Celebrating 40 Years of Young Sherlock Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“an old friend and school companion” [TWIS] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDJ6zbfr_hige1VnokIE0OuTNWFYW9DfjMsaLNQzB9wCjdjoNgAzg_XhJ-m6u8hXfWF0DkH1mdN4Dmhnuai03AkqzyyUeR-VAOcToorFus4r54h45rX_PvUuMC9L3FWTaCLBNz8Q8k5Vqa60QLnBhsQA7HWAY_6a6NcIKmw8KH_afBMGJvp230pGiEQTC/s1754/Young%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1754" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDJ6zbfr_hige1VnokIE0OuTNWFYW9DfjMsaLNQzB9wCjdjoNgAzg_XhJ-m6u8hXfWF0DkH1mdN4Dmhnuai03AkqzyyUeR-VAOcToorFus4r54h45rX_PvUuMC9L3FWTaCLBNz8Q8k5Vqa60QLnBhsQA7HWAY_6a6NcIKmw8KH_afBMGJvp230pGiEQTC/w640-h408/Young%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20screenshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>It is hard to believe that four decades have passed since we first saw a teenage Sherlock Holmes meet a bespectacled John Watson at Brompton Academy. Released on December 4, 1985, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4rAtUMl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Young Sherlock Holmes</a></i> celebrates its 40th anniversary today.</p><p>Originally known as <i>Sherlock Holmes: The Pyramid of Fear</i> in some markets, it was clearly an attempt by the studio, Amblin Entertainment, to capture the zeitgeist of films like <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i> and <i>Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom</i>. In some ways, it worked.</p><p>For many Sherlockians of a certain generation, this film was a gateway drug into the Canon. But to truly appreciate this curiosity, let's step back and look at the Sherlockian landscape of the era.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">“the source and origin” [SIXN]</h3><p>Personally, this was a time of wonder and discovery for me, as I discovered Sherlock Holmes the previous summer and selected Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the author I would highlight for a research paper for my English class.</p><p>Our school and town library didn't have much in the way of secondary material, so my teacher suggested I call Channel 3 in Hartford, as she had seen a fellow who ran a Sherlock Holmes society the night before on <i>Evening Magazine</i>. I dutifully followed the trail, and when Harold "Tyke" Niver, BSI ("The Man on the Tor") answered his phone with a jaunty "Baskerville Hall!" I knew I was in good hands.</p><p>The conversation took place in the fall of 1985, which was a golden age of Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Just months before <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> hit theaters, the second series of Granada Television’s <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Kb8uEP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> had concluded in the UK. Jeremy Brett was at the absolute height of his powers. In fact, "The Final Problem" had aired in September 1985, leaving audiences with the image of his Holmes tumbling over the Reichenbach Falls.</p><p>It wasn't just Brett, though. In 1982, American producer Sy Weintraub partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories. Only two were made, starring Ian Richardson: <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4ppUrus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sign of Four</a></i> and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48hJF3b" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a></i> in 1983. Weintraub found out that Granada had been granted rights to make television films by the Conan Doyle estate, and cancelled production.</p><p><i><a href="https://youtu.be/04oYgn-3kWU?si=3lhVluehaq_nzBxN" target="_blank">The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> aired in 1985 — a documentary hosted by Christopher Lee (who, of course, played both Holmes and Mycroft in his time), which celebrated the history of the character just as Paramount was trying to reinvent him. It was no coincidence, of course; it was a promotional tie-in with the film. The opening scene was the trailer for <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i>.</p><p>The contrast could not have been more stark. On the small screen, we had the faithful, Victorian fidelity of the Granada series and Weintraub films; on the big screen, we were given a Hollywood blockbuster that treated the great detective with the same energy as <i>The Goonies</i>.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">“Remarkable—most remarkable!” [DEVI]</h3><p>The tagline in the trailer for <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> captured the moment perfectly: </p><blockquote><p>"Before the lifetime of adventure, came the adventure of a lifetime."</p></blockquote><p>When the film premiered, the reception was mixed. Directed by <b>Barry Levinson</b> and written by a young <b>Chris Columbus</b> (fresh off <i>Gremlins</i>), the film was an oddity. It was produced by <b>Steven Spielberg</b>, and it showed.</p><p>Critics at the time were divided. Roger Ebert was a fan, giving it three stars and praising the performances of Nicholas Rowe and Alan Cox. However, many purists balked. The script took massive liberties with the Canon — establishing that Holmes and Watson met as schoolboys rather than at St. Bartholomew's Hospital — and the plot, involving a murderous Egyptian cult in the heart of London, felt more like a Lucasfilm adventure than a Conan Doyle mystery.</p><p>Financially, it was a disappointment, grossing only about $19 million against an $18 million budget. It seemed too dark for children (it was one of the first films to push the boundaries of the PG-13 rating with its terrifying hallucinations) yet perhaps too whimsical for the adult mystery crowd.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">“<span style="font-size: 18.72px;">had grown steadily more </span>impressed” [VALL] </h3><p>However, 40 years later, <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> has aged into a significant piece of cinema history, primarily for two reasons.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">1. The Stained Glass Knight</h4><p>We cannot talk about this film without mentioning the "stained glass knight" sequence. Created by a division of Lucasfilm called The Graphics Group (which would later spin off to become Pixar), this 30-second sequence was the first fully computer-generated character in a feature film. It took the team four months to create that half minute of film. </p><p>If you enjoy the visual effects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe today, you can trace their lineage directly back to that church scene in <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="417" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uOsxXi-tu_U" width="501" youtube-src-id="uOsxXi-tu_U"></iframe></div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">2. The Proto-Potter</h4><p>Watching the film today, it is impossible not to see the blueprint for the Harry Potter franchise. You have a trio of friends (the hero, the loyal sidekick, and the smart girl) solving mysteries in a British boarding school, uncovering a dark teacher, and facing supernatural threats. </p><p>Chris Columbus wrote this film 16 years before he directed <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</i> ; in some ways, <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> feels like his dry run.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nicholas Rowe eventually grew into the role quite literally, appearing as "<a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/07/mr-holmes-emotional-and-somber-sherlock.html" target="_blank">Matinee Sherlock Holmes</a>" in the 2015 film <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4atqapC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a></i> starring Ian McKellen. But his 1985 performance remains a touching portrait of the detective before the armor hardened — before he became the "calculating machine."</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">“the list of the prizes” [NOBL]</h3><p>While the box office may have been unkind to the film, certain members of the crew were recognized for their efforts. The effects team of <b>Dennis Muren</b>, <b>Kit West</b>, <b>John Ellis</b>, and <b>David Allen</b> were nominated for an Oscar for Best Effects, Visual effects — because of that stained glass knight scene, as well as Watson's dessert nightmare, with cream puffs attacking.</p><p>The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films nominated <b>Chris Columbus</b> for a Saturn Award for Best Writing and the film itself notched a nomination for Best Fantasy Film. But it was composer <b>Bruce Broughton</b> who took home the film's sole award for Best Music.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may not be Canonical, <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> does succeed in capturing the spirit of friendship and adventure that keeps us coming back to Baker Street. It posits a heartbreaking origin for Holmes's emotional isolation and gives us a Watson who is loyal, brave, and deeply human.</p><p>So, tonight, pour a glass of wine (not Petri!) or make a hot cocoa, avoid any suspicious cream puffs, and celebrate four decades of a fun exploration of what an early Holmes and Watson might have done.</p><p>Here, though the world explode, these two survive. And it is always 1985.</p><p><br /></p>

Celebrating 40 Years of Young Sherlock Holmes

“an old friend and school companion” [TWIS]  It is hard to believe that four decades have passed since we first saw a teenage Sherlock Holme...

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by Scott Monty

Prepare Yourself for H&W Con

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> “pestering me any more with your silly talk” [BLUE]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2_ueqorzw1RUkNkM-NlXu2dm_FJBVA1Gj4aysvr5rpVhyrU_4vokwkaoAK1hAa6VhD0BlkZqdpzb-JsEIY07LkwY5rOWixCSZvbPg2J9YIHdK8U623U3TY-ms0Q4F3THm5hyJOvUuLZSDIMdzE-sKb0opfv9QYzuVcdHskfwhVg9sBMyA1JQtZfiKVbk/s1000/Holmes%20and%20Watson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2_ueqorzw1RUkNkM-NlXu2dm_FJBVA1Gj4aysvr5rpVhyrU_4vokwkaoAK1hAa6VhD0BlkZqdpzb-JsEIY07LkwY5rOWixCSZvbPg2J9YIHdK8U623U3TY-ms0Q4F3THm5hyJOvUuLZSDIMdzE-sKb0opfv9QYzuVcdHskfwhVg9sBMyA1JQtZfiKVbk/w640-h360/Holmes%20and%20Watson.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p>It's always a joy when we hear about new Sherlock Holmes-related events, particularly when the attendees are guaranteed to have fun.</p><p>So it was particularly gratifying to see that Erik Deckers' <i><a href="https://laughing-stalk.blogspot.com/2024/10/date-location-announced-for-holmes.html" target="_blank">Laughing Stalk</a></i> carried the following press release related to that cult classic, Holmes & Watson (covered here previously in "<a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2018/09/a-very-different-holmes-and-watson.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Very Different Holmes and Watson</a>"):</p><p></p><blockquote><p>(SIOUX CITY, IOWA)—Organizers today announced the dates and location for the eagerly awaited H&W Con, the <i>Holmes & Watson</i> convention based on the hilarious and timeless comedy classic starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.</p><p>The convention will be held on the weekend of March 1 – 3 in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Dakota Dunes Roadside Motel and Convention Center.</p><p>Attendees can attend panel discussions, visit the Merchandise Room to purchase apparel, collectibles, and books, cosplay as their favorite characters, and read their favorite fan fiction at live readings. Organizers recently added the event "<i>Holmes & Watson</i> After Dark," a reading of erotic fan fiction.</p><p>Attendees will also be able to get autographs and attend panel discussions by notable cast members of the film.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mark Anthony Dawson, who played the uncredited role "Beefeater #1," will sign autographs and lead a Q&A session about his work on the film, including questions about the craft table and his brief interactions with Will Ferrell's personal assistant.</li><li>Attendees can also attend a viewing of a pre-recorded Zoom video Q&A with Wesley Kent-Hargreaves, who portrayed Weird Child Companion.</li><li>The uncle of Hector Bateman-Harden, who portrayed Young Sherlock Holmes, will be selling original headshots of his famous nephew in the Merchandise Room for $10 apiece or two for $18.</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>"This is a big deal for us," said Dakota Dunes assistant night manager Carl Alcorn. "We haven't had any celebrities of Mr. Dawson's magnitude here in several years. We once had Hacksaw Jim Duggan stop in for a night when his van broke down, but that was in 1995 after he retired."</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the most looked-forward-to panel discussions is entitled "Embracing the Silliness: How <i>Holmes & Watson</i> Changed My Outlook and Saved My Life," hosted by a mystery panelist known only as The Accordionist.</p></blockquote><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcAGGy2G1yF5ZMNhB4AYiGBmfEL-NBD1UR1aqIZVxrjxSfQwg2281UDUk_yPQe_RPFc_OrnA8W4QxSyOgNRk_dCdOMAj-dybyVlN3MUfBUu3OjzEsA_Q3e4yh1tvSpchjRfkWjJCInHrgx2f1uJbM9LFsepbs6CYnBEZyhnjz1BtsXQ6evXxPOGq23xJ80" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcAGGy2G1yF5ZMNhB4AYiGBmfEL-NBD1UR1aqIZVxrjxSfQwg2281UDUk_yPQe_RPFc_OrnA8W4QxSyOgNRk_dCdOMAj-dybyVlN3MUfBUu3OjzEsA_Q3e4yh1tvSpchjRfkWjJCInHrgx2f1uJbM9LFsepbs6CYnBEZyhnjz1BtsXQ6evXxPOGq23xJ80=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The only known photo of The Accordionist</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />"I loved this film the moment it came out," said The Accordionist from <a href="https://scottmonty.com/" target="_blank">his home studio in southeast Michigan</a></p><blockquote><p>. "Most of my friends think I hate it, but really, I have not loved a comedy film more. Ferrell and Reilly are the modern-day Laurel and Hardy, and they're not given enough credit for their amazing body of work. Holmes & Watson was the pinnacle of their comedy genius."</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2019/02/sherlock-holmes-brings-home-major-film.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Holmes & Watson</i> won Golden Raspberries in 2019</a> for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.</p><p>Photos of the Golden Raspberries will be on display in the Autograph Area and Breakfast Nook, where fans can take selfies with the photos for $10.</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's an honor just to have been part of this amazing cast and crew," said Jacob McGrath, who will attend H&W Con and work as the Merchant Room's overnight security guard. "I was just minding my own business, drinking and sitting in an alley, when I was picked to be an extra for the courtroom scene. Their craft table was amazing. I hadn't seen that many Twinkies and Ding Dongs in one place. And now I get to honor the memory of that wonderful production by guarding over its collectibles. You guys are providing meals, too, right?"</p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>While this is obviously a parody (in case you haven't figured it out yet), one wonders if such a convention might be possible...?</p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>

Prepare Yourself for H&W Con

 “pestering me any more with your silly talk” [BLUE] It's always a joy when we hear about new Sherlock Holmes-related events, particular...

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by Scott Monty

Miss Sherlock and Those Before Her

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><h4 style="text-align: center;">“the most winning woman I ever knew” [SIGN] </h4><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNcq_PBf_B1lRWpNDiwtT6RZetq4WScm1U6lKSc6GX6kNmH3NDKfrvAv_RyxSb6DZBIE08T1bezStySDur-h61iZ2b9zY5dOQ-lvx7__KhaHQuM1VJ4iM8UxMsNrpSTFebU3hRhrtwvYShdgLoCTFvtNY5fvIGuz1486jHsuQ7eFvu3AzkoK2wBpgpQ/s1590/Miss%20Sherlock%202018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1590" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNcq_PBf_B1lRWpNDiwtT6RZetq4WScm1U6lKSc6GX6kNmH3NDKfrvAv_RyxSb6DZBIE08T1bezStySDur-h61iZ2b9zY5dOQ-lvx7__KhaHQuM1VJ4iM8UxMsNrpSTFebU3hRhrtwvYShdgLoCTFvtNY5fvIGuz1486jHsuQ7eFvu3AzkoK2wBpgpQ/w640-h374/Miss%20Sherlock%202018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in print, there were pastiches, parodies, and impersonations. Since that time, the detective has been portrayed hundreds of times on the screen.</div><div><br /></div><div>And in recent years, there have been several female incarnations of Sherlock Holmes and/or Dr. Watson. Let's track how we got here and take a deeper look at one particular series.</div> <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">They Might Be Giants</h3>It began as far back as 1971 in <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067848/" target="_blank">They Might Be Giants</a></i>, when George C. Scott played Justin Playfair, a judge who retreats into fantasy and thinks he is Sherlock Holmes after his wife's death. When attempts are made to institutionalize him, he catches the attention of Dr. Mildred Watson, a psychiatrist. <div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rSD5yKu27es" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div><br /> <br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Elementary</h3></div><div>In September of 2012, CBS aired <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2191671/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Elementary</a></i>, a modern interpretation with a female Dr. Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu. It is set in New York City. Dr. Watson had been a surgeon but was never in the military. In this, Holmes is portrayed by Jonny Lee Miller as a petulant and obnoxious post-rehab drug addict. Aiden Quinn is dependable as Captain Thomas Gregson. <br /> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ff-XiZzJLxw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br />James O'Leary, BSI ("James, Son of the Grimpen Postmaster") spoke was interviewed about <i>Elementary</i> on <a href="https://ihose.co/ihose150" target="_blank">Episode 150 of IHOSE</a>.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">221B</h3><div> In July 2013, the <a href="https://youtu.be/tcby_Fc1yko" target="_blank"><i>221B</i></a> web series premiered. It is a period setting with a female Sherlock Holmes. This was an interesting take with a female Holmes and a male Watson sharing digs at 221B. While not a big-budget production, the series was interesting, intelligent and done with care.<div>  <br /><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tcby_Fc1yko" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center> <br /><br /> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Herlock</h3> Around 2015, the <i><a href="http://herlock.us/" target="_blank">Herlock</a> </i>web series went for broke with a modern interpretation using females for both lead characters. In this incarnation, Watson is a veterinary student.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KKm2maRCpLc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br /> <br /><i> Herlock </i>was written by Lee Eric Shackleford, BSI ("Woodman's Lee"), a guest on <a href="https://ihose.co/ihose152" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 152 of IHOSE</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h3 style="text-align: left;">Miss Sherlock</h3> Then, in 2019, I came across another incarnation of the Master and the Boswell that was part of an HBO subscription. This program, <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7755494/" target="_blank">Miss Sherlock</a></i>, was created in 2018 and with it came with a female Sherlock and a female Dr. Wato-san, set in modern-day Tokyo. <br /><br /><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V0FIUz5OpT4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center> <br /> <br /> <br /> Unless you speak Japanese, you might need a bigger screen to read the subtitles. The subtitles will not concern you because your eyes will already be riveted to the screen. Smart scripts and clean direction keep the action moving. <br /> <br /> <br /> You will recognize the stories, but just as you recognize one and think about the original tale, it will unfold in unexpected ways. The writing is very good, the visual impact of every scene is so well done. <br /> <br /> <br /> Sherlock and Wato-san rent an apartment from Kimi Hatano, in a house that looks like a Victorian throwback in the midst of a Tokyo neighborhood. Their digs are cluttered with what you would expect from Sherlock. All of the places and homes they visit are the expected minimalist, which provides a stark contrast. There are chemical experiments there too, but one of the results is a cucumber-based beauty cream. <br /> <br /> <br /> Sara "Sherlock" Shelly Futaba is every bit the genius detective, playing the most intense version of the Master. She is a fashionista, solving each crime in catwalk-ready but practical outfits and chasing down leads in stiletto heels. She is ruthless and unfeeling in her pursuit of the truth. Her instrument is the cello, which she plays flawlessly. The dressing gown has been replaced by delightful pajamas. She is superbly played by Yūko Takeuchi. <br /><br /> Dr. Wato ("Wato-san") has been a surgeon in Syria with PTSD who is now trying to find herself and romance. Sherlock is completely offended by her sense of fashion. She is definitely the long-suffering type, well portrayed by Shihori Kanjiya. <br /><br /> This version of the landlady is Kimi Hatano who is played by Ran Ito. Wato-san cooks traditional meals in her kitchen. She adds a lot to the ladies' lives, and is involved more than Mrs. Hudson was in the Canon. <br /><br /> Season 1 of <i>Miss Sherlock</i> contains 8 episodes. During the season we see their relationship evolve as their partnership grows. However, both are still insisting they are not friends.</div><div>  <br />The style of these episodes, and the stories, compare favorably to BBC's <i>Sherlock</i>. Although it is hard to do a side-by-side comparison, I found <i>Miss Sherlock</i> to be more riveting, with better stories, and less impressed with itself. <br /> <br /> <br /> Familiar characters abound, with their own modern and Japanese take. Among them, you will meet irresistible versions of Mycroft and Lestrade. It's like the familiar faces Dorothy saw when she woke up after the tornado in the scene from "The Wizard of Oz". They all seem so well cast, and make you happy to recognize them. As with the plots, there will be twists in the lineup.</div><div>  <br />When you can, give this smart, great, modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes and his <br /> world a try. Unless you speak Japanese, be sure to watch when you can focus on the screen. <br /><br /> The English subtitles of this Japanese program remind of a story from the attempts at language translation during the Cold War, which may be apocryphal. Scientists had a computer translate "the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak” to Russian, then translated the result from Russian back to English to the phrase “the vodka was good, but the meat was rotten.” </div><div><br /></div><div>In the case of <i>Miss Sherlock</i>, the results are astonishingly good. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" translates to Japanese and back as "Eliminate the impossible…and you are left with the unlikely truth". <br /><br /></div><div> As of this writing, HBO has not responded to my question about Season 2 of <i>Miss Sherlock</i>. Even if there were one planned, it would have to be recast, due to the untimely death of Yûko Takeuchi, who played Sherlock, in September 2020.<br /><br /></div><div><i>Miss Sherlock</i> is available on HBO Max, HBO Asia, and Hulu Japan. Individual episodes and the full season can also be <a href="https://amzn.to/3RS5xbz" target="_blank">purchased on Amazon</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Full information, including cast and crew, is available on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7755494/" target="_blank">IMDb</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>

Miss Sherlock and Those Before Her

“the most winning woman I ever knew” [SIGN]  Shortly after the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in print, there were pastiches, parodies,...

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by M. M. M.

Happy 130th Birthday, Basil Rathbone

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"Basil ... was working somewhere under one of the numerous disguises" [BLAC] </h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3-JifXpXL_Z5bA8YjLJusATq5Ouw5fdXxtTg5U-Pkrj-qYZJc8YdIcgTzek9yXOGZ70ZaMgL3x2SoibzuALFNKXCM8BBdkfOIy_XGWsGCCqYoo7nmV9syAzdr7WVFMRIQQG3REtC3WR0/s1600/Basil+Rathbone+-+desk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="952" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3-JifXpXL_Z5bA8YjLJusATq5Ouw5fdXxtTg5U-Pkrj-qYZJc8YdIcgTzek9yXOGZ70ZaMgL3x2SoibzuALFNKXCM8BBdkfOIy_XGWsGCCqYoo7nmV9syAzdr7WVFMRIQQG3REtC3WR0/s640/Basil+Rathbone+-+desk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On June 13, 1892, Philip St. John Basil Rathbone was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He entered the world at a time when Sherlock Holmes was making a name for himself in the <i>Strand Magazine</i>, specifically in "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches." Little did he or his parents realize that he would go on to become one of the most famous portrayers of Sherlock Holmes on the screen.<br /><br />He attended <a href="http://www.repton.org.uk/" target="_blank">Repton</a> from 1906 to 1910, and by the time he left school, he was convinced he wanted to make a life for himself in the theatre. After spending some time in local theatrical productions, he entered war service in 1916, where he continued to hone his acting skills, albeit as more of a stationary object. According to <a href="http://www.basilrathbone.net/biography/" target="_blank">BasilRathbone.net</a>, Rathbone told Edward R. Murrow in a 1957 interview:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white;"> "I went to my commanding officer and I said that I thought we'd get a great deal more information from the enemy if we didn't fool around in the dark so much . . . and I asked him whether I could go out in daylight. I think he thought we were a little crazy. . . .  I said we'd go out camouflaged -- made up as trees -- with branches sticking out of our heads and arms . . . . We brought back an awful lot of information, and a few prisoners, too."</span></blockquote><br />Rathbone eventually moved from England to the United States, settling in New York in 1923 and then moving on to Hollywood in 1935. His <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001651/?ref_=tt_cl_t4" target="_blank">Hollywood years</a> brought him fame in <i>Captain Blood</i> and <i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i>, where he became known as an able swordsman and a fine villain. And it was in 1938 when he joined forces with Nigel Bruce for a collaboration that lasted from 1939 to 1946 as the most <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Basil%20Rathbone#.WT8SS2grLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">enduring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson</a> to grace the screen.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZYqInrKUU_dqvzJ0vFegGraLheoSiBi5M9LAAB2Gx7GmRDF4lpBrKb-ftO4uhyphenhyphen9zO18uqgYOIaG81LNIQJArB3YykJ2Wekt4XipxMjgm2sjn1UaXyISP68KCIRjjeopwg-4as10pZUKQ/s1600/gamesafoot+Rathbone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZYqInrKUU_dqvzJ0vFegGraLheoSiBi5M9LAAB2Gx7GmRDF4lpBrKb-ftO4uhyphenhyphen9zO18uqgYOIaG81LNIQJArB3YykJ2Wekt4XipxMjgm2sjn1UaXyISP68KCIRjjeopwg-4as10pZUKQ/s1600/gamesafoot+Rathbone.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Basil Rathbone by <a href="http://tomrichmond.com/" target="_blank">Tom Richmond</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />It is that collaboration that we covered in <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose122" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 122 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>. </div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="4076" data-dashlane-rid="82e4d620bc15189f" data-form-type="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5450502/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/000000/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br />Rathbone left the role of Sherlock Holmes in 1946, fearful of typecasting (he was correct, of course, but too late). His wife Ouida wrote a stage play, "Sherlock Holmes," in 1953, but it closed after poor reviews and only three performances. He made a handful of middle-rate movies in the 1960s, toured in the one-man play "An Evening with Basil Rathbone," and wrote his biography <i><a href="https://amzn.to/39iClsh" target="_blank">In and Out of Character</a></i>, which was published in 1962.<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Rathbone" target="_blank">Basil Rathbone</a> died on July 21, 1967 at the age of 75. He is interred in <a href="http://www.basilrathbone.net/potpourri/ferncliff.htm" target="_blank">Ferncliff Cemetary</a> in Hartsdale, NY.<br /><br />While Holmes purists may find something to quibble about in the later 12 films of the 14-film series that Rathbone and Bruce made, it's clear that they continue to be accessible and popular. Every generation has its own Sherlock Holmes. But since the 1940s, it seems that every generation has been exposed to Rathbone's Holmes.<br /><br />We're pleased to reflect on that fact today, 130 years after Rathbone was born.<br /><br />--</div>

Happy 130th Birthday, Basil Rathbone

"Basil ... was working somewhere under one of the numerous disguises" [BLAC]  On June 13, 1892, Philip St. John Basil Rathbone was...

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by Scott Monty

The 1932 Clive Brook Sherlock Holmes Feature — Restored at Last

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"The air of London is the sweeter for my presence" [FINA] </h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmYNyoOUM2yXmghNTe56xyaQeM4rwtElM3la5BVeMPLq3bODecz9bVuKg9zGxGADOi5UnoR_VBxEC3Xk4zRCHSjGQqaE-8ihKv-izx8Lidn3zXcPmvrsR5NHk7kQ3K9yZ4ooW5O09K2Gg/s1280/Clive+Brook+1932+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmYNyoOUM2yXmghNTe56xyaQeM4rwtElM3la5BVeMPLq3bODecz9bVuKg9zGxGADOi5UnoR_VBxEC3Xk4zRCHSjGQqaE-8ihKv-izx8Lidn3zXcPmvrsR5NHk7kQ3K9yZ4ooW5O09K2Gg/w640-h360/Clive+Brook+1932+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: screen capture (YouTube)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Bitter-sweet news on the Sherlockian film front.   </p><p>The good news first: the <a href="https://www.moma.org/" target="_blank">Museum of Modern Art</a> has restored the 1932 Fox <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023460/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_25" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a></i> with Clive Brook in a sparkling new print with a crystal clear soundtrack. Technically, this has not been a lost film, but the nasty DVD dupe we’ve been stuck with does the film a cruel disservice, making it all but unwatchable.   </p><p>What the MoMA restoration reveals is a droll pre-Code feature that ranks among the most stylish Sherlocks made in the black-and-white era.  This was a major studio production, directed by one of Fox’s leading directors, William K. Howard, and filmed by the legendary cinematographer, George Barnes.</p><p>This is not a production for Sherlockian purists, but for non-purists it’s a pleasure to watch a great studio director in top form having fun with Holmes and Hollywood genres: Moriarty is on the loose, importing American gangsters and their continental allies to wreak havoc on London pubs [!] with Tommy guns, hand grenades, and speeding cars. </p><p>Holmes, not to be undone, counters with his genius for scientific investigation. Clive Brook, usually the stiffest of British matinee idols, loosens up with sardonic one-liners and elegant banter, having a fine time jumping off a balcony to fight one of Moriarty’s henchmen. </p><p>Howard and Barnes turn this into a series of visual tours-de-force. The first scene sets the tone, a court sentencing Moriarty to death in a series of silhouettes and close-ups slowly revealed behind raised veils. Moriarty then delivers a curse in a rich Scottish burr by the great silent actor Ernest Torrence. This sets the tone for a virtuoso display of powerful shadow effects, whip pans, shock cuts, flash-backs, weird angles, and complexly staged deep focus shots.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">From Gillette to Rathbone</h3><p>Of particular interest to Sherlockians is how the movie fits into the trajectory from William Gillette to Basil Rathbone. The Fox film illustrates what gets revealed when we can see fine prints: a benchmark with links to the past and future. </p><p><i>Sherlock Holmes</i> was adapted by young Bertram Millhauser, the first of several Millhauser-Holmes screenplays that starts with Gillette’s play<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>or rather with Gillette’s reinvented characters. The plot itself owes nothing to Gillette<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>it might be called a sequel but Millhauser is too unbridled. Alice Faulkner is now Holmes’s long-suffering fiancée; Moriarty has been turned into a homicidal jewel thief; and Watson has been replaced by both Billy, Holmes’ adoring apprentice, and Holmes’ Scotland Yard arch-rival turned co-conspirator [Alan Mowbray]. </p><p>Brook himself provides the clearest through-line to Gillette, the patrician Holmes par excellence. If Rathbone and his successors are high strung<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>the high E-notes on the Sherlockian violin<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">—</span>Brook continues, along with Wontner, on the Gillette low G, graceful and imperturbable. This is the debonair Holmes, whether in his spats and cutaway, or in his smoking jacket and Gillettian dressing gown. </p><p>And much would be recycled into the Rathbone films. The opening court scene would be re-used (to flabbier effect) in Rathbone’s 1939 <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, as would the idea of Moriarty being a cunning jewel thief. And Millhauser would steal from himself when recycling the jewel thief angle (<i>Pearl of Death</i>) and placing a gangster hideout behind the shooting gallery at an amusement park (<i>The Spider Woman</i>).</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Now for the Challenge</h3><p>So much for the good news. The difficulty is that MoMA’s restored print is currently all but inaccessible. Currently, it has only been shown for a month as a one-off in MoMA’s online film series, available to <a href="https://membership.moma.org/" target="_blank">members only</a>.   </p><p>Otherwise, The Walt Disney Company controls distribution rights, and getting them to release the film is likely to be an uphill battle. So far Disney has shown little interest in vintage Fox films, and in fact, has discharged Fox’s restoration chief of staff.  </p><p>Even Fox’s Cinema Archives series, which had been the studio’s quirky way of distributing its old movies on an expensive, on-demand line of no-frills DVD-Rs, has been put on hold.  And even if the merged company were to add the 1932 <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> to the list, there is no guarantee they would use MoMA’s sparkling print.   </p><p>So, for now, we need to wait and see what Disney plans to do. Or perhaps some enterprising individual ought to petition Disney to get things started...</p><p>Watch this space. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Further reading by Russell Merritt, BSI ("The Trepoff Murder")</h4><p>Gillette’s performance in the 1916 film version of Sherlock Holmes: the 2016 <i>Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual <a href="https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/2016/12/27/bsj-2016-christmas-annual/" target="_blank">The Day After Christmas: First Encounters with Gillette's Silent Sherlock Holmes</a></i>.</p><p><a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/movies/1950s-tv-history.htm" target="_blank">Holmes and the Snake Skin Suits: Fighting for Survival on '50s Television</a> (Best of Sherlock)  </p><p> </p><p> </p>

The 1932 Clive Brook Sherlock Holmes Feature — Restored at Last

"The air of London is the sweeter for my presence" [FINA]  Source: screen capture (YouTube) Bitter-sweet news on the Sherlockian f...

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by Russell Merritt

Remembering Christopher Plummer

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "his energy and his versatility were most admirable" [YELL] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOt26m1BACLVIlv0SBIhYObLPSxDkMpB5gW_5F-uDVKxCe7hdoEq9vNd7Ju31gdF68LPyPXezFoyimfTSONnss8WBpR4vRNVIghsXOLi5Xuo9vUTiIsGZcS2tMVZo8g9O7xTaeTYdQGctG/s960/Christopher+Plummer+profile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="960" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOt26m1BACLVIlv0SBIhYObLPSxDkMpB5gW_5F-uDVKxCe7hdoEq9vNd7Ju31gdF68LPyPXezFoyimfTSONnss8WBpR4vRNVIghsXOLi5Xuo9vUTiIsGZcS2tMVZo8g9O7xTaeTYdQGctG/w640-h440/Christopher+Plummer+profile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The world has lost another significant Sherlock Holmes actor. Christopher Plummer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/movies/christopher-plummer-dead.html" target="_blank">passed away today</a> at the age of 91 after suffering a fall.</p><p>Plummer was a versatile actor, at home on the stage, television, and film, and the variety of his roles underscored his versatility and talent. From his early career on stage and television, he appeared in dozens of productions in a short span of years, becoming well-versed in and well-known for Shakespearean plays.</p><p>But it was his appearance as Captain Von Trapp in the 1965 hit <i>The Sound of Music</i> that set his career alight. He made his way to the National Theatre and then on to Broadway, where he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing the title role in Edmond Rostand's <i>Cyrano </i>in 1973. </p><p>His other awards, too numerous to mention in totality, included an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2MX3d5B" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beginners</a></i> (2012), for which he also received a Golden Globe and BAFTA (as well as more than two dozen other minor awards). In total, he had some 47 wins and 66 nominations over the course of his career.</p><p>And most memorably in recent memory, he appeared as the patriarch who was the victim at the center of the mystery in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tGqcTw" target="_blank">Knives Out</a></i>. </p><p>But Sherlockians (and this is the reason you're here) know him for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1979 film <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3cR7cvD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Murder By Decree</a></i>, with James Mason as his trusty Watson.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7_JB-bj4e6VT0E0mTCu12w6KxrUYdePkuntZ1m87y7gXJkOE_zfLBaTzWwyzkqQ_sjx6v2z_0IJ546VnaMJAgugOt96O_T_eMPecpugh3S6A37XO2VPloSrme_tZUxmDmyerOZwtWRxn/s2048/Christopher+Plummer+James+Mason+Murder+by+Decree.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7_JB-bj4e6VT0E0mTCu12w6KxrUYdePkuntZ1m87y7gXJkOE_zfLBaTzWwyzkqQ_sjx6v2z_0IJ546VnaMJAgugOt96O_T_eMPecpugh3S6A37XO2VPloSrme_tZUxmDmyerOZwtWRxn/w640-h438/Christopher+Plummer+James+Mason+Murder+by+Decree.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>In this production, we find Sherlock Holmes tracking down Jack the Ripper in an investigation that leads to surprising places, including into the inner workings of the Freemasons and the highest echelons of the British government itself.<div><br /></div><div>And to a most controversial method of eating peas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h1aJoWg4vGo" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>The two seemed delightful together, with the comfortable, homey Watson and the particular and debonair Holmes.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBJv3znwCXZSJ7P_h7ssg1-7Zikt_RJx3yGcQIinCOTgtnJqGqF_rmdVzn-VEYo8U1dwNaoglJN3tLESZG9nI96R9BzdkQiSolnRGrzZlBZ21Ynt__NEL0I2xGY2KcRN2-PmFf8wKPer3/s720/Christopher+Plummer+James+Mason+Murder+by+Decree+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBJv3znwCXZSJ7P_h7ssg1-7Zikt_RJx3yGcQIinCOTgtnJqGqF_rmdVzn-VEYo8U1dwNaoglJN3tLESZG9nI96R9BzdkQiSolnRGrzZlBZ21Ynt__NEL0I2xGY2KcRN2-PmFf8wKPer3/w640-h360/Christopher+Plummer+James+Mason+Murder+by+Decree+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Just two years before, Plummer played the role for the first time, in an episode of <i>The Sunday Drama</i> produced by ATV. In "Silver Blaze," Plummer was joined by Thorley Walters as his Watson. Walters himself was no stranger to the role, having played the role with Christopher Lee as Holmes in <i>Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace </i>(1962), uncredited in <i>The Best House in London</i> (1969), and again in 1975 opposite Douglas Wilmer in <i>The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother</i>.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dXQtUkAkzoQljOAYeadvqI96dAH3Ixb_xuPuDEN934J8YD9k8Y1PhSfjNlJJo9dnDcZZpfmIHGIx4ODMM-MSyVam1fv2DW4y0U9dG3jMcNwC3FVdaJsphY43Js8aYXj2WevscG6NBNVG/s2048/Christopher+Plummer+Thorley+Walters+Silver+Blaze.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dXQtUkAkzoQljOAYeadvqI96dAH3Ixb_xuPuDEN934J8YD9k8Y1PhSfjNlJJo9dnDcZZpfmIHGIx4ODMM-MSyVam1fv2DW4y0U9dG3jMcNwC3FVdaJsphY43Js8aYXj2WevscG6NBNVG/w640-h424/Christopher+Plummer+Thorley+Walters+Silver+Blaze.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image via "Silver Blaze" press kit</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUPrCt8B-pLJ5Uq9zohtoZng-jmcuIHU9L6maguqXmG5mgiBpaHtQgMZ54ePZxfy57sT8elrI23b7jjeARIfii8oF0RS8lRGyxgkMBbX8w7Y8NfmTH-zVL6_3eYcW4hAn8AVR1R6zGx9T/s2048/Christopher+Plummer+Thorley+Walters.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="2048" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUPrCt8B-pLJ5Uq9zohtoZng-jmcuIHU9L6maguqXmG5mgiBpaHtQgMZ54ePZxfy57sT8elrI23b7jjeARIfii8oF0RS8lRGyxgkMBbX8w7Y8NfmTH-zVL6_3eYcW4hAn8AVR1R6zGx9T/w640-h430/Christopher+Plummer+Thorley+Walters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image via "Silver Blaze" press kit</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This production was only a 30-minute film, and while we haven't viewed it ourselves, the reviews tend to laud its production values, even if the time limit required cutting some of the story.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is, of course, much more to Christopher Plummer's career than we have the time or the space for. From his appearance in the Pink Panther anthology to his portrayals of figures such as Rudyard Kipling, King Herod, Archduke Ferdinand, Vladimir Nabokov, his impressive Shakespearean appearances, and the mass of comedies, dramas, and adventure productions, his abilities were truly remarkable. His Wikipedia page is particularly impressive in the depth and breadth that it explores.</p><p>Suffice it to say that even though Plummer's appearances as Holmes were few and fleeting, his portrayal is one for the ages.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Correction: An earlier version of this incorrectly identified Thorley Walters' earlier appearances as Watson.</i></p><p>--</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B01I46LKKK"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "46c451f1e305c8e4d228fbf9c1b5afb3"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>

Remembering Christopher Plummer

 "his energy and his versatility were most admirable" [YELL]  The world has lost another significant Sherlock Holmes actor. Christ...

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by Scott Monty

Episode 200: Enola Holmes

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"I should like to see a sister of mine" [COPP] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdri80C5N57-9PEZlRwNdvW_j2GXVh5LQMYxFNh7C8qR3e0_q_Qd5eEztoqMTKkC_hi9JiCwYoL-Z1UcYViDIOWQ_6lLU8jvbcXIyuP20gB5yTcAlpAQ0u2rJnlowVFOzlHgQFNq9FXcQu2PumTpWY3w7wzzfBsvNK2pyTIqALq7swS6ujXMrR7HfwFQ/s1417/Enola%20Marquess%20header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1417" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdri80C5N57-9PEZlRwNdvW_j2GXVh5LQMYxFNh7C8qR3e0_q_Qd5eEztoqMTKkC_hi9JiCwYoL-Z1UcYViDIOWQ_6lLU8jvbcXIyuP20gB5yTcAlpAQ0u2rJnlowVFOzlHgQFNq9FXcQu2PumTpWY3w7wzzfBsvNK2pyTIqALq7swS6ujXMrR7HfwFQ/w640-h458/Enola%20Marquess%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The name Enola Holmes ought to be familiar to most Sherlockians by now. Aside from her appearance in six books, on September 23, 2020, the youngest Holmes sibling makes her debut on Netflix.</p><p>Nancy Springer author of the Enola Holmes series, joined us to talk about how her creation sprang to life and where she finds her strength. We go so far as to uncover the true identity of her inspiration and hear about how Millie Bobby Brown herself was the sparking plug behind bringing this young heroine to the screen.</p><p>Along the way, we discover a fascinating personal and professional journey of Ms. Springer, about whom we can unequivocally say is one of the most reflective, thoughtful, and self-aware authors we've had a chance to interview. You won't want to miss her backstory and discussions of her other works such as <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3mpBQyw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Am Mordred</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2FJJse3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest</a></i>, and of course the <i><a href="https://amzn.to/33tFZZC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enola Holmes Mysteries</a></i>.</p><p>Happy 200th to us. We'll be planning something just for our Patreon/PayPal supporters in the near future - be sure to tune in. And we have the latest round of <b>Canonical Couplets</b>. The prize this time around is an original copy of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3mxmhF5" target="_blank">The Case of the Missing Marquess (an Enola Holmes Mystery)</a></i>. Entries are due by 11:59 pm EDT on September 29, 2020.</p><p><br /><script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "567651e2fb9cf6e10cf02f44760d731d"; amzn_assoc_asins = "0142409332,0142411906,0142413909,B001FA0LQC,0142416908,0142418889"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_title = "The Enola Holmes Mysteries"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></p><div>Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.<br /><center><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></center><div><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://ihose.co/ihosepatron" target="_blank"><img height="40" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/widget-images/become-patron-widget-medium%402x.png" style="cursor: move;" width="204" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Please do consider becoming a <a href="https://ihose.co/ihosepatron" target="_blank">Patron of the Arts</a>. Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h3><a href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock200.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 26.9 MB, 1:00:45</h3><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/893856502&color=%23ef1625&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: interstate, "lucida grande", "lucida sans unicode", "lucida sans", garuda, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="ihearofsherlock">ihearofsherlock</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/enola-holmes" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Enola Holmes">Enola Holmes</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><h2><b>Sponsors</b></h2><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> is the premiere publisher of books about Sherlock Holmes, including the Sherlock Holmes Reference Library, scholarly work, and titles dedicated to the stage and screen, including <i><a href="https://wessexpress.com/html/bookman.html" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle, and The Bookman</a></i> by S.E. Dahlinger and Leslie S. Klinger.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://mxpublishing.com/" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a> has the largest collection of new Sherlock Holmes novels, biographies, graphic novels and short story collections in the world. You'll want to check out <i><a href="https://mxpublishing.com/products/the-lighter-side-of-sherlock-holmes-the-sherlockian-artwork-of-norman-schatell-special-hardback-edition?_pos=2&_sid=7fba53bb9&_ss=r" target="_blank">The Lighter Side of Sherlock Holmes: The Sherlockian Artwork of Norman Schatell</a></i>.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Dan Andriacco's delightful pair of Sebastian McCabe and Jeff Cody are back for a series of adventures in their second casebook: <i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mccabeandcody/murderers-row" target="_blank">Murderer's Row</a></i>.</div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Would you care to advertise with us? You can find <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" target="_blank">more information here</a>. Let's chat!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><h2><b>Links</b></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>This episode: <a href="https://ihose.co/ihose200">ihose.co/ihose200</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nancyspringer.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Springer's website</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/2E43obj" target="_blank">Enola Holmes Mysteries</a> (Amazon)</li><li><a href="https://ihose.co/ihoseshows" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Archives</a>: <a href="https://ihose.co/ihoseshows">ihose.co/ihoseshows</a></li><li>Our Sherlockian discussion show: <a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/" target="_blank">Trifles</a></li><li>Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont: the "<a href="https://www.beautiesltd.com/products/afoot-face-mask?variant=32394550149216" target="_blank">Afoot</a>"</li><li>Previous episodes referenced on this show:</li><ul><li><a href="https://ihose.co/ihose184" target="_blank">Episode 184</a>: Tying One On</li></ul></ul><div><div style="margin: 0px;">Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at <a href="https://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> as well as through our accounts on <a href="https://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Please subscribe on the podcast provider of your choosing:</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pod.link/258126625" target="_blank">Listen to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a></div><br />And would you consider leaving us a rating and review? It would help other Sherlockians to find us.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).</div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><h3><br />Transcript</h3><div style="margin: 0px;">Transcript costs have risen and you can help us to reach the <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">$125 per episode</a> level on Patreon to cover these costs. Please consider signing up by clicking the link, for as little as $1 an episode.<br /><br />Transcript will be here soon (if you can contribute to making that happen).</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>Disclosure: when you make a purchase on Amazon from our links, we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us.</i></div><div style="margin: 0px;">--</div></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "0142409332"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "e8cfbb0ba8c8cbc4a7b2271f4cceca89"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>

Episode 200: Enola Holmes

"I should like to see a sister of mine" [COPP]  The name Enola Holmes ought to be familiar to most Sherlockians by now. Aside from...

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by Scott Monty

Baker Street Elementary – A Case Right Out of History

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>"hinted at prehistoric strife” [DEVI] </b></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyiWHAYfw1GerU4oYGlYIkS4Ip24OR2COgIW-afsCc3se_jtsi320-Iq9B5361IgH_f30eThumY2mVaJ12NOLh6o5I2CphWI-bmf_GDQ0RVHjQiZcVARR4h0vPDo3KOpncIxLMGCsHmcF/s768/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyiWHAYfw1GerU4oYGlYIkS4Ip24OR2COgIW-afsCc3se_jtsi320-Iq9B5361IgH_f30eThumY2mVaJ12NOLh6o5I2CphWI-bmf_GDQ0RVHjQiZcVARR4h0vPDo3KOpncIxLMGCsHmcF/w640-h480/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>When Sherlock Holmes said "this agency stands flat-footed upon the ground" in "The Sussex Vampire," he was referring to ghosts and the other-worldly. There's no evidence he was talking about dinosaurs.</div><div><br /></div><div>You might think the Canon is devoid of mentions of human history that pre-date the spans of crime that Sherlock Holmes studied. And yet, there are a handful of mentions of prehistoric man.</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, they all occur in stories related to the moors. Southwest England contains beautiful, rugged, and primordial landscapes that are very much the same today as they must have been thousands of years ago. Landscapes that saw our human ancestors struggling for survival.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two such stories take us to the moor: <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> and "The Devil's Foot." Both use the moor as a gothic setting to give us a sense of the supernatural: in one case a spectral hound from hell; in the other, mysterious deaths in a "devil-ridden" parish.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the first, Watson observes stone circles and wonders what they were. Stapleton informs him they were "the homes of our worthy ancestors. Prehistoric man lived thickly on the moor."</div><div><br /></div><div>Watson paints a wonderful image for us, based on his observations and reflections of the remnants of previous inhabitants of the moor:<br /><blockquote><div>"When you are once out upon its bosom you have left all traces of modern England behind you, but on the other hand you are conscious everywhere of the homes and the work of the prehistoric people. On all sides of you as you walk are the houses of these forgotten folk, with their graves and the huge monoliths which are supposed to have marked their temples. As you look at their gray stone huts against the scarred hill-sides you leave your own age behind you, and if you were to see a skin-clad, hairy man crawl out from the low door fitting a flint-tipped arrow on to the string of his bow, you would feel that his presence there was more natural than your own. The strange thing is that they should have lived so thickly on what must always have been most unfruitful soil. I am no antiquarian, but I could imagine that they were some unwarlike and harried race who were forced to accept that which none other would occupy."</div></blockquote></div><div><br />In "The Devil's Foot," we see the duo as far west as Cornwall, on the coast of Southwest England. The landscape is much the same as they explore it, yet Watson's assumptions about the people turn more violent than his initial take in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>.</div><div><blockquote><div>"In every direction upon these moors there were traces of some vanished race which had passed utterly away, and left as it sole record strange monuments of stone, irregular mounds which contained the burned ashes of the dead, and curious earthworks which hinted at prehistoric strife. The glamour and mystery of the place, with its sinister atmosphere of forgotten nations, appealed to the imagination of my friend, and he spent much of his time in long walks and solitary meditations upon the moor."</div></blockquote></div><div><br />While man has always had a predilection for violence among his own species, he never had a chance to do battle with prehistoric ancestors that went even farther back in the epochal timeline. Namely, dinosaurs.</div><div><br /></div><div>That is, until Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3lY7inh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lost World</a></i> came along. And later, Michael Crichton's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3lTpL4d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jurassic Park</a></i>, which was dedicated to Conan Doyle. Or that time that Sherlock Holmes battled a T-Rex.</div><div><br /></div><div>What?</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, that's right. One of the all-time campy favorites of devotees of the <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/12/to-drive-patient-into-asylum-dyin_24.html#.X1UFSnlKjb2" target="_blank">entertainment mockbuster powerhouse Asylum Studios</a> (click for our previous commentary on them) is <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3h4iwCZ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, where Victorian London was the setting for a dinosaur.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/12/to-drive-patient-into-asylum-dyin_24.html#.X1UFSnlKjb2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="795" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOzAmuxwOn-Dq7Gm7fN6rzcGJOTMbkR0r5kSkQgGsdq78p3lmFJ_Ai6iNltDAudWa6FgX-r-3bjd2a3DV9XhejOEIL8YtCN-yR96KHGUmvTyOSOTMyLhalX3Itw6p4h1scdaBd9iRUUwu/w400-h398/Asylum%2527s+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We'll leave the rest to your imagination (or your Amazon purchase) and head over to a gay old time at Baker Street Elementary...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraxp0tSt5ZWP8EgQjuJuZoUxc9TEI88iSNsWPo5z6lZ25Zf5jhMTc70BxgEuV4I8FQIz9WrIZ4ah79kMAsttxZ2VaUTsV5F56gx0Xb9rPTSImFS9kStZVFCNZQ-fIOmfwigyk1-nFaYNH/s768/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraxp0tSt5ZWP8EgQjuJuZoUxc9TEI88iSNsWPo5z6lZ25Zf5jhMTc70BxgEuV4I8FQIz9WrIZ4ah79kMAsttxZ2VaUTsV5F56gx0Xb9rPTSImFS9kStZVFCNZQ-fIOmfwigyk1-nFaYNH/w640-h480/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPv_KN-HiA-6RM4UPe2T5bs5bSec8owURmjmGAxHk1KSNkaS0YbC_R-4Hjn9VIWXi1VjqCYuQT7GVkem4luk1wjKFuv9g8nuhm_6TQtOpmdhnilz_ClyqFO9G0Ys9IZ1V8mzWhOBS00VL/s768/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPv_KN-HiA-6RM4UPe2T5bs5bSec8owURmjmGAxHk1KSNkaS0YbC_R-4Hjn9VIWXi1VjqCYuQT7GVkem4luk1wjKFuv9g8nuhm_6TQtOpmdhnilz_ClyqFO9G0Ys9IZ1V8mzWhOBS00VL/w640-h480/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xuPBcgmFAO6ORx6dZRZhppy2fnj4VBul3ra1QZVxrpYlqUM1GEOZBi8W5PgqiuVNZndCpYtMP0FHVCmp_TZDh9O4dMlUWNADdmMGTs89DwJH_hBwColJ_jdsDfLnonIENXV3yMBUpA26/s768/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xuPBcgmFAO6ORx6dZRZhppy2fnj4VBul3ra1QZVxrpYlqUM1GEOZBi8W5PgqiuVNZndCpYtMP0FHVCmp_TZDh9O4dMlUWNADdmMGTs89DwJH_hBwColJ_jdsDfLnonIENXV3yMBUpA26/w640-h480/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqalDcRYCrXTAeVOSJF1dtb4y3OY_vjf119kW1MSUeve69NYv740Y8-0_GMrrp5BlUCBMX20WT6Gx_KlmtHTq8_u-JrnJxmZE8Pxnt8cad1BewAv2firQE7ifoYzMhATb6nLfsXolSU4Ar/s768/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqalDcRYCrXTAeVOSJF1dtb4y3OY_vjf119kW1MSUeve69NYv740Y8-0_GMrrp5BlUCBMX20WT6Gx_KlmtHTq8_u-JrnJxmZE8Pxnt8cad1BewAv2firQE7ifoYzMhATb6nLfsXolSU4Ar/w640-h480/Baker+Street+Elementary+88.5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Baker Street Elementary</i></b><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-size: 14px;"> follows the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as they and their friends work through the issues of elementary school in Victorian London. An archive of all previous episodes can be viewed at </span><a href="http://www.bakerstreetelementary.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #006f85; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">www.bakerstreetelementary.org</a><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-size: 14px;">.</span><br /><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyHxoov2AdCNzI-sA382WHyzmCYKmU5vuVxxUUbwgmzd_zESpxNTWBoDo-0BOUVmZPf0EpIOXFT9y59il288HBvx1-_JJJXxHhZAn2orzWJPWbYZasKlLBplbQMHDaY9thgs_w1diI7ch/s1600/Baker+Street+Elementary.jpg" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyHxoov2AdCNzI-sA382WHyzmCYKmU5vuVxxUUbwgmzd_zESpxNTWBoDo-0BOUVmZPf0EpIOXFT9y59il288HBvx1-_JJJXxHhZAn2orzWJPWbYZasKlLBplbQMHDaY9thgs_w1diI7ch/s640/Baker+Street+Elementary.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><br />--</div>

Baker Street Elementary – A Case Right Out of History

"hinted at prehistoric strife” [DEVI]  When Sherlock Holmes said "this agency stands flat-footed upon the ground" in "Th...

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by Scott Monty

Enola Holmes is Coming to Netflix and Looks Fun

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>"the situation which I should like to see a sister of mine apply for.” [COPP] </b></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7K4Vl9q_t5WiPkdYW-y87ubkLytF_SKmHHnYXsDuEM_PEJFs1LIWYwIUlYMx8yUHClF3CIAk5l_wspgJRrwr04T3_hIeCL8jeRSJDgq99QDZcez6vYwVqL8HzMBiDDmky_0BsdR27kj_/s1180/Enola+-+Title+Card.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7K4Vl9q_t5WiPkdYW-y87ubkLytF_SKmHHnYXsDuEM_PEJFs1LIWYwIUlYMx8yUHClF3CIAk5l_wspgJRrwr04T3_hIeCL8jeRSJDgq99QDZcez6vYwVqL8HzMBiDDmky_0BsdR27kj_/s640/Enola+-+Title+Card.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The young-adult mystery fiction series <a href="https://amzn.to/2YNCHih" target="_blank">The Enola Holmes Mysteries</a> is coming to Netflix in September. Starring Millie Bobby Brown in the title role, the film is scheduled to be released on September 23.</p><p>The plot of the film sounds like it's taken from the first book in Nancy Springer's six-part series, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2GaGIqz" target="_blank">The Case of the Missing Marquess</a></i>:</p><blockquote><p>"While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord."</p></blockquote><p>The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer and written by Jack Thorne, with Ms. Brown also serving as a producer. It also stars Fiona Shaw, Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes, Sam Claflin as a fit-as-a-fiddle Mycroft Holmes, and Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0x08Sdja2xslTJ4OyIgELA0zzrmil_ZYeR5wSayuI4Qr4sa66PHmibKmUiKXyUbheqV0EwrF4hhlwZ1n46gB_OUXXB0DOXCgmOBjiq03cWDo8ngwPHR14FNybTQnyCRUfjuR7j-lMZF3e/s996/Enola+-+lady.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="996" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0x08Sdja2xslTJ4OyIgELA0zzrmil_ZYeR5wSayuI4Qr4sa66PHmibKmUiKXyUbheqV0EwrF4hhlwZ1n46gB_OUXXB0DOXCgmOBjiq03cWDo8ngwPHR14FNybTQnyCRUfjuR7j-lMZF3e/s640/Enola+-+lady.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Take a look at <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d0Zf9sXlHk">the trailer</a></b>:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1d0Zf9sXlHk" width="560"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p>At first glance, the strapping Henry Cavill didn't seem to be properly cast as Sherlock Holmes. But as we thought about it more, we were convinced.</p><p>Let's not forget that one of the most famous portrayers of Sherlock Holmes was William Gillette. With a full head of hair and a square jawline, he wouldn't have seemed to fit Paget's version. But then Frederick Dorr Steele came along, and we were given this Holmes:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g9dU654oPBK6kMURXmEBkKvWSdLH65hUK3whdnAxA1C4wy7hZ82bFkyjGl-hKFhntAI4RqM1Qi8_mbNt3OedlG_H_vFVsFgBteHezlEoq7Tl6PtGlQ7Va1FyjIYfc9O3u59szOjBnAjA/s599/PRIO+-+FDS+Colliers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g9dU654oPBK6kMURXmEBkKvWSdLH65hUK3whdnAxA1C4wy7hZ82bFkyjGl-hKFhntAI4RqM1Qi8_mbNt3OedlG_H_vFVsFgBteHezlEoq7Tl6PtGlQ7Va1FyjIYfc9O3u59szOjBnAjA/s0/PRIO+-+FDS+Colliers.png" /></a></div><br /><p>Suddenly, Cavill as Holmes seems like a fine choice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WP3dlSZev697mh_RMRkGEQyDwn9z9gOAh2tCOeO99BzF3AOngXUToWhhGRHPxPEyM29VBxqg1ODdQSOoOquElXxyPryT8qa8_Xi8tuqN1m-RhlR-CqMEyNsigrD8dhbHkszL-cXWQlKk/s1110/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WP3dlSZev697mh_RMRkGEQyDwn9z9gOAh2tCOeO99BzF3AOngXUToWhhGRHPxPEyM29VBxqg1ODdQSOoOquElXxyPryT8qa8_Xi8tuqN1m-RhlR-CqMEyNsigrD8dhbHkszL-cXWQlKk/s640/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>If you notice in the trailer, the producers make a clever integration with the original Paget drawings. For example, the iconic image of Holmes on his "Eastern divan" of pillows in "The Man with the Twisted Lip":</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjSHz_xud-rsthjVDuR30VdOYrx1rLR4qXEYrglYuEBUMwEdUihSXYK8vHT7ZlWnf-ggp6fXp_jIzVGi8kE90pMSxPWwwhF_QVOaRDU7fTrEvSqB66qE3zKLNiukI96KpTtJuwOzp2AhD/s1548/TWIS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1441" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjSHz_xud-rsthjVDuR30VdOYrx1rLR4qXEYrglYuEBUMwEdUihSXYK8vHT7ZlWnf-ggp6fXp_jIzVGi8kE90pMSxPWwwhF_QVOaRDU7fTrEvSqB66qE3zKLNiukI96KpTtJuwOzp2AhD/w382-h410/TWIS.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br /><p>Now looks like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvusehS8T6Kwu3eUJlx6pdP0W8yeCbJgYSwrtZesXotT7eIpZGusb74kn2t_DGKpGTPnbso4vnXZploYaubsNmaYHv6mJxmPRYZI-kjuxAYDcg3u8b5ZXAPF71SPzKogJbY34eGDOOmMS0/s1165/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill+Paget.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1165" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvusehS8T6Kwu3eUJlx6pdP0W8yeCbJgYSwrtZesXotT7eIpZGusb74kn2t_DGKpGTPnbso4vnXZploYaubsNmaYHv6mJxmPRYZI-kjuxAYDcg3u8b5ZXAPF71SPzKogJbY34eGDOOmMS0/w640-h429/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill+Paget.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>And the image of Holmes knocking out Jack Woodley (or is that Teddy Roosevelt?) in "The Solitary Cyclist":</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzLTvLTCsVhJY0vCnCrValXRdq_ahpOj-2iRMcGgY-B0s0sPJd4gGF5gzARuw-z8LpHFrBS4aQAScyrepxlYJAUaOiRujYKfgITPnJhY7iR6uN1LdeFeRpPg79nGSqhEzi-TThQ40szOi/s2048/SOLI+-+pub.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzLTvLTCsVhJY0vCnCrValXRdq_ahpOj-2iRMcGgY-B0s0sPJd4gGF5gzARuw-z8LpHFrBS4aQAScyrepxlYJAUaOiRujYKfgITPnJhY7iR6uN1LdeFeRpPg79nGSqhEzi-TThQ40szOi/s640/SOLI+-+pub.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Has been transformed (and animated!) into this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg4-8c-r4bgXbw_hLPBRFsNrk2uHV_jWB64knCY5BtV5fpe9QqJ71BNvHyRUADbMk05_Uj-DFqiQtiQzdJWOoloCL5umhDbu_HdzbPA32VdEELj6G8HPoWk8K0mGWnEkBasbCJFmrEFj7/s1246/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill+fight.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1246" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg4-8c-r4bgXbw_hLPBRFsNrk2uHV_jWB64knCY5BtV5fpe9QqJ71BNvHyRUADbMk05_Uj-DFqiQtiQzdJWOoloCL5umhDbu_HdzbPA32VdEELj6G8HPoWk8K0mGWnEkBasbCJFmrEFj7/w512-h328/Enola+-+Henry+Cavill+fight.png" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p>Just for fun, we made a made out of it:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56%; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://giphy.com/embed/KzJmaH43BCaufi11s0" style="position: absolute;" width="100%"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/henry-cavill-sherlock-holmes-enola-KzJmaH43BCaufi11s0">via GIPHY</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Simply put, <i>Enola Holmes</i> looks like a lot of fun.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Image credits: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d0Zf9sXlHk" target="_blank">Netflix</a> (YouTube)</i></p><p><i>Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate links. We earn a small commission when you buy from Amazon. This helps us run the site.</i></p> -- <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "0142409332"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5bf44f167830c76c4cbde9bcbf90c5b9"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "0142416908"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "0eb176aa78a7b9bfa3eb82196b440d29"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "0142418889"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "2819c51ed73ce57c20d5ece825761062"; </script> <script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><p></p>

Enola Holmes is Coming to Netflix and Looks Fun

"the situation which I should like to see a sister of mine apply for.” [COPP]  The young-adult mystery fiction series The Enola Holmes ...

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by Scott Monty

The Conan Doyle Estate Is Suing Netflix

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>"repeated the same story with an absolute disregard" [VALL]</b></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA2ulLWuPl7QYTn4nR1Pb-RnEtg6IEGEMxRrlWoY0onbnIUUuGG3kpMlm2s-TSkTVjOeLB-a840ktqe5iWQo84LzN93pET7DQ3LuFcGYc5bvPAguBimYcsJMZrgqfW7v01CN9E4JvWCVE/s951/NORW+-+legal+trouble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="951" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA2ulLWuPl7QYTn4nR1Pb-RnEtg6IEGEMxRrlWoY0onbnIUUuGG3kpMlm2s-TSkTVjOeLB-a840ktqe5iWQo84LzN93pET7DQ3LuFcGYc5bvPAguBimYcsJMZrgqfW7v01CN9E4JvWCVE/w640-h434/NORW+-+legal+trouble.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, they're at it again.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.—the incorporated business entity that was set up by distant family members of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to profit from Sherlock Holmes-related works—<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/conan-doyle-estate-sues-netflix-coming-movie-sherlock-holmes-sister-1300108" target="_blank">is suing Netflix</a> over the upcoming movie <i>Enola Holme</i>s.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Enola Holmes Mysteries were written by Nancy Springer and involve a sister of Sherlock Holmes who is 20 years his junior. The series is being adapted for film, starring Millie Bobby Brown in the title role.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now, just months before the movie's intended release, the CDEL is claiming copyright infringement and trademark violations.</div><div><br /></div><div>If this sounds familiar, it should.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recall five years ago, when Mitch Cullin's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3dtqu6Q" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a></i> was turned into the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.XvWZ1kVKjb1" target="_blank">the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. sued Miramax to stop the release of the film</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>In that case, the CDEL named the film studio Miramax, its distributors Roadside Attractions and director Bill Condon — as well as publisher Penguin Random House and screenwriter Mitch Cullin as defendants.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, in a filing in the U.S. District Court in the District of New Mexico, the same jurisdiction as the previous lawsuit. Interestingly, that one claimed New Mexico was the appropriate venue since Cullin grew up there and met with John Bennett Shaw in the latter's Santa Fe home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Named as defendants: Nancy Springer, Penguin Random House, Legendary Pictures Productions, Netflix, PCMA Management and Productions, EH Productions UK, Jack Thorne, and Harry Broadbeer. An impressive, if similar group: one that would seem wide enough that the CDEL might be able to catch some fish.</div><div><br /></div><div>The question is whether their legal reasoning is as sound as last time.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this filing, the best they can do is to say that the Enola Holmes books were sold in the United States and Netflix is releasing the film in the United States, and since New Mexico happens to be one of those states, it should be the venue of the case. To say nothing of the state being the residence of the "corporate memory" of the CDEL.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before we get into the specific claims, let's review what we know from previous entries. [<i>For a full timeline of #FreeSherlock posts, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.XvWd3UVKjb2" target="_blank">see the Timeline of Events in this link</a>. - Ed.</i>]</div><div><br /></div><div>When the CDEL sued over <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, it had the same modus operandi: the book had been published the decade before, yet it was only when a Hollywood payday — and a solidified release date — became apparent that the CDEL showed up with its hand out.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a 2014 decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals landed this blistering observation over the case involving author Leslie S. Klinger:</div><div><blockquote>"The Doyle estate’s business strategy is plain: charge a modest license fee for which there is no legal basis, in the hope that the "rational" writer or publisher asked for the fee will pay it rather than incur a greater cost, in legal expenses, in challenging the legality of the demand. The strategy had worked with Random House; Pegasus was ready to knuckle under; only Klinger (so far as we know) resisted. In effect he was a private attorney general, combating a disreputable business practice—<b>a form of extortion</b>—and he is seeking by the present motion not to obtain a reward but merely to avoid a loss."</blockquote></div><div>Not only did they lose that judgement, but the CDEL <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.XvWhv0VKjb0" target="_blank">had to pay Klinger's legal fees</a> as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Judge Posner, in his decision, counseled the business entity:</div><div><blockquote>"It’s time the estate, in its own self-interest, changed its business model."</blockquote></div><div>It's clear they did not heed that sage advice.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6956021-Sherlock.html" target="_blank">the latest filing</a>, focusing on the last 10 stories that are in copyright, written between 1923 and 1927, the CDEL writes:</div><div><blockquote>"In World War I Conan Doyle lost his eldest son, Arthur Alleyne Kingsley. Four months later he lost his brother, Brigadier-general Innes Doyle. When Conan Doyle came back to Holmes in the Copyrighted Stories between 1923 and 1927, it was no longer enough that the Holmes character was the most brilliant rational and analytical mind. Holmes needed to be human. The character needed to develop human connection and empathy."</blockquote></div><div>Is this to say that Holmes did not exhibit human connection or empathy in the previous 50 stories? His reaction to putting Watson through a smoke-infused ritual in "The Devil's Foot" had plenty of emotion. His way with women in earlier cases made it clear he could employe empathy when he needed to get information out of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Besides, is it reasonable to expect a court to grant trademark or copyright on the development of <i>emotions</i>?</div><div><br /></div><div>We thought the CDEL was desperate before. Either they're in dire need of funds or they're getting really poor legal advice. And that's just from this armchair lawyer's perspective.</div><div><br /></div><div>They're doubtless trying to push for a settlement, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/09/conan-doyle-estate-reaches-settlement.html#.XvWaHEVKjb0" target="_blank">just as they did with Miramax </a>over <i>Mr. Holmes</i>. Recall that the nefarious Harvey Weinstein ran Miramax. Strangely enough, he may not have been the only odious person in the room in that case.</div><div><br /></div><div>The method and mode of this lawsuit stinks. We hope the case gets the same treatment and has the same outcome as Klinger's initial case.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgz9qFQW9WnT2gr2v-DidOQ1C_jVn81fzu5UaOOYKMIbWVAQZMTgRVRVqo4hCpzDAzic3B2gBE0NCnkZu6tjVH-bM1z0Igk2bkd6JQvLvCJ4KUT_0e3Q3DqXDpYvUCYyO1dAEmPYF1l7_/s471/dividing+line.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="471" height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgz9qFQW9WnT2gr2v-DidOQ1C_jVn81fzu5UaOOYKMIbWVAQZMTgRVRVqo4hCpzDAzic3B2gBE0NCnkZu6tjVH-bM1z0Igk2bkd6JQvLvCJ4KUT_0e3Q3DqXDpYvUCYyO1dAEmPYF1l7_/w400-h32/dividing+line.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: merriweather; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Timeline of Events</h3><ul style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><li><b>February 14, 2013</b>: Initial lawsuit filed by Leslie S. Klinger against the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.'s heavy-handed attempt to block <i>In the Company of Sherlock Holmes</i> on Amazon and other bookstores - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/02/imagine-that-you-can-bully-me-chas_14.html#.VWDK7PlViko" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"don't imagine that you can bully me" [CHAS]</a></li><li><b>April 17, 2013</b>: Our coverage on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose51" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Episode 51</a> of IHOSE</li><li><b>December 27, 2013</b>: Leslie Klinger granted an initial victory in the case - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/12/plaintiff-victorious-in-free-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"Ha! Nothing could be better." [STOC]</a></li><li><b>December 30, 2013</b>: A special <a href="http://ihose.co/freesherlock" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">#FreeSherlock episode</a> of IHOSE, featuring intellectual property legal scholar and expert Betsy Rosenblatt, BSI ("Lucy Ferrier")</li><li><b>January 4, 2014</b>: The Conan Doyle Estate issues a press release indicating that it would appeal the decision but that it is still the winner because it holds trademarks on the characters - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/01/conan-doyle-estate-business-entity-on.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"spinning fine theories" [NOBL]</a></li><li><b>May 22, 2014</b>: An eyewitness recounted what happened during the appeal hearing - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/05/an-eyewitness-account-to-free-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"A higher judge had taken the matter in hand" [STUD]</a></li><li><b>June 16, 2014</b>: The appeal was denied by Judge Richard A. Posner, who rebuked the "quixotic" attempt by the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. to seek "perpetual, or nearly perpetual copyright protection" of the Sherlock Holmes character. <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/234319104/Klinger-v-Conan-Doyle-Estate-Ltd-7th-Circuit-Court-of-Appeals-Decision" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"during these fruitless quests" [HOUN]</a></li><li><b>July 18, 2014</b>: After the CDEL filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on July 11, the petition was turned down - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/07/the-us-supreme-court-denies-conan-doyle.html#.VWDPSflViko" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"the last and highest court of appeal" [STUD]</a></li><li><b>July 20, 2014</b>: A discussion of all things #FreeSherlock on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose66" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Episode 66</a> of IHOSE. </li><li><b>August 5, 2014</b>: The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the CDEL to cease extortion and pay Klinger's legal fees - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VWDR0vlViko" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"your fees will be assured and you will be given a perfectly free hand" [ILLU]</a></li><li><b>November 3, 2014</b>: The SCOTUS refused to hear arguments in the case - <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/11/supreme-court-wont-hear-freesherlock.html#.XC5mtlxKjb0" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006f85; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"the final discussion of those matters which lie between us" [FINA]</a></li><li><b>May 23, 2015</b>: Conan Doyle Estate sues Miramax over the release of the film <i>Mr. Holmes - </i><b><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.XvWimUVKjb3" target="_blank">"the relentless threat" [VALL]</a></b></li><li><b>September 5, 2015</b>: Settlement reached between CDEL and Miramax - <b><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/09/conan-doyle-estate-reaches-settlement.html#.XvWaHEVKjb0" target="_blank">"I grudge them their blood money" [LAST]</a></b> </li><li><b>November 23, 2015</b>: Bombshell interview with author Mitch Cullin over the lawsuit - <b><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/11/bombshell-interview-with-author-mitch.html#.XvWc40VKjb0">"tour de force of the author" [CARD]</a></b></li><li><b>June 25, 2020</b>: CDEL sues Netflix over <i>Enola Holmes</i> film - <b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2020/06/the-conan-doyle-estate-is-suing-netflix.html" target="_blank">"repeated the same story with an absolute disregard" [VALL]</a></b> </li></ul></div>

The Conan Doyle Estate Is Suing Netflix

"repeated the same story with an absolute disregard" [VALL] Well, they're at it again. The Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.—the incorp...

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by Scott Monty

Remembering Freddie Jones

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>"Jones has gone" [SIGN] </b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUFooaTusR0yH2Zhs_FXN6JfmLrNiuKQ2L6RN-rgl6Y16BnItBljLygfl_t-h4Q0zmEd4SFFNYJllkIxNLf_iJ_oV_0nJ2rQs7QryRT5qItk1VpeXQGdz9K0jkNjmCAzTUcRtbiEGIY7G/s1600/Freddie+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="960" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUFooaTusR0yH2Zhs_FXN6JfmLrNiuKQ2L6RN-rgl6Y16BnItBljLygfl_t-h4Q0zmEd4SFFNYJllkIxNLf_iJ_oV_0nJ2rQs7QryRT5qItk1VpeXQGdz9K0jkNjmCAzTUcRtbiEGIY7G/s640/Freddie+Jones.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Freddie Jones, veteran actor of the stage, screen, and television, has died at the age of 91.<br /> <br /> His career began late—he worked at a chemical lab factory for ten years before deciding to pursue his hobby—but flourished over the years, resulting in 213 credits <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428086/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk1">on IMDb alone</a>. The general public probably knows him from such roles as Bytes, the sadistic alcoholic showman in <i>The Elephant Man</i>, Thufir Hawat in David Lynch's version of <i>Dune</i>, and most recently as Sandy Thomas in the British soap opera <i>Emmerdale</i>.<br /> <br /> But as with all things, we're interested in the connections to Sherlock Holmes here. Jones had a just a few of his own, but because he was so prolific, some of his non-Sherlockian roles intersected with other actors who themselves were in Holmesian films and shows.<br /> <br /> In our circles, Jones is primarily known from two roles from the 1980s. His first Sherlock Holmes-related appearance was in 1985 as Chester Cragwitch in Barry Levinson's <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090357/">Young Sherlock Holmes</a></i>. Cragwitch was the fourth intended victim of the Rame Tep, who was shot with a poisoned dart and subsequently attempted to kill Sherlock Holmes. It was only the appearance of Lestrade, who had pricked his finger on of the darts earlier, that saved the day.<br /> <br /> Jones's other major role in a Sherlock Holmes production was as Inspector Baynes, the wily and good humored detective on the case in "<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0685630/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_66">Wisteria Lodge</a>," from <i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes</i> by Granada. There was a good deal of energy masked beneath his relatively quiet demeanor in that role. And we seem to remember a video clip of Jeremy Brett speaking to an American audience (perhaps at a Sherlockian event in St. Louis?) about Freddie's appearance on set with a paper bag of jelly babies, which he jealously guarded against Brett's attempts to sample. [<i>Editor's note: if any of our readers have a source on that, we'd be grateful</i>.]<br /> <br /> There was one other small appearance in the Granada series: a cameo as a pedlar in "The Last Vampyre" in <i>The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</i> in 1993.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h3> <b>Other connections</b></h3> Given that his credits are so voluminous, it's no surprise that Jones had connections to other significant Sherlock Holmes actors.<br /> <br /> One of his earliest television appearances was as Claudius in the BBC's six-episode production of <i>The Caesars</i> in 1968. In that series, Sejanus was played by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0408813/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t4">Barrie Ingham</a>, who played Basil in <i>The Great Mouse Detective</i>. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0248324/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t11">Donald Eccles</a> played Nerva before going on to play the Reverend Duncan Nesbitt, who hallucinated about the stained glass knight in <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i>.<br /> <br /> <i>The Caesars</i> is the gift that keeps on giving, with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358772/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t32">Roger Hammond</a> as Pomponius. Astute viewers may remember him as Jabez Wilson in Granada's "The Red-Headed League." The other name that pops out is <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0603682/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2">André Morrell</a>, who played Tiberius. Earlier, he played Dr. Watson to Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes in the 1959 Hammer production of <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>.<br /> <br /> Which brings us to Peter Cushing himself. His Holmesian qualifications need no recap. Cushing reprised his role as Baron Frankenstein in the 1969 <i>Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed</i>, with Jones as Professor Richter, the asylum director whose body becomes the recipient of a transplanted brain, and ultimately "the creature."<br /> <br /> Given Freddie Jones's long tenure in entertainment—particularly British entertainment—he likely has numerous connections to other Sherlock Holmes productions. Six decades of experience likely give him more links than we'd get from a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Perhaps you can add more in the comments below.<br /> <br /> But we did want to close on one final connection: Jones's own son Toby is a fine actor in his own right. And <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429363/?ref_=nmbio_trv_1">Toby Jones</a> played Culverton Smith in the BBC <i>Sherlock</i> episode "The Dying Detective."<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Remembering Freddie Jones

"Jones has gone" [SIGN]  Freddie Jones, veteran actor of the stage, screen, and television, has died at the age of 91. His ...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes Brings Home Major Film Awards

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>"this enormously valuable prize" [SIXN]</b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj202yITaTNyTWMt1CL7-A4VoVI2Mur7RH6w8cLKFH0l6bK99CuJ_JEelhcDA8kznXM18u-iVnQ5L2qdyjZN-u6F7vrPZMARmB6Paea1aPvCuuKdjqBT292TRnUXLYzdIPSTQBcQYxCmJx6/s1600/Golden_Raspberry_Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj202yITaTNyTWMt1CL7-A4VoVI2Mur7RH6w8cLKFH0l6bK99CuJ_JEelhcDA8kznXM18u-iVnQ5L2qdyjZN-u6F7vrPZMARmB6Paea1aPvCuuKdjqBT292TRnUXLYzdIPSTQBcQYxCmJx6/s1600/Golden_Raspberry_Award.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> While most of the public was aware of or watched the 2019 Academy Awards last night, there was another Hollywood celebration of film happening. We of course refer to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Raspberry_Awards">Golden Raspberry Awards</a>, or the <b>Razzies</b>.<br /> <br /> Recently, <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2019/01/doyles-detective-honored-again.html#.XHRbU-hKjb0">we reported on the nominees</a>, which included an usually large representation of Sherlock Holmes-related nominees. Well, the results are in, and fear not, fellow Sherlock Holmes fan — there's reason to celebrate!<br /> <br /> However, before we move on to the Razzies, it's spending some time with the Oscars.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>The Academy Awards</b></h2> The role of Sherlock Holmes is much more complex and nuanced than the public typically understands. This means that actors need to turn in more than a two-dimensional performance. While no actor has received an award for playing Sherlock Holmes, there are actors who have played Sherlock Holmes and separately have received Academy Award nominations and/or the Oscar itself for Best Actor or Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Here is the list:<br /> <br /> <h3> <b>Basil Rathbone</b></h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Holmes in 14 films from 1939-1946<br />Nominated for <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1937) and <i>If I Were King</i> (1939)<br /><br /><br /> <h3> <b>George C. Scott</b>  </h3> <br /> Played Justin Playfair, who thought he was Sherlock Holmes in <i>They Might Be Giants</i>. (1971)<br />Nominated for <i>Anatomy of a Murder</i> (1960), <i>The Hustler</i> (1962), and <i>The Hospital</i> (1972).<br />Won for <i>Patton </i>(1970).<br /><br /><br /> <h3> <b>Christopher Plummer</b></h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Holmes in <i>Murder By Decree</i> (1979)<br />Nominated for <i>The Station</i> (2010) and <i>All the Money in the World</i> (2018)<br />Won for <i>Beginners</i> (2012)<br /><br /> <b><br /></b> <h3> <b>Peter O'Toole</b></h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Holmes (voice only) in <i>Sherlock Holmes and A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes and The Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes and The Baskerville Curse, </i>and <i>Sherlock Holmes and The Valley of Fear</i> (1983)<br />Nominated for <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i> (1963), <i>Becket</i> (1965), <i>The Lion in Winter</i> (1969), <i>Goodbye, Mr. Chips</i> (1970), <i>The Ruling Class</i> (1973), <i>The Stunt Man</i> (1981), <i>My Favorite Year </i>(1983), and <i>Venus </i>(2007).<br />Won an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2003. <br /><br /> <br /> <h3> <b>Michael Caine</b></h3> <br /> Played Reginald Kincaid, an actor who was hired to play Sherlock Holmes in <i>Without a Clue</i> (1987)<br />Nominated for <i>Alfie</i> (1967), <i>Sleuth </i>(1973), <i>Educating Rita</i> (1984), and <i>The Quiet American</i> (2003).<br />Won for <i>Hannah and Her Sisters</i> (1987) and <i>The Cider House Rules</i> (2000).<br /><br /> <b><br /></b> <h3> <b>Robert Downey, Jr.</b> </h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Holmes in <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> (2009) and <i>Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</i>. (2011)<br />Nominated for <i>Chaplin </i>(1993) and <i>Tropic Thunder</i> (2009)<br /><br /> <br /> <br /> <h3> <b>Ian McKellen</b></h3> Played Sherlock Holmes in <i>Mr. Holmes</i> (2015)<br />Nominated for <i>Gods and Monsters</i> (1999) and <i>The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring</i> (2002)<br /><br /><br /> <h3> <b>Benedict Cumberbatch</b> </h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Holmes in four seasons of <i>Sherlock </i>on BBC (2010-2017)<br />Nominated for <i>The Imitation Game</i> (2015)<br /><br /><br /> <h3> Johnny Depp</h3> <br /> Played Sherlock Gnomes in <i>Sherlock Gnome</i>s (2018)<br />Nominated for <i>Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl</i> (2003), <i>Finding Neverland</i> (2005), and <i>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</i> (2008)<br /><br /> <br /> <br /> <h2> The Razzies</h2> Okay, the reason you're here. The lips and tongue have spoken, and the Golden Raspberries for 2019 have brought four — count 'em, four — Razzies:<br /> <br /> <h4> <b>Worst Picture: <i>Holmes & Watson</i></b></h4> <h4> <b>Worst Supporting Actor: John C. Reilly / <i>Holmes & Watson</i></b></h4> <h4> <b>Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel: <i>Holmes & Watson</i></b></h4> <h4> <b>Worst Director: Etan Cohen / <i>Holmes & Watson</i></b></h4> <div> <br /></div> <div> Congratulations to all who were nominated!</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> This is perhaps the time to remind everyone that with the Razzies, there are no winners; everyone's a loser.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> --</div> <div> <br /></div>

Sherlock Holmes Brings Home Major Film Awards

"this enormously valuable prize" [SIXN] While most of the public was aware of or watched the 2019 Academy Awards last night, ...

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by Scott Monty