The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
A series comprised of mysteries written by Conan Doyle's contemporaries. Many of these authors were virtually unknown to modern audiences, although all of the detectives portrayed had appeared in popular on-going series of short stories or novels. "Rivals" featured the only dramatizations to date of such period characters as Jacques Futrelle's "The Thinking Machine" and W. H. Hodgson's "Carnacki The Ghost Finder".
- 1971-1973
- 2 seasons
- WWOR-TV Channel 9
- Suspense, Drama
A series comprised of mysteries written by Conan Doyle's contemporaries. Many of these authors were virtually unknown to modern audiences, although all of the detectives portrayed had appeared in popular on-going series of short stories or novels. "Rivals" featured the only dramatizations to date of such period characters as Jacques Futrelle's "The Thinking Machine" and W. H. Hodgson's "Carnacki The Ghost Finder".
Season 2 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 1973
Episode 1
The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway
52 mins
When a young woman is poisoned on a London subway train, the police searching for her killer appear to be on the wrong track. Bright young reporter Polly Burton decides to unmask the murderer herself--putting her own safety on the line in the process.
Episode 2
Five Hundred Carats
51 mins
Tensions reach the breaking point in the small mining town of Kimberley, South Africa, after the daring theft of the DeBeers diamond. Insp. Lipinzki leaves no stone unturned in his hunt for the precious rock. The more he digs, the more deadly become the stakes for everyone in Kimberely.
Episode 3
Cell 13
49 mins
Irked by the grandiose boasts of the warden of Grangemoor prison, Prof. Van Dusen wagers he can escape from the vaunted high-security facility in less than a week. Daring him to "think his way out," the prison staff accepts the challenge.
Episode 4
The Secret of the Magnifique
52 mins
The mysterious Mr. Laxworthy hires two ex-cons for a job in the south of France. But the self-described "adventurer" isn't after money. His eyes are on greater prizes--the most valuable secret of the French navy and the reputation of two very important men.
Episode 5
The Absent-Minded Coterie
51 mins
Amateur detective Eugene Valmont begins by investigating a counterfeiting operation--and ends up uncovering an even more ingenious swindling scheme. But he may have met his match in one particular adversary.
Episode 6
The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst
51 mins
The dangers of revolutionary Russia come to quiet Copenhagen when a countess from St. Petersburg flees to the Danish capital, claiming her anarchist brother-in-law is trying to kill her. The case falls to local cop Lt. Holst, who struggles to make sense of it all.
Episode 7
The Superfluous Finger
51 mins
Asked to perform an unnecessary amputation, a London surgeon calls on his colleague, Prof. Van Dusen, to learn the reason for the gruesome request. Van Dusen's investigation leads him to a country house; a mad, shotgun-toting aristocrat; and an incident three years earlier.
Episode 8
Anonymous Letters
52 mins
A recently married Habsburg countess hires dashing private detective Dagobert Trostler to find out who has been sending her obscene letters. The writer clearly knows her most intimate secrets, as well as those of a friend who is likewise receiving compromising letters.
Episode 9
The Moabite Cypher
52 mins
Coming to the aid of a man kicked by a rearing police horse, Dr. John Thorndyke stumbles upon an anarchist plot to assassinate a visiting Russian grand duke. The key appears to be a cryptogram written in ancient Moabite found on the man's body.
Episode 10
The Secret of the Foxhunter
52 mins
When two European spies join a hunting party at an English country house, William Drew of the Foreign Office goes undercover to pursue his own type of prey. Drew suspects a traitor may be working with the spies, and soon learns they are more than willing to kill to get what they want.
Episode 11
The Missing Q.C.s
51 mins
Two leading London barristers--Queen's Counsels--disappear during a murder trial, one for the prosecution and one for the defense. Junior defense barrister Charles Dallas searches for his two colleagues, but they are about to undergo the most bizarre of trials themselves.
Episode 12
The Looting of the Specie Room
When a fortune in gold bullion disappears from the strongroom of R.M.S Oceanic, a ship which is trying to establish a new record time for crossing the Atlantic, the ship's purser, amateur detective Mr Horrocks, investigates.
Episode 13
The Mystery of the Amber Beads
48 mins
After the strangulation of a rich widow, her necklace turns up in a pawnshop run by a young gypsy woman named Hagar. The police quickly zero in on a chief suspect, but Hagar has other ideas about the culprit. However, sometimes even her instincts can let her down.
