The plot of The Sleeping Cardinal used elements from two Conan Doyle stories: The Empty House and The Final Problem. Said to be the best of the Wontner series, it avoided the implausible deductions that became a feature of the later films. Moriarty makes an appearance as a master of disguise, a departure from the Canon, and the Sleeping Cardinal of the title is a painting used by Moriarty to hide behind, part of an intricate plot to smuggle stolen bank notes abroad. Released in March 1931 in the UK, (the same month as The Speckled Band starring Raymond Massey), it was a financial success, despite reservations by Warner Brothers, who sold the rights to First Division Pictures for £800. First Division then arranged an American release on July 10, 1931, with the title Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour. The film ran for over a month on Broadway, unprecedented for a British film in 1931, and was awarded the New York critics' Cinema Prize for best mystery drama. Critics remarked that it "…put the real Sherlock Holmes on the screen"