I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"This Great And Somber Stage" [BRUC]

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Stage-Chronological-Encyclopedia/dp/0810861259?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes on the Stage: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0810861259&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0810861259" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Sherlock Holmes has a very pervasive presence in our popular culture...but it seems as if he is having something of a renaissance when it comes to staged versions of his adventures.<br /><br />For example, a <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_17675771?nclick_check=1">California-based theatrical company is putting on a production</a> based on two of the stories from the canon - "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Final Problem".  (In actual fact, it is the William Gilette/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle play from 1899). Putting on a 19th century play in the 21st century might seem a little unusual, but for Holmes, it makes perfect sense.<br /><br />However, modern playwrights have also taken to creating their own non-canon works - another theatrical company has put on an <a href="http://carmichael.patch.com/articles/case-closed-at-chautauqua-playhouse">original play based on Holmes</a>. Of course, like many modern takes on Holmes, it does contain other historical figures as part of the plot...but that does not take away from telling another grand tale of the detective.<br /><br />Finally, we find that there is one aspect of a <a href="http://www.pnj.com/article/20110325/ENTERTAINMENT/103250301/0/LIFE/-Cabaret-Gets-Lit-support-Pensacola-Little-Theatre?odyssey=nav%7Chead">"Cabaret Goes Lit"</a> review that features Holmes...which only proves that "this great and somber stage" is anything <span style="font-weight: bold;">but.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal!</a> and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>.</i></span></i><br />--<br /><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0810861259&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0033H0TMG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>

"This Great And Somber Stage" [BRUC]

Sherlock Holmes has a very pervasive presence in our popular culture...but it seems as if he is having something of a renaissance when it co...

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by Scott Monty

The Unsung Hero of The Sign of Four

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"I would rather have Toby's help" [SIGN] </h4>
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One of the endearing and distinguishing characteristics of Sherlock Holmes was his penchant for thinking outside the box. Free of the constraints of police regulations, Holmes’s methods often extended beyond the realm of the traditional. Thank goodness.<br />
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According to William Baring-Gould's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Sherlock-Holmes-Fifty-Six-Illustrated/dp/0517502917?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Annotated Sherlock Holmes</i></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiGYms0Td4z6sk7iVROzIG5eiGQ-iASY8D49R1EkMQPFVjbDHrQEPHQLZ1VcSpyJUnt-8CUaym0gYwJBrFcskuEBLf-zCWIqoyqj3tV0mP0AqkgRjRs2kV1WZwkZLQNkpVe5d2cOhO0WJQTpu5FSluwlbZc0ZsJU1hv3ttuDLD50vh1O-GzF341Ax6N6u1t5JckepUt2Ag-eaf5hd9jrJIwN6h4fWtM=" /> (1992 edition), the case of <i>The Sign of Four</i> (published by <i>Lippincott's Monthly Magazine</i> in <a href="http://holmes.crispen.org/Canon.php">February of 1890</a>), lasted from Tuesday 18 September to Friday 21 September, 1888. Thus, the mystery of the Agra Treasure, a case unlike any other, was solved in only four days time. But how? <br />
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Fortunately, Holmes knew that an unlikely case calls for unlikely tactics. And the master would not have cracked the case without the help of a very special individual. A four-legged individual by the unlikely name of Toby, of No.3 Pinchin Lane, Lambeth. <br />
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This got me thinking. And when that happens, like any good Holmesian (or Sherlockian, whichever you prefer), I mounted a search for facts. My findings are as follows:<br />
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By the late 19th Century, dogs had been used by mankind for <a href="http://www.k9gta.com/History-of-Police-Dogs.html">over a millenium</a> in war, domination of new lands, and hunting. Bloodhounds had been used for the aforementioned reasons for the past three hundred years. In addition, some policemen had taken to bringing their own dogs with them on their beats. <a href="http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departments/SpecialistSupport/dogsandmountedunit/">T</a><a href="http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departments/SpecialistSupport/dogsandmountedunit/">he London Police Force</a> incorporated bloodhounds during the Jack the Ripper murders, which occurred in August-November of 1888 – the very same time that a certain consulting detective who had recently come into public prominence was employing a "long-haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel and half lurcher, brown and white in colour" to assist him [SIGN]. In fact, Holmes's case began just <a href="http://jack-the-ripper.org/">ten days</a> after the murder of Annie Chapman! As Brett's Holmes remarked in Granada's 'The Dying Detective': "Coincidence bordering upon the unbelievable!" <br />
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Anyway, back to the dogs. Due to primitive methods, those police canines were not afforded the chance to prove as useful as they could have been. But in his own case, Holmes gave the scrappy Toby the opportunity to use his “most amazing power of scent” unhampered by police regulations or botched test sites. In his account of the case, Dr. Watson tells us just what the master did: <br />
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“He pushed the creosote handkerchief under the dog’s nose…The creature broke into a succession of high, tremulous yelps, and, with his nose on the ground, and his tail in the air, pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed.”</blockquote>
It was simple, yet highly effective. Dr. Watson may have described Toby as having “a very clumsy, waddling gait”, but this furry ally proved his worth in short order. And in so doing, he vindicated his colleagues and brought literary glory to his species. As Holmes said, Toby “acted according to his own lights”. Holmes could just as well have been explaining himself here, and makes an excellent point about his beloved powers of deduction: that one must trust one’s instinct in order to ‘sniff out’ the true scent from the false ones. <br />
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And while the contributions of the Baker Street Irregulars should not be overlooked, it was Toby who turned the chase in the right direction. Without Toby’s help, the boys would have had no Aurora to find, Small would never have been caught, readers would have been deprived of one of the most memorable boat chases in all of literature…and most importantly, Dr. John H. Watson would not have won the heart of Miss Mary Morstan. <br />
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If Toby wasn’t the guest of honor at their wedding, he should have been!<br />
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[<b>Editor's note:</b><i> Our guest author Jennifer has had a life-long interest in English and American literature (particularly of the 19th century), and grew up watching both the Rathbone/Bruce & the Granada incarnations of Holmes and his Boswell. Some of her favorite authors are Charles Dickens, George Gordon Lord Byron, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe. One of her two current efforts include research into the Holmes Canon for a collection of short stories centered around Dr. Watson. The other is a historic fiction novel-in-progress dealing with reform methods for London prostitutes in the Victorian Era. She has a decade of experience in the field of 19th century living history, and enjoys sharing little tidbits and musings on her </i><a href="http://bozwellmd.livejournal.com/" style="font-style: italic;">blog</a><i>.</i>]<br />
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The Unsung Hero of The Sign of Four

"I would rather have Toby's help" [SIGN] One of the endearing and distinguishing characteristics of Sherlock Holmes wa...

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by Scott Monty

"Let Me Bring Sir Jasper Meek" [DYIN]

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Dr. George L. John, BSI ("Sir Jasper Meek") died on February 6, 2011 at the age of 90. During World War II he served as an engineer in the U.S. Army, was captured by the Germans in 1944 and released in 1945. When the war ended, he furthered his education utilizing the GI bill. After witnessing the carnage of war, Dr. John decided to embark on a career helping his fellow man. He graduated from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas in 1950 and established a private practice in Nebraska. He was the quintessential country doctor, often paid in sides of beef, chickens and general produce. He later returned to Texas and was a staff physician for 16 years for the University of Texas.<br />
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Dr. John was involved in many civic organizations and was a patron of the arts. He loved opera and at one point had concurrent season tickets to every major and minor opera company in Texas. He was a cellist, an avid chess player, ham radio operator, and dabbled in astronomy by hand grinding the mirrors for, and building, his own telescope. For a fuller recounting of his life and interests, please <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=148486267">see his official obituary</a>.<br />
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Dr. John was a member of The Maiwand Jezails and in 1965 attended the Basil Rathbone lecture at Wayne State College. He was invested into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1969 as "Sir Jasper Meek."

"Let Me Bring Sir Jasper Meek" [DYIN]

Dr. George L. John, BSI ("Sir Jasper Meek") died on February 6, 2011 at the age of 90. During World War II he served as an engin...

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by Francine Kitts

A Papal Influence in the Sherlock Holmes Canon

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