Sherlock Holmes: "The Limping Ghost" (Aired 09/03/1945)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

Episode Overview

Theme:
This episode, “The Limping Ghost,” follows Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate a centuries-old family curse and a supposed ghost at the ancestral Lochner Castle in Scotland. The story weaves family intrigue, a haunted legend, and a classic locked-room country house murder with Holmes’s logical detection, all set against a backdrop of wintery isolation and simmering family rivalry. Basil Rathbone stars as Holmes, Nigel Bruce as Watson, in this atmospheric 1945 radio drama.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. The Curse and Family Legend

• Setup at Baker Street: Holmes and Watson receive a visit from Alexander McMorris, the seventh Earl of Lochner, who fears for his life. The Lochner family is haunted by the legend of a limping, armored ghost that appears before the death of each earl.
  • Quote [03:14] Dr. Watson: “The young man was Alexander McMorris, the seventh Earl of Lochner.”
  • Quote [03:41] Dr. Watson: “The limping ghost... always appeared at Lochner Castle before and after the death of the current earl.”

2. The Latest Visitation

• Alexander's Account: Alexander, along with his fiancée Betty Nolan, both saw and heard the ghost in the castle's musicians’ gallery, leading to Betty fainting from fright.
  • Quote [06:08] Alexander: “The night before last, Betty... and I were sitting in the dining hall... we heard a strange sound up in the musicians’ gallery... saw a ghostly figure in armor limping towards the staircase.”

3. The Cast of Characters at Lochner Castle

• Besides Alexander and Betty, present are Betty’s brother James (the estate manager), Alexander’s distant American cousins Jeremy and Walter McMorris, and the loyal butler Tammas, as well as the housekeeper Mrs. McClintock.

4. Rising Tensions: Inheritance and Accusations

• Walter's Accusations: Walter McMorris confronts Alexander, claiming that his father—Jeremy—was the rightful Earl and that Alexander is an impostor, promising legal action.
  • Quote [12:48] Walter: “I’m going to take you to court and prove that I’m the real Earl of Lochner.”

5. The First Death – Jeremy's passing

• Upon arrival at Lochner Castle, Holmes and Watson are informed that Jeremy has died (“He’s dead. What?” [09:08]), heightening the specter of the curse.

6. Investigating the Scene

• Holmes and Watson inspect the musicians’ gallery, where the ghost appeared, noting the lost key and unusual happenings.
  • Quote [11:08] Dr. Watson: “They must have been very hospitable people in those days. Fifty or sixty could eat at that table.”

7. The Ghost Walks Again —and Murder

• That night, the ghost appears once more in the musicians’ gallery. Walter McMorris, donning armor, is thrown from the gallery by a second armored figure and killed in front of witnesses.
  • Quote [16:14] Dr. Watson: “Great heavens. He’s knocked him through the railings. That must be a 20-foot fall.”
  • Quote [16:20] Holmes: “It’s Walter McMorris, the American. Though from the angle of his head, I would suggest that it might be the late Walter McMorris.”

8. Holmes’s Investigation and Deduction

• Holmes theorizes that very few people could wear the ancient armor due to its size, narrowing the suspect list.

  • Quote [19:09] Holmes: “Very few modern men can wear authentic ancient armor like this... neither you nor I could have worn this suit... whereas his sister could have... so could Thomas the butler... and the young earl himself.”

• The arrangement of the armor’s gauntlets convinces Holmes the ghost act was a ruse.

9. The Trap and the Reveal

• Holmes sets a trap in the musicians’ gallery by publicly stating he would retire from detection if the ghost walked again, enticing the murderer to act.

  • Quote [22:35] Holmes: “I was tempting the murderer to show his hand once more.”

• The culprit, James Nolan, trips the wire and is apprehended.

  • Quote [23:43] Dr. Watson: “Good Lord, it's... it's James Nolan.”
  • Quote [23:48] Holmes: “You walked into a simple trap, my friend. I'm afraid the next trap will be more lethal, for it will undoubtedly prove to be the one beneath the gallows.”

10. Holmes Explains All

• On the return to London, Holmes clarifies the solution for Watson:
  • James Nolan murdered Walter to secure the inheritance for his sister’s fiancé, the Earl.
  • He faked the ghost (with modern armor) to preserve the legend and conceal his crime.
  • The arrangement of the gauntlets proved the armor hadn’t been properly worn.
  • Quote [24:50] Holmes: “If the suit had really been worn, the gauntlets would have been the first things to be taken off and so would have been underneath the pile.”
  • Quote [25:32] Holmes (Scottish Litany): “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, good Lord, deliver us.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Betty Nolan on her brother’s reaction [10:24]: “Too quietly, if you ask me. Those Americans are pretty demonstrative people, you know... but he behaved very strangely.”
• Mrs. McClintock, housekeeper, on ghosts [15:04]: “Those that meddle with ghostly things they dinna comprehend are playing with something much more dangerous than fire. Fire burns, but the shades are dead people…”
• Holmes (the trap and denouement) [23:48]: “I'm afraid the next trap will be more lethal, for it will undoubtedly prove to be the one beneath the gallows.”

Important Timestamps

• The legend retold and introduction: [03:14] – [04:38]
• Alexander recounts his ghost sighting: [06:08] – [06:41]
• Cast arrives at the castle: [08:10] – [10:00]
• Walter publicly accuses Alexander: [12:41] – [13:39]
• First sighting of the "ghost" and murder: [15:29] – [16:35]
• Holmes and Watson deduction scene: [19:03] – [19:41]
• Holmes catches the killer: [23:11] – [23:48]
• Holmes’s final explanation of the case: [24:15] – [25:32]

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode blends light banter between Holmes and Watson (“Must have built these stairs for pygmies. Oh yes.” [11:34]), horror movie chills (“Look, Holmes, up there in the gallery. The door’s opening. It’s the ghost.” [15:29]), and classic deduction. Rathbone’s Holmes is always calm, confident, and wry; Watson, amiably flustered but loyal.

Conclusion

“The Limping Ghost” delivers a classic Golden Age radio whodunit, fusing gothic supernatural legend with rational investigation. Holmes not only debunks the legend but exposes a thoroughly human plot motivated by greed and family loyalty. The atmospheric Scottish castle, snowbound isolation, and dramatic murder make for a suspenseful and memorable episode.