The Welcome to down these mean streets where today we're saluting Basil Rathbone.

Born June 13, 1892, Rathbone's name is synonymous with that of Sherlock Holmes. Between 1939 and

1946, Rathbone played the master detective of Baker Street in 14 films and hundreds of radio episodes.

And even though frustrations with typecasting ultimately led him to abandon the films and

radio series in 1946, Rathbone's Holmes stands as one of the most celebrated

in the long line of portrayals of the fictional detective. Rathbone isn't my favorite radio Sherlock Holmes, that would be John Stanley, one of his successors in the role, but when it comes to screen versions, to me Rathbone is second only to the amazing Jeremy Brett.

I also think he's head and shoulders above the modern portrayals of Holmes.

Personally, I take Basil Rathbone over the Stars of Sherlock any day of the week.

Today we'll hear Basil Rathbone in a trio of performances,

all from his final radio season of the new adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Co-starring as Dr. Watson in all three shows is Nigel Bruce,

Rathbone's co-star in the 14 Holmes films The Parramed for 20th century Fox and Universal Studios.

All three are original adventures inspired by the Conan Doyle Cannon

and written by Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green.

The longtime Holmes script writers created the character of Gregory Hood to serve as a summer

replacement when Rathbone and Bruce took time off the radio. We heard two adventures of

Gregory Hood a few weeks ago on the podcast. The first show we'll hear today is

the Eyes of Mr. Leighton, a mystery set in London's dark opium dens that originally aired on mutual on September

24, 1945.

Then it's murder by moonlight, a case of poisoning set on a ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

That one aired on mutual on October 29, 1945.

Finally, we'll hear Holmes and Watson solve the case of the accidental murderous, an episode

...