I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Would You Buy a Book from This Man?

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"this advertisement from a local paper" [3GAR]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKxb0dJO2PnUw_AP8m460DEPM_gy3m-7nfGkaI8Ynsa18cMfoX0bugFPbm_hXhEGNwKG6qTpTUHBB9teavF7GfFv0sDu_OcOWR5f2tDC_B63asCUVK7Z9W5Pns4YIgCh_w2lr6lm5XTVx/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Sherlock+company.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The right book will always keep you company - Sherlock Holmes for Steimatzky" border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKxb0dJO2PnUw_AP8m460DEPM_gy3m-7nfGkaI8Ynsa18cMfoX0bugFPbm_hXhEGNwKG6qTpTUHBB9teavF7GfFv0sDu_OcOWR5f2tDC_B63asCUVK7Z9W5Pns4YIgCh_w2lr6lm5XTVx/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Sherlock+company.jpg" title="Steimatzsky Sherlock Holmes ad" width="640" /></a></div>
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As we know, Sherlock Holmes has been used in advertising for more than 100 years. The sold-out <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/christmasannual2009.html" target="_blank">2009 <i>Baker Street Journal</i> Christmas Annual</a> was all about the topic. (Which reminds us: you can't get the Christmas Annual as a standalone any longer - <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">subscribe to the BSJ toda</a>y and you'll receive the Annual bundled with your quarterly subscription).<br />
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Previously on these pages, we've covered how <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2012/04/a-collector-of-fairy-tales-houn_13.html#.U2mtIPldWSp" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes was used in a visual campaign to encourage reading</a>, so it should be no surprise that he's back at it.<br />
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Peter Blau kindly pointed out on <a href="http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/steimatzky_book_stores_sherlock_holmes" target="_blank">Ads of the World</a> that there is a campaign featured for Steimatzky Book Stores, the largest and oldest bookstore chain in Israel, under the tagline "Your book, your cast.". The idea is that everyone has his or her own vision of a character, so they're trying to fill the role of famous characters and are having casting calls: Sherlock Holmes, Don Quizote, Dracula and Red Riding Hood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0UhYEqbc7VYk7oMLeurwEdmpYHifLZFm9V8jNL9aBONf9LFQhD0P_wRP06nzT-aCJGf5AaPrHO_VuJDTXzQ9VqTZfkk9mNqLATIwVzUD-1Gu6juoClndSGlzlqwbCgLdXFcPZhyBXnlY/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Sherlock+cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Your book, your cast. Sherlock Holmes for Steimatzky Books" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0UhYEqbc7VYk7oMLeurwEdmpYHifLZFm9V8jNL9aBONf9LFQhD0P_wRP06nzT-aCJGf5AaPrHO_VuJDTXzQ9VqTZfkk9mNqLATIwVzUD-1Gu6juoClndSGlzlqwbCgLdXFcPZhyBXnlY/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Sherlock+cast.jpg" title="Will the real Sherlock Holmes please stand up?" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrQNnu0a55-kXlZS-gc0fzYg6dYS7ggwWOXyzL-nNkSV93nCodvhLGZtfkOys2WDCD39gtZ7jAwoC2-yhr3xk1RKZlumwNMnuNtalZoZUCE4foYGcmjbAgIMyQxweId3UzZ5gPrkOhXZ0/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Dracula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrQNnu0a55-kXlZS-gc0fzYg6dYS7ggwWOXyzL-nNkSV93nCodvhLGZtfkOys2WDCD39gtZ7jAwoC2-yhr3xk1RKZlumwNMnuNtalZoZUCE4foYGcmjbAgIMyQxweId3UzZ5gPrkOhXZ0/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Dracula.jpg" title="Steimatzsky Dracula" width="200" /></a>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK65vDZXZ_7ZSAtE9v-RzYZgLunsDfZYx5BhFFYszz7SLVlRwFwT2EJkvVYHQTZiYkhbKMKv_3ym6_ymn_4Bn8PYbjYj_onZxfLuhjoQH2dKKruALC03qsNVEa9HOYlB4fqVAbCx8jnmmo/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Quixote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK65vDZXZ_7ZSAtE9v-RzYZgLunsDfZYx5BhFFYszz7SLVlRwFwT2EJkvVYHQTZiYkhbKMKv_3ym6_ymn_4Bn8PYbjYj_onZxfLuhjoQH2dKKruALC03qsNVEa9HOYlB4fqVAbCx8jnmmo/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Quixote.jpg" title="Steimatzky Don Quixote" width="200" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MprH6v-EgqGihDIcdgwG0jqi13GX1SdFa7Vho3ZlLXIQELNcoMyqvpY02hqxQPa6NGwdmOb9xZ_Q4z2JfZyMkIiRm5qcbb8EInzkIcwfucBfHzo9B1NZR3qKCfMsysXEETTWUGA8_Pa0/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Red+Riding+Hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MprH6v-EgqGihDIcdgwG0jqi13GX1SdFa7Vho3ZlLXIQELNcoMyqvpY02hqxQPa6NGwdmOb9xZ_Q4z2JfZyMkIiRm5qcbb8EInzkIcwfucBfHzo9B1NZR3qKCfMsysXEETTWUGA8_Pa0/s1600/Steimatzky+-+Red+Riding+Hood.jpg" title="Steimatzky Red Riding Hood" width="200" /></a></div>
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This is not the first time Steimatzky has featured the great detective; the lead image is from <a href="http://adofdamonth.com/steimatzky-bookstore-sherlock-holmes/" target="_blank">a similar campaign a few years ago</a>, titled "The right book will always keep you company."<br />
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Are there any ads that you've seen with Sherlock Holmes featured?<br />
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Would You Buy a Book from This Man?

"this advertisement from a local paper" [3GAR] As we know, Sherlock Holmes has been used in advertising for more than 100 yea...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Remembering Playwright Charles Marowitz

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"something else of Charles" [MUSG]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC2KGf-8Yz-6ZIr4FzADPhR2q1oz5yDxCiQ30iKMCP18DlJjWLedPOwvXReFDsDd4gyiC7LXHd7saXH9Jts4MfUzRIsYTj10_zNtoPwnVGZHMXCuaVRXgvDpmhbvjpoBiCN753QWjA1G5/s1600/charles_marowitz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Playwright Charles Marowitz, who wrote Sherlock's Last Case" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC2KGf-8Yz-6ZIr4FzADPhR2q1oz5yDxCiQ30iKMCP18DlJjWLedPOwvXReFDsDd4gyiC7LXHd7saXH9Jts4MfUzRIsYTj10_zNtoPwnVGZHMXCuaVRXgvDpmhbvjpoBiCN753QWjA1G5/s1600/charles_marowitz.jpg" title="Playwright Charles Marowitz" width="640" /></a></div>
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Director, playwright and critic Charles Marowitz <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-charles-marowitz-20140506-story.html" target="_blank">died on May 2</a> in California at the age of 80.<br />
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Born in New York in 1934, by the 1960s he was part of the London theater scene and eventually mounted plays around the world. One of his assignments was a co-director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Experimental Group, where he may have felt the influence of the RSC's 1974 production of William Gillette's play <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> starring John Wood.<br />
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For in 1987, Marowitz wrote the spoof <i>Sherlock's Last Case</i> in just one week, and it played on Broadway from August through December of 1987, starring Frank Langella in the title role.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj389HP_Q8Wxg8Q6EyvFGp6wsWRcRLerndHgp8hjx8xFL4qUaljr_Njm7CHuEf_DRg0WY48gbMuan8uwsb67rbqL1yVDXZqLHSTQLLE6_OpMN28DcVnxMumKAskqBTkGNyrMwA0wRkYooSP/s1600/Sherlock's+Last+Case+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj389HP_Q8Wxg8Q6EyvFGp6wsWRcRLerndHgp8hjx8xFL4qUaljr_Njm7CHuEf_DRg0WY48gbMuan8uwsb67rbqL1yVDXZqLHSTQLLE6_OpMN28DcVnxMumKAskqBTkGNyrMwA0wRkYooSP/s1600/Sherlock's+Last+Case+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course, Langella was no stranger to Sherlock Holmes, as he played the part in the HBO production of William Gillette's play in 1981.<br />
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UPDATE: Roger Johnson, BSI ("<i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>") has brought the following to our attention:<br />
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<i>Sherlock's Last Case</i>, directed by Charles Marowitz but attributed to "Matthew Lang", was first performed at the Open Space in London in March 1974, with Julian Glover, Peter Bayliss and Kate O'Mara in the leading roles - so it actually predated the RSC's production of Gillette's Sherlock Holmes. The version staged on Broadway in 1987 was revised and expanded from the original - and it was only then, 13 years after the play's first appearance, that Marowitz admitted that he was in fact the author.</blockquote>
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Of the play itself, <a href="http://www.stageplays.com/products/sherlocks_last_case/Charles%20Marowitz" target="_blank">stageplays.com</a> has this to say:<br />
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Picking up where the famous stories ended, the play centers on a death threat against Sherlock Holmes by the supposed son of his late nemesis, Professor Moriarty.<br />
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Oddly enough, however, Holmes is warned of the plot by Moriarty's daughter, to whom Holmes (who turns out to be quite a ladies man) is strongly attracted. The plot then twists and turns until Holmes finds himself imprisoned in a dank cellar, trapped not by young Moriarty but, to his shocked surprise, by the good Dr. Watson--who, it turns out, has long been bitterly resentful of his second class status as Holmes' lackey.<br />
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After Holmes' demise Watson comes into his own, or seems to, until a number of imposters turn up claiming to be the real Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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In sorting all this out the play mixes humor and suspense in equal amounts, leading to a stunning final twist which will surely catch audiences by complete and breath-stopping surprise.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUZDAX9zhxet9o8y87JQqNnGi_opDXiRzTDr4wvA190TfT2gTWyHD_SAm6TbFpHTwmfMvznm7aK2v7ubRZq4IIqat2dq7cLep0pz11QpVhE0loN3uEL_RjFydFINGVliGMMjY5yRGFt8A/s1600/Sherlock's+Last+Case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUZDAX9zhxet9o8y87JQqNnGi_opDXiRzTDr4wvA190TfT2gTWyHD_SAm6TbFpHTwmfMvznm7aK2v7ubRZq4IIqat2dq7cLep0pz11QpVhE0loN3uEL_RjFydFINGVliGMMjY5yRGFt8A/s1600/Sherlock's+Last+Case.jpg" width="438" /></a></div>
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<i>Image courtesy of Jane Windsor-Marowitz, via <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/playwright-charles-marowitz-dies-at-702036" target="_blank">THR</a></i><br />
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Remembering Playwright Charles Marowitz

"something else of Charles" [MUSG] Director, playwright and critic Charles Marowitz died on May 2 in California at the age o...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

One of the Best Features of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Series

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"put a price upon it" [3GAB]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwTU5wO7WQHav6BGW2HhRcUgzrHUw5F2_XdXXGenkEF7DHBlsiRPfnnGeK77e-RyCicfrrGkUdDG8WFSlhxsvCHasSHZdZ-Bhpn82R-vBYysIxhzoteWFMu7YakwzGQt2j42BpGQN58jt/s1600/Mystery+-+Gorey.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PBS Mystery promotional poster by Edward Gorey" border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwTU5wO7WQHav6BGW2HhRcUgzrHUw5F2_XdXXGenkEF7DHBlsiRPfnnGeK77e-RyCicfrrGkUdDG8WFSlhxsvCHasSHZdZ-Bhpn82R-vBYysIxhzoteWFMu7YakwzGQt2j42BpGQN58jt/s1600/Mystery+-+Gorey.PNG" title="Edward Gorey poster for PBS Mystery" width="640" /></a></div>
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We just celebrated <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/03/sherlockian-history-30-years-ago-today.html#.U2k15fldU1I" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">three decades of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes</a>, and we were happy to discover that many fans of that lavishly produced series still exist. Nearly all of our correspondence and comments indicated that the earlier episodes were the strongest - before the show went off the rails.<br />
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However, one element that simply does not get enough attention is something that you won't find in the DVD editions or re-airings of the Granada series on PBS channels across the nation. Lest we forget, in those days, <i>Mystery </i>and <i>Masterpiece Theater</i> alike had introductions that were nearly five minutes long and were hosted by luminaries such as Vincent Price and Alistair Cooke, respectively.<br />
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Indeed, to many who watched that quality programming on those two PBS powerhouse shows, Price and Cooke were just as much part of the spectacle and interest as the actual programming was. After Price's failing health required him to give up the chair in 1989, Diana Rigg took over the duties and remained the host until PBS discontinued the practice in 2004.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9g-AluIe5g" target="_blank">The clip below</a> includes the very first introduction Vincent Price made for <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, as Jeremy Brett made his debut in "A Scandal in Bohemia." Price gives some essential background information to the character of Sherlock Holmes - as he did each week - and on the world of Sherlockians. Typically, the broadcast of the episode included a valedictory commentary in addition to the salutation, during which Price performed the same duties.<br />
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As a bonus, the "outro" to the show is also part of the clip, as well as the end titles with Patrick Gowers' score and Sidney Paget's original illustrations.<br />
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They don't make 'em like this any more.<br />
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One of the Best Features of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Series

"put a price upon it" [3GAB] We just celebrated three decades of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes , and we were happy to di...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

A Historic Selfie for the BSI

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"at either end to make it self-lighting" [SCAN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBvhKyctRzgt_eIjS-ZJk11CYhEkvJFtv8PV_63fxLr_8UNkrtfojt9yX26TxnTq1kFBVa1KQrbaPH4TU7hNq8yB7cjfZBGjYMfC1QxMLC8y4ijdplYm6kMXowBDNy6oZAgpPrN4VrmZl/s1600/God+and+Adam+take+selfies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="God and Adam take selfies by Dennis Redfield" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBvhKyctRzgt_eIjS-ZJk11CYhEkvJFtv8PV_63fxLr_8UNkrtfojt9yX26TxnTq1kFBVa1KQrbaPH4TU7hNq8yB7cjfZBGjYMfC1QxMLC8y4ijdplYm6kMXowBDNy6oZAgpPrN4VrmZl/s1600/God+and+Adam+take+selfies.jpg" title="The first selfie?" width="640" /></a></div>
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You may have heard of a word that has entered our collective lexicon, either in casual conversation or because of the news that it was the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year for 2013. That word is: <b><i>selfie</i></b>.<br />
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Simply put, a selfie is a photograph that is taken by an individual with his smartphone by extending an arm and snapping the photo back at himself. The most notorious selfie is the one snapped at the 86th Academy Awards in March:<br />
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If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23oscars&src=hash">#oscars</a> <a href="http://t.co/C9U5NOtGap">pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap</a><br />
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/statuses/440322224407314432">March 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Indeed, it has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/14/how-selfies-became-a-global-phenomenon" target="_blank">become something of a global phenomenon</a>, in conjunction with the rise of social networks, the ubiquity of smartphones and the seemingly narcissistic behavior many of them seem to encourage. Everyone wants to capture themselves in a unique situation, with or without someone whom they happen to be with, or perhaps they just want to emote for the camera. Here's an individual who got a little more than he bargained for when he decided to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/squirrel-selfie_n_5242242.html" target="_blank">take a selfie with a squirrel</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKobl6BTTqYMrN30Dd5ybAlAWGzCNCpyMiAX6KGj8sf9laY6V_v_M6PIeh-0gpNqz2lk0RrxQEhX8VrlhHwtAmjsEx0tAxL0KLNmnMOCi-Ni0OphvOKsPG0SEncxZulaB9VxVyYJvUMEP/s1600/Squirrel+selfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Taking a selfie with a squirrel - what could go wrong?" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKobl6BTTqYMrN30Dd5ybAlAWGzCNCpyMiAX6KGj8sf9laY6V_v_M6PIeh-0gpNqz2lk0RrxQEhX8VrlhHwtAmjsEx0tAxL0KLNmnMOCi-Ni0OphvOKsPG0SEncxZulaB9VxVyYJvUMEP/s1600/Squirrel+selfie.jpg" title="Squirrel selfie" width="426" /></a></div>
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Always one to find humor in trends and to lampoon them based on taking an (un)conventional approach, Steve Martin made it clear that he's bucking the trend:<br />
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Just took my first "Them-ie." A photo of someone else without me in it.<br />
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/statuses/461511338620379136">April 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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But one wouldn't normally think of Michael Whelan, the current "Wiggins" of the Baker Street Irregulars, as the type that goes in for trendy things. In fact, he has described himself as a Luddite when it comes to technology. Fortunately, we caught him in a jovial mood at the annual dinner of the Speckled Band of Boston on Friday night, after he had an eye-opening day seeing all sorts of state-of-the-art digital technology at Harvard's Houghton Library - the institution that houses the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/" target="_blank">BSI Archives</a>.<br />
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We were fortunate enough to ask Mike if he'd be willing to take a selfie with us, and he complied!<br />
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Last night, we made BSI history: this is the first documented selfie of Wiggins: <a href="http://t.co/2KkBpae7YQ">pic.twitter.com/2KkBpae7YQ</a><br />
— I Hear of Sherlock (@IHearofSherlock) <a href="https://twitter.com/IHearofSherlock/statuses/462686198075768832">May 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
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We're pleased to say that this is the first documented instance of the head of the Baker Street Irregulars being in a selfie. Now, how do you include a tweet in the Archives?<br />
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<i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/nsSQUn" target="_blank">Dennis Redfield (Flickr)</a></i><br />
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