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Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Red Headed League (EP0906) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectors dot net, Follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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Slash Radio Detectives. Today's episodes brought to you by the financial support of our
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listener. I want to thank char Charlene and more Thomas and Karen for their
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support. Thank you so much. Now it's time for today's adventure. Sherlock
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Holmes. The Adventure of the Redheaded League, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,
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The Original and Immortal stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dramatized Daniel, with Sir
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Ralph Richardson as Doctor Watson and Sir John Gielgood in the role of Sherlock Holmes.
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I suppose that the Affair of the Red Headed League was always one of
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my favorites among Sherlock Holmes's triumphs. When I was writing these memoirs of his
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adventures. There's always amused and exhauspressed him so much. I said it among
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the earliest yet the adventure itself didn't occur until rather late in our relationship,
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and one day in the autumn I went back to the dear old Haunt in
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Baker Street for a visit. There he was, and sitting with him there
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was a very stout and flooded faced old gentleman with the firiest red hair I've
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ever seen in all my life. Watson, my dear Watson. I'm sorry,
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Holmes, I'm aflaid. You're engaged, So I am, so I
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am. It's exactly what I meant, mister Wilson. Permit me to introduce
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my good friend, doctor Watson. Dmiture, doctor Wilson. Delighted mister will
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mister Jabes Wilson, Watson, who has this moment appeared with what promises to
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be as stranger case as we've ever encountered. I suppose it's another example of
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your theater that for the strangest things we must go to ordinary life itself homes.
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But of course, but if he'll forgive me, mister Wilson, here
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hardy heals the kind of gentleman to whom startling adventures are likely to occur.
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Yes, you're right, of course, Watson. Apart from his blazing red
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hair. There might appear to been nothing indeed unusual about mister Wilson, beyond,
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of course, the obvious fact that he has at sometime done manual labor,
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that he's been to China, and that he's done a considerable amount of
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writing lately. Pon my soul, mister elmeson, how did you know all
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that I have mentioned a single word? Words, mister Wilson are the least
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communicative of all things. Yes, but your right hand there's quite a size
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larger than your left, for instance, with the muscles more developed. Well,
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it's as true as god I began as a ship's carpenter. But how
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are you have to forgive him, mister Wilson, it's a habit of his
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all the same Holmes you mentioned writing? Well, what else two fancy would
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explain that chiny right cuff of his watson and the left one with a smooth
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patch near the elbow where you rested on the desk. All right, then,
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all right, But China homes so simplest of all the fish there tattooed
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on mister Wilson's right wrist. Well, I've made a small study of tattoo
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marks. That trick of staining the fish scales of a delicate pink is quite
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peculiar to China upon my soul, and and I thought at first you'd done
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something clever, mister Elmes, but there was nothing in it after all.
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Omnige noum pro magnifico, Holmes, your reputation will suffer shipwreck if you're always
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so candid. However, the problem, mister Wilson, the problem you're showing
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me the advertisement here it is, Watson, you better look at it for
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yourself. It's from the Morning Chronicle the last April to see. Let pus
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the start of it all to the Redheaded League on account of the bequest of
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the late Ezeka Hopkins. That is now another vacancy open. All redheaded men
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who are sounding body and mind are eligible applying person on Monday at eleven o'clock
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to Duncan Ross at the offices of the League, seven Pope's Court, Fleet
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Street. Splendid, Quite splendid, isn't it, Watson? Yes? But
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what does it mean in all the world? I prayed? Do you go
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on, mister Wilson Wells, I'm just going to explain to mister Holmes.
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Doctor I've got a small pawnbroker's business at Coburg Square. Oh, yes,
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that that's near the city's right. A lucrative line of business, i'd fancy.
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No, No, he doesn't do much more than give me a living.
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I'd hardly have enough to cover the wages, except that my young assistant's
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willing to come for our pay. Who ss to learn the business? And
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what is the name of this obliging youth? Spaulding? Vincent Spaulding, why's
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first rate? Couldn't wish for better? Except there never was such a fellow
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for photography. Yes, he's snapping away with his camera every minute he is,
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and then diving down into the cellar like a rabbit to develop his pictures
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into the cellar. He's still with you, I take it. Oh yes,
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as a matter of factive as young Spaulding and drew my attention to this
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advert doctor, he came into the office one day with that very paper in
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his head. Now, I'll tell you what, mister Wilson. I just
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wish to the law that I was a red ended man the same way you
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are. Just look famous red edded League. There's another vacancy read edded league.
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Yes you heard of it? Of course, not a word who what
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is it? Well, as far as I haven't written the league, he
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was founded by one of them American millionaires, sir, and is he KaiA
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Hopkins. So as he says there and he was mighty queen his ways.
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They say he was a ready at himself to see. And when he died
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they found he'd left his fortune to provide in jobs for men that was county
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air like he was strang. There'll be millions of plying he's hardly worth while
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me trying. Oh go on, I'll have a shot, sir. I
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would, honest, you might put yourself in the way of something good.
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Mister Wilson. You know I wanted to try, And so that was the
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whole way of it. Mister Elms Well, I went along that Monday,
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and I've never seen such a sight in all my life. There wasn't a
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man in all London with a red hair in his head that hadn't turned up
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at Pope's Court. I dare say the whole entrance was Fleet Street must have
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looked like a costermonger's orange barrow, damning mister Wilson, Pray go on,
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mister Wilson. Well, anyway, I got in at last the office where
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mister Duncan Ross was sitting, very plain. It was with a deal table
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and a couple of chairs. And this mister Ross was a little quick card
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a man, and he had a head that was even redder than mine,
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if you'll believe it. And the minute he saw me, he was up
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like a shot. Mister Wilson, cries mister Wilson. Heaven bless you,
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mister Wilson. Next marvelous, what a head, what a shade? Delarge
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it mister h one moment though, you'll excuse me, will you, mister
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Wilson, Ah, thank Jules, thank you. I just had to give
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it that one small tongue to see that you were genuine. We've been tricked
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twice by whigs, mister Wilson, and once by paint. I could tell
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you tales of cobbler's wax that would disgust you with human nature. And you're
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married, of course, nurse, what oh pity, a pity. The
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fund was for the propagation of redheads too, of course, besides their incidence.
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Hey, mistill, I think we could stretch a point for such a
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remarkable croppers us. When could you take up your duties? Well, the
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jobs us, of course, with such a shade, what almost any time?
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I suppose my assists very reliable in my shop business at ten to two
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every day, mister Wilson. In this office, the pay four pounds a
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week, and the work, mister rascule in nominal. The only condition is
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that you have to be in the office the whole time. If you leave
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it for even a minute, you forfeit your whole position forever. The will's
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very clear on that point, or I wouldn't dream of it, mister Roscy.
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It's only four hours a day, after all. What is it that
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I have to do though? To copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica, every one
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of it from beginning to enter. There's the first volume on the table,
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and you must find your own pens and ink. We provide the table and
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cheer. Of course you'll be ready to start tomorrow then, well, if
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if it's so very urgly it is it is, the work mustn't flag for
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a moment. Yeah, I'll be hearing myself to start you off. But
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afterwards you'll simply carry on by yourself, except that I'll look in every Friday
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to pay you. Goodbye, mister Wilson, and let me congratulate you from
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my heart on the important position you've been lucky enough to obtain. And I
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can tell you that I'll never forget the growner disappointment that came up from those
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other copper knobs waiting out in Pope's court when they heard the job was filled.
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Mister Elmes, it must have been heartbreaking. Well, well what next?
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You turned up, mister Wilson, to the dot. And there,
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I said, mister Elmes, Day after day I wrote about Abbot's and archery,
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and armor and architecture. I thought I might get even to the Bees
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before I expired, and you were paid on the nails, or I will
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say that for them every Friday. But then suddenly, just suddenly, the
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old thing came to an end before the Bees after all, mister Wilson,
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this very morning, doctor, there was this square, a white card board
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nail to the office door. Look, the Red Headed League is here by
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dissolved October eighteen nineteen. Well well, well, well, indeed, my
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dear Watson, you made inquiries. Of course, mister Wilson. Everywhere,
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not a single cell in the old building had ever heard of mister duncan Ross
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or even of the league itself fought an extraordinary thing. From what I've heard,
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I think it's very possible that graver issues hanging from the singular episode of
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the Red Headed League, and appeared at first sight. Watson the door for
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mister Wilson. There, missus Hudson will show in the street. Yes,
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yes, good day again mister Wilson, and my thanks for bringing me a
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problem that is quite worthy of me here, Thank you, mister. Good
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good day, go day, goebye gobye. We went out at last to
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the city. As it suggested. We traveled by the new fashioned underground as
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far as Alder's Gate, and a short walk took us to Cobourg's Square,
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which was a pokish, shabby, genteel little place, and halfway along three
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guilt balls and a browd and board with Jabez Wilson on it announced the place
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where our Red Headed clans had carried on his business. Charlock Holmes stopped in
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front of it, and to my surprise, splendid Watson. Splendid now the
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door, my dear fellow, if would be good enough. Ah, certainly
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at Holmes certainly does seem a more orthodox manner of attracting attention, But knocking
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on the pavement as you've just done. I must say I'd like to know
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why you well, what do you want? Ah? Thank you, my
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good man. I only wish to ask you how you'd go to the strand
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from here? Fair, rightful thrift, good day, admirable com Watson,
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let us walk, smart fellow, that the good Spaulding himself no less,
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of course, But so I gathered from the white scar on his for it
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that you mentioned for skill Watson. He's probably the fourth smartest man in London,
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and for daring, I'm not sure he hasn't even a claimed to be
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the third. Yes, I've known something of him before you gather. Ah.
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Evidently mister Wilson's assistance seems to count for it largely in this business of
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the redheads. I take it that you only asked him your way for the
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sake of seeing him, not him, Watson, the knees of his trousers
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in his And what did you see what I expected to see? Huh,
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I did say, But but what and why did you knock on the pavement
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with your stick so heartily in the ears, My dear good fellow, This
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is surely a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies in
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an enemy country. Now, then let me see. I'd just like you,
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Watson, to observe the order of the houses at the corner here there's
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more to must the tobaccolis, and the little newspaper shop over there, and
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there's the Coburg Square branch of the city of a suburban bank, from the
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vegetarian restaurant McFarland's the carriage building depot. Excellent, exactly. Well, we've
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done our work for this afternoon, doctor, and now we are free until
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ten o'clock tonight, till ten ten precisely. I have some little business myself
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in the interval. But at ten to night, Watson, if you love
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me, meet me there by macfarland's depot. I'll come by, handsome,
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and I may have some companions with me. Oh, and Watson, your
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army revolver. Ten Ah, Watson homes. I think you'll remember our old
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colleague here from Scotland Yard, mister Ethelney Jones. Oh, of course,
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that old adventure the sign of four. How did you do? Jones?
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Happy to see you again, doctor Watson, like old time, isn't it?
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And this Watson is mister Medyweather who is to be our other companion in
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to Night's adventures. How'd you do, sir Watson? Will you lead the
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way for you, mister Medweather, I may say tonight's steak is of some
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thirty thousand pounds at the least. And for you, Jones, the man
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you've been longing to lay your hands on for many a year, John Clay,
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murderer and thief, if you're right, homes Pall myself a remarkable man,
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John Clay, doctor Watson. His grandfather was a royal duke, they
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say. And he's been too eaten in Oxford. And yet there isn't a
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dirty trick on the calendar. He hasn't been up to the old cracker Cribbin,
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Scotland. One week can be raising money to build an imaginary orphanage in
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Cornwall, the next this time it's bullion in Coburg Square. Jones, Yes,
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mister Medwether. Watson is a director of the City and Suburban Bank.
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I made a contact with him and Jones after I left you this afternoon.
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He is about to lead us by a very private door to the vaults of
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the bank itself. The vault the vaults Watson lead on my dear mister Mediwether,
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then it splendid Watson, you brought the gun as I asked you,
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or our course host it go on even, permit me to inquir man,
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we have something better to do. Sit down, Watson on that big packing
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case and keep a pistol ready and when you be seated, awesome, mister
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Merdiwether, you too, mister Jones. We may have some little time to
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wait. Still, mister Mediwether, will no doubt explain to you Watson,
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why it is that one of the most daring criminals in London seems to be
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taking a considerable interest in this cellar in which we are all sitting. Now,
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Well, do you see it's our French gold, doctor Watson. Heaven's
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name man, Quiet, quiet, for maybe they may be held in a
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moment, our French gold, doctor Watson, French Gold. We'd occasion to
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borrow some to strengthen our resources. That creature sitting on contains two thousand Napoleon's
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pet in lead foil, two thousand napoleons. The one mister Jones is sitting
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on contains four thousand. Oh by the way, Jones, you've got the
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other entrance covered. I take yes, spect her two officers. Good,
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now, how goes the time? Watson? Pray darken the lantern and keep
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your eyes glued to the floor there about six feet in front of a side.
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Guess and the moment wait, wait, and earlier than I thought after
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all, quiet now, Holmes. The floor there opening, I can see
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an age of like yet Watson, So got your pay? I bewick Watson,
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I want you an I'll pay Shoot Clay, j Clay. There's another
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room there. I love the undergone tunnel row boy, russ Us Clay.
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The other entrance is covered too. Your friends had run. They'll get him
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at the other end. Fanchit us a fair cop then, so you've got
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us after all? Whoever you are, got the yard Clay, Sherlock Holmes
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at your service? What oh it would be well I've never met your Sherlock
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Holmes. But oh well, well I guess I guess I've heard about you.
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And if I had to be taken by anybody at the point of a
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fortune, I reckon it's you that I choose. Oh thank you, may
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I say in return, because your already headed idea was one of the most
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effective I've ever encountered. Jones he's yours, mister Medweather, your French bullion
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is safe, thank Heaven for it. Hold out your hands. Clay has
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spawling. I beg you'll know, mister Joel. You may not be aware
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of it, but I have royal blood in my veins. It was a
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decent fight and I lost. I'll go quietly thank you. Well, will
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you please march upstairs, your highness, where we can get a cap to
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carry your serene nobility to the police station. That's better for your certain mister
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Holmes. Good night, good night, mister Clay, mister Jones, good
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night, good night. And so that's that You've solved at Holmes, as
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you promised. The League of the Red Headed Men. Yes, Watson,
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just perfectly obvious from the start, of course, that the only possible object
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of the whole thing must be to get rid of that not over bright pawnbroker
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of ours. For a certain period every day. It was a curious way
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of managing it. Shortly, our Clay was always an imaginative dog, and
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really it would have been difficult to suggest a better and you, for all
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your wisdom, I confess I can't because color of the fellow's hair. Of
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course, that suggested it all, every bit of it. Clay alias Spaulding
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took a job at half pay as Wilson's assistant so as to be near those
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cellars where he knew the bullion was stalk. That was smart. Well,
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he had an accomplice, that man who called himself Duncan Ross, who was
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either redheaded himself or to accomplished those miracles with cobbler's wax, which were to
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disgust us all with human nature. They managed between them to guarantee Wilson's absence
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from his shop for hours on him, weeks on him, and while he's
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toiling away, their burrowing their way like moles from his premises towards the gold.
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But what set you on the trail, though, homes the photography,
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That business of disappearing to the cellar for so long at a time. It
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did I surprise you, Watson by beating on the pavement. Who did?
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Indeed, when I was checking on the hollowness of the tunnel between Wilson's place
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and the bank Ah, I looked at Spaulding's knees when we met him in
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his role of the cottony shot them, and there they were worn and stained
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from their endless digging of his the things as till as daylight. But how
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could you tell that they'd make their attempt to night? They closed the League
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offices, they no longer needed mister j based Wilson's absence, and it's a
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Saturday, Watson to give them two clear whole days for their escape. Ah
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Ill reasoned it beautifully. Holmes the Case of the Radioheaded League one more among
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so many, well well well. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, based on
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the original stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, had been dramatized a new with
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original music composed by Sydney Torch. Sir Ralph Richardson played the part of Doctor
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Watson and Sir John Gilgood that of Sherlock Holmes. A program was produced by
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Harry Allen Towers. Welcome Back. This is definitely an interesting approach to the
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Redheaded League. I'm struck by the degree to which they really try to affirm
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the chronology they're using for the stories, and I didn't think that's just something
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that's better not to call attention to. I definitely think in this episode you
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see the contrast between between this series and the John Stanley series. We just
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completed. Just in terms of the interaction of the character, it's light,
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it's more good humored and pleasant, even with the crux. And I guess
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you could make an argument that they may have gone too far one way or
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another, but I think it's a I think it's definitely refreshing from what we
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heard in the prior series. All Right, that'll do it for today.
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We will be back tomorrow with yours truly, Johnny Dollar, and then join
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us back here again next Thursday or Sherlock Holmes in the meanwhile, Sandrew commons
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to Box thirteen at Great Detectors dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio
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Detectors, and be sure and fill out our listeners survey survey dot Great Detectors
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dot net. From Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off