The NEW ADVENTURES SHERLOCK GIFTSET #2 (Sherlock Holmes) [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio Cassette)

by Anthony Boucher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Tampa Tribune Great fun. -- Review

Product Description

WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, AND THE BEST IN CLASSIC MYSTERY...

From 1939 to 1946 Americans gathered around their radio to listen to The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- featuring Basil Rathbone as the high strung crime-solver and Nigel Bruce as his phlegmatic assistant. Witty, fast-paced, and always surprising, these great radio plays, written by the prolific writing team of Anthony Boucher and Denis Green, are as fresh today as they were then, and feature perfect sound along with nostalgic wartime announcement, original narrations and radio commercials. This special collector's edition includes:

TAPE ONE:
THE AMATEUR MENDICANT SOCIETY and THE MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING WHITE ELEPHANT

TAPE TWO:
THE CASE OF THE LIMPING GHOST and THE GIRL WITH THE GAZELLE

TAPE THREE:
THE CASE OF THE OUT OF DATE MURDER and THE WALTZ OF DEATH

TAPE FOUR:
COLONEL WARBURTON'S MADNESS and THE IRON BOX

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audioworks (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671747509
• ISBN-13: 978-0671747503
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,358,310 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best in live radio, May 28, 1999

By	[e-mail] (howell, michigan, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES GIFT SET VOLUME 6 (Audio Cassette)

having been born 30 years after the recording of these great radio classics, i feel like I was there during the original broadcasts. Basil rathbone and nigel bruce are surpurb in there roles as holmes and watson. a must have for any sherlock holmes fan.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Pastiche, June 23, 2000

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES GIFT SET VOLUME 6 (Audio Cassette)

Nigel Bruce's Watson is a loveable bumbler--quite a contrast to Conan Doyle's capable but unimaginative Watson. The stories tend to be somewhat contrived and suffer in comparison to the BBC productions of original Doyle stories in which Clive Morrison starred as Holmes. The organ music gets monotonous, and if I weren't already a teetotaler, the wine commercials would make me take the temperance pledge. Despite all that, the productions are wonderfully entertaining. Basil Rathbone's Holmes exceeds Clive Morrison's overacted Holmes as the day exceeds the night. The chemistry between Bruce and Rathbone is perfect, and the simple stories move swiftly to their satisfying (if somewhat obvious) conclusions. Although Holmes purists tend to hate Nigel Bruce's Watson, I found him to be irresistably likeable. I'd want Doyle's Watson guarding my back in a tight spot, but I'd rather sit by the fireplace and swap stories with Bruce's Watson. I particularly liked the host's introductory visits with Watson in which Watson sets the stage for the mysteries.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars FLAWED, January 25, 2006

By	Garo Hagopian (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Unfortunate Tobacconist & Other Mysteries: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Volumes 1-6 (Audio CD)

When I learned Simon and Schuster was re-releasing this set on CD, I hoped they addressed the problems with the cassette versions released in the late '80s. They didn't. Oddly, the episodes on the first three discs have some of the original commercials and/or portions of the announcer's closing banter with Watson edited out, bringing the run time to about 25 minutes instead of the full half-hour. To serious collectors of old-time radio, this is unacceptable, especially when the packaging in effect states the programs are presented as they were originally broadcast. The rest of episodes are intact. No idea what possessed S & S to do this, but here we are. Secondly, depending on the episode, the audio restoration is a bit heavy-handed. Too much noise reduction and processing has resulted in some words and bits of dialogue sounding clipped or chopped off. The shows should have been re-mastered for the CD release. These may be picayune issues to most people, but to others like me, they're not.