Sherlock Holmes - E18: The Case of the Thistle Killer
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
Sherlock Holmes helps Scotland Yard to track down a killer who has been leaving three thistles next to each of the women he has murdered.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
Sherlock Holmes helps Scotland Yard to track down a killer who has been leaving three thistles next to each of the women he has murdered.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:30♪♪
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01:29Good evening.
01:30Oh, you gave me a proper scare, you did.
01:33Rather light for a young lady to be out by herself, isn't it?
01:36Oh, you mean the Thistle Killer?
01:38One killing a knight in the last five nights.
01:41He may be out again tonight.
01:43Oh, makes you shiver.
01:44I wouldn't talk to any strange gentleman, I wouldn't.
01:47And if one spoke to me, I'd run.
01:49Or scream.
01:50You're a sensible girl.
01:52Would you like a sweet?
01:53Oh, thank you.
01:57Your caramels are very good.
01:59♪♪
02:09♪♪
02:19♪♪
02:32He's done it again.
02:34♪♪
02:44♪♪
03:15Pass the jam, would you, Watson?
03:19Oh, thank you.
03:22Any interesting news in the Times?
03:25Um, it says here that some American claims to have found a cure for the common cold.
03:31That's nonsense, I don't believe it.
03:35Thunderbolt won the Aspinall Stakes.
03:37Hmm, Flixter won.
03:39Perhaps there could have been a killing on that.
03:41Oh, was there another one last night?
03:43Eh?
03:44The Thistle Killer.
03:46Oh, yes, yes.
03:50Yes, he strangled a girl last night at Ingram Square.
03:55Left the usual sign, Thistles.
03:57Ah, man's a maniac.
04:00Perhaps he is, Watson.
04:01But there may be a definite pattern behind all these killings, you know.
04:05Oh, do you think so?
04:07Oh, do you think so?
04:19Look at that map, Wilkins.
04:21From one end of London to the other.
04:25He's got something on his mind, sir.
04:28Oh, you really think so, Wilkins?
04:30Of course he's got something on his mind, you idiot!
04:33He's got killing on his mind!
04:36When's it going to finish?
04:38Where's it all going to end?
04:41I've looked up the statistics, sir.
04:43There are approximately 459,000 young women in London between the ages of 16 and 25, sir.
04:50That's a comforting thought, Wilkins.
05:05For you, doctor.
05:09I thought so.
05:10From the superintendent.
05:12Perhaps he'll be interested in your optimistic statistics, Wilkins.
05:36Come in.
05:43You sent for me, sir?
05:45Ah, Inspector Lestrange. Yes, I sent for you.
05:48Sit down, Inspector.
05:49Thank you, sir.
05:55Not working too hard these days, I hope?
05:58Well, sir, I'm used to hard work.
06:01Then give me a sample of it.
06:03Stop these wholesale murders.
06:05Six women, Lestrange, in six successive nights.
06:09A man's making a charnel house out of London.
06:12What's the yard doing about it?
06:14Well, sir, we have men in duty all over London, you know.
06:17Well, how does he slip by them? How does he get away?
06:20Sir, it's almost impossible to cover a city the size of London.
06:24He'll strike again tonight.
06:26Sir, there are 459,000 young women in London between the ages of 16 and 25.
06:33I don't care if there are 459 million.
06:36Stop him.
06:40Portland Lane.
06:42Harris Street.
06:44Ovington Court.
06:46Napier Street. Evans Lane.
06:49And Ingram Square last night.
06:51Where will it be tonight?
06:53Where will it be tonight?
06:55Sir, he has the whole of London to pick from.
06:57It's almost impossible to anticipate him.
07:00He doesn't choose his places.
07:02The haphazard.
07:07You know, there's nothing haphazard about this man, Watson.
07:10He's choosing each locality with a plan.
07:13What plan?
07:14Well, that's our problem.
07:17Tell me, Holmes, why does he drop pistols onto his victims?
07:21And why three?
07:25I think they're symbols, Watson.
07:27Just as his killings are symbolic.
07:31Do you think he knew his victims?
07:33I doubt it.
07:35No, there's another motive, a deeper plan behind it all.
07:40I think we know all the facts.
07:42We only have to read them properly.
07:47Well, sir, he knew each of these girls.
07:50That's the link, that's what I'm working on.
07:52How do you know that, Lestrange?
07:54We issued a warning to young girls not to speak to strangers.
07:57To scream or to run as soon as they were accosted.
08:00Yet not one of them has done either.
08:02In fact, in three of the killings,
08:04footsteps showed that they walked beside him,
08:06that they knew him, that they trusted him.
08:09And the girl last night had accepted the caramel from him.
08:12Yes, sir, and of course a young lady will never accept a sweet from a stranger.
08:15Then find the man they all know in common.
08:19Yes, sir.
08:22Oh, by the way, Lestrange.
08:24Yes, sir?
08:25There's a chap named Sherlock Holmes.
08:28Ever run into him?
08:29Holmes, sir?
08:31Sherlock Holmes?
08:34Yes, yes, the name is familiar, sir.
08:37Yes, I have run into him on occasion.
08:40Deduces things, they tell me.
08:42Clever.
08:44Hmm, you might call him in.
08:47Unofficially, of course.
08:49He's an amateur, sir.
08:52An amateur can't do worse than we're doing.
08:56Yes, sir.
09:41I simply can't understand it, Holmes.
09:44Hmm?
09:45Don't understand what?
09:46Why Inspector Lestrange hasn't called?
09:48I've been expecting him all the morning.
09:50Oh, well, he probably feels he can tackle it himself.
09:53And perhaps he can.
09:57Come in.
10:03Good evening, Dr. Watson.
10:05Holmes.
10:06Ah, good afternoon, Lestrange.
10:08Dr. Watson's been expecting you.
10:12Oh, he has, has he?
10:14Well, you're here, aren't you?
10:16Well, as a matter of fact, someone at the yard did suggest that I might, uh...
10:21Well, as a matter of fact, uh...
10:23Who?
10:25The superintendent.
10:27Holmes, this man's a ghost.
10:30I've met everywhere, I've warned everybody, still he kills and no one sees him.
10:35Uh, map of London, Lestrange?
10:37Yes, I've marked out all the places where he's killed.
10:42Oh, yes, that's interesting, most interesting.
10:46Ah, starting here with Portland Lane.
10:51Harris Street.
10:53Ovington Square.
10:55Evans Lane.
10:57Napier Street.
10:58Ingram Square.
11:00I take it this is the sequence of the killings, Lestrange?
11:03Yes, I've tackled it from every angle.
11:05Concentric circles, triangles, squares, north, south, east and west.
11:09There's just no pattern to these killing zones.
11:11Oh, but there is, Lestrange, there is.
11:13But he's challenging Scotland Yard to catch him.
11:16Challenging us?
11:18Yes, he's playing a game with you.
11:20What do you mean, playing a game?
11:22Acrostics.
11:23Look, now take the names in sequence.
11:26Beginning with the first letter of each neighborhood.
11:30P for Portland Lane, H for Harris Street.
11:33P? H?
11:36And so on.
11:37O, E, N, I.
11:42And what's the last letter?
11:44Why, the only one that fits, of course, X.
11:48And so you have Phoenix.
11:50Phoenix?
11:51The legendary bird that rose from its own ashes, symbol of immortality.
11:56Now I know he's a maniac.
11:58Him and his thistles, all three of them.
12:00Well, the thistle's the national flower of Scotland, Estrade.
12:03You should know that.
12:04And there are three feet in a yard.
12:07Scotland Yard!
12:09Well, it shouldn't be hard to deduce where he plans to strike tonight.
12:13The last letter is X.
12:16Xenia Lane leading into Xerces Park, here.
12:23Then we have him.
12:24It would appear so, wouldn't it?
12:31XERCES PARK
12:36Xerces Park, Superintendent.
12:38It must be Xerces Park.
12:40But there are other places that begin with the letter X, Mr. Holmes.
12:44Very few, and they're too frequented.
12:46Xerces Park is small, quiet, and practically deserted at night.
12:50That's just what he wants.
12:52All right, Xerces Park, then.
12:56Estrade?
12:57Yes, sir?
12:58Plant men all around the park.
13:01We'll cut off the entire area.
13:04But keep the park entrances open, Superintendent.
13:07Invite him in, you mean?
13:09Well, if you keep him out, you won't catch him.
13:11Good thought, Mr. Holmes.
13:13There are only two entrances to Xerces Park.
13:16A gate here and here.
13:18We'll cover them both.
13:19Get him coming or going, eh?
13:22Either way.
13:23No, coming, not going.
13:25Oh, I see what you mean.
13:27But supposing there is no young woman in Xerces Park?
13:31Oh, there will be.
13:32How do you know?
13:33We'll put one there for him.
13:35Decoy, huh?
13:37But who?
13:39It'll be risky.
13:41Ever done any amateur theatricals, Estrade?
13:45Hmm?
13:48What?
13:49Oh, I think we'll need Inspector Estrade at one end of the park, Superintendent.
13:55Hmm.
13:57Now, as for the woman...
14:00Hmm.
14:09No.
14:11One of our police matrons might volunteer.
14:16But explain the risk fully to her, Estrade.
14:20We'll arm her too, sir, just in case.
14:22I'm not sure a gun will be enough, Estrade.
14:25We could arrange a signal with her so she could let us know the moment she's accosted.
14:29Excellent, Watson.
14:30As soon as we get the signal, we can close in on him.
14:32Mm-hmm.
14:34All right, Estrade.
14:35Pick the best men we have.
14:38Yes, sir.
14:46You want Estrade at one end of Xerces Park, but who'll be at the other end?
14:52Why, Dr. Watson and I, of course.
14:54That's a very good idea.
14:55Thank you very much.
14:57I wish there wasn't this fog.
14:59Hmm.
15:08I'm covered with this, Miss Colley.
15:10But don't take any chances.
15:12I'll be at that end of the park, and Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson will be at that end.
15:16Ah, Holmes, Dr. Watson.
15:18This is our decoy, Miss Colley.
15:21How do you do?
15:22Good evening, Miss Colley.
15:24Oh.
15:25Well, what have we got here?
15:30A sending key, eh, Estrade?
15:32Yes, it's a telegraph set going to both entrances.
15:35Hmm.
15:36Quite ingenious, my dear fellow.
15:37Tell me, what are your signals?
15:39One short click if a man approaches, Miss Colley.
15:42If he speaks to her, she keeps her finger pressed on the key.
15:45If he just passes on his way without speaking, then two short clicks.
15:49Show Mr. Holmes how it's done, Miss Colley.
15:59Hmm.
16:00I see, Estrade, yes.
16:02Quite ingenious, really.
16:04Now, if a young lady passes along and wishes to go through the park,
16:07then we'll have a policeman escort her.
16:09Congratulations, Estrade. You've thought of everything.
16:12Thank you, Dr. Watson.
16:14Well, good luck, Miss Colley.
16:17Good luck, Miss Colley.
16:18And the same to you, Inspector.
16:28Eerie place, this park.
16:30Yes, Watson. I must confess to a certain uneasiness myself.
16:33Look!
16:34What?
16:35The official killer!
16:40Oh, no, you don't!
16:41Now, what's this? Let go of me!
16:43Leave poor Herbert alone!
16:44Poor Herbert, madam! This man's about to strangle you!
16:46My own husband strangle me? You're crazy!
16:49Your... your husband?
16:52Of course he's my husband!
16:55The Thistle Killer.
16:57That's what he probably is.
16:59Oh, my... my apologies, madam.
17:04Come on, Herbert.
17:06Some people don't know what privacy is.
17:11Blank's got a right to kiss a girl, hasn't he?
17:13Even if it is his own wife.
17:15Now, what do you mean by that remark, Herbert Brown?
17:18Well, you ain't exactly what you were five years ago, Maggie.
17:21Well, I never!
17:29I say, old man, that was, uh... it's hard to think he's only the wife.
17:32Put me bigfootin' again, I did.
17:34I'm Maggie.
17:36I'm Maggie.
17:39Well, I mean, Holmes, the park.
17:42After all, haven't they got a home to go to?
17:45I must say, I can't blame you in the least, Watson.
17:47Shall we get on to our entrance?
17:49Yes, sir.
18:12Chilly night, sir.
18:14It'll warm up quite soon, Wilkins.
18:17It doesn't get too warm for comfort.
18:28Just taking the young lady through the park, sir?
18:30Go ahead, Connors.
18:47Come on.
19:17It is nerve-wracking, Holmes.
19:19Well, it may not be long now, Watson.
19:44Good evening, sir.
19:46Thank you, Constable.
20:09Miss Colly's a brave girl, sir.
20:11She wouldn't like my sister taking on the risk that she is.
20:14Excuse your sister, Wilkins.
20:16This is a job for professionals like us, not amateurs.
20:20Are you worried about Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson, sir?
20:23I'm worried about Mr.
20:44Holmes.
21:11Eleven o'clock, Watson.
21:13With all these bobbies hanging about,
21:15he's probably got the wind up and gone home.
21:18But if they're well hidden, as they should be...
21:27Someone's approaching Miss Colly.
21:29Shh! Wait for the next signal.
21:35Good evening, sir.
21:37Oh, it's brilliant, Constable.
21:40Force alarm.
21:46I'm glad you're taking me through the park, Constable.
21:49I'm only a visitor here, you know.
21:51It's so scary.
21:53Very sensible, miss, especially these nights.
21:56With that horrible thistle killer loose.
22:10I don't like it, Watson.
22:12Something's wrong.
22:14Miss Colly gave the all-clear signal.
22:16Whoever it was must have gone past it.
22:18Yes, unless the...
22:40Any strange men talk to me,
22:42I'd run or scream,
22:44just like the papers tell you to.
22:46That's a sensible girl.
22:48It's very foggy tonight.
22:50Would you like a sweet?
22:52Oh, thank you, Constable.
22:54Try one of the cannibals.
22:56They're good.
23:01He slipped through a cordon of police before, you know, Watson.
23:04And without anybody's notice.
23:06No, but they did see him.
23:08Everyone saw him.
23:10But surely...
23:12Watson?
23:14Who's the only stranger a woman would trust in London these nights?
23:18Why, uh...
23:20Why, nobody.
23:22Wrong, Watson.
23:24A policeman.
23:26A policeman.
23:28Come along, Watson.
23:31Come along, Watson.
23:41Where is he, Constable? Which way is he...
23:48Look out, Watson! Get down!
24:01You all right, sir?
24:03I'm all right. See to the girl.
24:14She's all right, sir.
24:16Here, look after her, will you?
24:21He's dead.
24:24I know him, sir.
24:26He's John Phoenix.
24:28He's a cabbie. He drives Ansem.
24:30Oh, yes, I remember him now.
24:32He tried out for the force.
24:34We dropped him. Inefficiency.
24:36Well, there's your motive, Lestrade.
24:38He simply wanted to prove that he could outwit Scotland Yard.
24:42He must have carried his policeman's helmet and his coat around with him in his cab.
24:47Yes, and when he spotted a girl, he put them on and became just another policeman.
24:51How did you guess, Holmes?
24:53Well, Lestrade, it was the only answer.
24:56The only answer.
25:26THE END
25:56© BF-WATCH TV 2021
26:26Subs by www.zeoranger.co.uk