I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"Has anything escaped me?" [HOUN]    Sherlock Holmes has been associated with the stage since Charles Brookfield was the first to play the character in Under the Clock in 1893. Since that time, the great detective has been portrayed countless times by hundreds of actors in big productions from the West End to Broadway, as well as in community theaters everywhere.   In this episode, we spoke with p...

"the rushing stream of life in the Strand" [ILLU]    The Strand Magazine and Sherlock Holmes are inextricably linked. It was the stories of the immortal detective, carried each month in that publication, that made it as popular as it was in the late 19th century and early 20th century. When the magazine published its last issue in 1950, it was the end of an era that spanned nearly 60 years.   In t...

"in and among the trenches" [SIGN]    In  the previous episode , we talked with Ross Davies about supporting the fighting men of World War I. Now we look at one man in particular and his service during the Great War: Sherlock Holmes.    We of course know all about Holmes's long game, leading up to the capture of Baron Von Bork in "His Last Bow." But there's so much more information regarding his w...

"one of those boxes" [REDH]  At the start of the First World War, there was a mass outpouring of sympathy and charity for the men fighting for Britain. The Royal family were not immune to this and in October 1914, the young Princess Mary, inspired by her visits to hospitals for injured soldiers, wanted to show her support. So she publicly announced her intentions to provide a gift for 'every sailo...

"the faded script" [HOUN]  We've all had experience listening to Sherlock Holmes audio programs. Right? RIGHT??   And just as we have favorite screen adaptations, we also have our special audio heroes as well. Rathbone and Bruce, Gielgud and Richardson, Shelley and Hobbes, Merrison and Williams... they all bring to mind a feeling of nostalgia for the stories.   But there are many original episodes...

"that glamour of mystery and of experience" [VALL]  Generations of Sherlockians are the beneficiaries of the poems penned by Helene Yuhasova. Yet this enigmatic individual has remained something of a legendary, even ethereal presence in the history of the Baker Street Irregulars.   Who was Helene Yuhas(ova)? And were the poems, later ascribed to Edgar W. Smith of the Baker Street Irregulars, actua...

"Beacons of the future!" [NAVA]  Sherlock Holmes appreciated education. He admired the "[c]apsules with hundreds of bright little seeds in each" as he and Watson passed by the board-schools on the way out to Briarbrae in "The Naval Treaty." And he famously said, "Education never ends. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last," in "The Red Circle."   So it is entirely appropriate th...

"the Colonel possessed a varied collection" [CROO]  There are certain hallmarks of good collectors that make them stand out. One is that they enjoy the hunt as much as they enjoy the treasure. Another is that they enjoy sharing their plunder with others who appreciate the significance of such items.    It's no mistake that we're using terms piratical to describe the Dan Posnansky, BSI ("Colonel Ha...

"full of spirits and energy" [GLOR]  Bonnie MacBird returns to the show, this time to regale us with her own adventures that came with writing  Unquiet Spirits , her latest Sherlock Holmes novel from HarperCollins.    The book is a sequel to the popular Art in the Blood, and follows Sherlock Holmes's adventures in England, Scotland and France in the months following The Hound of the Baskervilles....

"Fixing the Nets" [HOUN]  When  Chris Redmond  decided to give up  Sherlockian.net  after 22 years, there was great uncertainty about its future. Would it be abandoned, archived, deleted or sustained? And who would handle any of the monumental work of modernizing the site that had its humble beginnings in 1994?   Enter Liza Potts, an associate professor at Michigan State University. Potts runs the...

"a gang in Chicago" [DANC]    The 75th anniversary of a Sherlockian organization is a fine time to reflect on its history. So we did just that with Don Terras, BSI ("The Politician, the Lighthouse, and the Trained Cormorant") from his unique perch near an actual lighthouse.   The Hounds of the Baskerville (sic) has its roots in Chicago, thanks to one of the "Holy Three" of early Sherlockian giants...

"he soon acquired a great popularity" [VALL]  Peggy Perdue, BSI ("Violet Westbury") has held the enviable position of librarian in charge of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Reference Library for over a decade. In that role, she's seen remarkable developments and has made some intriguing acquisitions.   She has ascended to a new role, but before doing so, she oversaw the developmen...

"a case of ancient coins" [3GAR]  Dr. Watson was once on the receiving end of a rebuke by Baron Adelbert Gruner in "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client," Gruner upbraided Watson (who was incognito as Dr. Hill Barton, avid collector of Chinese pottery). When he admitted that he had not read Gruner's definitive book on the subject, he hid behind his profession: "I am a very busy man. I am a doct...

"this is my special hobby" [STUD]  Every once in a great while, a book with special significance is published in the world of Sherlock Holmes fans. When the Canon was completed and the stories appeared in the first version of The Complete Sherlock Holmes; when Vincent Starrett brought forth scholarship and fun in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes; when William S. Baring-Gould, BSI ("The Gloria S...

"they are an extraordinarily astute couple" [VALL]    Harold and Theodora Niver (that's Tyke and Teddie to all who know them), are a unique couple, even by Sherlockian standards. They've had an abiding love of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper and Dracula for most of their adult lives, they live at Baskerville Hall, and founded and ran the Men on the Tor, a Connecticut Sherlock Holmes society. [Whi...

"a field for those peculiar qualities which my friend possessed" [FIVE]    Curtis Armstrong, BSI ("An Actor, and a Rare One") is known by many names. Miles Dalby, Charles De Mar, Herbert Viola, Scooter, Metatron, and of course, Booger. But around these parts, he is known as a keen Sherlockian who has been part of our little corner of the universe since his grade school days. His memoir Revenge of...

"seared into my memory" [SPEC]    Richard Lancelyn Green, BSI ("The Three Gables"), who died in March 2004, was the world's leading expert on the life and works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He amassed one of the finest collections of Conan Doyle, and specifically, Sherlock Holmes material in private hands and had intended to produce a three-volume biography on Conan Doyle.   He was not yet 30 when h...

"a pair of professional beauties" [STUD]    We like to interview people who are doing interesting things related to Sherlock Holmes. Our interview subjects have included authors, publishers, society leaders, entertainers and more.   But there's one show that some listeners requested that we historically ignored. And that is a show in which we talk about ourselves. We thought that rather than simpl...

"actors in this drama" [SECO]  Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Their names are forever linked, just as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are. And it is their remarkable seven-year collaboration that we discuss in this episode.   You've seen their likenesses in still photos. You've probably heard their voices in audio recordings. And you've had a chance to see their films from the late 1930s and early...

"in the northern provinces" [SIGN]    The Baker Street Irregulars International Series continues to forge ahead, as it published its sixth volume at the end of 2016. Joining the ranks of other countries and regions that whose scholarly works have been compiled and published by the BSI is none other than Canada.   Joining us to talk about Canada and Sherlock Holmes from the BSI International Series...

"something which had never before intruded"  [VALL]  You probably remember the first time you came across Sherlock Holmes. Whether it was a Saturday afternoon matinee of a Basil Rathbone film, or a cracking open The Hound of the Baskervilles for the first time, you were hooked. But have you stopped to think about all of the firsts in the Canon? That is, what are some of the groundbreaking things t...

"he braced himself to tell his story" [BERY]    It's always a treat to have guests on our show when we air interviews. But two interviews in a single show? It just isn't done! Until now, that is. We were pleased to see Lynsday Faye, BSI ("Kitty Winter") at an event at Otto Penzler's Mysterious Bookshop, launching her newest book The Whole Art of Detection. We managed to take her gently by the elbo...

"have even contributed to the literature of the subject" [REDH]  We know that the field of writings about Sherlock Holmes has been plowed thoroughly for over 100 years. In fact, it began as far back as 1902, according to some research, being thrust into the limelight with the Oxford lectures of Fr. Ronald Knox. Publications like the Baker Street Journal and the Sherlock Holmes Journal have been cr...

"it is the only personal introduction" [SUSS]  "Just what the world needs," you tell yourself. "Another biography of Arthur Conan Doyle." Full disclosure: we thought the same thing. Until we read Arthur and Sherlock by Michael Sims. And then our attitudes changed. And then even more so after having a conversation with the author. Fortunately, we recorded that conversation and we're sharing it with...

"not enough to hold her back"  [YELL]     You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Sherlock Holmes news item these days. Wait — perhaps that's not the best metaphor. How about "you can't turn around without seeing a Sherlock Holmes story." Much better. We decided to pick a handful of news (and non-news) stories related to Sherlock Holmes and go to town. From Stephen Fry's recent audio recordin...