December 24, 1945 The Night Before Christmas, Sherlock Holmes tracks clues through his familiar haunts to “eliminate the impossible” and catch his nemesis Moriarty in his dastardly crimes. When he discovers the jolly old gent with the white beard dipping his hand into a bag full of toys, Sherlock surmises that “whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Or is it?  Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) and Nigel Bruce (1895-1953) reprised their successful film roles from the years 1939-46 on radio. Rathbone was tired of both his film and radio roles as Holmes and feared he would become typecast and wanted out. The Mutual Broadcasting Network offered him a generous increase in salary, but Rathbone declined and left the series on May 27, 1946.