The Sleeping Cardinal
Encyclopedia
The Sleeping Cardinal is a 1931
British mystery film
directed by Leslie S. Hiscott
and starring Arthur Wontner
and Ian Fleming
. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes
stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
, though it is not based on any one particular story it draws inspiration from "The Empty House" and "The Final Problem". It is unrelated to the Basil Rathbone series of Holmes films
which also began in the 1930s.
The film is also known as Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour in the USA.
1931 in film
-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
British mystery film
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
directed by Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott was a British film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. In 1931 he directed Alibi, the first ever depiction of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famous detective, with Austin Trevor in the lead role...
and starring Arthur Wontner
Arthur Wontner
Arthur Wontner was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937...
and Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming (actor)
Ian Fleming was an Australian born character actor with credits in over 100 British movies.He is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Watson in a series of Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1930s opposite Arthur Wontner's Holmes...
. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, though it is not based on any one particular story it draws inspiration from "The Empty House" and "The Final Problem". It is unrelated to the Basil Rathbone series of Holmes films
Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Arthur Conan Doyle's characters Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson respectively in fourteen black-and-white films released between 1939 and 1946.- Beginning at Twentieth Century Fox :...
which also began in the 1930s.
The film is also known as Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour in the USA.
Plot summary
Opening with a silent sequence in silhouette within the Bank of England, we’re whisked to a London home where Foreign Office bureaucrat Ronnie Adair (Leslie Perrins) is once again losing heavily whilst gambling at bridge. Adair is called to a meeting with The Sleeping Cardinal, a picture disguising the identity of Professor Moriarty (Norman McKinnel), and blackmailed into taking counterfeit money to Paris in his diplomatic pouch. Adair’s concerned sister calls for the assistance of Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner) and Dr. Watson (Ian Fleming) to investigate the reasons for her brothers gambling excesses and depressed moods. Adair commits suicide; leaving behind a trail of clues to Moriarty.Cast
- Arthur WontnerArthur WontnerArthur Wontner was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937...
as Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... - Ian FlemingIan Fleming (actor)Ian Fleming was an Australian born character actor with credits in over 100 British movies.He is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Watson in a series of Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1930s opposite Arthur Wontner's Holmes...
as Dr. Watson - Philip HewlandPhilip Hewland-Selected filmography:* The Manxman * Lady Tetley's Decree * The Guns of Loos * Glamour * The Sleeping Cardinal * The Missing Rembrandt * Murder by Rope...
as Inspector LestradeInspector LestradeInspector G. Lestrade is a fictional character, a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle used the name of a friend from his days at the University of Edinburgh, a Saint Lucian medical student by the name of Joseph Alexandre Lestrade.... - Jane WelshJane Welsh-Selected filmography:* The Bells * The Missing Rembrandt * Whispering Tongues * Little Dolly Daydream * Bell-Bottom George * Just William's Luck * William Comes to Town...
as Kathleen Adair - Norman McKinnelNorman McKinnelNorman McKinnel was a Scottish stage and film actor and playwright, active from the 1890s until his death...
as Prof. MoriartyProfessor MoriartyProfessor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
, alias Col. Henslowe - Minnie RaynerMinnie Rayner-Selected filmography:* The Old Curiosity Shop * If Youth But Knew * The Sleeping Cardinal * The Missing Rembrandt * The Veteran of Waterloo * I Lived with You * Excess Baggage...
as Mrs. Hudson - Leslie PerrinsLeslie PerrinsLeslie Perrins was an English actor who often played villains. In his long career, he appeared in well over 60 films...
as Ronald Adair - Gordon Begg as Marston, the butler
- William Fazan as Thomas Fisher
- Sidney KingSidney KingSidney King was an English cricketer. King's batting style is unknown. He was born at Rushden, Northamptonshire.King made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire against Gloucestershire in the 1907 County Championship. He made three further first-class appearances, the last of which came...
as Tony Rutherford - Louis Goodrich as Colonel Sebastian Moran
- Charles PatonCharles PatonCharles Paton was an English film actor. He appeared in 105 films between 1927 and 1951, including Freedom of the Seas...
as J.J. Godfrey