This is good, so I wanted to see it a second time. Probably the best part of Morgan Fairchild. One of the best roles for Christopher Lee. Same for Patrick Macnee. All three are beautiful and charming. Actually, all the actors are very good. Precise direction by Peter Sasdy. Another movie directed by him which I liked very much and I've seen it several times, is "Doomwatch" (in Romania, it was distributed with the title "Misterul din insula Balfe" - "The Mystery of Balfe Island").

Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady was an enjoyable movie, and I thought it was well made. I haven't seen many Sherlock Holmes productions and I'm not really familiar with the specifics of the original stories or the history of the character, so I can't say how well this movie stands up as a Sherlock Holmes production. However, considered by itself as an individual movie it's definitely worth viewing.I'm not generally a fan of movies produced for television, but Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady didn't suffer from the problems common to most TV productions. Sets and costumes were numerous and elaborate, and the sound was full, unlike many TV productions with flat sound that is clearly from a set. The plot was well laid out and easily followed, unlike the second production in this series (Incident at Victoria Falls), which I think is a bit convoluted and confusing. One small warning-- this movie was apparently originally broadcast in segments as a small mini-series, and the total run-time is about 3 hours. You'll need to set aside some time if you plan to watch it all in one go.Patrick Macnee was fun as Watson, and Christopher Lee plays a convincing Holmes. Morgan Fairchild seemed to be a good fit as the Leading Lady, though there were a couple singing scenes with poor lip-syncing, which might be partially her fault but could also be attributed to the editor and director. The cast is quite large for a television production, with lots of secondary and minor characters, and good performances throughout the movie.Overall, Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady is a nice period piece and I enjoyed watching it.

Not really good, but not really terrible either. Starring Christopher Lee as aged Holmes, Patrick MacNee as Watson and Morgan Fairchild as theatre diva Irene Adler, this TV production has respectable but anodyne BBC costume drama look and so-so mystery. Script by Bob Shayne and British crime fiction writer H R F Keating is a bit dull, direction by Peter Sasdy lacks lushness of Twins of Evil (1971). Polluted by some atrocious dialogue, like "witty" (read: juvenile) mockery of gluttons - in Freudian terms, I am not in anal state to enjoy such antics - and enlivened by cameos from famous historical persons, this is a mediocre pastiche.

Some readers seem to think Morgan Fairchild was wrong as Irene Adler ( Norton) but I think she was just right. Irene is an American and she is supposed to be a looker and a flamboyant actress. Morgan has those qualities in spades. Despite age differences ( which may have existed in the original story too), I think Lee and Fairchild have a chemistry. The rest of the plot was also not bad. MacNee is a little too goofy as Watson. I prefer the more dignified portrayals of John Mills, David Burke, Edward Hardwicke and even Colin Blakely. MacNee is too much in the Nigel Bruce mold. I wish that more "Golden Years" stories about Holmes had been made. As it is we must content ourselves with this one and "Victoria Falls". The mix of real characters with the fictional was very "Ragtime". Lee was outstanding as Holmes