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Who really said it

Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary

Written for the screen by Edwin Blum and William A. Drake Screenwriting credit
Verified In copyright

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), addressing Holmes. The reversal of the familiar address is genuine dialogue; Watson, not Holmes, says this sentence.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Verified quote & credit

“Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary” — Edwin Blum and William A. Drake

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Rights holders in the 1939 motion picture and any underlying work). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.

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In context

Evoking the world of Edwin Blum and William A. Drake — Screenwriting credit. Theme: "Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Documented source
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Date
1939

Elementary, my dear Holmes

A short excerpt from the linked source, not a replacement for the full quotation above.

Read the documented evidence

How we verified this

  • The transcription supplies the speaker and words in the film. Read the source
  • The production account identifies the film and its credited writers. Read the source
In copyright

This screen dialogue is from a 1939 film and remains copyrighted in the United States; quotation for identification does not grant broader reuse rights.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

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Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

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Film transcriptionen.wikiquote.org

Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.
Publication and creditsen.wikipedia.org

Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.

The author

About Edwin Blum and William A. Drake

Edwin Blum and William A. Drake

Screenwriting credit

Edwin Blum and William A. Drake share screenplay credit for this film. The character’s speech is fictional dialogue, not a personal statement by the performer.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 1939. Evidence and bibliographical details reproduced in the linked source; no independent access to an original edition is claimed unless stated.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/elementary-my-dear-holmes-elementary/

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