Canonical Connections in Conan Doyle's "The Winning Shot"

Though most of the facts were familiar to me, I had not sufficiently appreciated their relative importance, nor their connection with each other. [SILV]<br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8IfXkvrAWamhgE07Ea-IBktVHub06veorZD4FD1Lzg97Zyfzus6BNpLtJcICNw7SCHapTT8zJq0rC4JfCtnnBWjnFelasIX31ZdzedsLq-Tt-tSHlzEVC6OYinzOJbzNbzPMhD0oLXex/s1600/Arthur_Conan_Doyle_by_Herbert_Rose_Barraud_1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Arthur Conan Doyle portrait 1893 - credit Wikimedia" border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8IfXkvrAWamhgE07Ea-IBktVHub06veorZD4FD1Lzg97Zyfzus6BNpLtJcICNw7SCHapTT8zJq0rC4JfCtnnBWjnFelasIX31ZdzedsLq-Tt-tSHlzEVC6OYinzOJbzNbzPMhD0oLXex/s1600/Arthur_Conan_Doyle_by_Herbert_Rose_Barraud_1893.jpg" title="Arthur Conan Doyle portrait c. 1893" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> As readers of the Sherlock Holmes adventures know, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a master of the short story. He wrote in many genres: mystery, horror, science fiction, adventure, romance and humor.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> "The Winning Shot" was the first of three short stories Doyle had published in Bow Bells weekly magazine during his career, in the July 11, 1883 issue. In a June or July 1882 letter to his mother Mary (quoted in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1vG5sve" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters</a></i> by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley), Doyle wrote, "I have a wonderful story on hand 'The Winning Shot' about mesmerism and murder and chemical magnetism and a man's eating his own ears because he was hungry," and in a second letter to her as "a very ghastly Animal Magnetic vampery sort of tale." </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The 12,000 word story is unusual in Doyle's oeuvre in that it is told in the first person by Charlotte "Lottie" Underwood. I will be discussing the story in detail (yes - there will be spoilers!), so if you would like to read it first, it is available in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Mf0n1R" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Uncollected Stories: The Unknown Conan Doyle</a></i> edited by John Michael Gibson and Richard Lancelyn Green or you can read the text <a href="http://www.sshf.com/encyclopedia/index.php/The_Winning_Shot">here</a> at <a href="http://www.sshf.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Main_Page">The Conan Doyle Encyclopedia</a>.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Despite the opening statement </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> "I know that many people will always ridicule the supernatural, or what our poor intellects choose to regard as supernatural, and that the fact of my being a woman will be thought to weaken my evidence. I can only plead that I have never been weak-minded or impressionable, and that other people formed the same opinions of Octavius Gaster that I did," </blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Lottie's story starts out as if it were a romance about her impending marriage to old Colonel Pillar’s son Charley of Roborough, Devon. Staying at the Colonel’s "merry household at Toynby Hall" during the Long Vacation that August along with Charley and Lottie were "Harry, Charley's younger brother, and Trevor, his bosom friend at Cambridge," Lieutenant Jack Daseby "fresh home from Japan in Her Majesty's ship <i>Shark</i>" who is engaged to Charley's sister Fanny, and Lottie's mother, "dearest of old ladies, beaming at us through her gold-rimmed spectacles, anxiously smoothing every little difficulty in the way of the two young couples, and never weary of detailing to them her own doubts and fears and perplexities."</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <b>Canonical connection:</b> Sherlock Holmes spent part of the long vacation at college friend Victor Trevor’s home in Donnithorpe.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Doyle gives a wonderful word-picture of an evening at home with the characters vividly delineated before Charley and Lottie decide to take a stroll on the moor. Doyle places Toynby Hall on the southwest side of Dartmoor; Baskerville Hall will be on the northeast. Dartmoor apparently held a long fascination with Doyle and the moor gives "The Winning Shot" some of its elements of mystery. Almost twenty years later, the moor became a character of its own in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> [HOUN].</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> From "The Winning Shot": </div> </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Above us towered two great columns of rock, between which the water trickled to form a deep, still pool at the bottom. This pool had always been a favourite spot of Charley's, and was a pretty cheerful place by day; but now, with the rising moon reflected upon its glassy waters, and throwing dark shadows from the overhanging rocks, it seemed anything rather than the haunt of a pleasure-seeker…. I have already mentioned that the pool by which we were standing lay at the foot of a rough mound of rocks. On the top of this mound, about sixty feet above our heads, a tall dark figure was standing, peering down, apparently, into the rugged hollow in which we were.<br /> <br /> "The moon was just topping the ridge behind, and the gaunt, angular outlines of the stranger stood out hard and clear against its silvery radiance.<br /> <br /> "There was something ghastly in the sudden and silent appearance of this solitary wanderer, especially when coupled with the weird nature of the scene."</blockquote> <div> <br /></div> <div> Doyle reworked the scene to great effect in Chapter 9 of HOUN:</div> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zcZQKwNSrloKupvqVh0_s2XnA3NLzz0wPcMyfQrEUvN2kQl7nPCJ4WCRkQASNQc_p95gB30u8gzWUvjN9A_0wP0u96_lCZiuSTVsGThbfQySjb_9l6ycE37O3xEgNQqYwZN9b9qvYfkc/s1600/houn-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zcZQKwNSrloKupvqVh0_s2XnA3NLzz0wPcMyfQrEUvN2kQl7nPCJ4WCRkQASNQc_p95gB30u8gzWUvjN9A_0wP0u96_lCZiuSTVsGThbfQySjb_9l6ycE37O3xEgNQqYwZN9b9qvYfkc/s1600/houn-35.jpg" width="220" /></a></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> The moon was low upon the right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc. There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay behind him. He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place. It was not the convict. This man was far from the place where the latter had disappeared. Besides, he was a much taller man. With a cry of surprise I pointed him out to the baronet, but in the instant during which I had turned to grasp his arm the man was gone. There was the sharp pinnacle of granite still cutting the lower edge of the moon, but its peak bore no trace of that silent and motionless figure."</blockquote> <br /> <br /> <br /> The description of the stranger will sound very familiar to a Sherlockian: <br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "<b>Weird as his appearance had been</b> when we first caught sight of him, the impression was intensified rather than removed by a closer acquaintance.<br /> <br /> "The moon shining full upon him revealed a long, <b>thin face of ghastly pallor</b>, the effect being increased by its <b>contrast with the flaring green necktie</b> which he wore.<br /> <br /> "A <b>scar</b> upon his cheek had healed badly and caused <b>a nasty pucker at the side of his mouth</b>, which gave his whole countenance a most distorted expression, more particularly when he smiled."</blockquote> <br /> This is Holmes’ description of Huge Boone from "The Man with the Twisted Lip": <br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "His <b>appearance</b>, you see, is <b>so remarkable</b> that no one can pass him without observing him. <b>A shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar</b>, which, by its contraction, has <b>turned up the outer edge of his upper lip</b>, a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present <b>a singular contrast to the colour of his hair</b>, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants, and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by." [Emphasis added.]</blockquote> <br /> The stranger is Swedish Doctor Octavius Gaster, a traveler lost on the moor. Despite his appearance, Charley is intrigued by the man and invites him to stay at the Hall. On the way back Gaster relates how he and Karl Osgood of Upsala went on a trading venture in Cape Blanco (Ras Nouadhibou on the west African coast which has been called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cap Blanc</i> by the French, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cabo Blanco</i> by the Spanish and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cabo Branco</i> by the Portuguese) who had to flee on a small boat in the night when the local Moors came to kill them.<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "There was no country where we could hope for food nearer than Canary [the Canary Islands], and for that we made.<br /> "I reached it alive, though very weak and mad; but poor Karl died the day before we sighted the islands.<br /> "I gave him warning!<br /> "I cannot blame myself in the matter.<br /> "I said, 'Karl, the strength that you might gain by eating them would be more than made up for by the blood that you would lose!'<br /> "He laughed at my words, caught the knife from my belt, cut them off and eat them; and he died."<br /> "Eat what?" asked Charley.<br /> "His ears!" said the stranger.</blockquote> <br /> The gruesome scene of a small boat on the ocean and severed ears would become the climax of Jim Browner’s confession in "The Cardboard Box":<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "At last I saw them hire a boat and start for a row, for it was a very hot day, and they thought no doubt that it would be cooler on the water. It was just as if they had been given into my hands. There was a bit of a haze, and you could not see more than a few hundred yards. I hired a boat for myself, and I pulled after them. I could see the blur of their craft, but they were going nearly as fast as I, and they must have been a long mile from the shore before I caught them up. The haze was like a curtain all round us, and there were we three in the middle of it. My God, shall I ever forget their faces when they saw who was in the boat that was closing in upon them? She screamed out. He swore like a madman, and jabbed at me with an oar, for he must have seen death in my eyes. I got past it and got one in with my stick, that crushed his head like an egg. I would have spared her, perhaps, for all my madness, but she threw her arms round him, crying out to him, and calling him `Alec'. I struck again, and she lay stretched beside him. I was like a wild beast then that had tasted blood. If Sarah had been there, by the Lord, she should have joined them. I pulled out my knife, and - well, there! I've said enough."</blockquote> </div> <div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> <br /> Given what we later learn about Gaster, the reader may well wonder who actually cut off and ate Karl’s ears.<br /> <br /> Gaster joins the gathering for (a non-aural) dinner and, as Lottie writes:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Whatever Doctor Octavius Gaster might be physically, he was certainly a social success.<br /> <br /> "By next day he had so completely installed himself as a member of the household that the Colonel would not hear of his departure.<br /> <br /> "He astonished everybody by the extent and variety of his knowledge. He could tell the veteran considerably more about the Crimea than he knew himself; he gave the sailor information about the coast of Japan; and even tackled my athletic lover upon the subject of rowing, discoursing about levers of the first order, and fixed points and fulcra, until the unhappy Cantab was fain to drop the subject.</blockquote> <br /> <b>Canonical connection:</b> Here Gaster sounds very Holmes-like:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Our meal was a merry one. Holmes could talk exceedingly well when he chose, and that night he did choose. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. I have never known him so brilliant. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects - on miracle plays, on medieval pottery, on Stradivarius violins, on the Buddhism of Ceylon, and on the warships of the future - handling each as though he had made a special study of it. His bright humour marked the reaction from his black depression of the preceding days." - <i>The Sign of Four</i></blockquote> <br /> Lottie also relates an incident illustrating Gaster's "quiet power about everything he said and did":<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Trevor had a remarkably savage bulldog, which, however fond of its master, fiercely resented any liberties from the rest of us. This animal was, it may be imagined, rather unpopular, but as it was the pride of the student's heart it was agreed not to banish it entirely, but to lock it up in the stable and give it a wide berth.”</blockquote>  <b>Canonical connection:</b> Victor Trevor’s bull-terrier froze onto Holmes’ ankle as he when down to college chapel one morning.<br /> <br /> One day, the Swede hears the dog and wants to see it.<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "He's rather a nipper," said Trevor, with a mischievous expression in his eye; "but I suppose you are not afraid of a dog?"<br /> "Afraid?—no. Why should I be afraid?" <br /> <br /> The mischievous look on Trevor's face increased as he opened the stable door. I heard Charley mutter something to him about its being past a joke, but the other's answer was drowned by the hollow growling from inside.<br /> <br /> The rest of us retreated to a respectable distance, while Octavius Gaster stood in the open doorway with a look of mild curiosity upon his pallid face.<br /> "And those," he said, "that I see so bright and red in the darkness—are those his eyes?"<br /> "Those are they," said the student, as he stooped down and unbuckled the strap.<br /> "Come here!" said Octavius Gaster.<br /> <br /> The growling of the dog suddenly subsided into a long whimper, and instead of making the furious rush that we expected, he rustled among the straw as if trying to huddle into a corner.<br /> "What the deuce is the matter with him?" exclaimed his perplexed owner.<br /> "Come here!" repeated Gaster, in sharp metallic accents, with an indescribable air of command in them. "Come here!"<br /> <br /> To our astonishment, the dog trotted out and stood at his side, but looking as unlike the usually pugnacious Towzer as is possible to conceive. His ears were drooping, his tail limp, and he altogether presented the very picture of canine humiliation.<br /> "A very fine dog, but singularly quiet," remarked the Swede, as he stroked him down.<br /> "Now, sir, go back!"<br /> <br /> The brute turned and slunk back into its corner. We heard the rattling of its chain as it was being fastened, and next moment Trevor came out of the stable-door with blood dripping from his finger.<br /> "Confound the beast!" he said. "I don't know what can have come over him. I've had him three years, and he never bit me before."<br /> <br /> I fancy—I cannot say it for certain—but I fancy that there was a spasmodic twitching of the cicatrix upon our visitor's face, which betokened an inclination to laugh.</blockquote> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> <br /> Of course Jack Stapleton [HOUN] and Jephro Rucastle [COPP] both had a way with vicious canines.<br /> <br /> There are a couple of passages in the story that give the <a href="http://amzn.to/1zNQvXo">Sherlockian with an interest in H.P. Lovecraft</a> pause. Gaster is frequently reading a book he keeps hidden from the others. One day Lottie and Charley come upon Gaster before he can secret the book.</div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> "Ah, Gaster," said Charley, "studying, as usual! What an old bookworm you are! What's the book? Ah, a foreign language; Swedish, I suppose?" <br /> "No, it is not Swedish," said Gaster; "it is Arabic." <br /> "You don't mean to say you know Arabic?" <br /> "Oh, very well—very well indeed!" <br /> "And what's it about?" I asked, turning over the leaves of the musty old volume. <br /> "Nothing that would interest one so young and fair as yourself, Miss Underwood," he answered, looking at me in a way which had become habitual to him of late. "It treats of the days when mind was stronger than what you call matter; when great spirits lived that were able to exist without these coarse bodies of ours, and could mould all things to their so-powerful wills."</div> </blockquote> Later, Lottie spies Gaster reading a newspaper clipping which he finds very amusing. "There was something horrible too in this mirth of his, for though he writhed his body about as if with laughter, no sound was emitted from his lips." Gaster leaves the room and the clipping behind which Lottie reads.<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Sudden Death in the Docks.—The master of the bark-rigged steamer Olga, from Tromsberg, was found lying dead in his cabin on Wednesday afternoon. Deceased was, it seems, of a violent disposition, and had had frequent altercations with the surgeon of the vessel. On this particular day he had been more than usually offensive, declaring that the surgeon was a necromancer and worshipper of the devil. The latter retired on deck to avoid further persecution. Shortly afterwards the steward had occasion to enter the cabin, and found the captain lying across the table quite dead. Death is attributed to heart disease, accelerated by excessive passion. An inquest will be held to-day."<br /> And this was the paragraph which this strange man had regarded as the height of humour!</blockquote> <br /> An Arabic grimoire, necromancy: could Gaster have been reading the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necronomicon"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">Necronomicon</span></i></a> some forty years before Lovecraft invented it?<br /> <br /> Mrs. Underwood tells her daughter she thinks Gaster is in love with Lottie and events come to a head. One evening, Lottie is waiting for Charley in an arbor but the doctor shows up instead, declaring his love to the horrified woman. She tries to leave, but Gaster forces himself upon her. Just then Charley shows up and punches Gaster in the face. Gaster flees and life returns to normal at Toynby Hall.<br /> <br /> On the eve of Lottie and Charley’s wedding was a marksmanship contest between the Roborough volunteers, of which Charley was the captain and best shot, and the Plymouth regulars, the match to take place at the Roborough shooting-range on the moor itself.<br /> <br /> The contest is even and the last shot, potentially the winning shot, belongs to Charley. Earlier, the couple had seen Gaster in the crowd of spectators and now as Charley takes aim, Lottie, standing between two Devon farmers, sees Gaster in a trance-like prayer staring at a space halfway between Charley and the target. One of the farmers says of Gaster’s manner, "Blessed if he bean't foamin' like Farmer Watson's dog—t' bull pup whot died mad o' the hydropathics." (Is that what happened to John H. Watson’s own bull pup in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>?)<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Charley hesitates to shoot because he sees a figure in front of the bull's-eye. Assured by his teammates and the crowd that no one is there, Charley pulls the trigger and wins the contest. When his fellows go to congratulate him, they find him dead. While brain-fever is not mentioned, like Percy "Tadpole" Phelps in "The Naval Treaty," Lottie becomes ill and does not recover until "I found myself in the sick-room at Toynby Hall, and learned that three restless, delirious weeks had passed since that terrible day."<br /> <br /> The story ends with this paragraph:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Within a fortnight after writing this narrative, my poor daughter disappeared. All search has failed to find her. A porter at the railway station has deposed to having seen a young lady resembling her description get into a first-class carriage with a tall, thin gentleman. It is, however, too ridiculous to suppose that she can have eloped after her recent grief, and without my having had any suspicions. The detectives are, however, working out the clue.—EMILY UNDERWOOD."</blockquote> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5zgP0jwgHZjz9mM6iRl4V8InR2V5fd8PuhG58pNnqtJNae2jGW-xZdyTctDZFj0RRa53tyaRZ6p_nVY_8jGhj50u7IjMDGZgKewUydIpUj5Kx-xsOy-OM2rt3m4SP2XU5Akp46tsJ76B/s1600/Bow-bells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5zgP0jwgHZjz9mM6iRl4V8InR2V5fd8PuhG58pNnqtJNae2jGW-xZdyTctDZFj0RRa53tyaRZ6p_nVY_8jGhj50u7IjMDGZgKewUydIpUj5Kx-xsOy-OM2rt3m4SP2XU5Akp46tsJ76B/s1600/Bow-bells.jpg" width="258" /></a></div> "The Winning Shot" is one of Doyle’s better early works. It should come as no surprise that Doyle could write a credible first-person female character; he had five sisters and the family was headed by Doyle’s mother Mary. In fact, Doyle’s favorite sister was Caroline, who was called Lottie by the family and in “The Winning Shot” Lottie has a brother named Arthur Cooper Underwood—A.C.U. as opposed to A.C.D.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Doyle uses length to build a believable world with real people and then slowly reveals the preternatural or supernatural underpinnings that are waiting to be exposed to the observant. In 1884, he thought of including "The Winning Shot" with "The Captain of the <i>Pole-Star</i>," "John Barrington Cowles," "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" and others in a collection called <i>Twilight Tales</i>.<br /> "You see," he wrote to his mother, "it would have a double meaning---not only as being tales suitable for the gloaming, but as a treating of the strangle twilight land between the natural and the absolutely supernatural…"<br /> <br /> That collection never came into being and the story became one Doyle’s forgotten works until 1982. Why? Perhaps because so many of the story's elements were revised, reused and improved upon in later endeavors. For Sherlockians, there are overlaps minor (a college friend named Trevor with a biting dog, severed ears on the ocean and a Watson with a bull pup) to major (the Dartmoor setting, a mysterious stranger standing on a rocky prominence silhouetted against the moon and a pale, scar-faced antagonist) that make this good eerie tale doubly worth reading.<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>Note to <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/10/episode-57-sherlockian-halloween.html#.VNxMx_nF_14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Prepolec</a>, editor of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Prepolec/e/B002BO801O/">Gaslight</a><a href="http://amzn.to/1vG900u" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> series of supernatural Holmes</a> stories and its contributors: If there hasn't been one already, there’s a pastiche waiting to be written about the young Holmes and Watson in 1883 on the trail of the missing Lottie Underwood and </i>Necronomicon<i>-toting Octavius Gaster.</i><br /> <br /> <br /> <!--[if gte 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Canonical Connections in Conan Doyle's "The Winning Shot"

Though most of the facts were familiar to me, I had not sufficiently appreciated their relative importance, nor their connection with each o...

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by James C. O'Leary

Saturday Matinee: The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "with triumph in his eyes" [SIXN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgNHp6n42JTHEX8Uv6Ca97R8xiIzVep6q0wUhWh2DGEWEFNhLIi6ZOy2-oZQ4kDV1kdXefKtnbwuCW9Rj4JSU2esd4UB_L5MS4YHhELsPJdLmpjtnA9xxx0ztyemRR8nSTwlu2KnMyFm1/s1600/Triumph+of+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes lobby card" border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgNHp6n42JTHEX8Uv6Ca97R8xiIzVep6q0wUhWh2DGEWEFNhLIi6ZOy2-oZQ4kDV1kdXefKtnbwuCW9Rj4JSU2esd4UB_L5MS4YHhELsPJdLmpjtnA9xxx0ztyemRR8nSTwlu2KnMyFm1/s1600/Triumph+of+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" title="The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes with Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming and Lyn Harding" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> [<i>Editor's note: this is the second in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Arthur%20Wontner#.VNZp7_nF_14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a series of four posts</a> on the Arthur Wontner Sherlock Holmes series, as reviewed by David Lee Andrews of <a href="http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/2014/09/the-triumph-of-sherlock-holmes-1935.html#.VNWzV_nF_14" target="_blank">Comic Book and Movie Reviews</a>.</i>]<br /> <br /> Did you know that Sherlock Holmes has been depicted in the movies more than any other fictional character throughout cinematic history? Yeah. It's fairly elementary, don't you know. You just ask any of those nice chaps seen in the following 75-minute flick made in 1935. It was directed by Leslie S. Hiscott; and starred Arthur Wontner, Lyn Harding, with Leslie Perrins.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>The Story</b></h4> Why thank you very much for coming out of retirement to investigate the death of my husband, Mr. Holmes (Arthur Wontner). Yet, to be completely honest with you, I had a sneaking suspicion something like this was going to happen sooner or later.<br /> <br /> You see, many years ago, while we were living in America, my late husband John (Leslie Perrins) joined a gang of crooks who frequented a nearby tavern. And I'll tell you something for nothing, Mr. Holmes, this motley crew were really up to no good. Extortion. Thievery. The works. They did everything in their power to make a fast buck in spite of the local authority's best efforts.<br /> <br /> However, as time past John finally decided to show his true colors. And this in turn resulted in some of the gang being pinched, while me and my other half made it all the way back to England for safe keeping.<br /> <br /> Well. We thought we were, anyway.<br /> <br /> But then again, that's most probably why what happens next goes all old-school when Doctor Watson (Ian Fleming) catches me laughing in the garden. As the game is afoot - a string of lies goes kaput - a dead man eventually join's the party - and at the end of the day, look out Holmes, for here comes Professor Moriarty (Lyn Harding)! <br /> <br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fZbGZcZdXkI" width="600"></iframe></center> <br /> <h4> <b>The Review</b></h4> From a narrative point of view I'd say <i>The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes</i> was a story of two unequal halves. Whilst one part concentrated on Holmes trying to figure out who murdered a man, the other part concentrated on the man's back-story and eventual fate.<br /> <br /> Now I know that this may sound fairly straight forward and pedestrian on the surface, dear reader. But as I just said, the two halves presented were very unequal. Essentially it favored the 'back-story' part of the narrative more than the 'Holmes' part of the narrative, and this inadvertently made the 'Holmes element' act as a book-end to the overall murder mystery.<br /> <br /> I also noticed that the exposition came across somewhat top-heavy on occasion. And even though I did like the way the actors acted - all upper-crust, working class, or prim and proper - in the same breath some of them weren't able to give their words any form of gravitas or depth.<br /> <br /> Of course I'm not referring to Arthur Wontner's or Ian Fleming's performances. Generally speaking their portrayal of Holmes and Watson was very warming on the screen. As a matter of fact, not only was it warming, my friends, I'd even go so far as to say their on screen chemistry felt more authentic than some of the other actors who have attempted to play these parts. <br /> <br /> Well. Let's face it. Doesn't Wontner look like Sherlock Holmes to you? Furthermore, if you ever get around to watching any of his movies, I bet you anything you'd think he sounds like him as well! Especially when he does one of his summations to explain why x did y to z!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPHmcoDABmOjlP7TDfEcORHK_563ON30d4PQqR8TR_KMWsiJa2f4OBARIl1JjY_mLVvMdG8PK6_ThtXWa-Xr05rP4fZwsDzZDvvq3YD3mfT2wOkyLPFKEyE4guji_07qyaVkd9oFp4Zvr/s1600/triumph-wontner-fleming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The look-alike of Sherlock Holmes" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPHmcoDABmOjlP7TDfEcORHK_563ON30d4PQqR8TR_KMWsiJa2f4OBARIl1JjY_mLVvMdG8PK6_ThtXWa-Xr05rP4fZwsDzZDvvq3YD3mfT2wOkyLPFKEyE4guji_07qyaVkd9oFp4Zvr/s1600/triumph-wontner-fleming.jpg" title="Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes and Ian Fleming as Dr. Watson" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Also, something else about this movie I thoroughly enjoyed, where those scenes where Sherlock encouraged Watson to 'chip in' on the investigation. In my eyes these sequences show what's at the very heart of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. A partnership and a common bond that illustrates they're very much two halves of the very same coin. A coin, I might add, that outshone the wise-guy 'back-story' component even though it had a lot less time in the spotlight<br /> <br /> Anyway. I'm sure you know by now my feelings towards this fairly good murder mystery. So I tell you what. Why don't you now sit back, relax, and check out the following cinematic facts.<br /> <br /> <ol> <li>Gaumont British first released this production in England on the exact same month the Monopoly board game was first sold in the shops - February, 1935. </li> <li>Loosely translated, this project was entitled <i>The Valley of Fear</i> in Spain. </li> <li>Funnily enough, you might like to know this adventure was limply based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's final novel-length Sherlock story - also entitled <i>The Valley of Fear</i> - which was published in 1914. </li> <li>One of the taglines used to promote this picture, was, "Sherlock Holmes solves his greatest problem of his spectacular career." </li> <li>That nice English chap who directed this film, Leslie S. Hiscott, was one of the original co-founders of the legendary Twickenham Film Studios.</li> <li>This was the last time Cyril Twyford ever adapted a flick for the silver screen. Previously he adapted two other Sherlock Holmes mysteries starring Arthur Wontner, most notably <i>The Missing Rembrandt</i> and <i>Sherlock Holmes's Fatal Hour</i>. </li> <li>In stark contrast to Twyford, this was the first time Lyn Harding ever portrayed Professor Moriarty. Afterwards he would play him one more time in <i>Silver Blaze</i>. </li> <li>After this mystery gulped its last sip of tea, Arthur Wontner starred in the drama, <i>Line Engaged</i>; Lyn Harding starred in the adventure, <i>Escape Me Never</i>; and Leslie Perrins starred in the romance, <i>D'Ye Ken John Peel?</i>.</li> </ol> <br /> <br /> Overall I'd say <i>The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes</i> was a rather pithy little footnote on the whole Sherlock Holmes mythos. Even though the back-story overpowered Holmes's presence, as push comes to shove, Holmes and Watson still made it through despite its bi-polar tone.<br /> <br /> A timely tone. <br /> <br /> <br /> <h4> <b>The Rating: B-</b></h4> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakerstree-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000098ZRR&asins=B000098ZRR&linkId=R3D6OVF2ZNMGLNCB&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe><br />

Saturday Matinee: The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)

"with triumph in his eyes" [SIXN] [ Editor's note: this is the second in a series of four posts on the Arthur Wontner S...

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by Scott Monty

Get Sherlocked This April

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "an event of extreme importance" [SIGN] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLHvUJZv6eT0CsHiz-UUls0qQcPUQ0Of0TOkooHgxZYZelgMELd3or9Fdeps1UrSfQRJsNGzU-KnS7sK0l47z03-DRPXw4bsgZuHC8a2ew-EznMF2ojYVjU2R2M6BK3dGTYQSypKqfOFp/s1600/Sherlocked+-+the+official+Sherlock+convention.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlocked - the official Sherlock convention, London, April 2015" border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLHvUJZv6eT0CsHiz-UUls0qQcPUQ0Of0TOkooHgxZYZelgMELd3or9Fdeps1UrSfQRJsNGzU-KnS7sK0l47z03-DRPXw4bsgZuHC8a2ew-EznMF2ojYVjU2R2M6BK3dGTYQSypKqfOFp/s1600/Sherlocked+-+the+official+Sherlock+convention.PNG" title="Sherlocked - the convention" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> A year ago - almost to the day - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/ready-to-be-sherlocked-official.html#.VNQM453F_14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">we told you about a forthcoming conference</a> that would be of interest to fans of <i>Sherlock</i>. And while the plans at the time heralded a first-of-its-kind event later in 2014, the schedule has been pushed out a bit.<br /> <div> <br /></div> We're pleased to report that, as of today, the game is on!<br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> According to an update we received from the event promoters today, Sherlocked, the Official Sherlock Convention, will be held April 24 - 26, 2015 at the <a href="http://www.excel-london.co.uk/" target="_blank">ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre</a> in London.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Aside from the date and the venue, we have no other information as we go to press. However, additional announcements will be made regarding special guests and tickets will go on sale as of 7:30 pm GMT (2:30 pm EST) on Monday, February 9.<br /> <br /> <h4> <b>UPDATE (February 9, 2015):</b></h4> <div> <a href="http://sherlocked.com/" target="_blank">The site has been updated</a> with the first wave of official guests: Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and Arwel Jones (production designer). <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sherlocked-the-official-sherlock-convention-tickets-15647166095" target="_blank">Tickets are on sale now</a> for as low as £19. <b><i>Those who wish to get Mr. Cumberbatch's autograph will need to get a Platinum or VIP pass, in order to help control foot traffic</i>.</b><br /> <br /> <br /> To get more information on the event, visit the official <a href="http://massiveevents.co.uk/sherlocked/">Sherlocked: The Sherlock Convention</a> site and enter your information. You can also follow them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherlocked-The-Event/254831428026630">Facebook</a> and as <a href="https://twitter.com/SherlockedEvent">@SherlockedEvent</a> on Twitter.<br /> <br /> The event is being organized in conjunction with our friends at Sherlockology, with whom we had the pleasure to speak during <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/12/episode-59-sherlockology.html#.VNPr0Z3F_15" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 59</a> of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast. Click on the link to listen to the episode and read the show notes.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Do you plan on attending <b>Sherlocked</b>?</div> <div> <br /> --</div> </div>

Get Sherlocked This April

"an event of extreme importance" [SIGN]  A year ago - almost to the day - we told you about a forthcoming conference that wo...

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by Scott Monty

First Clip of Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "a very respectable elderly person" [SOLI]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ioWzShL0IgbM8Ld4WAhi94J501giT7WYmj2pHwAymVMYri4YpSmIQy1ew_A6bcju9lHpv3gyoX7KzP7dEEPIPpql2Y0jYRyjiiMDppwIsciYCVY_JmE4zgY2aANN2t3ZCUsP4GLr98Dn/s1600/mr-holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ioWzShL0IgbM8Ld4WAhi94J501giT7WYmj2pHwAymVMYri4YpSmIQy1ew_A6bcju9lHpv3gyoX7KzP7dEEPIPpql2Y0jYRyjiiMDppwIsciYCVY_JmE4zgY2aANN2t3ZCUsP4GLr98Dn/s1600/mr-holmes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> As <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/01/waiting-for-mr-holmes.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">we recently wrote</a>, we're anxiously awaiting the release of the new film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, starring Ian McKellen, which thus far has been the subject of far too few visual updates.<br /> <br /> The new film is concerned with the long-retired detective, now 93 years old and living in Sussex, and his interactions with a young boy who causes him to reflect on an earlier case in his life. It is based on Mitch Cullen's <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1EH0UHI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a></i> and is expected to be a huge success, given the cult following of McKellen and the recent renaissance in Sherlock Holmes in multimedia.<br /> <br /> Up until now, we've only had the pleasure of seeing Sir Ian in still shots, either from <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen/status/509722176954462208" target="_blank">his Twitter feed</a> or through various <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/492309/Sir-Ian-Mckellen-to-play-Sherlock-in-new-movie" target="_blank">paparazzi</a>.<br /> <br /> But now we're treated to an exclusive trailer for the film, just days ahead of the Berlin Film Festival, where it makes its debut:<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YR7iJg8-3Rg?rel=0" width="600"></iframe></center> <br /> <br /> According to the label on the clip, the film will make an appearance in theaters this summer.<br /> <br /> What are your impressions to the latest interpretation of the great detective?<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>A tip of the deerstalker to <a href="http://twitter.com/delwilliams" target="_blank">@delwilliams</a> for flagging this news.</i><br /> --<br /> <br /> <br />

First Clip of Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes

"a very respectable elderly person" [SOLI] As we recently wrote , we're anxiously awaiting the release of the new film M...

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by Scott Monty

New Web Series Baker Street Finds Its Footing

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground" [SIGN]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBBtAU7xPYVpYtTcjqPkoNJaWDMdWBBqWvgYGjDHGqLqBnochCYy0Hd3q4gt0oQFhboycKgGtxP5Z25VjuCbis6d7SYTtm1yQ8brVuWpXBtkZ77WDBRbiLK9X9nCu9H3wCAvlgu6bqOOW/s1600/Baker+Street+Duo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hannah Drew and Karen Slater from Baker Street" border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBBtAU7xPYVpYtTcjqPkoNJaWDMdWBBqWvgYGjDHGqLqBnochCYy0Hd3q4gt0oQFhboycKgGtxP5Z25VjuCbis6d7SYTtm1yQ8brVuWpXBtkZ77WDBRbiLK9X9nCu9H3wCAvlgu6bqOOW/s1600/Baker+Street+Duo.jpg" title="Baker Street Duo" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Most of us have seen adaptations of Holmes and Watson on stage, in film, on television, in comic books, and as cartoons. With few exceptions, both characters have been portrayed by male actors. The CBS television show,<i> Elementary</i>, has a female Watson, as did <i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes</i> with Dr. Watson’s granddaughter, Jane, back in the late 1980s.<br /> <br /> But in <i><a href="http://bakerstreet-collective.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street</a></i>, a new video series created, written by, and starring Hannah Drew and Karen Slater, we have Holmes and Watson both played by women. Based in contemporary times as are <i>Elementary </i>and <i>Sherlock</i>, the location of <i>Baker Street</i> is neither London nor New York, but Toronto. Watson in <i>Baker Street</i> utilizes modern technology as BBC’s does by “vlogging” (video blog), and both Holmes and Watson rely heavily on their mobile phones. But here the comparison to <i>Sherlock</i> ends.<br /> <br /> There are currently three episodes of <i>Baker Street</i>, each one longer than the previous. The first episode begins rather shakily and self-conscious, as if the writers/actors are keenly aware that they are treading on hallowed ground. Somewhat contrived and awkward, the short video attempts to establish the characters—college-age women, each in need of a roommate—as initial adversaries, similar to the relationship between Holmes and Watson in the early episodes of <i>Elementary</i>. Watson seems flighty and annoying; Holmes is grumpy and distant—worse than an odd couple they seem destined to kill one another in their sleep. If you stopped there, though, you would only cheat yourself.<br /> <br /> [I must add that, like real college-age women, Watson and Holmes use profanity in conversation. This might be off-putting to some, and I offer a NSFW (not safe for work) caveat.]<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5wojZx2HaHE" width="600"></iframe> </div> <br /> It is in episode two that we see Drew and Slater beginning to find their footing, both stylistically and canonically. While we are given to believe that this Watson has the wandering eye of the canonical Watson, a creepy scene with her new employer (a married professor much older than she) includes flirting and insinuation that there is a relationship outside of the office. I found this jarring and unnecessary, and its later denouement could have been reached without the creepy factor.<br /> <br /> In episode two we are generously given some canonical treats. Referencing “The Blue Carbuncle” the production offers us the “Blue Diamond of Morcar,” which has gone missing and which Holmes finds in “anser anser domesticus” or domestic goose (thankfully, the famously nonexistent crop is not mentioned). We are introduced to Constable Stan Hopkins and his puppy dog eyes for Watson, and we find out that Holmes has a sister named Mycroft, who helped get her out of some trouble with the police. [It is worth noting that what Holmes does as a profession is somewhat murky, but it involves car theft, chemical experiments, and a mysterious arrangement doing research for professors, though apparently not Watson’s employer.]<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rq3FLM-W-Ig" width="600"></iframe> </div> <br /> The longest of the episodes is the final one so far released. In episode three Drew and Slater take off running. Wit and humor enter the mix, and Watson is no longer annoying but quite capable; Holmes is less grumpy and more thoughtful, and we see a friendship developing that has a welcome familiarity. <br /> <br /> While episode three continues to contain references to BLUE, there is a brief scene involving details about a case that is the kissing cousin to “The Red-Headed League.” As in moments of canonical recognition in <i>Sherlock</i>, this one made me chortle with glee. Another fine moment was in how Watson saves Holmes from a physical assault by a very unsavory character—but I will let you experience that delightful moment for yourself. [NOTE: It is briefly mentioned in a previous episode.] I did find the means to be quite clever; a delightful ground-breaking moment of contemporary efficiency.<br /> <br /> In a memorable scene we see conflict between Watson and sometime-boyfriend Hopkins, where Hopkins must arrest Holmes. This scene contains some fine acting and a delightful throwaway line from Holmes. “I’m not going to arrest myself!” she exclaims, voluntarily walking to the police vehicle as Watson and Hopkins morally struggle with his loyalty to his job and her loyalty to Holmes.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4eBMLWapTB0" width="600"></iframe> </div> <br /> There are moments of brilliance in this final episode—we meet Mary Morstan, a reporter for a college newspaper called “The Strand,” and we find out some surprising details about Watson’s employer/paramour—but as in the revelation of Watson’s manner of saving Holmes, I choose to allow you those moments unspoiled. However, one thing I will tell you is the final line of this episode of <i>Baker Street</i> (a cliffhanger). Holmes says to Watson: "The game is afoot, Jane, and I think we might have made a slight misstep."<br /> <br /> Though Drew and Slater had a few missteps in the beginning, I am confident that they stand on solid ground in <i>Baker Street</i>, and I truly hope there will be more episodes forthcoming.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

New Web Series Baker Street Finds Its Footing

"I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground" [SIGN] Most of us have seen adaptations of Holmes and Watson on stage, in film,...

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by Jacquelynn Morris, ASH, BSI

Remembering George Sturm, Jr., BSI

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "His name is very familiar." [THOR]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYpQAT5aOCLPosnC2zC1iIdUr3G0jM59G7qE2rjRg_tsJuouOUMbY_gEsokrwqslerP8maZcO4kWqlu9ieeZwACwuiHQN1C9F0y3_8Ie2wgcjE10vaVMELUPEmyay7C2dwmVObz8DdwLI/s1600/George+Sturm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYpQAT5aOCLPosnC2zC1iIdUr3G0jM59G7qE2rjRg_tsJuouOUMbY_gEsokrwqslerP8maZcO4kWqlu9ieeZwACwuiHQN1C9F0y3_8Ie2wgcjE10vaVMELUPEmyay7C2dwmVObz8DdwLI/s1600/George+Sturm.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> [<b><i>Editor's note</i></b>: the following was submitted by James Suszinski, BSI.]<br /> <br /> George Sturm Jr. ("J. Neil Gibson") passed away on November 25, 2014. He was 74. <br /> <br /> He was born in Passaic, New Jersey and lived in Edison, New Jersey for 35 years.  He earned his B.A. degree from Rutgers University.  George was a veteran of the Air Force, serving in Asia.  He began his career as an FBI agent and after dedicating many years in service of the public, he retired. George is survived by his wife, Barbara and his son Chris.<br /> <br /> George was a passionate Sherlockian.  The world of Sherlock Holmes was opened to him when, as a boy he discovered the book, <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, in his attic.  From that point on, he devoted himself to keeping the memory of the Master green.  George was a member of the Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey and received "The Order of the Adler award."  He was also a member of Mrs. Hudson's Cliffdwellers of New Jersey where he received awards for his contributions to the society.  He received his investiture in the Baker Street Irregulars as "J. Neil Gibson" in 1979. <br /> <br /> George was a member of the American Legion Post 471 in Iselin, New Jersey and a dedicated civil war enthusiast.  In that respect, he served as a trustee of the Abraham Lincoln Society of Jersey City and was a member of the Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of New Jersey. Extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the Civil War, he generously shared his enthusiasm of the subject with his friends. <br /> <br /> George  enjoyed cooking and became quite a chef.  He invited his friends to his home and prepared delicious meals for them to share with him.  Sharing those times with George is something that I will always remember.<br /> <br /> George was especially proud of his son Chris, who is currently serving in the Army in Italy and is an Iraq War veteran.  He enjoyed sharing pictures and stories of Chris’s adventures overseas. <br /> <br /> I feel privileged to have known George and to have been his friend.  George will be missed by all who knew him.<br /> <br /> <br /> --<br /> <br />

Remembering George Sturm, Jr., BSI

"His name is very familiar." [THOR] [ Editor's note : the following was submitted by James Suszinski, BSI.] George Stu...

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by Scott Monty

Restaurant Frequented by Sherlock Holmes May Vanish

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "I met him by appointment that evening at Simpson's" [ILLU]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tJIs8vsEAHT77w8b9QJPWxwXHHGSc-RosMi0Y6o9CfmwLbnxrp8AgMyOj8OD8v3lf4saH4pX0g3UNbm2LVINQi3u7Z9xLfjaFblIfppDeEgWgCEdJ72nMAxMb67iAaMSyWmaVlEq2FNL/s1600/Simpsons+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Simpsons-in-the-Strand gate" border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tJIs8vsEAHT77w8b9QJPWxwXHHGSc-RosMi0Y6o9CfmwLbnxrp8AgMyOj8OD8v3lf4saH4pX0g3UNbm2LVINQi3u7Z9xLfjaFblIfppDeEgWgCEdJ72nMAxMb67iAaMSyWmaVlEq2FNL/s1600/Simpsons+entrance.jpg" title="The entrance to Simpsons" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The unthinkable may be about to unfold.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simpsons-in-the-Strand</a>, one of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/11242692/Nine-of-Londons-oldest-restaurants.html" target="_blank">the oldest restaurants in London</a>, could disappear after 187 years. Its lease is owned by the Savoy Hotel, and under the search for a new operator, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/society/11368407/Simpsons-in-the-Strand-restaurant-could-disappear-after-187-years.html" target="_blank">the hotel will not require that the name be kept as part of the deal</a>. (<i>The Telegraph</i>)<br /> <br /> For those not familiar with the venerable establishment, here's a blurb directly from its website:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> Originally opened in 1828 as a chess club and coffee house - The Grand Cigar Divan - Simpson's soon became known as the "home of chess", attracting such chess luminaries as Howard Staunton the first English world chess champion through its doors. It was to avoid disturbing the chess games in progress that the idea of placing large joints of meat on silver-domed trolleys and wheeling them to guests' tables first came into being, a practice Simpson's still continues today. One of the earliest Master Cooks insisted that everything in the restaurant be British and the Simpson's of today remains a proud exponent of the best of British food. Famous regulars include Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes), Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone.</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDXnI2iaoddMxY5YnnPCfxVNzDgLO23fK45CBHIWAz2ImYYdpKL4WclzKkfbFLbOu3O4F2qfreK6dLKEKwGdNaUI8VsVSYU6dRfSaqo1QykRw-aQ8hlUScaNswOgjU9mc_YbrqFrDr-Dm/s1600/Simpsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Your table at Simpson's is ready now" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDXnI2iaoddMxY5YnnPCfxVNzDgLO23fK45CBHIWAz2ImYYdpKL4WclzKkfbFLbOu3O4F2qfreK6dLKEKwGdNaUI8VsVSYU6dRfSaqo1QykRw-aQ8hlUScaNswOgjU9mc_YbrqFrDr-Dm/s1600/Simpsons.jpg" title="Inside the Grand Divan at Simpson's" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Of course we know that Holmes visited the establishment in at least two stories: he suggested Simpson's as a meeting place with Watson, where the latter found him "sitting at a small table in the front window, and looking down at the rushing stream of life in the Strand". [ILLU]<br /> <br /> And again in "The Dying Detective," after his prolonged fast concluded - but not before a visit to the police station to wrap up the case against Culverton Smith.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-YXZP5-IcX2TV6O4zHbkbDrP-uO3FAbhUIUr_kBbiZghGbtuUAwu4f19pgJnpWxFd6_DIgwRMvtDHe_ZMKwYBuQiGZwje8CsN633V94oWcoq5zkGgqI9yifccJ8XILxFLHxAwk4U_VmL/s1600/Simpsons+Divan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Simpson's-in-the-Strand sign" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-YXZP5-IcX2TV6O4zHbkbDrP-uO3FAbhUIUr_kBbiZghGbtuUAwu4f19pgJnpWxFd6_DIgwRMvtDHe_ZMKwYBuQiGZwje8CsN633V94oWcoq5zkGgqI9yifccJ8XILxFLHxAwk4U_VmL/s1600/Simpsons+Divan.jpg" title="Plaque outside of Simpson's Grand Divan" width="300" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic London from <a href="https://flic.kr/p/8dHKo8" target="_blank">Rev Stan (Flick)</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was not alone in recommending Simpson's in the literary world. In <i>Something New</i>, P.G. Wodehouse wrote:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> Simpson's in the Strand, is unique. Here, if he wishes, the Briton may, for the small sum of half a dollar, stupefy himself with food. The God of Fatted Plenty has the place under his protection. Its keynote is solid comfort. It is a pleasant, soothing, hearty place – a restful temple of food. No strident orchestra forces the diner to bolt beef in ragtime. No long central aisle distracts his attention with its stream of new arrivals. There he sits, alone with his food, while white-robed priests, wheeling their smoking trucks, move to and fro, ever ready with fresh supplies.</blockquote> While this temple of food contains many menu items that will soothe even the most is probably most fussy of foodies, it is most notable for its signature Roast rib of Scottish beef, Savoy cabbage, Yorkshire pudding and horseradish. If you've never experienced it, we absolutely insist that you make it part of your pilgrimage the next time you're in London.<br /> <br /> At this point, the future of the name of the establishment is not clear. But we hope that if things take a turn for the worse, we can count upon you, dear reader, to help us mount a defense of this historic and literary landmark.<br /> <br /> And in case you'd like to see what goes in to the preparing and carving of the rib of beef, here's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2tTHbTgvmw" target="_blank">butchery masterclass</a> from Simpson's head chef Mark Farquhar:<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2tTHbTgvmw" width="600"></iframe></center> <br /> <br /> <i>Photo credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/8np7Qb" target="_blank">Jeremy T. Hetzel (Flickr)</a></i><br /> --<br /> <br />

Restaurant Frequented by Sherlock Holmes May Vanish

"I met him by appointment that evening at Simpson's" [ILLU] The unthinkable may be about to unfold. Simpsons-in-the-Str...

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by Scott Monty

Waiting for Mr. Holmes

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "We're well up with the times in Sussex." [VALL] </h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttwWVYsue-X5NXM2DYtnTiT1JXyatqwjqcBYpJGt_L6kXtPlyTit4ziMW52N8vqrTxhpEi0MfGmQe2X4izSdBLACXRx-_L0UnbVXEnX_GpJkFCou6u9eHwX74IB3epq4diD7odRyN-8B/s1600/Ian+McKellen+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ian McKellen as an elderly Sherlock Holmes in "Mr. Holmes"" border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKttwWVYsue-X5NXM2DYtnTiT1JXyatqwjqcBYpJGt_L6kXtPlyTit4ziMW52N8vqrTxhpEi0MfGmQe2X4izSdBLACXRx-_L0UnbVXEnX_GpJkFCou6u9eHwX74IB3epq4diD7odRyN-8B/s1600/Ian+McKellen+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" title="Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/07/first-look-at-ian-mckellen-as-sherlock.html" target="_blank">As has been reported here</a> last year year, Ian McKellen has been cast as the elderly Sherlock Holmes in the movie adaptation of Mich Cullen's excellent pastiche, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400078229/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400078229&linkCode=as2&tag=theconblo04-20&linkId=NIPL4QDDSYGQPZBH%22" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a> </i>(I promise I'll have a book review done soon.).<br /> <br /> While we've seen <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2706928/Sir-Ian-McKellen-sports-hat-waistcoat-sips-hot-drink-London-set-Mr-Holmes.html" target="_blank">some press photos from the set</a>, but we've treated to a little behind the scenes tweet from Mr McKellen as Mr Holmes.<br /> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <div style="text-align: center;"> Meeting the locals while filming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MrHolmes?src=hash">#MrHolmes</a> in East Sussex. <a href="http://t.co/PXRRpgSy9p">pic.twitter.com/PXRRpgSy9p</a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> — Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen/status/509722176954462208">September 10, 2014</a></div> </blockquote> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> And more recently:<br /> <br /> <center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> First photo from my upcoming film MR HOLMES, with brilliant young actor Milo Parker who plays Roger. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MrHolmes?src=hash">#MrHolmes</a> <a href="http://t.co/wI74fO4vA5">pic.twitter.com/wI74fO4vA5</a><br /> — Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen/status/555525759708962817">January 15, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center> <br /> Filming has concluded and the film is now in post-production phase. It is expected to be released during the Berlin Film Festival in February 2015.<br /> <br /> What are your expectations for the film and its presentation of a nonagenarian Sherlock Holmes?<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Waiting for Mr. Holmes

"We're well up with the times in Sussex." [VALL] As has been reported here last year year, Ian McKellen has been cast ...

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by Tac Anderson

Horowitz's Moriarty Is an Ingenious Thriller

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> "Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm." [EMPT]</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfvbiGuHytZkQcRXykCVpII6uynbcnax6TIMbSizHHAx7yPdm8r4IlmRBlmxUyJ7k2nTm3O9mZg4n-AnTcICASni6qGBhhpzi4t9TjvXHVVr4SsigXXg2IOh9DxPBp4PSVG-fMLlDjMU8/s1600/Holmes+Moriarty+Reichenbach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfvbiGuHytZkQcRXykCVpII6uynbcnax6TIMbSizHHAx7yPdm8r4IlmRBlmxUyJ7k2nTm3O9mZg4n-AnTcICASni6qGBhhpzi4t9TjvXHVVr4SsigXXg2IOh9DxPBp4PSVG-fMLlDjMU8/s1600/Holmes+Moriarty+Reichenbach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>R</b></span>eliable narrators are a rare breed, a fact that many of Dr. Watson’s readers will endorse with a knowing grumble.  That’s why we greet gladly the first-person voice who kicks off Anthony Horowitz’s <i>Moriarty</i>, (<a href="http://amzn.to/YQc366">Amazon US</a> |<a href="http://amzn.to/1pEVJeI"> Amazon UK</a>) by asking "Does anyone really believe what happened at the Reichenbach Falls?" Pinkerton's Frederick Chase is in Switzerland five days after the final struggle between Holmes and Moriarty. He begins his tale by modestly suggesting he may well fall short of Watson’s standards of accuracy and entertainment. Watson’s standards of accuracy? Now, wait a minute. That passing reference should be enough to put the cognoscenti immediately, and as it turns out, appropriately, on guard.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">O</span></b>n the surface, Chase is following the trail of a planned alliance between Moriarty and a mysterious American criminal mastermind. But as you might suspect, there are wheels within wheels in this imaginative tale, and we soon find ourselves back in Baker Street, or at least around the corner from Baker Street. While Chase may seem out of his depth in what he describes as his first visit to Europe, Scotland Yard’s Athelney Jones is not, and we are soon rattling through the streets of 1891 London in pursuit of shadowy villains.  </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>G</b></span>ood Sherlockians may lament Holmes's absence from the scene.  Happily, the inspector from <i>The Sign of the Four</i> has learned a thing or two from his encounters with the great detective and is eager to demonstrate his new-found gifts. He reads much of the Pinkerton man's background and habits at a glance. Both Chase and the reader soon feel they are in good hands, and Chase begins to slip into a mode that might almost be called Watsonian.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">E</span></b>ager to pick up the trail of their opponent, Jones somewhat curiously lets Chase, a Bostonian working in New York, impersonate the recently-deceased Moriarty to make contact with the American gang. The critical reader may reasonably wonder about such small details.  As Chase suggests in his early dismantling of Watson’s account from "The Final Problem," these events may lend themselves to more sinister interpretations.<br /> <br /> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">R</span></b>eliably, however, Anthony Horowitz weaves the cinematic and well-paced tale one might expect from the screenwriter who created <i>Foyle’s War</i>, <i>Midsomer Murders</i>, and much more.  </div> <br /> <div> </div> <br /> <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div style="margin: 0px;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOlE9DAYzLkAJiKbjsevVdWgwwNzHTHatS8hcl8GPN2PFjahYYNqdfH2Ab4Igtfv23tK3iVjVfLSrJIuhso9ecxE4vvcu3dMQmjn3V67eyq1VfccyHQgcncudZpXFJ2KekZQ3LKdOxUoc/s1600/Horowitz+-+Moriarty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOlE9DAYzLkAJiKbjsevVdWgwwNzHTHatS8hcl8GPN2PFjahYYNqdfH2Ab4Igtfv23tK3iVjVfLSrJIuhso9ecxE4vvcu3dMQmjn3V67eyq1VfccyHQgcncudZpXFJ2KekZQ3LKdOxUoc/s1600/Horowitz+-+Moriarty.jpg" width="263" /></a></div> <br /></div> <div> <br /> <b><span style="font-size: large;">A</span></b>merican gangsters have shaken up the London underworld from time to time, but none more so than the brutal and unprincipled gang whose trail Jones and Chase are following. We meet hit men and hooligans, kidnappers and assassins who imperil much of the city in new waves of violence. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">C</span></b>onspirators and scalawags from other cases are elegantly re-introduced, adding to the chaos of a London underworld turned upside down. Along with other elements familiar to readers of Watson's chronicles, including an ingenious coded message, these familiar characters make us feel right at home.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>K</b></span>eeping us on the edge of our seats is no easy feat, and Horowitz weaves in pursuits, cliffhangers and great escapes a-plenty. Along the way the two men develop a friendship,  and we learn something of Jones's home life.  For a time it even seems possible for the inspector to become history’s second consulting detective.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">R</span></b>especting the time period, Horowitz is scrupulous with details. We learn early on that Chase is composing this account on a Remington Model Two typewriter, which was introduced in 1878 and sold through the 1890s. The requisite broughams, hansoms, and odd corners of London appear in crisp descriptions.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>O</b></span>rbiting many of Holmes’s cases were illustrious clients, a tradition that continues here as we meet Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the American president and ambassador to the Court of St. James.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Y</b></span>ears ago S.S. Van Dine and others composed various rules for detective stories, chief among them that the author must play fair, put all the clues in plain sight, and give the reader an equal opportunity to solve the mystery.  The reader, of course, is supposed to be outwitted in the end, admiring the author’s ingenuity as the tale comes to a close. Horowitz’s ending indeed demonstrates considerable ingenuity, and an epilogue of sorts suggests several of these characters may be moving on to other adventures.   </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b><span style="font-size: large;">D</span></b>epend upon it.  We have not heard the last of the cast of <i>Moriarty</i>, or its accomplished author.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /></div> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakerstree-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0062377183&asins=0062377183&linkId=RKXN7EGKNZKHTVQ4&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe>   <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thebakstrblo-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=140910947X&asins=140910947X&linkId=IN2PMJ44VZ7AT6FT&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe>

Horowitz's Moriarty Is an Ingenious Thriller

"Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm." [EMPT] R eliable narrators are a rare breed, a f...

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by Third Pillar