Talk:Basil Rathbone

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Knighthood[edit]

I have removed this query to his knighthood. The article's sources make extensive mention of this honour. The claim he was a Tax Exile is also wrong, he worked in both the US and UK extensively.

I can find no sources mentioned for any knighthood in this article or anywhere else - could whoever wrote this please tell us where these sources are? --NeveRendatTheBaz (talk) 15:18, 4 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Misc[edit]

Marion Foreman's biog. removed from start

It was not that bad, and I hated to remove it, but it was definitely out of place. Perhaps it would be better used as the basis for a stub for Marion's own entry ? --Klestes 21:27, 29 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I wish someone could track down the 1950s insurance commercial in which Rathbone announces "Nothing ever happens in this house" and promptly falls down a flight of stairs. That wry sense of humor was as much a part of him as Sherlock. --Bluejay Young 14:06, 7 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The ironic thing is that his first employment was with insurance companies! David Lauder 14:31, 8 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fencing

I heard that Rathbone actually fenced for Britain in the Olympics, which makes his having to lose to Errol Flynn even more amusing. Can anyone confirm or deny?

....I could not find his name on either the Brit Olympic OR fencing site. I found a site that liosted all the fencing competitors up through 1924, but he was not there.

A shame...given his very OBVIOUS blade skills, he probably could've done very well, perhaps even medalling (although he'd have been going up against Aldo and Nedo Nadi among others)

His duel with Tyrone Power in the Mark of Zorro....STILL one of the greatest films duels ever. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.88.17 (talk) 23:31, 6 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Paul Magnussen (talk) 00:07, 23 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

He is NOT south african born![edit]

South Africa did not even exist in 1892! He is ENGLIGH/BRITISH... Get your facts straight ok?

Rathbone was the first African–american to star in a movie produced by Universal Studios.Lestrade (talk) 01:37, 27 November 2008 (UTC)Lestrade[reply]

The geographic area of south Africa has been there for millions of years, whatever its political name. (As Nigel Bruce was born in Mexico, it happens that Holmes and Watson were most famously portrayed by an African-American and an Hispanic guy.) WHPratt (talk) 13:46, 27 February 2009 (UTC)WHPratt[reply]

The fact that geographically South Africa (pretty obviously) did exist does not change the fact that his parents were British and that he kept his British passport all his life. Even weirder is the suggestion that he was an "African-American". Rathbone was a British actor born in South Africa (or rather in the Cap Colonies of Britain), as well as Nigel Stock was a British actor born in Malta and not a Maltese actor, and as Dana Wynter was a British actress born in Germany, but not a German actress. None of these ever had the nationality of the country they were born in, I think ... although I'm not sure about Wynter. Uwe Sommerlad (talk) 18:47, 17 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

He was born in what is now South Africa. That is a fact. It was then known as the South African Republic. If he was three years old when the family left Africa, that would have been in about 1895. "The onset of the Second Boer War at the end of the 1890s" wasn't until 1899. Either he was older, or the accusations of spying and flight to the UK had nothing to do with the Anglo-Boer war.203.184.41.226 (talk) 19:04, 26 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Finally![edit]

I was wondering what took so long. We finally had the obligatory inversion attribution as follows: David Bret's biography of Errol Flynn claims Rathbone had an affair with Flynn (David Bret, Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel (first edition, June 2000; revised edition, 2004)). Every single Wikipedia biography absolutely must allege that the person in the article, even though happily married with children, was sexually inverted. Basil Rathbone's article was late but, thanks to David Bret's assertion, finally, at last, became a member of the Wikipedia Irregulars.Lestrade (talk) 03:51, 27 December 2009 (UTC)Lestrade[reply]

King George V[edit]

There is no way that George V could have seen Captain Blood, since it wasn't released in the UK until after his death. (92.4.186.115 (talk) 15:25, 20 May 2010 (UTC))[reply]

Mr. Rathbone's date of birth[edit]

If as you say Mr. Rathbone was born in 1892, then he would have only been 14 years old when he married his first wife in 1914. I think someone had better check this out and change/update the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.49.246.27 (talk) 20:21, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mymathmatics makes 1892 - 1914 ... 22 years old when he married. Off2riorob (talk) 20:24, 1 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There are three kinds of people in this world: Those that can count, and those that can't. Allan Marain 14:40, 19 September 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Marainlaw (talk • contribs)

Knighthood?[edit]

This is puzzling. I've talked to the owner of basilrathbone.net and done some research of my own and we can't find any record anywhere that Rathbone was knighted. Where did the person who added this get his info from? — comment added by NeveRendatTheBaz (talk • contribs)

Ok, I and the owner of basilrathbine.net and others have done some research and can confirm that according to the Dictionary of National Biography and other sources Rathbone NEVER received a knighthood. So I am going to remove this from the article. --NeveRendatTheBaz (talk) 23:25, 19 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I concur after reviewing the London Gazette online. Quis separabit? 19:16, 20 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, I'd better also remove the "Sir" at the beginning of his name then --NeveRendatTheBaz (talk) 14:26, 24 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I sent off and just received today an email from Simon Doughty, clerk of the ISKB, and he confirmed that Rathjbone was never a knight. Copyright Troll (talk) 09:28, 6 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The Great War[edit]

I thought the war deserved its own small section as it's pretty meaningful. I also took out the "penchant" for disguise reference which was a misquote from Rathbone's autobiogaphy. I substituted the original quote instead. --HanginOnTheOldBarbedWire (talk) 18:34, 16 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

'Two letters written by Rathbone to his family while serving in the war have recently come to light and help to shed light on his mental state at this time.' There should be some indication of what these revealed. Valetude (talk) 14:58, 22 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]