To Eat Fat

Movie Review:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother

PG / 1 hr., 31 min. / 1975

Is there such a thing as a case that Sherlock Holmes (Douglas Wilmer) could not solve on his own? What if the client in question needed to feel safe in the arms of a dashing young man in order to give over the facts of the case? The aging Mr. Holmes would hardly satisfy.

Enter Sigerson Holmes (Gene Wilder), Sherlock’s younger and extraordinarily envious younger brother. Having spent years trying to better his famous older sibling, Sigerson jumps at the chance to finally conquer a mystery that seems to have Sherlock stymied.

Aided by Sergeant Orville Stanley Sacker (Marty Feldman) of Scotland Yard, Sigerson attempts to discern what it is that music hall singer Jenny Hill (Madeline Kahn) is being blackmailed for, and what connection there may be in her case to the theft of a document of national importance; a document which, in the wrong hands, could lead Great Britain into a war. And thus The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother begins its comic romp through the hallowed halls of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective.

Fresh from his classic performance as Frederick Frankenstein in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder directed for the first time, working from his own original screenplay. While his first solo effort has plenty of solid laughs and more than a few wry snickers, to place it alongside Young Frankenstein is to see where Wilder on his own could have used Brooks to help spice up the proceedings.

From the very opening scene, where the muttered voices of Lord Redcliffe (John Le Mesurier) and Queen Victoria (Susan Field) are clearly dubbed over for whatever reason, there are tell-tale marks of a first-time and perhaps low-budget directorial effort throughout the production. Wilder also follows his tendency to put a song or two into his scripts. But while “Puttin’ on the Ritz” became one of the signature moments of Young Frankenstein, the presence of “The Kangaroo Hop” in this film is just silly and inexplicable, even more so when it reprises at the end.

However, Wilder’s novice turn in the director’s chair still managed to produce some very clever material that beats out more polished productions even to this day. The initial interview with Jenny Hill and a scene where Sigerson does his best to interpret a coded message continue to strike me as very amusing twenty years after I first saw them. And while the action set pieces are among the more amateur moments, the concepts fueling them are worth a chuckle.

Wilder managed to round up a first-rate team of comedians for the production. Marty Feldman (Young Frankenstein) plays the Watson-like assistant Sacker, who has a “photographic sense of hearing.” If he hears it, he can remember it; and Feldman’s choice to have Sacker knock himself upside the head to get the motor running is delightfully silly. Feldman’s large eyes prove useful for just the right zany look to his whole bearing.

Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles) is the charming Jenny Hill, and Kahn once again proves that her sense of comic delivery can steal the show right out from under everyone else. The very tone of voice with which she turns down a cup of tea has been a part of my memories of this film for years. Even when she’s not being deliberately funny, her face and bearing are fine-tuned to bring a smile to audiences’ faces.

Joining in the fun are an exuberant Dom DeLuise (The Glass Bottom Boat) as opera singer and blackmailer Eduardo Gambetti; Leo McKern (Ladyhawke) as Professor Moriarty with a twist; and Roy Kinnear (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) as Moriarty’s hungry assistant. McKern in particular has a long history of much more serious roles, but he manages to contribute to the comedy significantly, including a priceless moment where he corrects Kinnear’s eating habits during an important meeting.

In fact, I think that’s kind of a summary of the film: Priceless moments. While as a whole it does not hold together as strongly and unified as when Wilder worked with Mel Brooks on Young Frankenstein or even The Producers, there are lines, conversations, and whole scenes that do succeed in presenting hilarious dialogue and visuals. A handful of sand in Sigerson’s face, a box of chocolates all over the floor, a cup of hot water instead of tea, a chilly dance through a ballroom – the ingredients to generate good hearty laughter are present.

All of this is dropped into some gorgeous scenery. Terence Marsh creates interior rooms that are lusciously decorated from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. If he's still designing sets when I get a budget, I'm hiring him.

Capping it off is a rousing score by John Morris, another Brooks collaborator. The opening titles are reminiscent of an Errol Flynn adventure, and the movie is granted a grand and exciting atmosphere, even if it doesn’t always totally live up to its music.

For a silly night of popcorn and laughter, have a good time with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother. Pair it up as a double-feature with Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley in Without a Clue and your face should be good and tired from laughing when it’s all over.

My Score: 6