Sherlock: 8 Other Alternative Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

5. The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother

Over the years there have been several spoof versions of Sherlock Holmes, from John Cleese's The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation As We Know It to classic British comedians Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's take on the Hound of the Baskervilles. Standing above these though is Gene Wilder's follow-up to fellow spoof Young Frankenstein €“ The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. Wilder (who wrote and directed the film) stars as Sigerson Holmes, the jealous younger brother of Sherlock who wants to make it big as a detective himself. Teaming up with Scotland Yard's filing clerk (Marty Feldman) and a would-be-opera singer (Madeline Kahn) he investigates a mystery that leads him into a devilish plot headed by €“ you guessed it! €“ Professor Moriarty. He never stops working, that guy. Wilder's film shows a surprisingly great deal of Holmesian knowledge. Sigerson is an alias used by Sherlock in one of the stories by Conan Doyle while the Marty Feldman character's last name is Sacker, Conan Doyle's original name for Dr Watson. The films' premise is also a spoof of Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's smarter older brother from the Doyle stories. Boy, Gene Wilder is smart.