The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) The Dancing Men (1984) User Reviews

A deadly secret that should have just been revealed.

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 8 October 2013]

When Hilton Cubitt visits Sherlock Holmes with a mystery involving small drawings of little men, the viewer knows it will be a logical plan that will bring this situation to an end. And sure enough, Holmes is at the top of his game in this episode.

The story involved Mr Cubitt's wife, Elsie, that he has just recently married. Cubitt knows that his wife has a mysterious past but he made a vow to Elise not to bring her past life up in any conversations. But when these stick drawings frighten Elsie to near madness, Cubitt knows he needs the help of Holmes to put this matter to rest. But it will be deeper than Cubitt ever thought possible.

Even though the story ends in a mostly tragic manner, it held the interest of the viewer from start to conclusion. The script was tight and the acting top notch. Jeremy Brett and his facial expressions are some of the best part of the show. Good Watch.

Fine Production

[ericksonsam60 · 7/10 · 15 March 2012]

A gentleman goes to Holmes after he comes across a baffling series of stick figure drawings that terrify his American wife. This episode is not the best but it does make an ideal starting point for newcomers who have never watched this series before. The story is compelling offering a classical mixture of cipher and murder mystery that you would expect from a Sherlock Holmes tale. It is well-directed with pitch perfect pacing. The photography and period detail are splendid. The performances are great with Jeremy Brett as perfect as can be as Holmes and David Burke adding a sense of fun to Watson. One scene that stands out for me is when Holmes shows off his own methodical brilliance at crime scene which is enough to put today's CSI's to shame.

A worthy addition

[suicidea · 8/10 · 15 January 2021]

A wealthy man named Hilton Cubitt (Tenniel Evans, whom I remember from Yes, Minister) contacts Holmes and Watson. His American wife, who has kept her past a secret from him, has shown signs of great stress and fear upon finding drawings of some dancing men in their estate. Holmes gets on the case and solves the mystery, of course (which isn't too much of a mystery for today's viewers) but will he be able to prevent a tragedy?

Another nice episode where, even if you can guess what's coming a mile away, you still want to watch for the acting, the dialogue and the sets alone. The scenes where Sherlock nonchalantly shows the finer points of detection to the police inspector are a joy.

Those little dancing men....

[agni0504 · 10/10 · 8 February 2009]

The story of The Dancing Men is one of my favorites - OK,as I am a huge fan of Jeremy Brett,I love all the episodes,but I like this one especially.The story is exciting and as time passes, the viewers may try to put together the meaning of the drawings themselves. But I like it mostly because of the excellent acting - Jeremy just looks gorgeous in that sexy dressing gown in the scene where he deduces that Watson did not invest in goldmines. His gestures and mimic are awesome, not to mention his wonderful diction. During the Adventures series he still was thin and quick and healthy - later, due to his illnesses and the loss of his wife his appearance changed, but his performance remained larger than life.And if I consider the fact that he was 50 when he first appeared as Sherlock Holmes, he made a miracle - for me at least, because he is absolutely convincing as Holmes somewhere in his thirties. David Burke is always great as Watson and the supporting cast did a fine job too.I recommend this episode to everyone as a fantastic introducing into the realm of my one and only Sherlock Holmes, the unforgettable Jeremy Brett.

One of the standouts of Adventures

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 10 May 2012]

I have always loved the Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations, because they are so well-made and always interesting story-wise. Not to mention Jeremy Brett as my favourite Holmes(and I do have a lot of fondness for Basil Rathbone). Of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, I do consider The Dancing Men one of the standouts of the series alongside The Final Problem, The Crooked Man, The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band and The Norwood Builder. Once again it is incredibly well-made, with the atmosphere as meticulous as you'd expect and the costumes and sets authentic and looking absolutely splendid. The music is of the hauntingly beautiful kind, the story is as clever and compelling as ever and the script thought-provoking and sophisticated. Jeremy Brett as always gives a commanding performance as Holmes(I just love how methodical he was at the crime scene), and while I just prefer Edward Hardwicke as Watson David Burke is still a composed contrast. Tenniel Evans, Betsy Brantley, Eugene Lipinski and David Ross match them just as effectively. All in all, a superb episode and adaptation and one of the standouts of Adventures. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Things Don't Always Work Out for the Best

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 5 February 2014]

"The Dancing Men" is a favorite of mine. One of the neat things about the Holmes canon is that sometimes there is no poetic justice. While the great detective always solves the case, there is often collateral damage. In this one, a young bride is terrified by various images of dancing stick figures that are sent to her or appear in various settings. Her husband goes to Holmes to find out what is going on. Holmes, of course, is able to interpret the figures, but in the meantime, things don't go so well. Holmes often produced characters that came from America, and, invariably, there history seemed to present them with some nearly insurmountable obstacles. In this one, we have the sympathetic husband who has fallen into a situation he can't control. Holmes and Watson, played masterfully by Jeremy Brett and David Burke respectively, are eventually called to what appears a murder suicide scene, for which there is little explanation, other than the eerie figures that have pervaded the story. Again, the English countryside and a respect for the era are major factors in the success of this episode.

Wonderfully intriguing mystery

[grantss · 10/10 · 16 November 2022]

Sherlock Holmes is hired by a wealthy landowner, Hilton Cubitt. His wife has been receiving strange notes with all the contents in the form of dancing men. She is clearly shaken by these messages but won't be drawn on what they mean. Could these be related to her American past?

After the sedate, not-violent, hardly-a crime-involved opener, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Dancing Men steps up the tension in a big way. Quite riveting and thrilling as Holmes and Watson try to figure out what the dancing men mean and how this affects the Cubitts.

Once intriguing at the end too as Holmes unravels the mystery and sets out to catch the person responsible.

Excellent episode.

Holmes must crack the code to catch the killer

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 2 August 2016]

The Dancing Men shows the wonderful imagination Conan Doyle had, such an intriguing mystery, which requires Holmes to use his intelligence to catch a killer and solve a mystery.

It's not my favourite episode of the first batch, it has some very strong competition, but it's a fine episode nonetheless, Brett is fantastic as Holmes, for me he's still THE Sherlock Holmes, his expressions and antics are fantastic in this episode, he is so energised. I love the scenes between Holmes and Inspector Martin. It moves along at a pace, and offers some intriguing ideas, I do like the dancing men code.

Fantastic production values throughout as you would expect, it looks great. Tenniel Evans is great as the loving and sympathetic Hilton Cubitt, if I'm honest I didn't care much for the performances of Elsie or Abe Slaney, personal taste I get.

Brilliant

[vitoscotti · 9/10 · 5 September 2020]

Taking a break from "filler" loaded Endeavor. Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes is no "filler" to the point. No need to sillily stretch stories out to fill time. "Dancing Men" was truly satisfying. Brett displays his keen powers of observation in a quick paced pure old fashioned mystery. I'll only watch Sherlock Holmes if it's Jeremy Brett. Marvelous way to spend an hour. Vito S 9-5-20

Holmes And Watson, A Two Man CSU

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

The deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes are put to the test in The Dancing Men. Jeremy Brett as Holmes is called in by a member of the minor gentry named Hilton Cubbitt who is very disturbed about the behavior of his wife Elsie who is an American expatriate. They've been married for three years, but he really knows nothing of her past and her erratic behavior of late is inexplicable. The sight of what some might consider graffiti on his property, a drawing of some dancing men has scared her out of her mind.

Before Holmes can really go to work on it and in point of fact there isn't a whole lot he can do unless Mrs. Cubbitt tells him just what those dancing men mean, tragedy strikes. He and Dr. Watson played by David Burke receive word that both have been shot, Hilton Cubbitt is dead and Elsie Cubbitt gravely wounded.

Good thing Holmes was around because the local police definitely would have gotten it wrong. In this case Holmes functions like a one man CSU because it's forensics that tells the real story. When Holmes ferrets out the real story, the culprit is obvious.

When you don't have a CSU yet, Sherlock Holmes is good to have around.

When you see Dancing men, it's time to pack your duffel bag.

[revans-58368 · 8/10 · 3 October 2015]

Jeremy Brett gave the definitive performance as Sherlock Holmes, on the whole the productions were very good to excellent. The Dancing men was in particular a good offering. The story is intelligent, and the episode moves along nicely, it's dark pacey very enjoyable. Holmes definitely proves his usefulness and genius, depicting a cryptic code as only he would now how. Brett as always is excellent as the lead, David Burke supplies the usual credible performance as Watson. The only negative I can think of is the character of Abe Slaney. I found his attire a little overdone and some of his dialogue is a little questionable too.

Holmes, the little dancing figures, and one unlucky client.

[theowinthrop · 7/10 · 26 October 2008]

One wishes the series with Jeremy Brett of Sherlock Holmes dramatizations had been completed before he died. As it is most of the short stories plus two of the novels were put down, so we don't have to be too unhappy about our loss. Unfortunately there was a degree of rewriting regarding several of the stories (THE NOBLE BACHELOR, CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON, THE THREE GARRIDEBS and THE MAZARIN STONE, and even THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZ). Some was inevitable (the combination of THE THREE GARRIDEBS and THE MAZARIN STONE may have been improved, as both are inferior stories from THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES) but most critics felt they were best left as they were. Other stories were missed before Brett died, such as THE THREE STUDENTS.

However, the film version of THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN, was done well, and is available for comparison to the movie SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON, which uses the same story in its barest form. Holmes has to decipher a series of coded messages. THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN is Conan Doyle's version of Poe's THE GOLD BUG. as a tale of cryptography.

However the film with Rathbone and Bruce was a wartime story, so it and the immortal pair were brought forward in history by half a century. It resurrected their old foe Moriarty (Lionel Atwill), who is not in the original story. It deal with the mystery of the disappearance of a scientist working on a foolproof bomb-site. That has nothing to do with the original story either.

No, THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN deals with a wealthy landowner named Hilton Cubitt who goes to see Holmes because he is worried about his wife's odd behavior. She has been receiving a set of messages that Mr. Cubitt dismisses as childish scrawls, but the wife Elsie is increasingly stressed out and frightened by them Cubitt brings the papers to Holmes, who realizes it may be a code. He proceeds to break it down, and just as he thinks it is settled he learns that Cubitt and his wife have been the victims of a possible domestic tragedy, in which Cubitt has been killed and Elsie wounded.

Holmes, of course, by breaking the code manages to get to the root of the mystery, and to the perpetrator of the tragedy.

I would advise seeing this particular episode of the series if you can before you see the Hollywood film with Rathbone, Bruce, and Atwill. Then decide who was better at telling stories: Conan Doyle or the Hollywood screenwriters at Universal.

Dancing the night away

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 21 September 2017]

***SPOILERS*** The great Sherlock Holmes who's been having trouble paying his bills due to the public's lack of interest in his detective work-not counting the money he needs for his serious cocaine addiction- by those who used to depend on his expertise has a problem in getting paid as crime solver finally gets himself a well needed client in American Elsie Cubitt who's British husband Hilton feels that her past in American is suddenly catching up with her. Holmes also checks out a number of clues left by Elsie's tormentor that involve drawings of a dancing man that looks a lot like the future Fred Astaire doing some kind of tap dance at the Hollywood Hilton hotel.

With the help of his partner and live in tenant, which helps in Holmes paying the rent, doctor Watson it's soon discovered that Elsie fled the city of Chicago to avoid getting married to mobster Abe "Dead Eye" Slaney who runs the mobs beer & booze rackets. It's Slaney who won her during a card game of strip poker at the mobs south side headquarters and is determined to do anything, even murder , to get her back. Holmes soon realizes that Staney is in town disguised as the local mailman trying to break into the Cubitt mansion while delivering the post/mail and get Elsie to go back with him to Old Chicago his-Slaney's-kind of town.

***SPOILERS*** As Holmes soon deduces that the drawing of the dancing men are some kind of code by the what is obvious cooked up by the deranged Slaney that only he and Elsie knows that he's using to drive her insane so that her British husband Hilton would soon drop her knowing that his loving and pretty wife has gone off the deep end. The love crazed Slaney determined to get Elsie back breaks into the Cubitt mansion and tries to kidnap her and bring her back, kicking & screaming-to America only to be confronted by Hilton who himself gets shot and killed by the crazed gunman. Elsie in an attempt to escape all this insanity ends up shooting herself only-Lucky for her- having the bullet miss her skull and surviving the impact. it's too bad that Hilton ended up dead in all this confusion but Elsie survived to live another day as well as inherit her late husband's money and mansion to live out the rest of her life in peace and comfort. As for Holmes and his partner Doctor Watson they finally got a pay check for solving this crime that came in handy for the next months rent as well as tobacco-for Watson- and cocaine-for Holmes- not to mention food money.

The Dancing Men

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 18 January 2019]

Looking back it is wonderful to see a fit and healthy Jeremy Brett at full flow as Holmes. The way he pronounces 'Eldridges' or the theatrical way he rushes around in his room with his dressing gown on.

Hilton Cubitt visits Sherlock Holmes when a mysterious message in the form of drawings of little men in various positions that disturbs his younger American wife.

She receives further messages and Hilton knows that her wife might have had a murky past in America. Hilton will do anything to protect his wife.

Holmes manages to crack the code but is unable to prevent a tragedy.

Inspector Martin is grateful for any assistance that Holmes is able to provide.

The Dancing Men is just a very good but sad mystery.

There's nothing wrong with Mr. Cubitt.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 19 July 2012]

Mr. Cubitt is a gentleman from suburbia whose relatively new and mysterious young American wife has just had a fit upon discovering a note that seems to be made up of nothing more than a dozen or so stick figures, the kind a child might draw. Mr. Cubitt, concerned for his wife, hurries to Baker Street and Holmes promises to do what he can.

Holmes has no trouble deciphering the message, or the messages that arrive subsequently. It's a simple substitution code. The dancing men assume slightly different postures and each posture indicates a letter of the alphabet. It wouldn't have worked too well in Chinese, which is already based on pictographs, but it will do for any alphabet.

I don't think I want to give away more of the plot, although it's in no way intricate. In the end there is murder and attempted suicide and a life sentence to hard labor.

An American from Chicago is involved. He turns up wearing a cowboy hat. Okay.