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Anecdotes
about
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| When I went out to introduce Basil, I said, "Here ladies and gentlemen is . . ." I couldn't believe it, I forgot his name. I had an hour and a half show in my head, and I couldn't remember his name. So I began to stall: "Here is a man whom you've seen play Sherlock Holmes many, many times. He's one of the most experienced theater actors in the world . . ." But I still couldn't think of his name. Finally someone wrote it down on a big piece of cardboard and brought it close enough for me to see it. With great relief, I said, "Mr. Basil Rathbone." Basil came out and he knew what happened. He was very gracious about it, but he couldn't resist saying, "I'd like to thank Mr. Sid Silvers for having me on." He got even. |
Caesar's Hours, by Sid Caesar with Eddy Friedfeld (New York: Public Affairs) 2003. pp. 250-251.
This
photo was taken of Basil and me while he was visiting the FBI in the early
1950s. He was accompanied by Special Agent Ed Kemper from the Bureau's
Crime Records Section. Kemper was his guide throughout the FBI Lab and in
the normal course of business he would, following the Lab tour, have been
escorted to the basement of the Dept. of Justice-FBI building where the
Bureau's 25 yard pistol range was located. In all probability Rathbone
watched a shooting demonstration by a FBI Firearms Instructor and shortly
thereafter had a meeting with Mr. Hoover himself, if he was "available" at
that time. As far as his tour of my unit (the Firearms Identification
Section) was concerned, Kemper and I showed him the collection of about
1500 hand guns and shoulder weapons, demonstrated firing test bullets into
the bullet recovery box in a sound proof room behind the gun collection,
explained a little bit about the science of Firearms Identification, and
told him how much we enjoyed meeting him. Kemper then led him to another
unit of the Laboratory (such as the Serology unit, Hair and Fiber unit to
name a few). Before leaving my unit Mr Rathbone shook my hand and
told me how much he appreciated the tour.
An FBI Special Agent
My father managed Mr. Rathbone during some of his speaking tours during the
1960's. He arranged for several visits that Mr. Rathbone made to South America.
My father recalled meeting with Mr. Rathbone and his wife, Ouida, in their NY
apartment and how Mr. Rathbone read aloud to him there. He said it was an
experience he would never forget and also expressed how extremely gracious both
Mr. Rathbone and his wife were to him.
Had I not been such a young, dopey kid at the time you can believe I
would've begged my father to let me join him. At any rate, I ended up with a
personally autographed photo signed, "Best Wishes, Basil Rathbone alias Sherlock
Holmes," which I treasure to this day.
Randy Winston,
New City, NY
As a teenager in the 1950s, I used to idolize Basil Rathbone. On TV I loved him as Sherlock, Richard III, and Guy of Gisbourne; I saw him live in Ashland, Ohio in one of his Evenings with BR; yet my strongest high school memory was a Caedmon recording of Poe's "Masque of the Red Death," where his ear-haunting timbre, range of colors, and vocal virtuosity made an indelible impression. I subsequently went on to get a Bachelor's and Master' s degree in Theatre, taught and directed on the college level, and have worked as an actor off and on for close to 4 decades. As I look back, I'm startled to think of all the times I was influenced by Rathbone: I used Poe's "Red Death" in my own 1-man shows; during a gig at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, I vividly recall a couple of us mounting an onstage duel and stealing bits from Robin vs. Sir Guy; another time I was cast as Sergius in Shaw's "Arms and the Man" and was baffled how to make myself credible as the romantic lead (old men and villains were my normal fare)--but I experimented with adding a simple pencil-line mustache a la Rathbone, got the perfect look, and had a swell time in the role.
What made Rathbone so extraordinary? First, he had colossal gifts: a) the superb athletic ability, and not only in swordsmanship--I was startled to be reminded that he was a perfectly capable hoofer (and patter singer) who could hold his own in a music hall turn; b) the prodigious vocal accomplishment--that bronze bass-baritone had remarkable power, range, and variety--the icy chest register that made his villains so formidable, the head voice that could supply surprising sweetness & warmth (e.g., your "Night Before Christmas" clip, or his v.o. for Disney's "Mr. Toad," or his LP of "Robin Hood" where he doesn't portray the baddie but Robin himself--and with a lightness, bounce, and dash that are as convincing as they are unexpected). c) the directness, economy, and subtlety of his work--I remember, years ago, Everson suggesting that he would add "a touch of ham," but I honestly can't see it. Over and over he underplays, relying on restraint, linear readings, and choices that register swiftly. When you consider the undistinguished material he often had to run with, the body of his work in his prime is brilliant.
All in all, he was close to the ultimate actor: he could act, move, sing,
dance, and tackle an enormous range of media and styles. My only regret is
that he wasn't given a chance to film some of his "other" repertoire, Cassius,
say, or Dr. Sloper. In short, he was one of the undisputable greats.
Rick Walter, Houston, Texas
I first heard of Basil when I was around
seven years of age in 1972 and this is where I first saw him in Sherlock
Holmes films. He really was a great actor in those days and yes I'm a
fan of his in Sherlock Holmes movies.
I still watched him on TV over and over the
years. I already bought a book about him and I do
believe apart from his acting he was a good hearted gentleman. he always
seemed to have time to meet and talk to anyone.
An Irish Basil Rathbone supporter,
Mr. Ronan Meyler, Dublin, Ireland
"I first met Mr. Rathbone when I worked on [The
Adventures of Sherlock Homes]. . . . I got to know Basil much more later
on, some years later when we did a stage version of SHERLOCK HOLMES.
That's when I really got to know him, because by that time I was grown up.
As a child, of course I didn't really get to know him except to see that
he was a great gentleman and an extremely pleasant person. Everybody liked
him very much. Of course, in those days, he was more famous for playing
villains, and he couldn't have been more different. He was a gentle and
really very charming man, and he was indeed very, very well liked by
everybody."
Terry Kilburn, quoted in Scarlet Street #13 (Winter 1994), p. 53.
I grew up in NYC/Manhattan -- the daughter of a
prominent physician (who by chance was Basil Rathbone's MD). I had always
been a fan of Mr. Rathbone's. . . sooooo, one day (the summer holidays had
already started and I was home from boarding school), my dad's secretary
called the house saying that my dad wanted me to come by the office (which
was quite close to our apartment) for luncheon. I headed over and waited
in the patient's waiting room. Ms. Bethany (dad's secretary/nurse) came in
and said that my dad was ready to see me... I went into his office and
lo-and-behold there standing in the middle of the room was Basil Rathbone!!!!
WOW... what a surprise!!!! Ms. Bethany took a picture of me facing him -
showing our profiles... I treasure that moment and the picture (which my
mum put into a cardboard frame which was then signed [at a later date] by
Mr. Rathbone.
Pam Taylor
Louise, a fellow Basil fan, shares the following
stories. 
Among my happiest memories was meeting Basil Rathbone when he was doing
the radio program, Inspector Burke of Scotland Yard. My foster-father,
William Podmore, was playing Inspector Burke's sidekick, Sgt. Abernathy,
and I gave him no peace until he brought me to the studio to meet Basil.
I had already seen "The Heiress," and I recognized his makeup as
Dr. Sloper; he said that there's so little time between the end of the
radio show and the start of the play that he couldn't afford to try to
make up at the theatre, and sometimes he couldn't catch a cab right away,
as well. I volunteered to have one waiting for him after Inspector
Burke finished, and did so for the remainder of the run. He was pleased,
and invited me to come backstage whenever I had time. You can be sure that
I took him up on this offer most Tuesday (I think) nights. In the play,
the Doctor dies several scenes before the end, and Basil had to hang
around for the curtain calls, so he seemed happy to have someone to chat
with besides his dresser, Johnny.
Years later I traveled to a Maine Summer Stock theater to see Basil in
"The Winslow Boy," a play which had been a favorite of mine from
the movie, and difficult to surpass, but he was superb, and what a
pleasure to see him in a sympathetic role. An memorable incident
occurred during the performance. At one point, Basil sat down at a
table to converse on the telephone. The chair literally collapsed
under him, and he took a very hard fall--definitely not in the
script. He got up carefully, taking his time to sort of check out
his anatomy to see if he was all in one piece, picked up the phone, and ad-libbed
an apology and explanation to the (of course non-existent) party on the
other end. The audience had, when he fell, gasped and were in a
shocked sort of silence, not sure of the situation. When the call
was completed, with the normal dialog, he hung up the phone, and,
reassured, the audience greeted him with a thunderous applause, both in
relief that he was all right, and in awe of his aplomb.
Karen, a Rathbone fan in England relates this story: "My mother knew Basil in England before and after the war, and when I was very little, in about 1963, she took me to visit him for a few days. I don't remember a thing about it, except being in this dark place, with a brightly lit area, which apparently was a movie set, and being picked up by a man in a black coat and tall black hat with silky stuff tied on it, who was showing me round, and talking to me. There was a mirror over a fireplace and some red chairs, and when he put me down he told me not to trip over this big cable running along the ground."
| One evening in 1935 Basil and Ouida Rathbone were invited for dinner at the home of Hosford and June Brackett and their three children. One of the children relates this story: "We had recently seen Basil bash Freddy Bartholomew in 'David Copperfield,' so when the Rathbones arrived, we hid from Basil in fear. After a while we tentatively peeked around the corner to get a glimpse of our famous guest. Basil caught us and escorted us back to the living room just in time to see my father spill a tray of drinks onto Ouida Rathbone's dress! But we had a nice evening anyway, and Basil signed our autograph books." |
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In his biography of Basil Rathbone, Michael Druxman relates an amusing story about Moritz, Basil's German Shepherd: "One evening, Rathbone was walking with the dog along New York's 46th street, when Moritz, unable to find a lamp post, decided to relieve himself on the leg of a woman pedestrian. Basil, red-faced and at a loss for words, could barely sputter out an apology. Luckily, the woman was so impressed at meeting Basil Rathbone, that she told him to forget the whole matter and went on her way." (Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films, page 25-26)
Working With Basil
by David Macklin
When I came to Hollywood to pursue my own acting career, I left The Basil Rathbone Club and for a while Basil himself behind. I was preoccupied with trying to make it in the movies and simply surviving.
A few years passed and the career was going pretty well. I was doing leads and guest star roles on TV and an occasional movie. So,
when I received an offer to do a part with little dialogue in a pilot film for 20th called Warbirds I was inclined to turn it down.
When my agent, Dorothy Maclin, told me that Basil Rathbone was reprising his role as Major Brand in this proposed series based on the great film
"The Dawn
Patrol," I jumped at it.
The year was 1964 and it had been several years since I had last met Basil after one of his Theater Programs and knew he was getting a little long in the tooth. When I spotted him on the set in his chair working on his lines I realized he looked more frail than when I last saw him. I made my way over to him, more than a little nervous, and found that he was rather flustered himself and was muttering "Damn it Basil...get it right!" as he went over his lines.
After a few moments I decided to jump in and said "Mr. Rathbone?" He looked up and said "Yes?" I sputtered out, "I am David Macklin, I used to be David Mortashed and I was President of your fan club." He looked at me blankly with no sign of recognition. I continued, "You remember? I took over the club from Doris Devasier." He squinted and then smiled and said, "Oh! Are you Doris Devasier?"
Well, you can imagine that I was a little taken aback. I thought I looked pretty butch in my air force uniform. I stuttered onward..."No, I'm David Macklin...I mean Mortashed...I mean I was David Mortashed....I am David Macklin now but I was Mortashed...David...And was your fan club president AFTER Doris Devasier." He looked at me again and laughed. "Yes, of course dear boy...forgive me. I am getting rather addled these days and I had a terrible flight with bad food (more on that later) and I have this monster speech coming up." We talked a bit about the old
days: Sherlock Holmes, Errol Flynn and movies versus theater. I told him that I still had the letters* he sent me and that I treasured them.
*Ed. note: These letters can be viewed on the "Letters
from Basil" page.
I could see he was still concerned about his lines so I asked if I could cue him which he gratefully accepted. It was wonderful. Here I was helping this marvelous actor who had given us so many years of inspiration and enjoyment. I cued Basil Rathbone and we worked on word associations that would spark his memory and soon he was in control and relaxed into the role. It was great to see him as he was in Sherlock Holmes,
"The Dawn Patrol" and so many of his classic roles. I was so moved that I got tears in my eyes and choked up a bit. He seemed to understand and patted me on the knee and murmured, "Quite right...quite right old boy." Then he laughed and said, "Doris Devasier indeed!"
Soon it was time to tackle Basil's big scene. He started off a little shaky, muttering again, "Damn it Basil...get it right!" But shortly he had it down and we went for a take. The cameras were rolling and he was doing fine when suddenly he broke wind...a rather prolonged B flat. Like the pro he was, he didn't yell CUT and went on with the scene as did we flyboys who surrounded him. After the take, he broke out laughing and said "Sorry about the ad lib." The whole set laughed with him and when we settled down the sound man said, "It's OK. We are clear! No overlaps." Cheers and laughter rolled over the set. The take was printed, we did the coverage and moved on with a delightful day of shooting.
The next day I drove Basil as Major Brand around 20th's great back lot in a jeep for some location shots. To tell the truth I had never driven a jeep before and it was a bit of a jerky bumpy ride. Basil remarked, "Dear boy! You are shaking up my innards a bit." I said, "Sorry Sir, but they didn't teach jeep driving in drama school." To which he replied "Quite right! Carry on!"
It was a glorious day and the last time either of us saw the back lot of 20th Century Fox. I remember Basil Rathbone looking wistfully around at the green rolling hills of the lot and saying, "I have many fond memories of this place. It will all be glass and concrete soon." And so it came to pass. After the "Cleopatra" debacle 20th sold the back lot and it soon became the great conglomeration of marble and glass known as Century City.
A few years later I was vacationing in Laguna Beach. While lounging on the beach I heard on the radio that Basil Rathbone had died. I went to my motel room and spent the rest of the day there full of sadness and regret. Why hadn't I stayed in contact with Basil? Why didn't I get a photo with him? Why didn't I at least have him autograph my script? Who could ever replace this truly gracious, witty, kind man and magnificent actor?
David Macklin also had these memories of Basil: "When talking with Basil Rathbone at Ohio Wesleyan and on the set, I told him that it was his Sherlock Holmes portrayal that turned me on to the Holmes canon (the original Conan Doyle stories), and that it was an inestimable gift to me. I added,
'Can you imagine how many other people were also so affected?' He replied,
'Yes, I know, but one would like to be known for something else.' I said,
'You are! And the reason I have seen so much of your work is because your Sherlock Holmes turned me on to
you.' He smiled at that remark, and I'd like to think he was pleased."
Read more about David Macklin and his acting experiences in his book
ACTING in the Motion Picture BUSINESS.
