The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother

After Gene Wilder co-wrote Young Frankenstein with Mel Brooks, Brooks told Wilder that since he was now an established screenwriter it wouldn't be long before he would want to direct. Hollywood seemed to be thinking the same thing. Producer Richard Roth approached Wilder about doing a Sherlock Holmes spoof. Wilder, who was a big fan of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character, didn't think that poking fun at such a beloved character would be funny. But the idea must have triggered something in Wilder, and when Roth approached him again, Wilder said that Holmes wouldn't be funny, but poking fun at his jealous brother Sigi could be really funny. This idea is what would become Wilder's directorial debut, 1975's The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.

Wilder reteams with his Young Frankenstein costars Marty Feldman and Madeline Kahn, as well as his Blazing Saddles costar Dom DeLuise, as Sigi, Sherlock Holmes younger brother who's tired of being in his brother's shadow. When people talk to him about his brother's cases, Sigi chalks it all up to luck. Sherlock decides to throw his brother a bone and sends a case his way. Sigi reluctantly accepts but the case becomes a bigger mystery than expected, and by dumb luck and lots of mishaps, Sigi learns to be a terrific detective.

I remember catching this on tv as a kid, and I laughed all the way thru it. And it still holds up nicely today. This is my favorite film that Wilder directed. It's reminiscent of some of Brooks' comedies. Wilder was so terrified of directing for the first time, that he asked Brooks to direct. Brooks told him that he could call him night or day with questions, but that Wilder would be just fine. And the end product proves that he was and that he could hold his own with the best.

This is a very funny spoof that even Doyle would have approved of.

It's available on dvd and coming to blu ray this month.