14:02Oh, that's just some sort of a smokescreen.
14:04After all, she...
14:05Good heavens, Holmes!
14:06What on earth do you think you're doing?
14:07Look! Snake poison!
14:08Oh, don't be silly, Watson.
14:09That's, uh...
14:10It's China tea.
14:11Disregard the labels.
14:12I ran out of tin.
14:13Are you sure?
14:14Yes, I'll stake my reputation on it.
14:16I'll go and see who that is.
14:17It's rather late for a caller.
14:22Good evening, Dr. Watson.
14:23Hi, Zarkin.
14:24Ah, hello, Wilkings.
14:27Good evening, Mr. Holmes.
14:29I've got a message for you, sir, from Inspector Lestrange.
14:33A welcome addition to the day.
14:35A message from the good inspector.
14:37We've found another corpse, sir.
14:40It was in an empty house in Hammersmith this time.
14:43The facts are still the same.
14:45Robbery and strychnine poisoning.
14:47Oh, is he one of the seven who disappeared lately?
14:49Yes, sir.
14:50How did you know?
14:52Well, I suspect that the other six will end up in unoccupied houses before very long.
14:56I think you'd better carry out a search in every unoccupied house in London.
15:00But this is July, sir.
15:02And everybody's away on holiday.
15:04The number of empty houses must be hundreds.
15:07Well, it's that or wait until September when everyone comes back and finds his own corpse.
15:13It'll be a very unfortunate situation for the good inspector.
15:17To say the least, sir.
15:19I'd better give the inspector your advice, sir.
15:22Yes, you must let us know what he says.
15:25That might be rather embarrassing.
15:29Good night, Mr. Holmes.
15:30Good night, Doctor.
15:32Good night.
15:35You know, Holmes, you were right.
15:37Trevor's disappearance was linked with the other seven.
15:40But what kind of fiend can be at the bottom of it?
15:42Well, we'll know more about it when we return from Brighton.
15:46Brighton?
15:47Yes, unless you'd rather not pursue this any further.
15:49There's a 6.10 train leaving in the morning.
15:516.8.
15:52Why Brighton?
15:54Because that's where R.J. Cookson lives.
15:57The place is R.J. Cookson.
16:00He's the man who owns the house in which Trevor was killed.
16:04How on earth did you find that out?
16:07Oh, no, no, no, never mind.
16:10It is tea, isn't it?
16:12Yes.
16:14Oh, I thought it was.
16:25Brighton
16:36Have you ever heard anything so incredible?
16:39A corpse in my fireplace.
16:44And a stranger at that.
16:46Rather inconsiderate of someone, I must say.
16:49Why, when the police brought the news last night,
16:51I thought someone was pulling my leg.
16:54My fireplace.
16:55Really, I ask you.
16:57I'd say because the murderer knew you'd be away,
17:00knew that the house would be unoccupied,
17:02and that you wouldn't come back at an embarrassing moment.
17:05You're right, Mr. Holmes.
17:07Absolutely right.
17:08The culprit was acquainted with all my plans,
17:11and not wanting the corpse to be found in his own fireplace, chose mine.
17:14Precisely.
17:17But who could that be?
17:18I vouched that a full regiment of people knew of my plans to leave London.
17:22Then our task is to narrow down that regiment.
17:26But how? You have me breathless.
17:29First of all, has anyone else the key to your house?
17:33No, not that I know of.
17:36Yes.
17:38I once gave my key to the greengrocer to deliver a parcel.
17:41Aha.
17:43But he gave it back.
17:44Oh.
17:46But bosh and bother, supposing a key wasn't used at all.
17:49Whoever did it could have used a tool or something and jimmied his way into my house.
17:53I've heard of those things being done.
17:55Mm-hmm.
17:56Oh, really?
17:58We found all the windows and doors locked.
18:00I'm afraid you've escaped me.
18:02Now again, Mr. Cookson, are you quite sure that no one else has a key to your house?
18:06Well, now really, after all,
18:08I don't hand them out by calling cards to every...
18:12Wait.
18:13There's this charwoman who comes to my house once a week to clean up.
18:16But...
18:17Oh, no.
18:18Oh, no.
18:19She couldn't hurt a fly.
18:20Well, what's her name?
18:22Mrs. Anet.
18:23But...
18:24But really, she couldn't be less harmless.
18:27She's 60 years old if she's a day.
18:29You take her for your own grandmother.
18:31Yes, yes, but you know if she has a daughter.
18:33A daughter?
18:34Well, now really, a woman of 60 isn't bound to have a little girl.
18:38Well, what about a niece or a granddaughter?
18:40Granddaughter?
18:42Now that I think of it, she does have one.
18:45About seven years old.
18:48She recently came to live with her.
18:50Where does Mrs. Anet live?
18:52I have her address.
18:56If you please.
18:57Right here in my trousers.
19:02Do you really think it could be the old woman?
19:05Well, a charwoman has the ability to go anywhere in London.
19:08Ah, yes, yes, yes.
19:09Wait, wait, wait.
19:11322 Radcliffe Way.
19:14322 Radcliffe Way.
19:17To look at her, you'd never think she could hurt a fly.
19:21You take her for your own grandmother.
19:23Poison murders?
19:25No.
19:26Impossible, Mr. Holmes, impossible.
19:31Oh.
19:32Grandma, must we play the game tonight?
19:35Of course.
19:36Don't you like playing it?
19:38I don't like staying on the street alone.
19:41It'll only be for a little while.
19:43You'll find someone to bring you back,
19:45and Grandma will have company again.
19:48What happened to the last company we had?
19:51Oh, he went home after a while.
19:53But come on, let's say it.
19:56Where do you live?
19:58At 67 Tivoli Road.
20:00No.
20:01That was the last place.
20:03Your address is now 120 Claridge Street.
20:08I forgot.
20:09All right.
20:10Now, come on.
20:11Let's say it again.
20:13Where do you live?
20:15At 120 Claridge Street.
20:17And again.
20:19120 Claridge Street.
20:22What do you think, Holmes?
20:24Well, we'll know definitely in an hour's time.
20:26Come on.
20:32Mister, mister.
20:34Oh, hello.
20:35Oh, well, well, it's very late for a little girl.
20:38Like you to be out on her own.
20:40What's your name?
20:41My name is Franz Elizabeth Wright.
20:44I see.
20:45And where do you live?
20:46I live at 120 Claridge Street.
20:50I'm lost.
20:51Oh, dear, dear, dear.
20:52That would mistake you.
20:53Holmes, come along then.
20:55You must come in and cry some of my divinity fudge.
20:58It's the least I can offer you for your kindness
21:01in bringing Frances home.
21:03Well, that's very kind of you.
21:04But really, I ought to be getting along.
21:06It's just been made.
21:07Delicious.
21:09You'll make an old woman very happy
21:11if you'll try the first slice.
21:13Oh, very well then.
21:14I am rather partial to divinity fudge.
21:16Frances.
21:26Now, come and sit right here at the table.
21:30Now, say goodnight to the kind gentleman,
21:33then off to bed.
21:37Grandma, you never let me stay up with a company.
21:41That's because little girls must have their sleep.
21:44But now we've met the gentleman,
21:46perhaps he'll come again in the daytime.
21:49Will you?
21:50I should love to.
21:52Goodnight.
21:53Goodnight.
21:55Goodnight, birdies.
22:00Isn't she a lovely girl?
22:02And she'll grow up into a beautiful woman
22:04and have a life of ease.
22:07Yes, that's the important thing.
22:09A life of ease.
22:11Time to enjoy the world and...
22:15Here.
22:16You're waiting for some fudge,
22:18and I'm pressing away.
22:25Here it is.
22:29And a glass of cold milk to go with it.
22:35Won't you join me?
22:37Oh, no.
22:38My doctor would never permit it.
22:40I only prepare this sort of thing
22:43for people who drop in, like you.
22:46I see.
22:51Smells very good.
22:54If I have one speciality,
22:56it's divinity fudge.
22:59You'll find it heavenly.
23:04What's the matter?
23:10Nothing.
23:11I just wanted to give the birds a bit of fudge.
23:13Don't!
23:14Birds don't eat fudge.
23:16Oh, yes, they do.
23:17They love it.
23:18Come on, old chap.
23:19Have a little.
23:20No, you can't.
23:24Why?
23:25Why?
23:26Why?
23:27Why?
23:28Why?
23:29Why?
23:30Why?
23:31Why?
23:32Why?
23:33Who are you?
23:53I'll take that, Mrs. Enid.
24:12I needed money for the child.
24:14That's why I did it.
24:16I didn't want her to grow up
24:18into a tired rag of a charwoman.
24:21I wanted her to have a life of ease
24:23and the things I've seen other people have.
24:27You understand?
24:29Yes.
24:33She'll be taken care of.
24:36You needn't worry, Mrs. Enid.
24:48I wish now I hadn't tried to poison you.
24:51You might have visited us again, as you promised.
24:54And we'd have been such good friends.
25:03THE END
25:33© BF-WATCH TV 2021
26:03© BF-WATCH TV 2021
26:33© BF-WATCH TV 2021