Fewer words set a mystery fan's heart aflutter with more success than, "Elementary, my dear Watson." This has long since become the battle cry of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless literary creation, the super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Though this phrase is nowhere to be found in 1939's The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone in his first iconic performance as Holmes, the atmosphere and instances of clever deduction associated with the character's stories are ever so present, adding to what amounts as a leisurely-paced but undeniably classy little mystery.

Based upon easily the best-known and most often filmed Holmes tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles takes place in the middle of England's famous, fog-encrusted moors. Sir Charles Baskerville (Ian Maclaren) has just fallen victim to what the coroner has declared heart failure, making the newly-arrived Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene) the heir to the family estate. But family friend Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) claims to know the real reason behind Sir Charles' untimely demise. Legend tells of a ghostly hound that has haunted the Baskerville clan for ages, a curse that's claimed Sir Charles as its latest victim. Fearing that Henry may be next, Dr. Mortimer enlists the services of none other than Sherlock Holmes and his trusty companion, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce).

Sensing that the supernatural may not be at work, Holmes dives headfirst into his investigation, turning up some hidden secrets of the Baskerville lineage and getting to the bottom of some strange goings-on surrounding the Baskerville estate in the process.

I must confess to being turned off by mysteries and thrillers in which there's next to no investigation involved, just having the characters bide their time until one person shows up to explain the entire plot in one fell swoop. Admittedly, there are a few moments like that scattered throughout The Hound of the Baskervilles, mostly due to its odd structure. Instead of playing out as a straightforward Holmes investigation, Holmes himself is actually out of the picture for a good chunk of the running time. A lot of the story is spent on Henry and his burgeoning romance with a pretty neighbor (Wendy Barrie), possibly to have a love story on hand for viewers to enjoy in case the mystery stuff bored them to tears. Instead, this path turns out to have the opposite effect, as the transition from Henry's adventures in love to Holmes popping up out of the blue is more than a little jarring. The denouement also feels a little hurried as a result.

All in all, however, The Hound of the Baskervilles handles itself pretty nicely. If anything, the film is a triumph in generating an atmosphere that's perfectly suited for the story. 20th Century Fox must've used every fog machine they had on the lot, and the effect comes across successfully, the moors surrounding the Baskerville estate appropriately gloomy and teeming with the potential for all sorts of terrors, natural or supernatural.

The cast is also quite suited for their roles. Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes is second to none, bringing the character's stern, playful, and inquisitive natures all to the surface and mixing them together in one wholly enjoyable performance. Bruce is just the slightest bit of a dunce as Watson (a problem that would seriously worsen as the series would go on), but he's not as much of one so as to detract too much from the film. Greene and Barrie work well as the starry-eyed lovers, and for a little extra creepiness, there's good ol' John Carradine as a mysterious butler with a skeleton or two in his own closet.

The Hound of the Baskervilles was one of two Holmes features made at Fox, before Universal took over the reins and placed the character in more modernized adventures. But although the series was a tad hit-and-miss, even the worst movies weren't all that bad, an all-in-all admirable series that got off to a terrific start thanks to this engaging feature.

Director: Sidney Lanfield

Writer: Ernest Pascal, based upon the novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Cast: Richard Greene, Basil Rathbone, Wendy Barrie, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, John Carradine

Rating: No MPAA Rating (some violence)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Run Time: 80 minutes

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Format: Black-and-white, fullscreen