Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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our listeners. Thank you so much show for your support. You can support
the show at support dot Great Detectives dot net. Now it's time for today's
episode of Sherlock Holmes with special guest star Orson Wells. The Final Problem The
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. We present the original stories of the late Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle dramatized anew with Sir John Gilgood as Sherlock Holmes, Sir Ralph Richardson
as Doctor Watson, and today Orson Wells as Professor Moriarty. It is with
a heavy heart that I come before you with the last adventure of my friend
Sherlock Holmes. That I shall be able to relate. I have tried,
in my humble way to chronicle some of our exploits together to demonstrate the singular
gifts of that most remarkable of men. It lies with me now to tell
you what occurred between Holmes and his arch enemy, Professor Moriarty, when at
last they came face to face. Mister Sherlock Holmes, your efforts on the
side of law and order seriously inconvenienced me. The situation between us is becoming
an impossible one, mister Home. It simply cannot go on one or the
other of us. Mister must die. Mister. It was in the spring
of eighteen ninety one. You will remember, perhaps that, after my marriage
and return to private practice, Holmes and I had drifted apart a little.
I followed the newspaper reports of his cases, of course, and called on
him quite often at the old rooms in Baker Street. Even so, however,
many weeks would sometimes elapse between our meetings, and so it was with
some surprise one April evening that I looked up and saw him standing before me
in my study. Good evening, Watson, Oh, good evening, Holmes.
Have you a cigarette for me? Oh? Is it great? Heavens
man? How ill you look? Oh? I daresay I've been using myself
up rather too freely of late old friend. You've no objection if I close
your window shutters? No, of course not. Yeah, they're not afraid
of anything, are you. I'll tell you the truth. I am rather
but it's not like you, Holmes. What is it? Airguns? Air
guns? What on earth do you mean? There's a new and deadly type
of air gun, Watson, which has been specially designed by an old acquaintance
of ours. What, Professor Moriarty, We could only be he from your
tone the same a match? Give me a match with you, my day,
fellow, Yes, of course, oh, thank you? Is a
missus Watson at home? Oh no, she's on a visit to an armed
alone. Good good. That makes it easier for me to propose that you
should come away with me for a few days. Delighted? But where,
oh the continent? Somewhere abroad? Abroad? Is that whiskey in the decanter?
There? Now? Look here, Holmes, what's all this about?
There's something more serious in your man other than you will Never did quite believe
in the iniquities of Moriarty, did you, Watson? You've said so more
than once I told you exaggerated a bit, after all, Professor MORIARTI is
a respectable figure in public life, just so, And that's the very genius
of the man. Even you, Watson, knowing me as you do,
can't quite believe me when I tell you that he corrupts all London with his
evil influence. Oh, I can't quite believe that. Oh, of course,
to the world he's still the professor, a great mathematician. He's respectable.
But what rell proof have you that he's anything else? None, well,
at least not until this last month. And even now the chain isn't
quite complete. Three days more, and I shall have him, Watson,
three days more, if I live to see them. You can't seriously suppose
that your life's in danger, homes No, you always love to be melodramatic,
melodramatic. Listen, Watson, this this very morning, in those old
rooms of ours in Baker Street, I saw him, face to face.
I spoke to him, Moriarty, your distinguished professor. Within him a criminal
strain of the most diabolical kind, that great white dome of a forehead,
those hooded eyes, and the white face pushed forward, oscillating from side to
side like a snake. Well, of course, if you believe the old
heresy of physiognomy is not only that, of course not. I've worked for
years to follow a thousand different threads, and every one of them has led
to Moriarty. He's the Napoleon of crime. Watson, the secret organizer of
almost everything evil that goes undetected in this great city of ours. There he
sits and motionless, like a spider, in the center of its web,
a web with a thousand strands, and he controls them everyone, but slowly,
very slowly, my own secret plans to expose him a born fruit.
Every day my knitt is drawing tighter, and he knows it, Watson,
he knows the danger he is in. And that was why today he came
to see me. I was playing my violin, as you know I often
do when I want to think, and suddenly there he was, standing in
the doorway, with his white face swaying in an evil way, peering at
me with his hooded eyes. M Good morning, Professor Moriarty. Good morning
to you, mister Sherlock Holmes. I believe how very charmingly you play.
How kind of you to say so? Won't you be seated, Professor Moriarty,
I can spare you just five minutes singularly good of you. Thank you.
We'll sit down. May I say something personal, mister Homes. Certainly
I'm surprised to discover that you are rather less crany development one might have expected,
whereas you won the contrary, have rather more than I had imagined.
Professor, you will recollect. I'm sure, however, that Beethoven's I did
us both. How about our personal characteristics are highly relevant to the present situation.
What have you really got to say to me? Well, perhaps I
only suggested, of course, perhaps it is a dangerous habit to finger loaded
firearms in the pocket of one's dressing guns to Holmes, Ah, even do
you share that dangerous habit? Professor, I see that you keep your hand
in the pocket of your morning coat. Supposing we lay our pistols and our
cards on the table by all means, I was about to suggest it myself.
See you favor the mouser type, mister Holmes, and without a silence,
you must permit me to present you sometimes with one of these small devices
of my own design. They are quite convenient in avoiding unpleasant noise. You
know, how, better kind of your professor, you must ask the hangman
to deliver it. To me as your last request. You evidently don't know
me. On the contrary, I think I know you better than you know
yourself. I wouldn't take up your gun again, Professor. I've already got
you covered with mine, so I perceived, But I assure you it was
only to give a harmless demonstration of the silencer of my own small accomplishments as
a marksman. Mister Holmes, I've read in those accounts of doctor Watson that's
somewhat b your part, no doubt, amiable friend of yours, that those
marks on the wall they're made from your indoor revolver practice. Quite so.
The initials there VR, Victoria, Regina, God save my majesty. Now
that I see them, it seems they are not quite as symmetrical as they
might be one side of the vis a. Look short, I think,
permit me to correct the slip, Admirable Professor Mariarty. You were perfectly right.
Of course, that little mistake has now been rectified. I would like
how if I may to improve upon it. Your bullet mark is perhaps a
shade smaller than my own. Permit me, Admirable mister Holmes's precisely above your
own mark. Professor, the exact spot. I think, no, no,
pray, don't look alarmed. My good l lady is quite accustomed to
that noise. We shall not be disturbed, and dey'rely glad of it,
for what I have to say is not without importance. Mister Holmes, shall
we stop our fencing, and again, by all means, if you will
permit me first to correct one statement that you made just now with reference to
my friend doctor Watson. I am afraid I can hardly permit the adjective bovine
in his accounts of my humble exploits. He's been good enough to exaggerate my
own achievements, and has always been unduly modest about his own. He is
a most upright and honorable gentleman, Professor, and very close to my heart.
You may say what you will about me, but I can allow no
derogatory words about him anywhere. Mister Holmes, I apologize, We who are
about to die salute him, at least you do. You are very certain,
aren't you, Professor Moriarty, that it is I who am going to
die. There is no other course unless you listen to reason. The situation
between us, mister Holmes is becoming an impossible one. It's if we come
up, go on, it won't, I assure you. For these past
few months, I've been working to put an end to it all at the
earliest possible moment, and you have very nearly undone the careful endeavor of a
lifetime, Sir, at least have seriously threatened it. No, no,
no, no, don't moved your pistol again. I'm only taking out my
memorandum book. I beg your pardon. I find it recorded here. And
you crossed my path on the fourth of genuine homes. From the twenty third,
you incommoded me. At the middle of February, I was seriously inconvenienced
by you. The end of March I was absolutely hampered. And now at
the close of April I find myself place in such a position through your continual
persecution, that I'm in positive danger of losing my liberty, and that was
certainly the end I had in view. Then you must drop it, mister
Holmes, You really must. You know, not till after Monday, Professor.
You know as well as I do that you've made a slip, one
single tiny slip. For years, I've been aware of you Mariarty at the
center of your organization. For juries, murder cases, robberies. A thousand
crimes were planned by you. One hundred agents carried them out. Your subordinates
were caught sometimes, but you never were. And yet you know you made
that slip, that single tiny slip, and you know as well as I
do, that it will destroy you. In three more days, my evidence
will be complete. I shall have you exposed, brought to trial, condemned
and hanged, and you can do nothing whatever to prevent it. My will
is inflexible, and so is mine. Three days, do you say?
And the further out the end will come. One or the other of us
must die, sir, quite so the five minutes is a professor, and
I must rarely ask you to excuse me in the pleasure of our conversation.
I'm afraid that I've neglected business of importance elsewhere. Very well, then it
seems a pity of st Holmes done what I could. I admit that it's
been an intellectual pressure. Need to see the way in which you grapple with
this affair. But I tell you solemnly, Sherlock Holmes, that if you
are clever enough to bring destruction on me. You may rest assured that I
shall do as much to you. You have paid me several compliments during this
indiview, Professor, Let me pay you one in return. When I say
that, if I were assured of the former eventuality, I would most cheerfully
accept the letter. I can promise you the one, but not the other.
Good day, mister Holmes, oh your pistol, professor, you may
need it before Monday. Thank you, Good day, Professor. I think
goodbye as the word mister Sherlock Holmes, goodbye. And so it was you
see Watson, that singular interview with the greatest criminal of all time and his
with the greatest detective. Oh thank you, my dear fellow. But but
what are you going to do at home? I told you we leave for
the continent. Mariot is not the man to let the grass grow under his
feet. Already one or two accidents and nearly befallen me today upon myself.
The police are gathering all my evidence against him. Everything will be complete in
three short days. Meanwhile, I can only lie low. Are you able
to leave your practice to come with me? I have an accommodating neighbor,
Dear Watson. I knew I could count on you all right. Then,
Now these are your instructions. Listen most carefully, instructions, homes, I
assure you they are most necessary. Tomorrow morning, at eight forty five,
you will take a handsome cab. I'll arranged for one to call you,
and it must have baby to the letter Watson. You will leave the house
alone tomorrow morning and take neither the first nor the second cab, which presents
itself at the ranks, and the address to the cabman written on a slip
of paper, and tell him not to throw it away, and I drive.
I take it to Victoria Station. On the contrary, you drive to
the strand end of the Lauda arcade I see, and then have your fare
ready, and the instant your cab stops, pay him, and dash through
the arcade, timing yourself to reach the other side at exactly a quarter past
nine. Yes, but my dear, listen and listen carefully. It's vital.
Our lives depend upon it. When you get there, you will find
a broom standing close to the curb, driven by a fellow with a black
cloak tipped with red. Say nothing, simply jump in and he'll drive you
to Victoria in time for the Continental Express, where till I meet you homes
the second coach from the front of the train, a first class carriage reserved
for us. Good night, Watson, and as you value our lives,
don't forget a single word of my instructions. No, no, no,
of course, not home until we meet tomorrow. Then until we meet.
I was infected myself with something of his own inner excitement and sense of menace.
I took the hansom and then the brom with its massive hooded driver.
I said nothing to him, as I was instructed, and he never spoke
to me. A moment later we were rattling to the station. There he
left me and drove off without a further glance, his face still hidden.
There was no sign of Holmes, and my heart sank miserably. I found
our reserved carriage, but through some confusion, a decrepit old Italian priest was
sitting there. A moment came for departure. Still I waited by the window,
in a chill of fear. Schools A senior prey goals, I don't
speak at tell him, nor do I walk up. But Holmes, man,
this is no laughing matter, not yet anyway, you see, stop,
stop the train. It's Moriarty himself, the tall man. He'll never
do it the train, I say, even the great Moriarty himself is helpless
against the British railway system. Watson, Well, well, it gives us
an hour's respite at least. But how did he know where we were?
By watching you? I expect, But I did everything you told me.
Wait Holmes, the driver of the broom. But what about him? He
was muffled. I didn't see his face. It must have been one of
Moriarty's men, right, dear Watson, there's nothing of the sort. It
was my brother Mycroft, shaken for one side of his arm chair at the
Diogenes Club. Or heavens the thing is here then, of course. But
at least we have an hour, and I can use it to take off
this disguise and think things over. But we've escaped him altogether, surely since
the train connects with the boat. My dear fellow, you webb and they
don't realize even now, but Moriarty is an opponent on practically the same intellectual
plane as myself. Do you really imagine that if I were the pursuer,
I will permit myself to be baffled by so slight an obstacle as an express
training. What will he do? Then? What I should do? Engage
a special But it'll be too late even then, I know. Means we
stop at Canterbury, do forget, and then there's always a delay of a
quarter of an hour when the train gets to Dover. Ah. I so
you'd almost think we were the criminals to be chased like this. You mean
he'll catch us after all that? I hope not. We shan't be there,
I Watson, Look, look here, Holmes. I hate to grumble
out all this time, but really I do think you ought to tell me
what you mean. Heaven bless you for a startant, faithful friend. Watson.
I'm sorry, it's only that. Well, well, I don't want
to expose you to danger too. That's why I'm being so mysterious, which
very simple really. We shall just get out at Canterbury. Indeed, and
I've gone the continent after all. I suppose, yes, we must do
that. We've no choice but to hide away until after Monday, when the
evidence will have been completed. You've not seen the papers this morning, I
suppose what time to think I've had for there. One must try to make
time for everything. Watson, you really should have read about Baker Street.
What Baker Street? Yes, they set fire to our rooms last night.
Missus Hudson was away from home, fortunately, and no one was hurt.
I'm glad to say they thought I was there. Of course, on my
soul. The thing's intolerable. Yes, only till Monday, Watson and I.
Then we'll be in Switzerland. We'll make a cross country journey from Canterbury
and take the other boat from New Heaven to the app unless, of course,
what our friend the professor deduces what I would deduce and gets off at
Canterbury himself. Ah, that would truly be a couda matre. He surely
never would. Were I rather doubted that our limits even to his intelligence.
No, No, I think we are safe enough, old friend. And
now there's time for a pipe. I fancy won't you join me? Watson?
And thus it befell. As we hid behind a pile of luggage at
Canterbury, we saw the single carriage of the Special Gulf thundering past us,
And so we made our way across country and at last reached Switzerland. It
seemed we had eluded him. To fill in every detail of the final scene
is hardly possible, since there was no witness to it. Yet, from
a certain source that I cannot yet divulge, I do know something of that
last encounter. We wondered at our will through the lovely valley of the Rhone,
and made our way by way of Interlachm to the little township of Mirgan
among the Alps. The fatal monday came and went, and yet I was
still aware of a strange, feebrile excitement in my companion. He was,
at times feverishly on the alert, then, sinking into revere, would smile
strangely to himself. I went with him on that last day of Wall on
a visit to the falls of Reichenbach, forever hallowed and yet cursed in my
memory. It's a fearful place, indeed, with a torrent plunging far below
into a tremendous abyss, a chasm lined by coal, black glistening rock high
above. Pathways been cut in the cliff face to afford a better view,
but it ends abruptly in mid air, and the traveler I had to return
as he came. We stood there guildily marveling at the great spectacle, And
on the instant came a message for me by a village lad to say that
an English lady back at the hotel was seriously ill and needed my immediate attention.
I turned to go. I looked back, and I saw Holmes leaning
against a rock with his arms folded, gazing down at the rush of the
waters. Which was the last I saw? Is that you Watson back already?
Well, Moriarty, Well, sir Lacas, you see I found you
after all, and alone alone, as indeed you must be too. Your
confederates are all under lock and key. I've heard from Scotland yard I escaped.
I was too clever for them. Holmes, I don't doubt it.
But I'm afraid your occupation's gone, Professor, with your organization destroyed. Unless
you care to return to your mathematics. It was not my intention. I
have another, more immediate intention, Sherlock Holmes. Are you prepared? But
before we discussed that, perhaps you extend me one small courtesy, Professor,
no surgeony, what is it? My friend Watson? Professor? No doubt
he will be somewhat concerned. May I just take a moment to scribble a
note to him. Certainly we can fix the paper beneath my help and stuff
there so it does not blow away. Pray, take as long as you
wish. That's very good of you, peas, don't stop talking. Professor
I mastered long ago the art of writing and conversing at the same time.
Thank you. Know, of course it's a message to write it up to
Watson as a falseman. Oh, yes, of course I knew it at
once, and that it could only come from one source. And yet you
let him go. Yes, Professor I let him go. I am not
without some affection for him. I did not wish to put his life in
danger too. Besides, he says, I have looked forward for a long
time that this final duel between us. I believe at Holmes, you're a
very remarkable man in many ways, many many ways, sir. I'm proud
to have known you. Oh and I you, Professor There. My letters
done, then, perhaps you will be kind enough to place it as you
suggested. Now, how shall it be, moriarty, I did not bring
a pistol, Holmes, Thank you. Your courtesy puts me to shame.
Professor There, it is my pistol. It goes into the falls hand to
hand. Yes, goodbye, Professor Moriarty, goodbye su Lack Homes the end,
the end. When I returned to that broken pathway, it was only
too clear what had happened. It needed no great application of Holme's own methods
of deduction. Two sets of footsteps to the verge, and none returning,
locked in each other's arms as they fought. They had gone down to the
abyss. Only the letter the last greeting from my friend and comrade, my
dear dear Watson, he wrote, My dear dear Watson, I scribble this
through the courtesy of Professor Moriarty, who awaits my convenience for the final discussion
of those eternal questions which lie before us. There can be but one outcome,
although I fear that it is as the cost if you will give pain
to my friends, and especially my dear Watson to you. I think,
however, that I may go so fast to say that I have not lived
entirely in vain pray. Tell Inspector Patterson that the papers which he needs for
a full conviction of the Moriarty gang are in Pigeonhole m Before leaving England,
I made every disposition of my property, and handed it over to my brother
Mycroft. Pray give my affectionate greetings to missus Watson, and remember me as
I used to be in our old days at Baker Street, pacing to and
fro with my violin and driving you to a point of sad distraction. With
that theme, he still were good enough to say you loved believe me to
be my very dear good fellow, yours most sincerely, Sherlock Holmes, Yours
most sincerely, Sherlock Holmes. And so he punished whom I shall ever regard
as the best and wisest man that I have ever known. The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes, based on the original stories of the late Sir Arthur and Doyle,
dramatized anew by John ker Cross, stars Sir John Gilgood as Sherlock Holmes,
Sir Ralph Richardson as Doctor Watson, and Today Orson Wells as Professor Moriarty.
Produced by Harry Ellen Towers Welcome Back. I have to be honest that
I'll listen to. The episode actually is one of the first ones when I
was considering whether we would do this particular Sherlock Holmes series and I almost decided
not to do it, And trying to think of what I don't like about
this story, I think the big thing that that was an issue to me
is this feels this feels more stage. It could be the lack of lack
of a supporting a cast at all. You basically throughout the whole thing,
you've got Holmes, Watson and Moriarty, and as the feeling of three man
play rather than a typical radio drama. And I don't know. The other
thing I think that did was that Holmes and Moriarty were just ridiculously polite to
one another. Now some of this comes from the book, but you know,
when you're hearing it on the radio, it was a pleasure to know.
It was a pleasure to know you to Moriarty. Of course, the
Sherlock Holmes story it's based on is uh in many ways, far from perfect.
The main throst of the story was to simply kill off Sherlock Holmes and
in the demand for new stories on Sir Arthur coded Doyle. This attempt,
of course, was ultimately unsuccessful, but that was the basic point of the
story as such. A Moriarty was originally written as a sort of plot device.
I will say that I enjoyed the original story Despotish Flaws and the Granada
Television adaptation more. But we have one more week for the series, the
final episode. You'll want to be sure and tune in next Thursday as we
wrap up the Gilgood Richardson series and our performance of Sherlock Holmes Radio Place.
On the bright side, we should have plenty of Sherlock Holmes video specials in
the future, but last two radio plays. Next week's the last one,
so I want to be sure and listen to that. In the meanwhile,
I'll send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detactives dot net, follow us
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Facebook dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise Idahome. This is your host,
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