“Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Christmas Pudding” (1955)

The Case of the Christmas Pudding

Brief Description:

John Norton, convicted of murder, swears vengeance on Holmes before his execution. The prison is secure, but Holmes is certain Norton will carry out his threat…

(possibly written by me, possibly taken from Tubi, IMDb, or Wikipedia and edited by me. I forget)

Date: 1955

Genre: British mystery TV episode 

Running time: 27 minutes 

Cast: 

Ronald Howard (Holmes)

Howard Marion-Crawford (

Watson)

 Eugene Deckers 

(Norton)

June Rodney (

Mrs. Norton)

Richard Watson (

Prison Governor / Warden)

Sacha Pitoëff (

Constable Smith)

Director: Steve Previn

Production company: Guild Films

Based on: The Sherlock Holmes Series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 

Wikipedia page

(more info)

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

I love Ronald Howard as Sherlock Holmes. I think he best brings to life Sherlock’s character and looks—although Basil Rathbone shows Holmes’ intensity perhaps a little better. Anyways, the Victorian England feels are top notch and there was a distinct Christmassy feel as well, which I enjoyed. 

Characters: 5/5

I already mentioned I loooove Sherlock. Watson is a bit more inept than in the books, older and plumper, but he does play an excellent sidekick to this Sherlock, and I love how he, in the end, shone… ;) The constables + warden were very like the books too, and Norton was nicely scary. I felt so sorry for Mrs. Norton though! 

Plot: 5/5

A short story but well done and definitely interesting. The dénouement is always a surprise and I like how it tied in one of the original Sherlock stories. I could definitely see this one going down in the original stories. 

Content: 5/5 (low)

I remember none. 

Violence: 5/5 (low)

A shooting (non-lethal) and someone knocked out. No blood, no real violence. 

Overall: 5/5

I adore the 1954-1955 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series and this is one of my favourite episodes! <3 Such a great short Christmas film.