That Sherlock Holmes movie without Sherlock Holmes.

This morning my radio happened to be tuned to the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Show, when I heard a very odd conversation . . . or maybe not so odd.

The show's crew of radio jocks were talking about "that Sherlock Holmes movie where he chases Jack the Ripper into the modern day." And of the six or seven people in the room, no one corrected the person who brought it up . . . because there isn't a movie where Sherlock Holmes chases Jack the Ripper into the modern day. (At least not a big-time, played-in-theaters movie -- if there was, I'd sure be amazed to hear about it.) But we all know exactly what movie they were talking about.

Time After Time.

Malcom McDowell, as H.G. Wells, uses a time machine to follow Jack the Ripper to what was then the modern day. Wells even identifies himself as Sherlock Holmes at one point in the movie, so I suppose a little confusion could be excused. And the movie is just so Sherlockian, in every way but having Sherlock Holmes in it.

So tonight, when I got home and needed a little wordless background music, it was time to pull out the old vinyl LP of the Time After Time soundtrack by Miklos Rozsa . . . and wow, that sounds like the soundtrack to a Sherlock Holmes movie. And it should. Because I'd forgotten about Rozsa until looking at the album cover again just now. Miklos Rozsa . . . the composer of the soundtrack to my favorite Sherlock Holmes movie, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

So close to being a Sherlock Holmes movie.

Of all the weird mis-information the non-Sherlockian public can come up with via the real world version of that old kid's game of "Telephone," remembering Time After Time as a Sherlock Holmes movie is about the best mistake that can be made.

Because it might as well be.