Rathbone and Bruce aiming for johnlock back in the day

welovethebeekeeper:

Just wanted to share an incident from my Dad’s notes about these two on set. 

Doyles’ son Denis was visiting the film set and being very critical about props, the costumes and the set itself, delaying filming for hours. Both Bruce and Rathbone were not happy about it at all. Finally rehearsals began. Evidently they decided to fuck with Denis, who was watching:

‘At the conclusion of the scene, Rathbone deviated from the script. “Goodbye Wattie, old boy,” he said tenderly. Before this sacrilege could register on the astonished cast, crew and observer, Bruce replied, “Goodbye, Holmesy old bean.” And he bent over to bestow a gentle kiss on the great detective.’

Denis stuttered:  “Mr Rathbone, do you think Mr Bruce ought to – ahh – kiss you goodbye? Really, I don’t think my father would have approved!” To which Nigel Bruce replied, “That may be, but I doubt your father would have been suprised!”