I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Episode 46: Elementary, My Dear CBS

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Joining the BBC's <i>Sherlock</i> on television this fall is another high-powered outing by the network CBS in the United States. If you haven't yet heard, the new show is Elementary and it stars Jonny Lee Miller as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes who is in New York after rehab, and Lucy Liu at Dr. Joan Watson, Holmes's "sober companion," whose responsibility it is to look after him an ensure he readjusts to society and doesn't relapse.<br />
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The creators were under pressure almost from the moment the project was announced, what with the success of another modern-day Sherlock Holmes enjoying popular acclaim. Rest assured, <i>Elementary </i>does not encroach on the territory of <i>Sherlock</i>.<br />
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But exactly how much of the Canon does it include or reference? And how faithful are the characters to what we know? Or does that even matter? And how closely tread is the fine line that exists between an established character and updating it to a modern setting? Join us as we debate and discuss the relative merits and attributes of the latest addition of Holmes to the small screen.<br />
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During the episode, we share some listener comments of late, read the Editor's Gas-Lamp from Vol. 6, No. 1 (March 1956) from the <i>Baker Street Journal</i>, and prepare for our Halloween Show. As part of that, we'd like to know what Canonical or Sherlockian Halloween costume you might wear. Tell us in a comment below.<br />
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<b>Links</b>:</h4>
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<li>Interview with Rob Doherty: <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/09/interesting-though-elementary-houn.html">"Interesting, Though Elementary" [HOUN]</a></li>
<li>WSJ.com: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444223104578036583928886380.html">Sherlock Got Sex Appeal</a></li>
<li>Hollywood Reporter: <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/elementary-sherlock-holmes-jonny-lee-miller-lucy-liu-cbs-374872">Elementary: How Does CBS's Sherlock Holmes Measure Up?</a></li>
<li>The Atlantic: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/sherlock-holmess-disappointing-new-update/263024/">Sherlock Holmes's Disappointing New Update</a></li>
<li>Tor.com: <a href="http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/09/plaid-on-plaid-elementarys-biggest-crime-is-being-tame">Elementary's Biggest Crime Is Being Lame</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/post/32460555183/heyyyy-sexy-lady-oppa-grimpen-style-the">Oppa Grimpen Style</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0">Oppan Gangnam Style</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6QLy71-vO4">The <i>Elementary</i> opening credits and theme on YouTube</a></li>
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<b>Listen Now</b>:</h4>
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Episode 46: Elementary, My Dear CBS

Joining the BBC's Sherlock on television this fall is another high-powered outing by the network CBS in the United States. If y...

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by Scott Monty

"Texas, I Think" [FIVE]

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmonty/4181732995/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="five-06 by Scott Monty, on Flickr"><img alt="five-06" height="230" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2632/4181732995_3dda0b360e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><i><b>Editor's note:</b> the following was submitted by the John Openshaw Society.</i><br /><br />On Saturday, October 4th, 1980, Tom Harman and Warren Chaney chartered the John Openshaw Society<br />(JOS) of Houston, Texas. The first newsletter, The Pip’s Log, announced (Vol. 1, No. 1) on November 30, 1980:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">“The John Openshaw Chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars is established in memory of the former young gentleman from Horsham, John Openshaw, who, on September 29, 1887, brought to the attention of the master, Sherlock Holmes, the remarkable case of The Five Orange Pips. It was during this adventure, ‘so remarkable in its details and so startling in its results’ that the great State of Texas was brought to the attention of both Holmes and Watson. In particular, the barque Lone Star, a sailing vessel owned by the Johanssen Brothers of Savannah, but constructed at the Port of Galveston, is featured in a most singular fashion. It is only fitting that the Houston Chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars be named in memory of the man who gave his life, however indirectly, to advance the name of the State of Texas.”</blockquote><br /><a name="more"></a>Over several years, the JOS scion grew to almost fifty members and held many interesting meetings. Sometimes they traveled to Galveston, Texas, where they joined the Strollers on the Strand scion and together enjoyed the distinctive Strand district which is historically so well aligned with Sherlock Holmes and 1895. The two groups even enjoyed a trip to a submarine docked in Galveston while studying "The Bruce Partington Plans." The JOS also traveled to England. Warren Chaney made a statue of Sherlock Holmes that he and Tom Harman presented to the London Sherlock Holmes Society. They also gave a JOS membership certificate to the Sherlock Holmes Restaurant and Pub in London. Tom Harman and his wife Karen visited that famous London Pub this past summer and verified that the Sherlockian certificate is still hanging on the wall. Over the years the John Openshaw Society has attended local Sherlockian plays, movies, and book signings (i.e. Laurie R. King).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmonty/4182495602/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="five-03 by Scott Monty, on Flickr"><img alt="five-03" height="314" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2569/4182495602_e66a161d74.jpg" width="320" /></a>The recent resurrection of the John Openshaw Society, a la Holmes in "The Adventure of the Empty House" (albeit less dramatically), has not only retained some of the original members, but also has been of interest to newcomer fellow Sherlockians. The society has taken advantage of social networking sites such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-John-Openshaw-Society/127225660696149"><b>Facebook</b></a> and Twitter to expand membership and strengthen connections with fellow societies. The development of <b><a href="http://www.johnopenshaw.org/">the official website</a></b> has also been instrumental, along with posters located at Murder-by-the-Book bookstore, in spreading the word and reaching out to more fans. The members cover a range of interests, from engineers to artists, from Sherlock Holmes connoisseurs to passionate newcomers. Whether discussing possible land erosion at Reichenbach Falls, or to questioning the date of the typewriter used by Dr. Watson in the recent Sherlock Holmes movie, whether raising our glasses to Professor Moriarty or Mrs. Hudson, or listening to our member Ipek playing the piano, or listening to another member Julia asking those difficult questions about the Holmes story of the day, the John Openshaw Society is a place for those who have read the stories and thought "I want to read these again," for those who have watched the stories and thought "I want to watch these again," for those who have visited 221B and the moors and thought "I want to visit here again," and for those who have done all of these and thought "I want to share all of this with someone!"<br /><br />Ken Rozek, a long time devotee of Sherlock Holmes, has quietly collected Sherlockian philatelic material such as stamps, first day covers and cinderella items, for over eight years. Over this time period, he has made contact with many Sherlockians via email, snail mail or eBay. One of those Sherlockians was Peter Blau, who has been a Baker Street Irregular ("Black Peter") for over forty years. Peter continues to travel the United States pursuing geological conferences as "a practical, but limited, geologist." Every few years, one of these geological societies meets in Houston, Texas. Last spring Peter and Ken discussed over dinner several Sherlockian ideas. One of these ideas was to re-activate the John Openshaw Society scion in Houston, Texas. This led to someone saying, "Where does one go in Houston, Texas to share experiences and learn more about the Great Detective? Why, it’s elementary my friend, the John Openshaw Society, of course."<br /><br />The first reactivated JOS meeting was held at the Red Lion Pub in June 2011. On that night, eight people came, and over a few drinks and an English meal we got to know each other and began to formulate our plans for the scion. After a meeting or two, we hit upon a format that seems to fit us well. The group meets bimonthly and share a few toasts over a libation or two, break bread together with an English meal, enjoy a presentation by a member on a Sherlockian theme, take a quiz from a story in the Canon, plan for future meetings, and end with a reading of <a href="http://always1895.net/post/11857862603/starrett1-birthday-week-2011">the poem "221B" by Vincent Starrett</a>.<br /><br />For the meeting in August, the group met at the Ruggles café in the Montrose area to enjoy a travelogue presentation by Tom and Karen Harman about their recent visit to Great Britain that included visiting many places of interest to Sherlockians, including the 221B location in London. The quiz that night was on "The Five Orange Pips" - the story from which the group took its name.<br /><br />In October they reconvened at Ruggles café for a travelogue presentation by Ken Rozek about his recent visit to Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen, Switzerland. Members could almost feel the spray on their faces as they pondered if the location of the precipice has been moved by erosion, or by some other means, from that which is depicted in Paget's image. Our quiz, that evening, of course was on "The Final Problem."<br /><br />For December there was a group outing to the showing of the Robert Downey, Jr. movie <i>Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</i>. Then off to the Black Labrador café on Montrose Avenue to discuss the movie together. The Black Labrador proved to be a perfect location for meetings and the JOS plans to make this a regular meeting place. It has two private rooms, good prices and a delightful English-based menu including shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, bubble and squeak, as well as the traditional fish and chips. What more could a Sherlockian hope for in this day and age? The quiz that night was "The Blue Carbuncle," an appropriate story for the Christmas season.<br /><br />For February 2012 it was back to the Black Labrador for another travelogue presentation by Ken Rozek about his recent visit in January to New York City for the 158th Sherlock Holmes birthday celebration. Ken explained and showed us in pictures how fellow Sherlockians eat, drink and made merry over five very chilly days. Our quiz that evening was on "The Speckled Band." <br /><br />Keeping with the tradition of the earlier John Openshaw Society, the reactivated scion has elected several officers: First Pip - Ken Rozek, Second Pip - Julia Sanders de Berardinis, Third Pip – Ipek Bozkurt,<br />Fourth Pip - Rick Etchells and Fifth Pip - Michael Coulter.<br /><br /><i>Tom Harman and each Pip has contributed ideas to this article.</i><br /><i><br /></i>Do you have a Sherlockian society event to report? We would be glad to <a href="mailto:ihearofsherlock@gmail.com" target="_blank">receive and review your submissions</a>. Any upcoming events can be submitted to the <a href="http://sherlockiancalendar.homestead.com/" target="_blank">Sherlockian Calendar</a>.<br /><br />--</div>

"Texas, I Think" [FIVE]

Editor's note: the following was submitted by the John Openshaw Society. On Saturday, October 4th, 1980, Tom Harman and Warren Chaney c...

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by Scott Monty

"The Receiving Station, As Well As the Transmitter" [3GAB]

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One of the advantages to audio adaptations of the canon (as well as newer creations of stories) is that there can be a greater emphasis on creating atmosphere through sound. Previously, we had highlighted a worthy adaptation of stories from the canon - now, we will highlight two companies who have put out Holmes-related audio that are not only intriguing, but also have appeal for the budget-conscious.<br />
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As part of their lower-cost audios, Big Finish has a one hour adaptation of <b><a href="http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-speckled-band-719" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Speckled Band</a></b>. Much like their previous audio adaptation of <b><a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2012/03/clear-statement-of-his-career-fina.html" target="_blank">The Final Problem/The Empty House</a></b>, the strength of this adaptation lies in a nearly straightforward telling of the Conan Doyle story. Much like its canon-based companion, <b>The Speckled Band</b> is a top-notch production that (at least, from my vantage point) will encourage a willingness to sample the rest of Big Finish's Holmesian efforts, including the non-canon original stories (whose titles and premises offer all sorts of delight). Big Finish releases a wide range of audio dramas, and their Sherlock Holmes series continues to provide high quality and entertainment, providing an excellent contemporary example of well-executed audio drama.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>For those with a penchant for "classic" audio drama, <a href="http://www.radioarchives.com/" target="_blank">Radio Archives</a> has put out <a href="http://www.radioarchives.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RA701" target="_blank">two</a> <a href="http://www.radioarchives.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RA702" target="_blank">volumes</a> of <b>The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</b>, whose 1945 - 46 season featured Tom Conway as the sleuth, with Nigel Bruce reprising his role as Doctor Watson. By this time, the show had changed networks and sponsors (and indeed, there is something slightly disconcerting about hearing a commercial for hair products in the middle of an episode), but make no mistake - these radio dramas are strong in their own right, with some being relatively loose adaptations of the canon. Even to more modern ears, there is more than a hint of Victorian atmosphere in these stories....and these collections are easily affordable as digital downloads.<br />
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With autumn upon us, there is ample opportunity to sit and enjoy Holmesian adventure. Both Big Finish and Radio Archives have provided ample opportunity to sit back and engage in an entertainment art form that may not be as prevalent....but which still provides ample opportunities for pleasure. Both are highly recommended.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo credit: Phil Cornell</i></span><br />
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<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><br />
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"The Receiving Station, As Well As the Transmitter" [3GAB]

One of the advantages to audio adaptations of the canon (as well as newer creations of stories) is that there can be a greater emphasis o...

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by Scott Monty

"Blue in Shade" [BLUE]

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The latest parody in the world of Sherlock Holmes involves none other than the cute and fuzzy Blue from the popular children's show <i>Blue's Clues</i>.<br /><br />The Sherlock in this case seems to be a Benedict Cumberbatch impersontor, but we'd argue that he bears more of a striking resemblance to <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EmoPhillips">Emo Phillips</a>. Either way, this is a bit of fun that we hope you'll enjoy.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6822676/sherlock-blues-clues">Sherlock Blues Clues</a><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="282" src="http://www.collegehumor.com/e/6822676" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe><div style="padding: 5px 0; text-align: center; width: 600px;"></div></center><br />Have you seen any Sherlock Holmes parodies that are fun and interesting? Please share them with us.<br /><br />--<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>

"Blue in Shade" [BLUE]

The latest parody in the world of Sherlock Holmes involves none other than the cute and fuzzy Blue from the popular children's show Blue...

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by Scott Monty