imbluzclooby After having never heard of this movie until I scrolled through the filmography of Gene Wilder did I come upon this forgotten film. Being that this featured the noticeable talents of performers from yesteryear : Wilder, Kahn, Feldman, DeLuise and McKern, I was expecting some interesting curios that are a reminder of 1970's comedic and cinematic styles that have faded from the fabric of our culture. After his colossal success with Mel Brooks on Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder takes a crap shoot at his directorial and writing debut to bring us this boring spoof from his childhood passion of Sherlock Holmes. The result was a hodgepodge of the antics and shticks he frequented from song and dance numbers, frantic hollering and lunacy which proved more successful when he teamed with Brooks. Here, Gene is alone and doesn't fare as well. The jokes fall flat. The typically funny Marty Feldman has a superfluous role as Sigerson Holmes" sidekick. Poor Marty Feldman again is exploited for his Graves disease deformity. Madeline Kahn's beauty and operatic achievements shine, but the disjointed script doesn't allow her character to expand. The song and dance numbers such as the Kangaroo Hop are cringe-worthy and actually made me ill. Gene Wilder is Gene Wilder and doesn't possess any of the famed talents of his sleuth brother. Dom DeLuise is pretty funny as a zany opera star with a silly toupee. I also noticed Leo McKern, the dour, ugly and intimidating man from the Omen movies. His comedic skills are a bit off so his performance is barely tolerable.The true core of the movie's mediocrity lies in its script and the film's title. Sigerson Holmes' is not as smart as his older brother and we don't get to see him delve into any capers that reveal investigative talent which makes the acclaimed sleuth so thrilling. Sigerson is also not stupid. So the title doesn't even work paradoxically. We don't get to see Sherlock aside from his brief part in the beginning and his 15 second talking shadow near the end. It's really a disappointment for those who crave detective stories, because the caper plot is so threadbare. The comedy gets muddled in hokey song routines that aren't funny at all. Thus, this project was bound to please no one. And watching Wilder and Kahn break into song together looked tawdry and was embarrassing.

Neil Doyle Gene Wilder's attempt to do what he did for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN doesn't quite work this time around. Not that the cast isn't as talented as ever, including the wonderfully droll Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman for whom Wilder has written roles ideally suiting them.But the gags that come fast and furious provide chuckles now and then, not the side-splitting laughter intended. Fans of Wilder will no doubt appreciate much of the crazy humor, but it all begins to wear a bit thin by the time we reach the third act.There's some clever humor with lyrics of songs that the actors often burst into in the midst of reciting their foolish dialog, and most adept at this sort of thing is Madeline Kahn who turns the film's topsy-turvy plot up a notch merely by her presence on the screen. She's enchanting, giving herself fake identities at the drop of a hat and forcing Wilder to call her "Miss Liar" several times.But the subplot involving Dr. Moriarty, played with comic relish by Leo McKern, is extremely foolish and played for low comedy to such an extent that it becomes merely tolerable. And Dom DeLuise's attempt at playing an Italian opera singer comes across as rather lame, including his Italian accent.Definitely not a film for everyone, but fans of Gene Wilder will no doubt overlook the shortcomings. The film has been impressively mounted and handsomely photographed in Technicolor with the visual look of Victorian London on full display.

DoctorStrangelove I saw this movie a long time ago. Let's say it was the mid '80s.ALL (to camera): "It was the mid '80s." That's the kind of kidding around you typically find in a Zucker/Abrams type comedy more than a Brooks venture (which this is not, but maybe as close as it gets)... and no matter your taste, I think we can agree this movie needed more of it. Sly and subtle worked much better on Gene Wilder in "Young Frankenstein" and it would've worked much better here as well.The only thing I remembered about TAOSHSB from the first viewing so long ago (before seeing it again last night) was the ridiculous hopping song and the presence of Marty Feldman. And, with the exception of Albert Finney's cameo - which is the funniest bit in the movie, sadly, and not because of the writing - I'm hard pressed to remember anything else only one day after watching it again.I can't imagine anyone really appreciating TAOSHSB - except a die-hard fan of the Wilder/Feldman/Kahn team-up who's already seen "Young Frankenstein" and really really wants to get this one under his belt. It's just not very funny at all. Most people should definitely avoid it... trust your instincts this time.

ppuhak Definitely an underrated film. One of my favorite scenes is where Professor Moriarty is having everyone bid for the letter and his assistant is eating from the bowl of potato chips and finally makes his assistant spit out the potato chips because they are for company. The scene with Gene Wilder and the ambassador where he is attempting to hide the fact that we eating the box of chocolates was hilarious. I would like to know if any of the songs from the movie are original to the movie or are they just old songs. They sound as if they could have been written years ago. I have seen this movie on cable and sometimes they edit some of the funny lines.