The Dancing Men

Looking back it is wonderful to see a fit and healthy Jeremy Brett at full flow as Holmes. The way he pronounces 'Eldridges' or the theatrical way he rushes around in his room with his dressing gown on.

Hilton Cubitt visits Sherlock Holmes when a mysterious message in the form of drawings of little men in various positions that disturbs his younger American wife.

She receives further messages and Hilton knows that her wife might have had a murky past in America. Hilton will do anything to protect his wife.

Holmes manages to crack the code but is unable to prevent a tragedy.

Inspector Martin is grateful for any assistance that Holmes is able to provide.

The Dancing Men is just a very good but sad mystery.

A wealthy man named Hilton Cubitt (Tenniel Evans, whom I remember from Yes, Minister) contacts Holmes and Watson. His American wife, who has kept her past a secret from him, has shown signs of great stress and fear upon finding drawings of some dancing men in their estate. Holmes gets on the case and solves the mystery, of course (which isn't too much of a mystery for today's viewers) but will he be able to prevent a tragedy?

Another nice episode where, even if you can guess what's coming a mile away, you still want to watch for the acting, the dialogue and the sets alone. The scenes where Sherlock nonchalantly shows the finer points of detection to the police inspector are a joy.

I have always loved the Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations, because they are so well-made and always interesting story-wise. Not to mention Jeremy Brett as my favourite Holmes(and I do have a lot of fondness for Basil Rathbone). Of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, I do consider The Dancing Men one of the standouts of the series alongside The Final Problem, The Crooked Man, The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band and The Norwood Builder. Once again it is incredibly well-made, with the atmosphere as meticulous as you'd expect and the costumes and sets authentic and looking absolutely splendid. The music is of the hauntingly beautiful kind, the story is as clever and compelling as ever and the script thought-provoking and sophisticated. Jeremy Brett as always gives a commanding performance as Holmes(I just love how methodical he was at the crime scene), and while I just prefer Edward Hardwicke as Watson David Burke is still a composed contrast. Tenniel Evans, Betsy Brantley, Eugene Lipinski and David Ross match them just as effectively. All in all, a superb episode and adaptation and one of the standouts of Adventures. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes are put to the test in The Dancing Men. Jeremy Brett as Holmes is called in by a member of the minor gentry named Hilton Cubbitt who is very disturbed about the behavior of his wife Elsie who is an American expatriate. They've been married for three years, but he really knows nothing of her past and her erratic behavior of late is inexplicable. The sight of what some might consider graffiti on his property, a drawing of some dancing men has scared her out of her mind.

Before Holmes can really go to work on it and in point of fact there isn't a whole lot he can do unless Mrs. Cubbitt tells him just what those dancing men mean, tragedy strikes. He and Dr. Watson played by David Burke receive word that both have been shot, Hilton Cubbitt is dead and Elsie Cubbitt gravely wounded.

Good thing Holmes was around because the local police definitely would have gotten it wrong. In this case Holmes functions like a one man CSU because it's forensics that tells the real story. When Holmes ferrets out the real story, the culprit is obvious.

When you don't have a CSU yet, Sherlock Holmes is good to have around.

A gentleman goes to Holmes after he comes across a baffling series of stick figure drawings that terrify his American wife. This episode is not the best but it does make an ideal starting point for newcomers who have never watched this series before. The story is compelling offering a classical mixture of cipher and murder mystery that you would expect from a Sherlock Holmes tale. It is well-directed with pitch perfect pacing. The photography and period detail are splendid. The performances are great with Jeremy Brett as perfect as can be as Holmes and David Burke adding a sense of fun to Watson. One scene that stands out for me is when Holmes shows off his own methodical brilliance at crime scene which is enough to put today's CSI's to shame.