I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

May Birthdays of Three Legendary Actors Associated with Sherlock Holmes

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<b>"great reverence at the famous" [HOUN] </b></h4>
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The last two days mark birthdays of three legendary actors associated with Sherlock Holmes. Each is known beyond his Sherlock Holmes work, but together their collective Sherlockian CVs are impressive.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cushing" target="_blank">Peter Cushing</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Price" target="_blank">Vincent Price</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lee" target="_blank">Christopher Lee</a> are icons of the screen spanning the majority of the 20th century and into the 21st. They all had a significant impact on the noir, horror and sci-fi realms and had cheekbones that could cut glass.<br />
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So let's take a look at these three gentlemen on the anniversaries of their birth and on how they touched the world particularly through their Sherlock Holmes-related roles.<br />
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"Lee a gentleman" [TWIS]</h3>
We'll start with Sir Christopher Lee, as his association with the great detective is the most impressive. On May 27, 2013 Christopher Lee turned 91. He appeared in the 1959 Hammer version of <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3z2o4ui" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a></i></b> as Sir Henry Baskerville, alongside Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes.  Then, in 1962, Lee took a turn as Sherlock Holmes himself in the 1962 film <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3MMnsNo" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace</a></i></b>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The only mystery I can't solve is why I'm forced <br />
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Then eight years later, Lee was to do what no other actor had done until then or has done since: he went from playing Sherlock Holmes to playing Mycroft Holmes. He lost the deerstalker (and his toupee) and joined Robert Stephens in Billy Wilder's <i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3yXaUi3" target="_blank">The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</a></b></i> in 1970, in a fantastical plot that involved Loch Ness, a submarine and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRuUnXjMxZ0" target="_blank">a visit from Queen Victoria</a> herself.<br />
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Then, in the early 1990s, Lee teamed up with Patrick Macnee as his Watson and made two films: <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3NDSLtI" target="_blank"><b>Incident at Victoria Falls</b></a></i> and <i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3wSTwIC" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady</a></b></i> that took a look at Holmes in his retirement years.<br />
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Finally, Lee took on the job of host in <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/39TkUP0" target="_blank">The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes</a></i></b>, in which he took us through the legion of actors who have portrayed the master detective throughout the years on stage, television and film. It's a fun overview, and while incomplete by today's standards, as we've had two decades of Holmeses since then, it helps to ground viewers in some of the popular manifestations of Sherlock Holmes throughout the years. We highly recommend picking up a copy of the DVD (available in the above link).<br />
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"Cushing was horrified" [CARD]</h3>
May 26, 2013 marks the centenary of Peter Cushing's birth. Born in 1913, Cushing graced the large and small screen as Sherlock Holmes over the course of a number of decades. As we mentioned above, Cushing had a turn in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> (1959), with Andre Morrell as his Watson. Then, it was to return to him in the mid-1960s when Douglas Wilmer gave up the role on <b><a href="https://amzn.to/38KFuRC" target="_blank">the BBC television series for 16 episodes</a></b>.<br />
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The series was well received and is critically acclaimed now despite the hectic production schedules that put the actor on timetables of less than two weeks for each episode. The final episode was "The Blue Carbuncle," and by that time, viewers could see the close and amiable relationship Cushing had developed with his Watson, Nigel Stock. We commented on the very same thing during <b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/12/episode-49-ill-have-blue-christmas.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 49 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a></b>.<br />
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Cushing returned to the screen in the 1984 film <i>Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death</i> looking quite elderly, with an equally aged John Mills by his side. But his relationship with Holmes was not merely through his career; Cushing was genuinely interested in the Canon. In fact, he was an active member of the Sherlock Holmes society <b>The Northern Musgraves</b>, and the group even adopted his freehand sketch of Holmes as their official logo (second image below). Those interested in the more private, tender and humorous side of the actor would do well to pick up a copy of the biography <b><a href="https://amzn.to/3aqv363" target="_blank"><i>Peter Cushing: A Life in Film</i></a></b> as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dr. Watson by Peter Cushing</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sherlock Holmes by Peter Cushing - the official logo of the Northern Musgraves</span></i></td></tr>
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"And you, Mr. Price?" [STOC]</h3>
Our final entrant in this triumvirate of Sherlockian birthdays is none other than Vincent Price, who would have been 102 years old on May 27, 2013. Price made his debut in the horror genre in the 1939 film <i>Tower of London</i> with Boris Karloff, and was seemingly typecast from then on. His career spanned over five decades, and Price had two very significant associations with Sherlock Holmes along the way.<br />
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One was his portrayal of the evil Moriarty-inspired Professor Ratigan in <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3PV9MBQ" target="_blank">The Great Mouse Detective</a></i></b> (1986). Price had always wanted to portray the voice of a Disney character, and this film allowed him to do just that. His portrayal is classic Vincent Price, moving from charming dark humor to pure evil with a seeming blink of an eye.<br />
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Also during that time (from 1981-1989, to be exact), Vincent Price was the host for the PBS production of <b><i>Mystery!</i></b> which featured such detectives as Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Albert Campion, Adam Dalgliesh, Father Brown, Inspector Morse, Lord Peter Wimsey, Horace Rumpole and of course, Sherlock Holmes. <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/05/one-of-best-features-of-jeremy-brett.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Price's introductions for the Granada series</a> starring Jeremy Brett were as rich in setting as the episodes themselves. Friends of ours in the Baker Street Irregulars and The Speckled Band of Boston contributed to the writing of these, as well as to the set decoration.<br />
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Sadly, these introductions are not part of the DVD collections of the Granada series that one may purchase,  but some are still available on YouTube today. Here is <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9g-AluIe5g&list=PLO6tqafE6tLQB_u1dFBU3s1eq3NRY9kp8">a playlist that contains many of them</a></b>.<br />
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We hope you've enjoyed this ramble through the connections of three greats of the stage and screen. And if you're interested in more, please take a look at some of the affiliate links we've provided to Amazon.<br />
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<i>Image credit: top image is a publicity shot from <a href="http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2010/05/birthday-greetings-to-vincent-price-and-christopher-lee/" target="_blank">The House of Long Shadows</a>, 1983.</i><br />
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May Birthdays of Three Legendary Actors Associated with Sherlock Holmes

"great reverence at the famous" [HOUN] The last two days mark birthdays of three legendary actors associated with Sherlock H...

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by Scott Monty

Episode 52: Sherlockian Mythbusters

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When a figure like Sherlock Holmes has been around for over a century, there are bound to be misconceptions that creep into public thinking. We blame this not on carelessness or laziness but rather on the overwhelming popularity of the great detective.<br />
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The image of Holmes clad in deerstalker and Inverness cape, clenching a Meerschaum pipe in his teeth is the universal, if cliched, image of a detective. But was it true?<br />
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We were recently reminded of a number of classic myths about Sherlock Holmes, thanks to <a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/armbands.html">a contest being sponsored by <b><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></b></a> (also a sponsor of our program): it has long been rumored that men wore black armbands throughout the city of London after reading "The Final Problem" in the <i>Strand Magazine</i>. And only anecdotal evidence has been referenced whenever this supposed fact is brought up. The BSJ is offering a free year's subscription to anyone who can definitively prove that such mourning attire was worn in response to the death of Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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That got us to thinking: what other Sherlockian myths are there? And are we guilty of propagating any of them ourselves? Join us for a quick game show-style question and answer session on the topic, as well as a reading of your comments from our last show and some recent news from the world of Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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<b>The Editor's Gas-Lamp:</b> Rather than the traditional gas-lamp, which began under Edgar Smith's editorship of the Baker Street Journal, we thought we would mark May 5 as the 123rd anniversary of Christopher Morley's birth by reading two of his poems: the very short "The Secret" and the quite remarkable "Toulemonde."<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
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<li><b><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/bsihistoryseries.html">BSI Archival History Series available for sale</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/armbands.html">The <i>Baker Street Journal</i> contest</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/05/remind-me-of-edgar-stud_2.html">Sherlock Holmes-related 2013 Edgar Award winners and nominees</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/05/monsieur-oscar-meunier-of-grenoble-empt.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Stand with me here upon the terrace" for Irving Kamil</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/dealtable.html">The Deal Table from the BSJ</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Morley-Literary-Estate/287552511355101?ref=br_tf">The Christopher Morley Literary Estate on Facebook</a></b></li>
<li>Sherlockian Mythbusters: "<b><a href="http://youtu.be/m0etbZuM2yw">Thor Bridge</a></b>" and "<b><a href="http://youtu.be/UTBOH86H7as">The Engineer's Thumb</a></b>"</li>
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And above all, please let our sponsors know that you heard us mumble their hallowed names on the show: <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/"><b>Wessex Press</b></a> and <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" style="font-style: italic;"><b>The Baker Street Journal</b></a>.

Episode 52: Sherlockian Mythbusters

When a figure like Sherlock Holmes has been around for over a century, there are bound to be misconceptions that creep into public thi...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Remembering Irving Kamil, BSI

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"Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble" [EMPT] </h4>
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Occasionally we remember members of the BSI who have gone to the other side of the Reichenbach. This one was a particularly difficult one for us.<br />
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Irving Kamil, BSI ("Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble") died on April 26, 2013 at the age of 86. He was a chemistry teacher, assistant principal and principal in the New York City school system for 41 years, retiring in 1990. Irv graduated from Central Methodist College and received a Master's Degree from Columbia University Teachers College.<br />
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Irv was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran, a former member and president of the Cliffside Park Board of Education and president of Temple Israel in Cliffside Park. He wrote over 40 articles that were published in The New York Times and other papers, taught a mystery course at The New School, was a member of The Wolfe Pack, and was an avid three-times-a-week bridge player.<br />
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In 1976 Irv, Norm Schatell, and Harlan Umansky founded Mrs. Hudson's Cliffdwellers's of Cliffside Park, NJ after they attended an off-Broadway Sherlock Holmes play. They went to Molly Malone's Pub and as Irv tells the story, they came up with a song for the group, sang it with all their hearts -- and nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to them.<br />
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For many years at the BSI Dinner, Irv had the honor of Standing on the Terrace for members of the BSI who had crossed over the Reichenbach. It was his eloquent and sensitive delivery honoring the lives of the members that prompted us to take up a similar effort on this site. He also wrote essays and poems that were published in <i><a href="http://ihose.co/BSJ" target="_blank">The Baker Street Journal </a></i>and other Sherlockian publications, and ran the Cliffdwellers for 21 years.<br />
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Irv and his wife of over 60 years, Selma, traveled extensively and during their travels created what he called "non-meeting" Sherlockian societies in places such as the Great Wall of China, on the Amazon, in Sicily, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Jordan, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, among others.<br />
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Irving Kamil was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1981 as "Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble."<br />
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<a href="https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-36216041/irving-kamil-86-sherlock-holmes-society-founder" target="_blank">Another remembrance of his life</a> and <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=irving-kamil&pid=164475230&fhid=12213" target="_blank">his obituary</a> can be read here.<br />
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<i>Image credit: (c) 2013 Amy Newman /<a href="http://northjersey.com/"> northjersey.com</a></i><br />
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Remembering Irving Kamil, BSI

"Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble" [EMPT] Occasionally we remember members of the BSI who have gone to the other side of ...

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by Francine Kitts

Review: The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes

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"dealt with any public print" [RESI]</h4>
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Although many Sherlock Holmes pastiches are published, very few often have the sparkle of Conan Doyle's writing. This is not a complaint - after all, attempting to document the great detective's further adventures often mean focusing more on the story and less on the style. However, <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/38B4DYW" target="_blank">The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes</a></i></b>, edited by Tony Reynolds and available via <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.co.uk/engine/shop/search?ssv=lost+sherlock+holmes" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a>, is the best of both worlds, containing some well-written stories that reflect the "house style" at its best.<br />
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Thankfully, Reynolds does a very admirable job in writing a series of tales that could easily fit into the Canon, but that have an imagination and creativity all of their own. Even the first story - "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" - takes its cue from the Canon, but spins a decidedly distinctive tale. But page after page contains some wonderful, well-written adventures which (thankfully) contain a brief statement within as to why the tale was "omitted" (usually for reasons of either national security or personal embarrassment). <br />
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Sometimes, imitation <i>is</i> the sincerest form of flattery, and for Sherlockians, finding the perfect Conan Doyle-esque copy can be a valiant quest. Thankfully, Tony Reynold's <b><i>Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes</i></b> makes the quest a little easier. It's a near-perfect gem of a book, and worth reading - and owning.<br />
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Review: The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes

"dealt with any public print" [RESI] Although many Sherlock Holmes pastiches are published, very few often have the sparkle ...

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by Scott Monty

The Edgar Awards 2013 Show Sherlock Holmes's Staying Power

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"You remind me of Edgar" [STUD]</h4>
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The evening of May 2 marked the 2013 <b><a href="http://theedgars.com/" target="_blank">Edgar<em style="background-color: white; color: #3f656e; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">®</span></em> Awards</a></b> banquet, during which the winners of the <b><a href="http://www.mysterywriters.org/" target="_blank">Mystery Writers of America</a></b> grant the most prestigious award in the mystery genre to the authors and creators who gave us such treasures over the previous year.<br />
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As usual, Sherlock Holmes-related and -inspired work was present across a number of categories of both nominees and winners, and we'd like to share the results that may be of interest to those of you who are either completists on your collecting habits or who simply like to know relevant news about works of Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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<b>Best Critical/Biographical</b></h3>
<b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Rkj1Pz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Scientific Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case with Science and Forensics</a></i></b> by James O'Brien (winner)<br />
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<b><a href="https://amzn.to/2RkXaYo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero</i></a></b> edited by Otto Penzler (nominee). Otto of course is a Baker Street Irregular ("The King of Bohemia") and was interviewed on <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/01/episode-17-collectors-corner-otto.html" target="_blank">Episode 17 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>.<br />
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<b>Best TV Episode / Teleplay</b></h3>
"<b><a href="https://amzn.to/2GguB84" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Scandal in Belgravia</a></b>" - Sherlock, teleplay by Stephen Moffat (BBC/Masterpiece) (winner)<br />
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"<b><a href="https://amzn.to/36pVbGq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Child Predator</a></b>" - elemeNtarY, teleplay by Peter Black (CBS Productions) (nominee)<br />
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And while not exactly Sherlockian, we can't help but mention <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/2upMXkm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gods of Gotham</a></i></b> by Lyndsay Faye, BSI, ASH ("Kitty Winter"), which was a nominee for Best Novel. Set in New York in 1845, this widely acclaimed novel followed her barnburner <b><a href="https://amzn.to/2tKfC3u" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Dust and Shadow</i></a></b>, in which she imagined the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper, as told by Dr. Watson. The award for this category went to Dennis Lehane, but we're extremely proud of our friend and colleague for keeping company with such a superstar - and deservedly so!<br />
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Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees and thank you for all that you do.<br />
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