The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes (1937) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Flynn and McPherson boarded the night train to Brussels without tickets, traveling on open tracks. When conductors saw their mysterious arrival and the two shady passengers who suddenly fled from a compartment, they assumed the distinguished-looking duo must be the famous Holmes and Watson. Flynn and McPherson simply went along with the mistake, seizing the empty compartment and posing as the legendary detectives to gain access and information.

Foreshadowing: Their disguise was established from the very first scene when they purchased costumes specifically to impersonate famous detectives.

• flynn
• mcpherson
• holmes
• watson
• mistaken identity
• train
• brussels world fair

Inside the abandoned luggage, they discovered hidden compartments containing large sums of money in three different currencies, along with a set of encrypted plans. This discovery turned their accidental impersonation into a genuine investigation, as the contents were clearly connected to criminal activity.

Foreshadowing: The encrypted plans would later be decoded and linked to international bank robberies.

• luggage
• money
• encrypted plans
• hidden compartments
• hotel palace brussels

The stamps were stolen by Berry’s estate, which was managed by the deceased uncle’s associates in the criminal gang. Uncle Berry himself had orchestrated the theft, using his position to lend the rare stamps to the exhibition before replacing them with forgeries. He paid the criminals with 200,000 francs in missing cash from his estate and even operated a secret counterfeiting workshop in his castle.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the story, the executor mentions that 200,000 francs in cash went missing from the estate.

• mauritius stamps
• stolen
• berry estate
• counterfeiting
• world fair brussels

After stealing the four genuine Mauritius stamps from the World’s Fair, the gang hid them in a secret compartment within Lapin’s pocket watch to keep them safe from discovery. During the gang infiltration, Holmes managed to steal the watch, and when examined by a stamp expert at trial, the genuine stamps were found inside the hidden compartment.

Foreshadowing: Holmes notices Lapin fiddling with his pocket watch, which raises his suspicions about its importance.

• lapin
• pocket watch
• mauritius stamps
• hidden compartment
• stamp expert

Arthur Conan Doyle appeared in the courtroom after hearing about the unusual case of two men impersonating his famous fictional characters. Amused by the entire affair, he revealed that Holmes and Watson are fictional characters he created. He then retroactively granted Flynn and McPherson permission to use the names, on the condition that he could write a book about their adventure titled "The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes."

• arthur conan doyle
• court
• holmes watson fictional
• permission
• the man who was sherlock holmes

The detectives traced the gang to a Brussels pawnshop by using the threatening letter sent to Uncle Berry as their map. The letter contained clues about the gang’s location, which led them directly to the pawnshop that served as the criminals’ hideout.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the threatening letter was discovered during the investigation of Berry’s estate.

• pawnshop
• brussels
• gang hideout
• threatening letter
• traced

They were arrested for impersonating Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, which constituted fraud and deception of both the police and the World’s Fair director. The police had initially welcomed their help solving the stamp case, but later realized they had been misled about the detectives’ true identities.

Foreshadowing: After tracing the gang to the pawnshop, they discover they are now wanted by the police.

• arrested
• trial
• impersonation
• fraud
• police
• holmes watson

After being captured and locked in the gang’s coal cellar, they barricaded themselves inside. When Lapin ordered the door to be rammed open, Mary Berry, warning them of the imminent danger, alerted the police at the crucial moment. This allowed law enforcement to arrive and arrest the entire gang, freeing Flynn and McPherson.

Foreshadowing: The Berry sisters were introduced early in the story as travelers to claim their inheritance.

• coal cellar
• escape
• lapin
• mary berry
• arrested
• gang

Uncle Berry had secretly operated a counterfeiting workshop in his castle, where he forged the stolen Mauritius stamps and presumably produced counterfeit currency. When Berry tried to back out of the criminal arrangement, the gang sent him a threatening letter, which caused him to die of heart failure from the stress.

Foreshadowing: The encrypted plans and large sums of money found in the luggage were connected to this counterfeiting ring.

• counterfeiting
• berry castle
• workshop
• forged stamps
• threatening letter

Uncle Berry died of heart failure. He had orchestrated the stamp theft, paid the criminals with missing cash from his estate, and operated a counterfeiting workshop. When he tried to back out of the criminal arrangement, the gang sent him a threatening letter. The stress and fear from this threat caused his fatal heart attack.

• uncle berry
• heart failure
• threatening letter
• died
• counterfeiting

At the end of the movie, Flynn kisses Mary Berry goodbye while McPherson kisses Jane Berry, marking a happy romantic conclusion. The sisters had been traveling to claim their uncle’s inheritance and became romantically involved with the two detectives throughout the adventure.

• mary berry
• jane berry
• kiss
• ending
• romance
• flynn mcpherson

Madame Ganymare and Lapin, who were staying at the same hotel, broke into the detectives’ room seeking the money and encrypted plans from the abandoned luggage. They only found a receipt from a costume shop, and threatened to expose Flynn and McPherson as impostors unless they exchanged the receipt for the valuables.

Foreshadowing: The costume shop receipt proved they had disguised themselves as Holmes and Watson.

• madame ganymare
• lapin
• threat
• hotel
• costume receipt
• blackmail