One of the first times I got to stay up late was in junior high, when I got in the habit of watching Sherlock Holmes movies that Channel 38 in Boston showed on Saturday nights starting at 11:30 p.m.
They would run one of the Universal series of pictures from the late 1930s into the 1940s starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock and Nigel Bruce as a slightly-befuddled Watson. The series was interesting to me because several of the films were set in the then-present, with Holmes matching wits with Nazi super-villains.
The duo was so popular, Universal would occasionally give them cameos in other pictures, such as this throwaway 15-second appearance in 'Crazy House' (1943), an Olsen and Johnson comedy:
To many—including me—Basil Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes set the standard for all subsequent portrayals. What I didn't know was that before Basil Rathbone played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous fictional detective, the role was originated by stage actor William Gillette.
Gillette, collaborating with the author himself, portrayed Holmes on stage for decades, touring around the country and aboard. Many aspects of the Holmes characters originated from his stage portrayal, including the iconic pipe and the deerstalker hat.
Because Gillette was a stage performer, his work vanished when the curtains closed on his long career. However, in 1916, for the first and only time in his career, he was persuaded to perform as Holmes in front of the movie camera.
He did, but alas, the film vanished after its initial release, joining the thousands of silent titles of which no copies survived.
Until now! A few years back, a nearly complete copy of the 1916 film starring Gillette as Holmes was found in a French archive. It's since been restored and is available for viewing.
And you won't have to wait until 11:30 p.m. to see it. I'm accompanying 'Sherlock Holmes' (1916) this afternoon at 2 p.m. at the West Springfield Public Library in West Springfield, Mass.
If you're in the area, stop by and see William Gillette portray Sherlock Holmes long before Basil Rathbone—or anyone else—took on the role.
It's free; more information in the press release below...
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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
It's elementary! Rediscovered 'Sherlock Holmes' movie at West Springfield Public Library on Saturday, March 7
Original silent film adaptation, missing for nearly a century, to be screened with live
musical accompaniment; free and open to the public
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—The first-ever movie adaptation of 'Sherlock Holmes,' a silent
film released in 1916 and recently rediscovered, will screen next month
at the West Springfield Public Library.
The original 'Sherlock Holmes'
will be shown with live music on Saturday, March 7
at 2 p.m. the West Springfield Public Library, 200 Main St., West Springfield, Mass.
The
screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New
Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent
films.
The program is free and open to the public.
Like
many films from the silent era, the 'Sherlock Holmes' movie was long
considered lost until a nearly complete copy was discovered in 2014 at
the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris.
The film has since been restored, allowing movie-goers to again see the only screen appearance of stage actor William Gillette.
Gillette
originated the role of Sherlock Holmes in a popular stage adaptation of
Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of the legendary British detective.
Gillette
performed as the brilliant Holmes more than 1,300 times over three
decades, touring the nation and popularizing Conan Doyle's sleuth.
A
popular stage actor, Gillette made no other known movie appearances.
But his interpretation of the Holmes character laid the groundwork for
all actors who would later play the role, including Basil Rathbone and
Benedict Cumberbatch.
Set in Victorian-era London, the original
'Sherlock Holmes' is an episodic crime drama that incorporates the plots
of several Conan Doyle tales.
Running about 90 minutes, it
features all major characters of the Holmes stories, including companion
Dr. Watson and nemesis/rival Prof. Moriarty.
It was filmed in
1915 in the Chicago studios of the Essanay Film Co., with exterior shots
of the Windy City doubling for Victorian London.
The
film will be shown with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a
New Hampshire-based performer regarded as one of the nation's leading
silent film musicians.
Rapsis improvises live scores for silent films using a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra.
"It's
kind of a high wire act," Rapsis said. "But for me, the energy of live
performance is an essential part of the silent film experience."
The original
‘Sherlock Holmes' (1916), starring William Gillette in the title role,
will be shown with live music on Saturday, March 7
at 2 p.m. the West Springfield Public Library, 200 Main St., West Springfield, Mass.
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.wspl.org or call the library at 413-736-4561.
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