I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Ann Margaret Lewis

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From Gillette to Brett IV — Sherlock Holmes in Media and "Meta"

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<b><i>The second in our <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/%23G2B4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">series of recaps</a> of #G2B4</i></b><br />
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This past weekend, September 12-14, 2014, I had the honor of
joining a group of almost 200 Sherlockians in Bloomington, Indiana at From Gillette
to Brett IV: "Basil, Benedict, and Beyond” — a  conference to celebrate Sherlock Holmes in film,
radio, television.</div>
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The event began Friday afternoon with a specially-arranged
exhibit at the renowned Lilly Library on Indiana University’s campus.<br />
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Library Director
Joel Silver gave a presentation on David A. Randall, BSI, the first Director of
the Lilly Library, who was responsible for finding many of the Lilly’s unique
treasures. At this presentation, Joel shared several of the awe-inspiring
valuables the Lilly has in its collection, among them: a Shakespeare First
Folio, a pristine copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s first publication, the epic poem “Tamerlane,” a signed copy of the first edition Mark Twain’s <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>, and one of the few surviving
copies of <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i> (all of these
we could touch and even sniff in some cases). Then, of course, he showed us items
that would make any Sherlockian shiver with glee—the<i> Beeton’s Christmas Annual</i> of 1887, and a portion of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle’s manuscript from “The Final Problem” (specifically, Holmes’ letter
to Watson  at Reichenbach falls).<br />
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The Lilly staff also provided presentations on
bookbinding, how to preserve one’s book collection, and standing displays of medieval
manuscripts, Victorian crime and horror fiction, the original manuscript of “The
Adventure of the Red Circle,” movie screenplay manuscripts (<i>Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, <i>Citizen Kane</i>), John Ford’s Academy Award
for <i>How Green Was My Valley</i> (which
you could hold and pose with) and more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author and artist Charles Prepolec<br />
"Would like to thank the Academy"<br />
that he's holding John Ford's "Oscar."</td></tr>
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The group then gathered to watch the 75<sup>th</sup>
Anniversary screening of <i>The Hound of the
Baskervilles</i> (1939) starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Seeing this
classic on the big screen was a thrill, especially in an audience of
enthusiastic Sherlockians.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The next morning (and during breaks) attendees visited the
dealers room to search for treasurers, while short Sherlock Holmes films showed
in the main presentation room. The dealer’s room was especially interesting in
that it held a special exhibit of Sherlockian movie and literary memorabilia provided
by Wessex Press co-owner and Gillette to Brett organizer, Steven Doyle</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie memorabilia from the Steven Doyle collection (left to right):<br />
Jeremy Brett's frock coat, Holmes costume worn by Captain Kangaroo, and<br />
a shirt worn by Sir Hugo Baskerville  in 1939's <i>Hound of the Baskervilles.</i></td></tr>
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The first speaker of the day was Bonnie MacBird, former
Development Executive from Universal and the original screenwriter of the film <i>Tron</i> (among other high-profile projects).
Bonnie explained how the screenwriting of the BBC <i>Sherlock</i> series is what makes it unique, special, and uniquely
canonical. She said specifically that the series maintained the essential
character of Holmes from the canon, that it made the relationship important between
Holmes and Watson, that “creed” or a “code of honor” was important to the
series (as it was in the canon) and that it thrilled us with “the ride,” or
entertained us as the original canon does. The series, she said, was also
written for the actors and for the collaborators (i.e. special effects), making
its transition to film a seamless one. Her only disagreement with the writing
on the series was the end of the last episode of season three, in which (SPOILER)
Holmes kills Magnusson, as it seemed to go away from the “code of honor”
introduced in earlier episodes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnie MacBird</td></tr>
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The second speaker of the day, Kristina Manente, host of the
podcast<a href="http://bakerstreetbabes.com/" target="_blank"> <i>The Baker Street Babes</i></a>, discussed “How Fandom Plays the Game.” In her presentation, Kristina explained to “classic Sherlockains” how the new wave of Holmes fans, who primarily follow the BBC <i>Sherlock</i> series, convey their enthusiasm for
the characters. The “grand game” as played in this universe of fandom is
expressed primarily through social media: tumblr, Livejournal, and Ao3. She
explained new terms such as “headcanon,” “meta,” and “fancasting.” It became clear
that the new wave of Sherlockian fandom runs in tandem, and in some ways
tangentially, to the traditional activities of classic Holmes enthusiasts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristina Manente</td></tr>
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Prominent Sherlockian writer, editor, and playwright David
Stuart Davies then made us laugh with his talk on the comic
moments of Sherlock Holmes in the canon, on stage, film, and TV. He
discussed the silliness of the “untold tales,” how Gillette included humor in
his original play, Holmes’ creative put downs of Watson, his insults of
Lestrade, and how BBC’s <i>Sherlock</i> in “The
Empty Hearse” was using what was already implied in the canon itself. His
unique selection of clips kept us rolling with mirth.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Stuart Davies</td></tr>
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Fellow Brit Bert Coules, radio dramatist for the BBC Radio <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> series (among other wonderful BBC adaptations), followed Davies with a talk on the history of Sherlock Holmes on radio in Britain. As  the writer of the only production to bring to life the entire canon, Bert first acknowledged the American contribution to Holmes on radio, then expounded on the many British adaptions of Holmes to radio throughout the 20th century. The highlight his presentation was video of a recording session with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams, demonstrating how physical the actors were in their performances, as well as how the sound effects team did their jobs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bert Coules</td></tr>
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After a group viewing of Granada Television premiere episode
<i>A Scandal in Bohemia</i> directed by Paul
Annett, Steven Doyle interviewed Paul about the monumental series. After
revealing tidbits about how the opening sequence was thrust upon him (quite
happily, Paul added), the creation of the music, and how Jeremy Brett received
guidance on his interpretation of Holmes, Paul shared an unseen video of the
makeup screen test for Jeremy Brett and David Burke.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Annett discusses the similarities of his directing choices to the Paget illustrations</td></tr>
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At the banquet that followed Paul’s talk, Steve Doyle and
Mark Gagen paid tribute to the late Michael Hoey, the son of Dennis Hoey
(Lestrade of the Rathbone films), who was slotted to speak at the event. Michael’s
book about his father’s screenplay. <i>The
Drury Lane Theatre Mystery,</i> was released posthumously at the conference.<br />
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Gillette to Brett IV then wound up with the 75<sup>th</sup>
Anniversary showing of <i>The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes</i> (1939) which was enjoyed by all. Seeing this fabulous film
on the big screen with a crowd of fans was the ultimate ending of a truly
enjoyable weekend of Sherlockian media mania. Mucho kudos to the boys from Wessex Press, Steve Doyle and Mark Gagen, who made it all possible!<br />
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<i>Photos courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.729258210500479.1073741833.487420994684203&type=1" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> (Facebook). </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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From Gillette to Brett IV — Sherlock Holmes in Media and "Meta"

The second in our series of recaps of #G2B4 This past weekend, September 12-14, 2014, I had the honor of joining a group of almost ...

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by Ann Margaret Lewis

A Papal Influence in the Sherlock Holmes Canon

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"in my anxiety to oblige the Pope" [HOUN]</h4><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJWVLUbqvFxNbYt0aqaQC9FE3Tze_GCrKWGgXDA7O1u2KBBEyLy5hJ3FQfuqeDSRv8cywDkYuCh2VVSGVBd09IpmkoAtroItPr1b96fIrB7B1FXwuFRNnvLokDYdbTCOR79u-w1Rmf5RM/s1600/pope-leo-xiii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJWVLUbqvFxNbYt0aqaQC9FE3Tze_GCrKWGgXDA7O1u2KBBEyLy5hJ3FQfuqeDSRv8cywDkYuCh2VVSGVBd09IpmkoAtroItPr1b96fIrB7B1FXwuFRNnvLokDYdbTCOR79u-w1Rmf5RM/s320/pope-leo-xiii.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope Leo XIII</td></tr>
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It seems like popes have always been an important part of world happenings. More often than not ruling pontiffs shape the world in which they live. There is no doubt, for instance, that the late Pope John Paul II (to be beatified May 1, 2011) played an important historical role on the world stage, regardless of how one views the man. And the same could be said of the pope of Holmes’ and Watson’s time, Pope Leo XIII. <br />
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Born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, Leo XIII is considered by many historians to be the first “modern” pope. The first to be born in the 19th Century, he was the first to die in the 20th. Liberal in the classical (rather than modern or political) sense, he opened the Vatican archives to scholars for research. He encouraged the study of science, and renovated and updated the Vatican Observatory to house the best equipment and astronomical scientists to be had at the time. He was the<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Pv-UuGUDM&feature=related"> first pope to be heard on a recording</a>  and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCIrT5g5g3g&feature=related">the first to be filmed</a>, thrilling at scientific and technological advances.<br />
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While he was trained at the Academia dei Nobili for diplomacy and law and the son of nobleman himself, Leo was the first pope in many centuries not to rule a kingdom. Under the reign of his predecessor, Pius IX, the Papal States were lost to the new Kingdom of Italy. Pius therefore shut himself up in a type of self-imposed house arrest as he demanded the independence of the Vatican from the surrounding country. Leo XIII continued the protest, also not leaving the Vatican for fear that he and the Church would placed under the power of the Kingdom of Italy (though after his election he sneaked out incognito to retrieve papers from his former residence). His imprisonment and that of succeeding popes would last until 1929, when Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty bringing the present Vatican City State into existence. <br />
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Because he had no real temporal power, Pope Leo was immediately placed in a neutral role by the world at large and seen by many potentates as an ideal arbitrator. It was his diplomatic influence that prevented a likely war between Germany and Spain in the 1880s. He also was pivotal in encouraging France’s alliance with Russia, which offset the Triple Alliance. Of course, these alliances would lead to the coming Great War, but for their time they helped keep the world’s powers at peace.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqLmvY0LRwQdSUV1bPuUS8SvRypmE9vUs6tVAIKWfvZmdFYxap26Qp22IfV6ssO7NVmACen9amYUEgJwjz_LbGjXOl2J3J0-1B4q35XE0DPhChe0Yu7KAxBcRC2_NzyiglM93b6TTZ-WP/s1600/mariani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqLmvY0LRwQdSUV1bPuUS8SvRypmE9vUs6tVAIKWfvZmdFYxap26Qp22IfV6ssO7NVmACen9amYUEgJwjz_LbGjXOl2J3J0-1B4q35XE0DPhChe0Yu7KAxBcRC2_NzyiglM93b6TTZ-WP/s200/mariani.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo XIII endorsed a <br />
vintage spiked with cocaine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Leo XIII also was instrumental in encouraging what would become the labor movement in the United States and other countries throughout the world. His encyclical Rerum Novarum clearly stated Christian principals in the relationship between capital and labor. In it he strongly condemned socialism and communism for restricting the right of an individual to own property as well as other personal freedoms, but he also held a critical eye  toward capitalism which did not allow workers a direct share in the fruits of their own labors.<br />
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As I researched Pope Leo for my book <a href="http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com/">Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes</a>, I discovered he held many characteristics in common with our beloved master detective. He was tall (for an Italian), painfully thin, and held to a more aesthetic lifestyle. He rarely slept, preferring his work to rest. He imbibed cocaine on occasion in a wine vintage known as Vin Mariani—and so enthusiastic was he about the wine he awarded it a gold medal and appeared on an advertisement poster for the product. He used tobacco in the form of snuff. And, I was amazed to find that Pope Leo greatly resembled Sydney Paget's illustration of Holmes in the guise of an Italian priest! Needless to say, I had a little bit of fun with that. ;)<br />
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</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/images/fina-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/images/fina-05.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holmes as "the venerable Italian priest" <br />
looking a lot like Pope Leo XIII.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Leo's Vatican home was completely devoid of a feminine presence. This was not, however, because he was a misogynist. On the contrary, he asked all women (including servants and religious) to leave the Vatican when he became pope motivated by an unusual sense of chivalry. He desired to shield them from any victimization, temptation or scandal, and to protect his priests from the same. <br />
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He was, to sum up, a man of his time as well as a man of the future. He was the most prolific pope, writing 85 encyclicals during his reign, which was the third longest in history (1878-1903). A logician himself, he was an enthusiast of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose philosophical works led to what we now know as the scientific method. <br />
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There couldn’t have been a more perfect pope, then, for whom Holmes would solve not one, but two cases (see references in BLAC and HOUN). I had great joy telling untold tales about him and the Master and I believe Holmes and Watson had a great deal of fun with him as well. <br />
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<h4>More links:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33FPn7zbmHE">Rome Reports: Pope Leo XIII, a pope who changed the Church </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/index.htm">Vatican: Pope Leo XIII</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_2129261812"></a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Ann Margaret Lewis is a member of the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis. She began her writing career writing tie-in children’s books and short stories for DC Comics and Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Alien Species, for Random House. Her book: Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, published by Gasogene Books, is available at <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/">Wessex Press</a>. You can reach her at <a href="http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com/">http://www.holmeschurchmysteries.com</a>.</i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
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