I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Interview with Sci-Fi Legend Jack McDevitt on his First Sherlock Holmes Story

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"beyond the limits of human ingenuity" [WIST]</h4>
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Many authors are successful, but <a href="http://www.jackmcdevitt.com/" target="_blank">Jack McDevitt</a> is a one-of-a-kind legend in the world of science fiction. Stephen King calls him, "the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke." Harlan Ellison says, "'Why read Jack McDevitt?’ The question should be: ‘Who among us is such a slow pony that s/he isn’t reading McDevitt?'"<br />
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Mr. McDevitt has been nominated for the <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/" target="_blank">Nebula Award </a>18 times and won it in 2006 with his novel <i>Seeker</i>.  He has won a slew of other awards including the <a href="http://www.philipkdickaward.org/" target="_blank">Philip K. Dick Award</a>, the <a href="http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/campbell.htm" target="_blank">Campbell Award</a>, the <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/2015/01/jack-mcdevitt-wins-2015-robert-heinlein-award/" target="_blank">Robert A. Heinlein Award</a>, and he even is going to have an <a href="http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/03/asteroid-mcdevitt/" target="_blank">asteroid</a> named after him!<br />
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One may ask, why interview a science fiction author for a Sherlock Holmes blog?  Because Mr. McDevitt has penned his first Sherlock Holmes story for the anthology <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306925656/beyond-watson-a-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes" target="_blank"><i>Beyond Watson</i></a> which is currently raising funds through a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306925656/beyond-watson-a-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign</a>.  I contacted Mr. McDevitt in August of 2015 to see if he would be interested in contributing a short story to an H.G. Wells collection for Belanger Books. I also mentioned that I was putting together <i>Beyond Watson</i>.  Much to my surprise and delight, Mr. McDevitt's reply was, "I'd be interested in doing the Holmes anthology."  After that, Jack sent me the story, "The Lost Equation," narrated by the famous reporter Henry Mencken.  I interviewed Jack, via email, about his story, his interest in Holmes, and asked why so many science fiction fans are drawn to the great detective.<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere:</b> W<b>hat made you, a sci-fi legend, want to write a traditional Sherlock Holmes story?</b></h4>
<b>Jack McDevitt:</b> I’ve been a Holmes fan since the days of Basil Rathbone. Got annoyed with Conan Doyle when, in the summer of 1955, I finished the Holmes stories and could not understand why Doyle had wasted time writing about a guy named Challenger and historical novels and even a play devoted to boxing instead of staying on Baker Street. If we ever really get a time travel capability, we should send someone back to talk sense to him.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Your story in <i>Beyond Watson</i>, "The Lost Equation," is told by a real life character, H. L. (Henry) Mencken. What made you decide to use the real life journalist to tell your tale?</b></h4>
<b>JM:  </b>In his tendency to cut through the nonsense go after hypocrisy and stupidity in all its forms, Mencken has no equal. I used him as a model for a recurring character in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42777-the-academy" target="_blank">Academy novels</a>. And I sincerely wish he were around today.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What were some different challenges to writing a Sherlock Holmes story as opposed to a science fiction tale?</b></h4>
<b>JM: </b>Fiction is fiction. The idea is to create an experience the reader can feel. In which he is actually present in the starship, or back at 221B Baker Street when Holmes and Watson are discussing the curious business of the blue carbuncle. Science fiction is defined in terms of technological capabilities or where the future might take us. And I guess my Holmes story does deal with how the future, as seen from Holmes’s time, might develop. But basically, the creative aspect is the same: Make the reader forget she’s sitting at home in an armchair and reading a story. The only difference is that she’s living through events on and around Baker Street instead of on the bridge of an interstellar vehicle. <br />
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<table align="center" 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/AVvXsEizqcaj47syBVPb1l4LZuXc9-d2ouInnJSIFvOTTWkeQkZnDw09LaKCVIeKUtZYzrs8LWeDBgHD04h6AwkYOFxW9GLWua0-nMbiHlPFGag-0EFVZh_m8Z8LKpOI2nmTpWDuzePS9gmP3Afu/s1600/Beyond+Watson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqcaj47syBVPb1l4LZuXc9-d2ouInnJSIFvOTTWkeQkZnDw09LaKCVIeKUtZYzrs8LWeDBgHD04h6AwkYOFxW9GLWua0-nMbiHlPFGag-0EFVZh_m8Z8LKpOI2nmTpWDuzePS9gmP3Afu/s640/Beyond+Watson.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jack McDevitt's story, "The Lost Equation," appears in this <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306925656/beyond-watson-a-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes anthology</a></span></i></td></tr>
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<b>IHOSE:</b> <b>There is a rich tradition of science fiction authors writing Sherlock Holmes stories. Isaac Asimov was even a member of the Baker Street Irregulars. What is the appeal of the Holmes character to writers of sci-fi?</b></h4>
<b>JM:</b> I was four years old when Rathbone and Flash Gordon came into my life. I’m not sure about a direct connection other than that both appealed so vividly to my imagination. Holmes and Watson were alive, and so was the discovery that there were other planets. I wanted to ride with Flash, Dale, and Zarkov in that remarkable rocket ship, even though it had neither an airlock nor a washroom. But Holmes and Watson, and the discovery of a world beyond the rooftops, both became integral to my life.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: If a Sherlock Holmes fan wanted to start reading your science fiction books, which book would you recommend as a starting place? Why?</b></h4>
<b>JM:</b> Probably <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Talent-For-War-Jack-McDevitt/dp/0441012175" target="_blank"><i>A Talent for War</i></a>. It’s a mystery set in the 12th millennium: A starship has seen something that the government is trying to keep quiet. An antiquarian, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42152-alex-benedict" target="_blank">Alex Benedict</a>, becomes intrigued and goes looking for the truth. In later novels, Alex and his associate, Chase Kolpath, find themselves pursuing other historical mysteries, like what happened to the artifacts from the 20th century moon landings, which disappeared shortly after the Golden Age (as they think of our era) had ended.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: The question I ask all Sherlockians - If you were stranded on a desert island with only one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
<b>JM:  </b>The story I’d want to have on the island:   “A Scandal in Bohemia.” It introduces Irene Adler, and Holmes is outwitted.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What are your current projects?</b></h4>
<b>JM:</b> I’m working on an <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42777-the-academy" target="_blank">Academy</a> novel, which features the star pilot Priscilla Hutchins.  In the 23rd century, though we’ve had FTL (i.e. faster than light) for several decades, we haven’t found a high tech civilization. Then we see evidence of interplanetary activity in a system 24,000 light-years away. Priscilla and a small team head out to find out what’s going on.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
<b>JM:</b> I can’t come up with a serious explanation for the connection between SF and Holmes. Maybe that’s because it runs too deep. I’ve enjoyed other characters in detective fiction over the years, like Hercule Poirot and Columbo, but none ever took over my life the way Holmes did. I can’t imagine my life without Sherlock and science fiction any more than without baseball, music, and beautiful women.<br />
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<i>For more on McDevitt's Sherlock Holmes story, "The Lost Equation," in Beyond Watson click <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1306925656/beyond-watson-a-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></h4>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jack-McDevitt/e/B000APWBG6" target="_blank">Jack McDevitt</a></b> is is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology. His two main series are the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42152-alex-benedict" target="_blank">Alex Benedict</a> series and the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42777-the-academy" target="_blank">Priscilla Hutchins</a> series. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award 18 times and won the award in 2006 with his novel, Seeker.  Mr. McDevitt currently resides in Brunswick, Georgia. <br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman';">Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book in its category <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1519511957" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Peculiar-Provenance/dp/1519511957/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292728" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292728" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&_cb=1451973203084" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />, which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B017862MVS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur" href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dinosaur-MacDougall-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B017862MVS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7842789" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7842789" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&_cb=1451973247482" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />, and he edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00P4E8AVI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Terror-Revolutionary-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00P4E8AVI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5010397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5010397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&_cb=1451973259426" style="border: none; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 0px;" width="0" />. Mr. Belanger also is a frequent contributor to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He resides in Colorado and continues compiling unpublished works by Dr. John H. Watson.</i><br />
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Interview with Sci-Fi Legend Jack McDevitt on his First Sherlock Holmes Story

"beyond the limits of human ingenuity" [WIST] Many authors are successful, but Jack McDevitt is a one-of-a-kind legend in ...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

IHOSE on Snapchat — Just in Time for #221Bcon

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"with plenty of snap about him" [STOC]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNHw4eenoEjWpwoxPUDxAU_xURpOxl5bXNc1clxtC-mhUZhbibu8HcjDGAH7Zd54mURDOu9-YpA9oEp687hyFVTl1V0mV-Q5_tsvyUvO7J4wE7f5WiGpVQMFhOccQoHMbQru66eP5OjAy/s1600/snapchat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNHw4eenoEjWpwoxPUDxAU_xURpOxl5bXNc1clxtC-mhUZhbibu8HcjDGAH7Zd54mURDOu9-YpA9oEp687hyFVTl1V0mV-Q5_tsvyUvO7J4wE7f5WiGpVQMFhOccQoHMbQru66eP5OjAy/s640/snapchat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We try not to be too trendy here at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, lest we leave some of our core audience behind. Then again, as we've witnessed with hit shows like <i>Sherlock</i>, sometimes there's another audience out there that has yet to discover the wonders of what we do.<br />
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When it comes to making ourselves available across the web, of course <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">we're on Facebook</a>; after all, 1.5 billion people can't be wrong. We have <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock">a Twitter account</a>, as the microblogging network is a great way to share quick thoughts, spread news and connect with others. You can <a href="http://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock">find us on Instagram</a>, where we try to showcase collections, objects and travel images that are of Sherlockian value. [If you don't get connect with us on those sites/apps, please do. We'll wait.]<br />
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Now on Snapchat</h3>
Recently, we decided to see what all of the fuss was about regarding Snapchat. You've probably heard of Snapchat, particularly if you know anyone under the age of 20. In fact, Snapchat has surpassed Facebook in popularity in the 12-24 year-old demographic, and it has more users than Twitter. This is more than a trend. So, we're getting involved.<br />
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I Hear of Sherlock everywhere now has a presence on Snapchat. Our handle there is the same as on every other social network: ihearofsherlock.<br />
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We won't get into the details of how to use Snapchat. If you'd like a guide, here are a few:<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiWoa_9nu7LAhVsmoMKHTk-AoYQFgghMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Fvideo%2Fsnapchat-explained-using-snapchat%2F84712C9C-41D7-4C4F-AA4D-28AF383846AD.html&usg=AFQjCNG6ahAyfmPpREQqb6oOAAZYkXMMjQ&sig2=AVCH30kPkc9sHGOxY48UOw">Snapchat Explained...Using Snapchat</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiWoa_9nu7LAhVsmoMKHTk-AoYQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fsnapchat-101-learn-to-love-the-worlds-most-confusing-social-network-1452628322&usg=AFQjCNEMUX88mIQH-dVO2SmrKXcIJDLzXA&sig2=L2tiBsbTLM1FMPUPJAlKyg">How to Use Snapchat</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mashable.com/2014/08/04/snapchat-for-beginners/#lcGlvFrptZqP">Snapchat for Beginners</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2016/03/11/snapchat-101-vcs-old-folks/">Snapchat 101 for VCs and Old Folks</a></li>
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To add us on Snapchat, simply follow these directions:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6ihw8ybpJVKDrXAmGA-blmxGhDTvmte8h42CH99gzpkER3wypKcPYl9rU1vOy9jTUhgxgg2saZTT4hIt647RgyBZJSeiC8Y-9pVO3qtcSd8WV6HaYJAowX0iDzC0SSuiYoIhCRW56B2t/s1600/Snapchat+directions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6ihw8ybpJVKDrXAmGA-blmxGhDTvmte8h42CH99gzpkER3wypKcPYl9rU1vOy9jTUhgxgg2saZTT4hIt647RgyBZJSeiC8Y-9pVO3qtcSd8WV6HaYJAowX0iDzC0SSuiYoIhCRW56B2t/s640/Snapchat+directions.jpg" width="638" /></a></div>
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Just in Time for 221B Con</h3>
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One of the things that users can do on Snapchat is add geofilters to their photos that correspond to their location. Geofilters are images and features that you can add to your photos to dress them up a bit. By making them associated with a particular place or event, it makes things even more interesting.</div>
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To turn on filters in your settings:</h4>
<i>For iOS devices:</i><br />Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, and turn on for Snapchat<br /><br /><i>For Android devices:</i><br />Go to Settings > Location > Turn on<br />
For more information on using filters, see <a href="https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/a/geofilters">Snapchat's guide to geofilters</a>.<br />
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Since we can't be at 221B Con in Atlanta, we've done the next best thing. <a href="http://ctt.ec/0zs05">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere has created a #221Bcon Snapchat geofilter.</a> [Click to tweet]<br />
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Our filter will take your selfie and add the iconic IHOSE hat and pipe. So an image that starts out like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4b7C7lJrS_Lrhpc2hQ1eMn-3ijNvvm91ml435ogtoLfK_ke8uGtF6t-l_RJ3CuZ6KsQopHqn5HSmluf03oGbSw2ZctTugMNpBuj_JtCYX5VIvjmmJY0gx7CgXjPU3Xzx9A_jLYIuxqCw/s1600/Snapchat+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4b7C7lJrS_Lrhpc2hQ1eMn-3ijNvvm91ml435ogtoLfK_ke8uGtF6t-l_RJ3CuZ6KsQopHqn5HSmluf03oGbSw2ZctTugMNpBuj_JtCYX5VIvjmmJY0gx7CgXjPU3Xzx9A_jLYIuxqCw/s640/Snapchat+before.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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Then if you're at 221B Con, you'll be able to see the geofilter by swiping to the right:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p5kue4n8V0AEcUrvwPogmux2uo3AHDqCMPZ-EGkOUK9kGwEWr6wGAseq58lGb1ozvtamRJhx_PfXZXXD_g1X5bcDUUld7oXPtyNs65lRzvH6MDvxXJonWKq98PciPBYdmxdNeudEswOE/s1600/Geofilter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p5kue4n8V0AEcUrvwPogmux2uo3AHDqCMPZ-EGkOUK9kGwEWr6wGAseq58lGb1ozvtamRJhx_PfXZXXD_g1X5bcDUUld7oXPtyNs65lRzvH6MDvxXJonWKq98PciPBYdmxdNeudEswOE/s400/Geofilter.png" width="225" /></a></div>
Which in turn will give you a snap like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVf1e83jbQEWHeOAzMv8ySkMh60bhqtMljFWCxzQIP4xMd9IET-RkcMPIhB5W7gugwh-vPJHEqmVKgRGPc_jvALo4TQMWg6ue-XruuBUZPhue_V0t7A0-tlO6ewCKJsTg7l5dzpOR9WSv/s1600/Snapchat+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVf1e83jbQEWHeOAzMv8ySkMh60bhqtMljFWCxzQIP4xMd9IET-RkcMPIhB5W7gugwh-vPJHEqmVKgRGPc_jvALo4TQMWg6ue-XruuBUZPhue_V0t7A0-tlO6ewCKJsTg7l5dzpOR9WSv/s640/Snapchat+after.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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It's meant to be lighthearted, fun, and goofy — some of the attributes that come to mind when Sherlockians gather to just be themselves and enjoy their favorite pastime together.<br />
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Meanwhile, don't forget to follow us on Snapchat and share some of your own Sherlockian zaniness with us.<br />
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Happy snapping!<br />
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IHOSE on Snapchat — Just in Time for #221Bcon

"with plenty of snap about him" [STOC] We try not to be too trendy here at I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, lest we leave some ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Remembering Douglas Wilmer, BSI

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"At the Lyceum Theatre, the crowds were already thick" [SIGN]</h4>
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<br />
Douglas Wilmer, BSI ("The Lyceum Theatre"), who portrayed Sherlock Holmes on the BBC in the 1960s, passed away after a short illness today, aged 96. He received his investiture in the Baker Street Irregulars in 2000.<br />
<br />
Douglas Wilmer's mark on the Sherlockian world cannot be overstated. For an entire generation of British television viewers, he <i>was</i> Sherlock Holmes. Wilmer had the same impact that Jeremy Brett did in the mid-1980s and early 1990s and that Benedict Cumberbatch has today.<br />
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Just a little over a year ago, we reflected on <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/02/celebrating-50-years-of-douglas-wilmer.html#.Vv0wK6QrLb1" rel="nofollow">50 years of Douglas Wilmer as Sherlock Holmes</a>, which included a nod to the 2014 <i>Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual</i>, edited by Jonathan ("Barrymore") and Elaine McCafferty ("Eliza Barrymore"), BSIs. The volume's titled came from longtime Sherlockian entertainment critic David Morrill, BSI ("Count Von Kramm") who called him "The only actor who ever got it right." [Listen to David's take on Sherlock Holmes of the screen on Episodes <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose21" rel="nofollow">21</a> and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose22" rel="nofollow">22</a>]<br />
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That remembrance also included some wonderful <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/02/celebrating-50-years-of-douglas-wilmer.html#.Vv0wK6QrLb1" rel="nofollow">photos of Wilmer's trip to the Sherlock Holmes exhibit</a> at the London Museum — do be sure to click through.<br />
<h3>
<br />
A More Personal Connection</h3>
For our part, we'd like to share some personal memories about Douglas. In 1998, Douglas made a tour of some American cities to promote his audiocassette recordings of some Sherlock Holmes stories. Your editor was fortunate enough to be the ambassador who accompanied him in Boston (more on that anon).<br />
<br />
But since that trip, we fell into a bit of a correspondence together. After learning about Douglas' love of watercolors, your editor picked up a set of notecards at a museum shop, and subsequently every letter we sent off to Douglas were on those cards. And for every note sent, he was diligent about replying. We'll treasure those few missives greatly and we'll miss Douglas the man even more.<br />
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Below, we reproduce our contribution to <i>The Holmes and Watson Report</i>, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Sept. 1998) titled "Sherlock Holmes In My Car." We've included additional assets to bring the story to life.<br />
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Sherlock Holmes In My Car</h3>
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Monday, April 20, 1998 dawned like any other day.  As the sun began to rise effortlessly over the Boston Harbor, school buses were hauling their cargo from Copley Square to Hopkington, some 26.2 miles away. However, these buses did not contain the usual assemblage of screaming schoolchildren. You see, this was no ordinary day: this was the day of the Boston Marathon.<br />
<br />
The Great Race is always held on Patriots’ Day – the day that Massachusetts celebrates Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. What better day to welcome an Englishman to Boston, home of the Tea Party and the Shot Heard ‘Round the World? <br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“It is always a joy to meet an American.” [NOBL]</h4>
Approximately four months before, I received a call from Paul Singleton, BSI telling me of Douglas Wilmer’s impending visit to the United States. He would be visiting Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., in that order. Paul had been told that I was the contact person for the Boston area. Well, I couldn’t very well tell Paul that I was a mere cog in the well-greased Sherlockian world in the Hub of the Universe, could I?<br />
<br />
I listened intently to the plan of action: Mr. Wilmer would travel with his wife and Richard Lancelyn Green, visiting with Sherlockian societies along the way. The program?  It seems that Mr. Wilmer wished to sing for his supper, and therefore would be prepared to read from the Canon.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“Ha! Nothing could be better!”  [STOC]</h4>
Preparations were made. Phone calls were placed. Dossiers and packages were received. I was to pick up Douglas, Anne and Richard at the airport. And before I knew it, the evening of April 20 was upon me. I successfully navigated the Big Dig and the constant construction at Logan Airport, where I stood in line at the international arrivals gate, awaiting my quarry.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil?" [SPEC]</h4>
As soon as the party rounded the corner, I recognized my party. At 78, Douglas Wilmer is as spry as ever, just as Holmes was at that age. I held up my chauffer-esque sign that on one side read “<b>WILMER</b>.”  On the other side was hastily scrawled “<b>Ugly 6’3” murderer at keyhole</b>,” <a href="https://youtu.be/SGcEmkNaR0c?t=3m35s">a scene Wilmer had created in <i>The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother</i></a>. Rather than scare him enough to retreat to the Customs counter, I shared this with him later, and he recalled the scene with great amusement.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"He glanced swiftly over it." [HOUN]</h4>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The scene in question begins at 3:35</span></div>
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As we drove to his lodgings, I shared the information of the Boston holiday with my guests and we all agreed upon the irony. I assured them that we Yanks would nevertheless make their stay a most pleasant one in Boston. <a href="http://algonquinclub.com/">The Algonquin Club of Boston</a>, one of the oldest and most revered clubs in the city, was a perfect choice for my guests’ accommodation, since it was modeled after gentlemen’s clubs in London. In fact, Mr. Wilmer announced that it could double as the Diogenes Club.<br />
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<table align="center" 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/AVvXsEilRbBdLYWpGaBiMNbhYylcSDdwXu-dzr3lZwlgrV0H5DiVEqq72-S8x8SBQypPuWASXoaVVm5JA3Kav750YhIQ3qI-eskuMmTbAbAewpgBgBeb9PSs5EDSRZ9dPveHcvu0I6aig6QZaaNO/s1600/Wilmer+-+Sherlock+Diogenes+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRbBdLYWpGaBiMNbhYylcSDdwXu-dzr3lZwlgrV0H5DiVEqq72-S8x8SBQypPuWASXoaVVm5JA3Kav750YhIQ3qI-eskuMmTbAbAewpgBgBeb9PSs5EDSRZ9dPveHcvu0I6aig6QZaaNO/s640/Wilmer+-+Sherlock+Diogenes+Club.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Douglas Wilmer, later, as a disgruntled Diogenes Club member in <i>Sherlock</i> ("The Reichenbach Fall") </td></tr>
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After checking in and depositing bags, I found that the Wilmers and Green were in the mood for some good American food (i.e., burgers!). We zipped from Commonwealth Avenue over to Newbury Street, where we found a parking space directly in front of our restaurant.  I informed them that this was a rarity in the entire city, even more so on Newbury Street, and even more so only hours after the completion of the marathon. They didn’t seem fazed. I guess it doesn’t mean as much to any non-Bostonian.<br />
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Well, I could go on and on about the minute details of Douglas Wilmer’s stay, but I’ll keep it brief rather than risk losing some of the loyal readership of this fine publication. Suffice it to say that I was informed that Mr. Wilmer enjoyed art and architecture, both of which Boston happens to have on hand, fortunately. Douglas, Anne, and Richard got their fill of the city, including the <a href="http://www.mfa.org/">Museum of Fine Arts</a>, the <a href="http://www.gardnermuseum.org/home">Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum</a>, the Boston Common, and Legal Sea Foods.<br />
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The event itself was a rousing success, with 50 people in attendance at the Alqonquin Club and a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth, as my good friend John Baesch as described. Wilmer’s performance was one to remember and was very well-received by the audience. All in all, the evening was a smashing success.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"Such was the remarkable narrative to which I listened on that April evening…" [EMPT]</h4>
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Amidst all of the excitement of the event and the frantic preparations, the thrill of the entire week was just talking quietly with Douglas – as he asked me to call him – and learning more about his life. There were times we chatted together at my club, in my apartment, and in my car. As I was driving through the streets of Boston, I thought to myself at one point, “My God! Sherlock Holmes is sitting in the passenger seat of my car!”<br />
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I learned that Wilmer greatly admired Leo McKern, an actor of great range and skill. I discovered that Laurence Olivier had stage fright that sometimes caused him nausea. I found that Douglas himself was a war hero, watercolor artist, a bird watcher, a former wine shop owner, and couldn’t get enough of our Boston baked scrod.<br />
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<br />
As a host, I constantly fussed and tried to ensure the comfort of my guests. I could only hope that I succeeded all week. As we prepared to part, Douglas and Anne pulled me aside and gave me a neatly wrapped gift. I opened a folio edition of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fire-Liberty-Esmond-Wright/dp/0312292015">The Fire of Liberty</a></i>,  inscribed “Best Wishes & Thanks, Douglas Wilmer.” When I add to this a letter in May from Suffolk that ran “…we could not have got off to a better start…I can’t imagine a better introduction to America!”<br />
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I am satisfied with a job well done and a few days of memories that will last me a lifetime.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“Those are the facts of the case, Doctor, and if they are of any use to your collection, I am sure that they are very heartily at your service.” [GLOR]</h4>
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Rest well, Douglas Wilmer. You inspired us more than you knew.<br />
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Remembering Douglas Wilmer, BSI

"At the Lyceum Theatre, the crowds were already thick" [SIGN] Douglas Wilmer, BSI ("The Lyceum Theatre"), who portr...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Episode 93: Nerve and Knowledge

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"He has nerve and he has knowledge." [SPEC]</h4>
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If you're a regular listener of our show, you may remember that in <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose76" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 76: Out of the Abyss</a>, we chatted with Steve Rothman, BSI ("The Valley of Fear"), Bob Katz, BSI ("Dr. Ainstree") and Andy Solberg, BSI ("Professor Coram") about the BSI Manuscript Series entry about "The Empty House." During that conversation, Bob and Andy excitedly told us about their next project — a then-unnamed book about medicine in the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br />
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Well, this January their book made its debut: the BSI Press unveiled <i><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/nerve.html" target="_blank">Nerve and Knowledge: Doctors, Medicine and the Sherlockian Canon</a></i>. Naturally, we invited Bob and Andy to join us on IHOSE for a fourth time to talk about their remarkable experiences putting such a book together. [Previous episodes include episodes <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose50" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">50</a>, <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose63" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">63</a> and <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose76" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">76</a>.]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nerve and Knowledge</i> [click to enlarge]</td></tr>
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As any good editor would, both Bob and Andy proudly discuss just about every article in their work (try as we might to make them choose a favorite), but Andy made a valid point in mentioning that many of these bear rereading and they hold up well time after time. Every one of the essays in the book is original, and the duo does a fine job of sourcing them and stitching them all together.<br />
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What's more is our show gets into backstories, give-and-takes, and perhaps even a little gossip about Sherlockians and the book publishing process. There may be a surprise or two in store if you listen in...<br />
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Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support! Won't you join them by clicking on the button?<br />
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<h3>
Notes</h3>
1:53 Welcome<br />
2:44 Carl Reiner impersonates the Picture of Dorian Gray<br />
3:20 Only seven more episodes until our 100th episode<br />
5:20 Sponsor: Wessex Press<br />
6:38 <i>Nerve and Knowledge</i> introduction<br />
8:45 A flashback<br />
10:38 Welcome, Bob and Andy!<br />
14:02 What's different about this effort<br />
24:50 Catherine Cooke's contribution was a smack-down of one of Bob's <i>BSJ</i> articles<br />
28:55 Further reading chapter uncovered some previously overlooked topics<br />
33:20 Sponsor: Amanda Lester, Detective<br />
36:14 The story behind the cover art on the dust jacket — evidence boxes<br />
47:02 Favorite articles of each of the editors?<br />
59:15 An idea for a sequel volume<br />
1:00:44 Sponsor: <i>The Baker Street Journal</i><br />
1:02:48 Bob and Andy's next project<br />
1:11:48 Burt is on the hook<br />
1:12:38 Closing comments<br />
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<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor who is supporting us for the first half of this year:<br />
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<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i>A Curious Collection of Dates</i>, </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues plus the Christmas Annual. </li>
<li>And Paula Berinstein's <a href="http://amandalester.net/" target="_blank">Amanda Lester, Detective</a> series for young adults.</li>
</ul>
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Links:</h3>
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<li><i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/nerve.html" target="_blank">Nerve and Knowledge: Doctors, Medicine and the Sherlockian Canon</a></i>, available from the BSJ website.</li>
<li>Carl Reiner and his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYcx-2raKtA" target="_blank">Dorian Gray impersonation</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://ihose.co/ihose89" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 89: The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/pdf/nerve-knowledge-info.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The contributors and table of contents of <i>Nerve and Knowledge</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nq3MCgMdUA" target="_blank">Surgically implanting a Kit Kat into a Three Musketeers</a></li>
<li>The <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon</a> page</li>
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--

Episode 93: Nerve and Knowledge

"He has nerve and he has knowledge." [SPEC] If you're a regular listener of our show, you may remember that in Epis...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

The Sherlock Violin

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"His powers upon the violin… were very remarkable" [STUD] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgI1M5-OlXqxrYcUqKgotszo32cKfNga0LxB8C4LwHRObczXCISC-4fhDe7YjS9gKI02_nSvbH8YROTcfm0lJhMUJs0UKO4mG809ssqKYjPyZ34TflI-gT9f7TIHU_HMEoTygUcusFeJs/s1600/SH+violin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgI1M5-OlXqxrYcUqKgotszo32cKfNga0LxB8C4LwHRObczXCISC-4fhDe7YjS9gKI02_nSvbH8YROTcfm0lJhMUJs0UKO4mG809ssqKYjPyZ34TflI-gT9f7TIHU_HMEoTygUcusFeJs/s640/SH+violin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Most Sherlockians know that the iconic deerstalker and curved pipe associated with Holmes were really the props used by the famous actor <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/William%20Gillette" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William Gillette</a> when he brought the world’s first consulting detective to the stage in 1899. But we also know that Holmes is clearly and properly associated with his iconic musical instrument – the violin. Watson mentions Holmes’ violin playing many times in the Canon – the word ‘violin’ – singular and plural – appears 20 times. The violin is so strongly associated with Holmes that few die-hard Sherlockian mavens can name a Sherlockian play, film or pastiche which does not have a scene with Holmes and a violin.<br />
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Watson describes Holmes boasting that he “had purchased his own Stradivarius, which was worth at least five hundred guineas, at a Jew broker's in Tottenham Court Road for fifty-five shillings.” [CARD]<br />
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In the Holmes apocrypha "The Field Bazaar," Holmes is found studying “a very interesting article upon the trees of Cremona and the exact reasons for their pre-eminence in the manufacture of violins,” and of course in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>, Holmes "prattled away about Cremona fiddles, and the difference between a Stradivarius and an Amati."<br />
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Watson tells us that Holmes attended concerts by the 19th-century virtuoso Wilhelmina Norman-Neruda, whose “attack and bowing are splendid” [STUD], and a performance by Sarasate finds both Holmes and Watson at St James’s Hall [REDH].<br />
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Music "has charms" not only to "sooth a savage breast" [often misquoted as "a savage beast" - Ed.] but also and less frequently quoted, "to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak," according to seventeenth-century playwright William Congreve (and not Shakespeare to whom the quote is frequently attributed).  However this essay will turn that phrase around and proclaim that bending a knotted oak (or more precisely a sycamore, as we shall see) has the power to charm Sherlock Holmes!<br />
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<h3>
Discovering the 'Sherlock' Violin</h3>
On a recent visit to Edinburgh I was privileged to give a presentation at the <a href="http://www.arthurconandoylecentre.com/" target="_blank">Arthur Conan Doyle Centre</a>, home of the Edinburgh Association of Spiritualists, housed in a beautifully restored Victorian townhouse built by the very successful brewer, William McEwan (whose own connection with ACD will be explored in another essay). I learned from a trustee of the Centre, Ann Treherne, that on the one year anniversary of the opening of the Centre, October 23, 2012, a very special violin had been played – the Sherlock violin, a violin normally held at the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/museums-and-galleries/musical-instrument-museums" target="_blank">Museum of Musical Instruments</a> at the University of Edinburgh.  Of course my Sherlock-y sense immediately tingled, and I enquired, “What is this ‘Sherlock violin’?”<br />
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To answer that question let us enter our time-travelling Tardis and journey back to Edinburgh between 1865 and 1869. A young Arthur Conan Doyle moved to the outskirts of that great city to board at Liberton Bank House under the care of Mary Burton, who lived there from 1844 to 1898. Mary Burton was a trailblazing social and educational reformer, the first woman Governor of Heriot-Watt College and a prominent advocate of women's suffrage. Her promotion of educational equality and access led her to bequeath, with foresight, a sum towards the campaign "for the admission of women to sit as members of parliament."<br />
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Doyle ostensibly came to live there to attend the nearby Newington School but also to gain respite from a dysfunctional family life due to the alcoholism of his father. He became great friends with Burton’s nephew, William K. Burton, with whom he often climbed a large sycamore tree on the property next to the house. The two years Doyle spent at Liberton Bank House were influential in his development.<br />
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We can return, not yet to the present time, but to the beginning of our 21st century. Liberton Bank House continued to be used as a residence until 1993 but fell into disrepair. Almost demolished to make way for a fast food hamburger restaurant (yes, McDonald’s – at least it has a Scottish name), it was saved from that ignominious fate by Conan Doyle and Burton enthusiasts and eventually became a listed property by Historic Scotland in 2000.<br />
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Feasibility studies suggested that the best use of the property would be as school for students with learning difficulties, medical concerns or social, emotional or behavioral problems and the building was eventually restored in time for the 2007-2008 school year. However, as the fate of the property was being debated, it was found that the large 170 year old sycamore tree on the property had failed because of rotting roots and could potentially fall and damage the building. Of course this was the very tree that young Arthur Conan Doyle climbed and played in as a boy.<br />
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Ever mindful of their heritage, their duty to preserve, and of native son Conan Doyle, staff at the Dunedin School felt that even if the tree itself could not be saved, the wood from the tree could be and ‘wood’ be. And what better use could be made of that wood than to honor the young Conan Doyle, who had spent important years of his childhood actually climbing in that tree? <br />
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Joan Foulner, a history teacher at the school said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We had no alternative but to knock down the tree, as the rotting in its roots were so severe. It’s been here for so long, and with its connections with Arthur Conan Doyle, there was no way we could just knock it down and have it turned into woodchips. We had been looking for an idea for some kind of tribute to Sherlock Holmes when one of the garden volunteers read an article about a local violin maker.  We’ve raised the money to pay for the violin through donations.”  </blockquote>
Dunedin School staff contacted luthier Steve Burnett, a local Edinburgh instrument maker and commissioned him to create from that wood what is now known as the Sherlock violin in time for the 150th anniversary of the birth of Doyle in 2009.<br />
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<table align="center" 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/AVvXsEgmEyov0RLqGooUunQD1wgU9Ka1XXiF0KFwBDiDDWskP215yWTTCbG15-vucn_jo2zOCPDZ-Ryv9_oSeGtm9Z3AgiabSUARp52qpQJe2hAvRk68jRTd2its2Hu54bRRY3rI_R44msgd0IIO/s1600/P1010480.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEyov0RLqGooUunQD1wgU9Ka1XXiF0KFwBDiDDWskP215yWTTCbG15-vucn_jo2zOCPDZ-Ryv9_oSeGtm9Z3AgiabSUARp52qpQJe2hAvRk68jRTd2its2Hu54bRRY3rI_R44msgd0IIO/s640/P1010480.JPG" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Burnett, with his creations</td></tr>
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<table align="center" 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/AVvXsEhcXtsPrxsM04c2U8_s0jUThBLodnEVeSP0sYqfsIYdsxhhf9yKyXfrMCgcTEIiSmJWkVc5L0ZcOVsiNleRSteN74_belsJWh0eC0-3uR1HCJolIYCfw6ZE0_Ft7lU_i_a-RHbSg9SzMDGD/s1600/P1010481-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXtsPrxsM04c2U8_s0jUThBLodnEVeSP0sYqfsIYdsxhhf9yKyXfrMCgcTEIiSmJWkVc5L0ZcOVsiNleRSteN74_belsJWh0eC0-3uR1HCJolIYCfw6ZE0_Ft7lU_i_a-RHbSg9SzMDGD/s400/P1010481-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Conan Doyle quartet</td></tr>
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According to Watson, Holmes often stated “You know my methods” (mentioned at least fourteen times in nine stories) and Steve Burnett has his methods as well. Burnett is no ordinary luthier, and the honor of creating this unique instrument came to him in part due to his unique methods.<br />
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As mentioned previously, Holmes had a Stradivarius but Burnett was more influenced by the famous Italian maker Guiseppe Guarnerius del Gesu (1698-1744) based in Cremona and a rival to Antonio Stradivari. Burnett based the Sherlock violin on a design which the great violin-maker provided for Nicolo Paganini about 1740. He eschews the convenience of modern wood preservatives in his craft by returning to old organic resins and oil varnish recipes for wood treatment. He feels that his custom crafted violins harken back to Guarneri’s instruments which possess “a dark, responsive, sonorous, powerful and sweet tone. . . very much sought after by many leading soloists.” He states<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“What I am doing is going back to some of the varnish mixes that produced the sound from instruments that survive today and sound so good.  My violins may look a little less refined than some but they produce a wonderful sound which is louder and sweeter than other instruments.”</blockquote>
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His preferred wood preservatives and his carving and woodworking expertise were not the only ‘methods’ Burnet had to use in crafting the Sherlock violin. The tonal qualities of a violin are obviously affected by the wood used and its condition. The nature of the type of wood, its density and grain characteristics, the thickness of each individual piece – all these contribute to the final character of the sound.<br />
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Ordinarily wood used in instrument making may be aged for years before it is actually carved and crafted to make a stringed instrument. The moisture content must stabilize before the luthier can choose the pieces of wood used for the various components. Steve Burnett had a deadline of less than a year to make a very special instrument, and he did not want the audible characteristics of this violin to change substantially as it aged. Making a violin is an art which requires specialized experience.  He not only used his years of experience with traditional methods but was forced to experiment with ways of accelerating the ‘aging’ of the raw sycamore wood – techniques which are now proprietary.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGInMls6-qBM7qZIHkhBEs5Ahfw7OqBJbuqWQGk68VrZHzpj29YSAE6_6dbO_zAj5W0_kHJ4G9x_tZCd_SI053yuAZXqtqGq8VUocIWnE_gL04GMI5ijeBp6gowGwi5coHcZAmVHVYX9M/s1600/Sherlock+violin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Steve Burnett's work: the Sherlock violin" border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGInMls6-qBM7qZIHkhBEs5Ahfw7OqBJbuqWQGk68VrZHzpj29YSAE6_6dbO_zAj5W0_kHJ4G9x_tZCd_SI053yuAZXqtqGq8VUocIWnE_gL04GMI5ijeBp6gowGwi5coHcZAmVHVYX9M/s640/Sherlock+violin.jpg" title="The Sherlock violin" width="640" /></a></div>
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The deadline was met and the Sherlock violin made its debut at a concert at the school on the 150th anniversary of Doyle’s birth, May 22nd, 2009. Sherlockians might be content just to know that this commemorative violin was made and played then. But that would leave out the ‘rest of the story.’<br />
There are violins and there are violins. The remaining Stradavari and Guarneri violins in this world are insured for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars because of their sound in the hands of a skilled violinist. What about the sound of the Sherlock violin? Is it to be noted merely as a nice gesture to Conan Doyle because it was made with wood from a tree in which he once played?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41qiog4nztFv4ffxauov3GvRRO8VEBHppsgr3A2C3TjMSV18YEj5o-rkymCwlDZH-sDAgO50fFopWKJV6LCt2ofxqeNBVOBrmkbpk1rEvj9yAZ2OF6dfhmthN_oPqyTPy7kocJd5vac6E/s1600/Sherlock+violin+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41qiog4nztFv4ffxauov3GvRRO8VEBHppsgr3A2C3TjMSV18YEj5o-rkymCwlDZH-sDAgO50fFopWKJV6LCt2ofxqeNBVOBrmkbpk1rEvj9yAZ2OF6dfhmthN_oPqyTPy7kocJd5vac6E/s640/Sherlock+violin+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Dr. Jenny Nex of the Musical Instrument Museum, University of Edinburgh</td></tr>
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Violinists who have played the Sherlock violin (and other stringed instruments crated by Burnett) have uniformly praised it as sounding more like the pre-1800 violins made in Cremona. One review of a charity event to raise money for the Haiti Orphan Appeal appeared in <i>The Scotsman</i>, May 16, 2010. The Sherlock violin was played in Usher Hall by Armenian string prodigy Ani Batikian in a<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“varied programme . . .  designed to show off the colours and textures of the instrument as well as the versatility and talent of violinist Ani Batikian. Together with the St Patrick’s Baroque Ensemble, she took Vivaldi’s <i>The Four Seasons</i> at a brisk pace revealing the violin’s quicksilver qualities. Then with pianist Helena Buckmayer, Batikian played works by Elgar and Gershwin demonstrating the warm, honeyed tones of the instrument, while Bartok’s <i>Romanian Folk Dances</i> revealed its more fiery nature.  However, it was the beautiful sweeping melodies of Jay Ungar's <i>Ashokan Farewell</i> for violin and ensemble that really highlighted the gorgeous tones of this magnificent instrument.”  </blockquote>
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Because of the violin’s connection to Doyle it also performed in the world premiere of <i>Elsie and Frances </i>by Scottish composer James Clapperton – named for the two young girls responsible for the 1920 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies" target="_blank">Cottingley Fairies hoax</a>, in which Doyle remained a believer until his death in 1931.<br />
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In the fall of 2010 the Sherlock violin was turned over to the Musical Instrument Museum at the University of Edinburgh from where it is lent out to various organizations such as UNICEF to play for children’s and environmental charities worldwide. I was able to visit the MIM in the summer of 2015 and actually handle the Sherlock violin and hear it as played by one of the curators.  I am not an expert on the sounds of violins and cannot offer an expert opinion on its audible characteristics, but as a Sherlockian I was delighted to see on the inside of the violin the marking,<div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>“Sherlock, 150th anniversary, birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, wood from sycamore at Dunedin School, former childhood home, Edinburgh, 22/05/2009.”</i></h3>
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You can find YouTube videos of the Sherlock violin being played as well as a commentary by Steve Burnett himself has more information on the construction of the violin and sound clips demonstrating it – links can found <a href="https://www.burnettviolins.co.uk/sherlock-violin" target="_blank">on his website</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6kd7zLPNrvM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div><br />
<br />
While this may end this part of the narrative, it is still not ‘the rest of the story.'  Part 2 will tell a tale of the Watson violin plus a viola and a cello.  When combined with the Sherlock violin they comprise the Doyle string quartet – all made from the same sycamore tree.  The story continues with the only public playing of the Doyle quartet to date at the first year anniversary of the opening of the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh in 2012.  And this occasion premiered the only performance of <i>The Sign of Four</i> (a quartet for strings, naturally), especially written for the ACD Centre by a Scottish composer and retired woodwind player with the London Symphony Orchestra.  Stay ‘tuned’ for more!<br />
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And in case you wondered what's left of that sycamore tree, here are some shots from the Liberton Bank House grounds:<br />
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The Sherlock Violin

"His powers upon the violin… were very remarkable" [STUD] Most Sherlockians know that the iconic deerstalker and curved pipe ...

+ Read more »

by Spocklock

Elementary and the Hound

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"Not content with a mere fiend-<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">dog" [HOUN]</span></span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From the beginning, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i> was not about retelling the
Arthur Conan Doyle Canon in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. At </span><a href="http://collider.com/robert-doherty-carl-beverly-elementary-interview/" style="font-family: 'arno pro', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">San Diego’s Comic Con</a><span style="font-family: 'arno pro', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;"> in 2012, </span><span style="font-family: 'arno pro', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">Executive Producer Rob Doherty said,</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"We’re not looking to
contemporize the old stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really,
when I look at the source material, what I love and have always loved is the
relationship and the mythology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love
those aspects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The cases are brilliant,
don’t get me wrong, but it’s not our first order of business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If somebody had a take on one of the stories
and it seemed right for our show in New York, with our Sherlock and our Watson,
I’m open to it but it’s not our plan for the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We want to tell our own new Sherlockian
mysteries week in and week out."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The show runners have taken familiar Canonical tropes and
tropes created by Sherlockians within the Grand Game since the 1930s, such as
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Caldecott-Greenaway-Historical-Baring-Gould/dp/B0014YL4WY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458166622&sr=1-1&keywords=sherlock+holmes+of+baker+street+by+william+s.+baring-gould">Irene Adler being Holmes’ great love</a>, and turned them on their heads: Watson
weaning “him from that drug mania which had threatened once to check his
remarkable career” [MISS] <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">then</i>
becoming his friend; the great platonic relationship <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">across</i> genders; Holmes’ greatest love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is also </i>his greatest enemy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These changes work for me, exploring the
characters of Holmes and Watson in new, interesting, and for some, jarring
ways. Other changes, such as Sherlock’s sex-as-exercise, I feel are misfires,
but all-in-all <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i> is a
thoughtful, well-written and acted examination of what it means to be Sherlock
Holmes and John (in this case Joan) Watson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i>
does partake of Canonical material, it can do so in ways that frustrate the
expectations of some, but, when successful are fascinating. Season 1, Episode
9 (S1 E9) “You Do It to Yourself” used the plot of “The Problem of Thor
Bridge” without name-checking any characters or locations from the story. That
left some to miss the connection between the story and episode entirely, and
others to assume that the showrunners are so ignorant of the Canon that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they didn’t know</i> the source of the plot;
an assumption belied by Sherlock name-check THOR as a case of his in England
(S1 E21 “A Landmark Story”) and the use of Maria Gibson’s suicide method (S2 E9
“On the Line”) by a young woman attempting to frame her sister’s killer. In
fact the dumbbell used as a weight to pull her gun off the bridge into the
Hudson River is momentarily framed as Thor’s Hammer.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Elementary
</span></i><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">has
taken parts of the Canon and its characters, such as S3 E2 “The Five Orange
Pipz”, S1 E12 “M.”, S2 E7 “The Marchioness”, S1 E20 “Dead Man’s Switch”, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the two-parter S3 E11 “The Illustrious Client”
and E12 “The One That Got Away” and worked them into the show’s mythos, but<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>its best Canonical retelling is S2
E17’s “Ears to You” which not only repurposed "The Cardboard Box" into the 21<sup>st</sup>
century but worked it perfectly into the show’s procedural and addiction
recovery formats while staying true to Doyle, and the story itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The series has finally gotten around to <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> and within the confines of one hour managed to coherently condense the novel’s
plot while substituting the desolation of Dartmoor to the morally bleak
landscape of American commerce, one of the series’ touchstones and replacements
of the Canon’s Victorian England class system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Broadcast on March 10, 2016, S4 E16’s “Hounded” is the last
episode on Thursday nights this season; the show move<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">d</span> to Sundays on March 20. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> is the
most well-known and most filmed stories of the Canon. Part of the novel’s
success is the Gothic, supernatural setting in which the rational, scientific
Holmes must restore order. Not every film version has done visually what
Doyle did with words, and even with a two-part episode, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i> would probably fail in capturing the chills and thrills
of the novel. Instead, Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s script hues close to novel, paring
it down to essentials. All this takes place in the ethical morass of business,
commerce and technology, an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i>
staple backdrop, befitting a detective working in the world’s financial Grimpen
Mire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Venture capitalist Charles Baskerville is hit by a truck
after falling off a jogging path. His brother Henry, the last known surviving
heir to Gilded Age railroad tycoon Hugo Baskerville’s fortune, doesn’t believe
that it was an accident and asks Holmes and Watson to investigate. At the scene
in Central Park, Sherlock deduces from the broken b<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">r</span>anches and twigs that
Charles was chased to his death by someone who was wider with a lower stance and <span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">there was a </span>third person who witnessed it and ran away. Sherlock sends Joan to find the witness
while he tends to the shows' B-story<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">; </span></span><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">t</span>he scene plays like a version of Holmes volunteering
Watson to guard Sir Henry</span>. The witness, a homeless vet who, while in
an alter state or two, saw Charles chased by small bear or large wolf that
glowed like a lantern. <span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">Here the show</span> respects the source material by not trying to
shoehorn “Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a <span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif;">gigantic</span> hound!” into 2016 New
York City. In fact, the word “hound” is never mentioned in the show. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At Charles’ company, Baskerville Genetics, we meet a red
herring in the form of Cornwall, a large genetically-modified bioluminescent
dog. Dr. Jane Mortimer (so named in the script, but I don’t believe her name
was mentioned during the episode) direct Sherlock and Joan’s attention to a
convict named Selden, who was sending death-threat emails to Charles and others
at the company. Selden, played to crank perfection by obese actor Ric
Stoneback (could the show's Selden's first name be "Franklin"?), while happy at the karmic justice at Charles death has an alibi, “I
was at a comedy club with my sister. Big mistake. I was the target of every
bozo on stage. Fat-shaming is the last acceptable prejudice in America!” And
perhaps a meta-comment on Victorian Mycroft in “The Abominable Bride”. Selden leads them to a competitive genetics
firm, one which activities are a bit shadier that making drought-resistant rice—that
of breeding “war dogs” for the Army Research Laboratory. Fortunately for
society, the project produced stillborn or nonviable dogs and was abandoned. However,
the competitor tells the detectives of Charles’ “patent-jacking”—giving start-up
companies capital in exchange for stock and seats on the board and once he had
a controlling interest, liquidating the company and selling off its assets,
including any patents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s where the casting of the likable and sympathetic Tom
Everett Scott in the thankless role of Henry Baskerville (can anyone remember
and name another of the many actors, aside from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-Peter-Cushing/dp/B000062XEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1458167707&sr=1-1&keywords=hound+of+the+baskervilles+1959">Christopher Lee</a>, who played the
role?) pays off; he knows about Charles patent-jacking, but thinks the 30 or so
inventors were “well compensated” and have nothing to be vengeful about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Imagine,” Sherlock has to tell him, “you’re one of the
inventors your brother fleeced. Imagine watching your brother make millions off
your brainchild while you were forced to walk away with $100,000 and a hearty
handshake.” The viewer still roots for Henry to survive the inevitable. While
still on the phone with Sherlock, the beast breaks into Baskerville Hall, by
hearing the beast’s growl Sherlock is able to deduce what the beast is and save
Henry’s life. It turns out to be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3fmFTtP9g">a four-legged robot</a> (“Only slightly less
outrageous than the glowing mastiff, wouldn't you think?” says Sherlock in another bit of meta-commentary) cobbled together
from stolen patents and sold to the Baskervilles’ cousin Rodger Stapleton. One of
the ten robots built for the military by Stapleton Innovations, it had
disappeared and someone had reprogrammed it to be a target-and-forget weapon to
eliminate the Baskervilles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Hounded” works on many levels. As well as by a robot,
Stapleton and the Baskervilles are hounded by their sins, corporate and
otherwise, as well the genetic struggle of infertility in the male bloodline.
In the B-story, semi-regular character M.E. Eugene Hawes (Jordan Gerber) is
hounded by the post-traumatic stress of losing someone he cared about in an
explosion that also almost killed Hawes, as is Sherlock by the “loss” of The
Woman. “Hounded” works as a retelling of the Baskerville tale by stripping the
plot to its basics, losing the Gothic overtones, but keeping the “curse”—visiting
the sins of the father onto the children—and setting it in a modern-day ethical
wasteland. As always, Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu are a joy to watch as
Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As for the move to Sunday, <a href="http://deadline.com/2016/01/rush-hour-premiere-date-criminal-minds-beyond-borders-elementary-cbs-1201678446/">Deadline</a> notes that the
action/comedy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rush Hour</i> is more
fitting of CBS’ Thursday night comedy line-up while </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“<i>Elementary</i> attracts
the kind of upscale CBS audiences that watch its Sunday lineup. Plus,<i>
Elementary</i> is one of CBS’ most DVR-ed series, so a time slot is not that
crucial to the show’s performance. Still, if history is any indication,
any established CBS drama series sent to the Sunday 10 PM time period ends
its run there, most recently <i>CSI: Miami</i> and <i>The Mentalist.
Elementary</i> is owned by CBS, it is still relatively young and makes money
for the company, so it is likely not destined for a quick death.” </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arno pro" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elementary</i> is around for a while longer.</span></div>
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<br />
<i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/elementary/photos/1005983/first-look-sherlock-s-dogged-pursuit/" target="_blank">CBS</a></i><br />
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