Sherlock Holmes - Double Zero

Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

In this vintage radio drama adaptation, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson visit a casino in the South of France where they investigate two susp

Key takeaways

• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate a suspected suicide at a Cannes-area casino after Heinrich Schneemann is found dead with money planted on him.
• Holmes deduces that casino employees routinely place cash on suicides' bodies to shield the establishment from gambling-loss scandals.

Main topics

• Casino gambling and roulette
• Murder investigation and deduction

Notable quotes

"The bullet entered the body at a direct right angle, whereas a self-inflicted shot is always fired obliquely."

Conclusion

The episode delivers a classic deductive puzzle where Holmes turns a seemingly

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) This episode from the life of Sherlock Holmes will be transmitted to our men and women overseas by shortwave and through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Petri Wine brings you... ...Mazel Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the new adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Speaker 4 (0:17) ... Speaker 3 (0:24) The Petri family, the family that took time to bring you good wine, invites you to spend the next half hour listening to Dr. Watson tell us another exciting adventure he shared with his old friend, that master detective, Sherlock Holmes. And say, let me tell you something I found out just the other day. Steaks are really back again. Good, thick, juicy porterhouse steaks. That's for me. A thick, tender steak on the rare side, together with a glass of Petri California Burgundy. You know, Petri Burgundy is a perfect mealtime wine. And with meat or any meat dish, it's the very last word in good eating. Honestly, when you taste the wonderful flavor of that rich red Petri Burgundy, you're tasting one swell example of the art of winemaking. It's full-flavored and just about the most delicious wine that ever poured from a bottle. Try it the next time you have steak or chops or the next time you have hamburger or pot roast. Believe me, Petri Burgundy is the best friend a good meal ever had. The End Speaker 3 (1:32) And now let's look in on our good friend and host, Dr. Watson. Speaker 4 (1:37) Come in, come in, come in. Ah, there you are, Mr. Bartell. Evening, Doctor. Speaker 5 (1:41) Just Speaker 4 (1:42) in time Speaker 5 (1:42) to join me in a cup of coffee. Speaker 4 (1:44) Draw up your chair, young fellow, my lad. Thank you. Ah, Speaker 3 (1:47) that's it. Well, Doctor, you told us last week that tonight's new Sherlock Holmes adventure takes us to the south of France. Speaker 4 (1:53) That's right, Mr. Bartell. The south of France in the year 1900. A beautiful playground bordered by the bluest of blue seas and populated with an extraordinary cross-section of cosmopolitan Europe. Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. All of them attracted by that riviera paradise. All of them drawn by the magical spell of a small white ball spinning round the rim of a roulette wheel. Speaker 3 (2:18) Now, don't tell me that you and the great Sherlock Holmes were there on a gambling spree. Speaker 4 (2:22) We were not, Mr. Bartell. At the time my story begins, we had just concluded an extremely delicate mission. A mission, I may say, that concerned the safety and good name of... A very prominent member of the royal family. Say, Doctor, you don't mean... One story at a time, Mr. Bartow. In any event, my boy, I'm afraid that's a case about which my lips are sealed for all time. But to return to tonight's adventure, one June evening, I persuaded Holmes to accompany me to the gambling casino at Frege's, not far from Cannes, where we were staying. It wasn't quite as fashionable as the casino at Monte Carlo, but as I intended to do a little modest gambling myself... it seemed an establishment more suited to my means. As we stood there at the green baize-covered tables, the chatter of voices and the melodic chanting of the croupiers as they called the results of each spin of the wheel formed a background to a quiet conversation that Holmes and I were having. Speaker 2 (3:20) Oh, that's it. Speaker 1 (3:24) Go ahead! Speaker 2 (3:29) Ten, Watson. Speaker 5 (3:30) Confound it. That number ten must come up soon. Why not cut your losses, old fellow, and come for a stroll with me on the waterfront? Well, just a Speaker 4 (3:35) big way. A couple more bets, Holmes. I have a piece ten is bound to come up in a minute. Watson, I believe the blood of a Speaker 5 (3:41) gambler Speaker 4 (3:42) courses Speaker 5 (3:42) through your veins. Speaker 4 (3:43) Oh, there's no harm in taking a little flutter once in a while. Why don't you risk a few francs, Holmes? Oh, thanks, my dear chap. The law Speaker 5 (3:49) of averages convinces me that my money is safer in my pocket. In any case, I'm a little dubious as to the integrity of this particular casino. What Speaker 4 (3:57) makes you say that? Well, you will observe that this Speaker 5 (3:59) roulette wheel has a double zero. Most continental wheels have only a single one. It would indicate that this house is extremely concerned with its percentage. Speaker 6 (4:08) Mesdames et messieurs, faites-vous-leur. Oh, Speaker 4 (4:10) just two more turns of the wheel, Holmes, and I'll take that Speaker 6 (4:12) walk with you. Why are you missing the gears, Spielin? Why do you not be on the other side of the table? Why must you always stand next to me? Speaker 4 (4:18) Hello. Good trouble up there. I've placed my bets, so let's go and see. I ask you, sir, why do you play here beside me? Speaker 6 (4:24) I'm afraid I don't see any reason why I can't play wherever I... You swish. You've broken my luck. Ever since you come to the table, I've done nothing but lose. Please, two move away. I'll move away yourself if you don't like my company. Speaker 1 (4:36) Heinrich, why do you not stop now? You've already lost more than we can afford. Speaker 3 (4:40) One more toil, sir. I can win it all back if only this young man will move away. Speaker 1 (4:44) Why should my Speaker 2 (4:45) husband move? He's had a bad run of luck, too. Speaker 5 (4:47) Rien ne va plus. Speaker 5 (4:51) Ah, you've lost again, Watson. Speaker 1 (4:53) Heinrich, you must stop now. Speaker 4 (4:55) I must stop him, sir, because I've lost Speaker 6 (4:57) everything. I hope you're satisfied, Mr. American. You've broken my luck and ruined me. I hope that you and your turn will be ruined, too. Speaker 3 (5:04) Heinrich! Speaker 1 (5:05) Heinrich, wait for me! I've Speaker 6 (5:06) never heard such rubbish in my life. Were you listening to him, sir? Speaker 5 (5:09) I heard his last few remarks, Mr... Gilbert. Roger Gilbert. And this is my wife, Helen. How do you do? My name is Holmes, and this is my friend, Dr. Watson. How do you do? How do Speaker 4 (5:18) you Speaker 2 (5:18) do? Didn't you think his remarks were a little out of place, Doctor? Speaker 4 (5:21) I certainly did, Mrs. Gilbert. I don't see how I can possibly blame your husband for his run of bad luck. I didn't like the look on his face as he left the table, though. Do you have any idea who he is? His Speaker 6 (5:30) name is Schneeman. He's staying at the same hotel as we are. I've never spoken to him, but I've heard of being paged there. Speaker 2 (5:34) Well, you shouldn't gamble unless you can afford to lose. Speaker 6 (5:37) I'm losing, darling, and I can't afford it. Speaker 2 (5:39) Oh, but I can let you have more money. You know that. Speaker 6 (5:41) No, Helen, I may have married an heiress, but I'm not going to use her fortune to gamble with. I'll lose my own money and then I'll quit. Speaker 5 (5:50) Mesdames et messieurs, take four. Speaker 4 (5:52) You lost it, Watson? Yes, Holmes. This time I know that number ten is going to come up. It's got to. Speaker 4 (5:59) Thank you. Speaker 6 (6:13) I've lost again, darn it. Helen, this is my bad night. Speaker 4 (6:17) Why don't Speaker 2 (6:17) you Speaker 4 (6:17) stop now, dear? Holmes, I've made 350 francs. On this Speaker 5 (6:21) throw of the wheel, old fellow, but as you've lost some 500 francs doing it, I can't say that you're a pot of stagamy. Speaker 2 (6:26) Oh, Mr. Holmes, I can see that you're no gambler. Speaker 5 (6:28) I'm afraid not, Mrs. Gilbert. Speaker 4 (6:30) I wouldn't say that, Holmes. You may not like roulette. You've taken a good many chances in your life, with long odds against you, too. Nevertheless, chap, in the sense that Mrs. Gilbert means it, I am not a gambler. Speaker 2 (6:39) Hey, what's the commotion over there? That German woman with a crowd forming around her. Yes, Speaker 5 (6:45) yes, Speaker 6 (6:45) the wife of that man that said I ruined him. Speaker 1 (6:47) Attention! Attention! Is there a doctor in Speaker 4 (6:50) the room? There Speaker 5 (6:50) must be trouble. He's asking for a doctor. A doctor? Come along,