• The Countdown Continues for the second series of three Sherlock adventures from the BBC. The programs will air on PBS beginning May 6, when Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman return as Holmes and Watson. At the new PBS page promoting the series is a countdown clock, along with links to a variety of video clips, a "reader discretion advised" interview with Benedict Cumberbatch and a feature on Andrew Scott, who definitely portrays one of the more imaginative Moriartys. You can find it all here. The programs have already aired in the UK to near universal critical acclaim, and they promise to be a highlight of the current TV season for those who are already fans of the great detective. . .and those who will be. Some other links you will find of interest is the WGBH-TV website and the the Face Book Page. There will also be a live Twitter discussion during each of the three broadcasts with the Baker Street Blog, The Baker Street Babes, Lyndsay Faye, and Les Klinger ... @masterpiecepbs.
• The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University offers daytime courses, lectures, special events, and other activities, and OLLI has twice featured courses on "Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" The spring semester will include a third daytime course, described in the catalog as:
  
  We are continuing our exploration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this semester focusing on villains and villainy, since Conan Doyle was so expert in creating evil-doers. We will pay tribute to Professor Moriarty, who has been portrayed by many fine actors, most recently by Jared Harris in the Warner Bros. film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but also by Gustav von Seyffertitz, Eric Porter, Malcolm McDowell, John Huston, Leo McKern, and Laurence Olivier. Needless to say, there are other thoroughly despicable characters to be found in the Sherlock Holmes stories.
  
  There will be eight classes, on Mondays from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, from March 19 through May 7, and everyone is welcome to enroll. More information about OLLI is available here, and the course (F 402) is listed in their catalog here. The instructor is Peter E. Blau.
• Effort to Save Undershaw Gathers Steam. As the critical May 23 date approaches, the efforts of the Undershaw Preservation Trust have swung into high gear. On that date a hearing before England's High Courts of Justice will determine whether Conan Doyle's estate in Surry can be given over to crass residential development. At the Red Circle's December meeting Jacquelynn Morris gave an outstanding presentation on the campaign to save Undershaw. You can read the notes from that meeting here. The Trust now suggests that all who support its work do three things: first, sign the online petition. Many have already done this, but if you haven't, please do so here. Second, support the Trust's efforts by buying some of the items they're offering. Find them here. Third, have your Sherlockian society submit a letter of support. Happily, Peter Blau has already done this on behalf of The Red Circle. If you belong to other Sherlockian groups, you can spearhead a similar letter. You can find a sample here. As events progress, we'll keep you up to date in this column.

• Back in the fall we alerted you to a call for young people to audition for the Mt. Vernon Community Theatre's production of "The Speckled Band." Fourteen area teens have just completed their run in the dramatization of one of Conan Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes stories, and Bill Mosteller was one of those in the audience. Bill was quite impressed with the effort. He says that the acting was very much up to snuff, and that everything from the story to the adaptation to the costumes and the scenery were fine. Bill reports that this adaptation has all the action taking place at the Roylott home at Stoke Moran, and that Julia Stoner's death was portrayed very graphically onstage. Freestyle casting meant that Dr. Watson was portrayed by a young lady, and Bill tells us that the entire cast did a fine job.
• Cindy Coppock alerts us that CBS has ordered a pilot episode for a new Sherlock Holmes series to be called Elementary and set in modern-day New York City. Rumors about such a series have been swirling for months, and it appears that the producers are betting that the huge international success of the BBC's Sherlock will translate into strong interest in a Gotham-based 21st century Holmes and Watson. There are more details at Screen Rant, and there's a comprehensive unofficial fan site for the Sherlock series, Sherlockology, which is well worth a click. CBS has tapped British actor Jonny Lee Miller as the star of Elementary. In a strange twist of casting fate, the BBC's Sherlock series lead, Benedict Cumberbatch, was Miller's co-star onstage in London in Frankenstein last year. They both shared Best Actor prizes for their alternating roles in the play. Now they once again will share the same role, but in competing productions as 21st century consulting detectives. Actress Lucy Liu has been signed to play Dr. Watson in the CBS pilot. Laura Prudom, the assistant TV editor for the Huffington Post, has an interesting take on this effort. Read it here.

• For those who need to be reminded of the variety of ways Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed on screen for more than a century, the good folks at Rotten Tomatoes have posted a delightful slide show to jog our memories.

• We're not the only Red Circle. Doug Wrigglesworth (of The Bootmakers of Toronto) has kindly forwarded news of a new book about a different (and non-Sherlockian) Red Circle:The Red Circle - Americas Deadliest.
• Texas Sherlockian Steve Mason is doing some research for an upcoming presentation. He asks you to choose one memento from the Canon that you would like to receive and keep. It can be any physical item, but it must come directly from the Canon, not from a pastiche or other derivative work. Further, it must be something that you would agree to keep for the rest of your life, so avoid choosing your souvenir based merely on its intrinsic cash value. Drop Steve an e-mail with the name of the item, the story in which it is found, and your reason for wanting it. We'll reveal the results here in due course.

• The website Firstshowing.net claims that Sherlock Holmes is enjoying something of a "renaissance." Sherlockians know better: Holmes cannot be reborn simply because he has never died! Nevertheless, Firstshowing tells us that Sir Elton John will contribute to the current wave of Holmes films with Gnomeo and Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes. The film will feature "the greatest ornamental detective" as he searches for missing gnomes and investigates "crimes against gnomanity." Read Firstshowing's article here.

• Film Review. . .Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is reviewed by Red Circle webmaster Alan Rettig, with links to other reviews and commentary, and a chance for you to add your views.

• The Red Circle website celebrated its first birthday in November. Read webmaster Alan Rettig's look back at our first year online.

• Sound Suggestions Nea Dodson bills herself as a "Creature of Mad Enthusiasms," and one of them is Sherlock Holmes. She's posted a useful list of links to Sherlock Holmes audio programs and podcasts. Read the list here, and thanks to Tina Rhea for the heads up.
• "How did you first get interested in Holmes?" That's one of the most common questions among Sherlockians. Many answer--as does your webmaster--that someone very special gave us the Canon to read when we were kids. In a recent New York Times column, David Brooks talks about paracosms. An internet search reveals that a paracosm is "a detailed imaginary world involving humans and/or animals, or perhaps even fantasy. Often having its own geography, history and language, it is an experience that is developed during childhood and continues over a long period of time." Research on the subject has led to suggestions that paracosm may be linked to a child's loss of a loved one, or to a high level of creativity among those who experience the phenomenon. In his column Brooks links paracosms to Bruce Springsteen concerts in Europe, but Sherlockians will understand instantly how the idea may also apply to that world we share where it is always 1895. Read the column here. Ironically, your webmaster's spell check tells him that paracosm is not a word, but that Springsteen is.

• A Texas Trove There's an imposing collection of Sherlockiana and Doyleana at the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas at Austin. We're pleased to note that they've posted a fine description of the holdings, along with a really impressive slide show. Read and watch here. . .and be sure to blow up the slide show to full screen using the "four arrow" icon at the lower right corner of the picture box.

• Effort to Save Undershaw Successful; Judge Rules Against Development After hearing arguments on May 23, the Royal Court of Justice in London has quashed the decision by the Waverley Borough Council to grant planning permission to convert Conan Doyle's beloved home Undershaw into town homes, ruling that the action was legally flawed. The court's decision successfully ends the three-year battle to prevent what Sherlock producer, writer and performer Mark Gatiss has called "unsympathetic redevelopment." The ruling by Mr. Justice Cranston also orders the Waverly Borough Council to pay some $31,000 to offset legal fees incurred by the Undershaw Preservaton Trust and its founder, HolmesianJohn Gibson. After the ruling, the Trust's Facebook page said, "We're speechless and totally lost for words! But, WE DID IT! The team of over 13,000 has saved Undershaw." That team includes all those who signed the online petition and supported the effort in many other ways. Read about the decision in a press release from the Trust's law firm here and the Guardian's coverage here. UPDATE: On June 8, the Trust reported that the Waverley Borough Council has decided not to appeal the decision, but that the owners of the property, Fossway, have sent notification that they are appealing. This means a probable trip through the appeals court.

• Watson a Name? Richard Olken sends along this picture of a pony named Watson, newly-arrived in Virginia's horse country. Naturally, Richard asked the nagging question, "Is there a Sherlockian connection?" The owner's answer: The full name is "Elementary My Dear Watson." Or is it "Alimentary?"

• Olympic Connections The Olympics could never be held in London without attracting the notice of Sherlock Holmes. The BBC's current Sherlock,  Benedict Cumberbatch, narrates a lovely invitation to the games. It opened the BBC's coverage of the festivities and is available to all of us here. Then there's Wenlock. Wenlock is one of the mascots for the Olympics, named in honor of the Shropshire town that inspired the modern games. Statues of Wenlock in various guises have popped up here and there around town. Sherlock Wenlock is found (where else?) in Regent's Park. Finally, NBC's Keith Miller investigates the Sherlock Holmes phenomenon in a nice piece on the Today show, done in conjunction with the network's Olympic coverage. The segment features the Sherlock Holmes Society of London's Roger Johnson and two of the Baker Street Babes, Kristina Manente and Katherine Ryan. Watch it here.
• Did you say "The Baker Street Babes?" You bet we did. They're alive and well and living in central London and sometimes in the United States too. They're fans of Sherlock Holmes and proclaim their loyalty far and wide. Or as their website modestly says, "Central London overfloweth with gorgeous, intelligent women with a thirst for murder." While this might be questionable copy for a dating website (which theirs is not), their enthusiasm is infectious and their website overfloweth with fun articles and a podcast. Take a look (and a listen).

• The Disappearance (and Reappearance) of Sherlock Wenlock With the London Olympics now a memory, the statues of the games' mascot "Wenlock" have been put up for auction, with proceeds to charity. "Sherlock Wenlock" will soon depart Regent's Park (see note and photo below) and make his way to the town of Malvern in Worcestershire. An anonymous purchaser made the winning bid of some $10,000 at the urging of his young child, and will put Sherlock Wenlock on public display in Malvern for the enjoyment of all. And there's more to Sherlock Wenlock than initially meets the eye. The good folks atSherlockology have provided a detailed map to all the Sherlockian references included on the piece, and it's well worth a look. Take an "insider's tour" here.

• The Face of Rathbone Celebrity photographer Editta Sherman celebrated her 100th birthday in July with an exhibition at the 25CPW Gallery in New York. Working with a huge large-format camera in her Carnegie Hall studio, the flamboyant Sherman photographed a number of actors who portrayed Sherlock Holmes, including Charlton Heston, Christopher Plummer, Douglas Fairbanks and Basil Rathbone (pictured here). All four portraits were featured in the New York exhibit. Dubbed the "Duchess of Carnegie Hall," Sherman says she's thrilled to share her life's work with the world. To see the portraits of all four actors and short descriptions of their Sherlockian films, click here. (photo © Editta Sherman) Editor's Note: Sharp-eyed reader Gary Heiselberg points out that the photo identified in the show (and to the right) by Ms. Sherman as Basil Rathbone actually isn't. The best evidence seems to indicate that the photo is of another actor named Arnold Moss. A case of identity, indeed. Thanks to Gary for his detective work.

• The Great Hiatus Redux With the airing of "The Reichenbach Fall," the sixth episode of the BBC's Sherlock series, we are cast anew into that disquieting period of Holmeslessness known in Sherlockian circles as the Great Hiatus--the wide chasm between Reichenbach and resurrection. We must wait for the seventh episode to learn what form that resurrection will take, but unlike those who suffered through the original Great Hiatus at the end of the 19th century, we take comfort in the certain knowledge that Sherlock Holmes can never die. Your webmaster has never been fond of the "who's the best onscreen Sherlock" game, preferring instead to admire all the better efforts for their imagination and skill. Still, Danny Bowes casts a compelling vote for Benedict Cumberbatch in his article in indiewire, and attention must be paid. Bowes delivers a fine analysis of the series as a whole, and helps us look forward even more enthusiastically to its continuation. The article is highly recommended. Read it here.

• "No Kidding, Sherlockians Are About Having Fun" is title of an article featuring our own Peter Blau and published in the AAPG Explorer, the newsletter of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, of which Peter is a member. In the article Peter points out that in the Sherlock Holmes stories we first find a detective using geology to investigate crime. You can enjoy the entire article by clicking here.

• But can you get it at Simpson's?  Those among us who are wine lovers, whether serious oenophiles or mere grape nuts, may be interested in a new enterprise launched by Vamberry the wine merchant, who plans an annual offering of a limited-edition California wine. The enterprise is managed by serious Sherlockians with an interesting website.

• Portsmouth Celebrates Holmes The city of Portsmouth, whose bustling harbor is a prominent fixture of England's south coast, also harbors one of the finest collections of Sherlockiana anywhere. The late writer, collector and renowned Holmesian Richard Lancelyn Green donated a substantial portion of his holdings to Portsmouth. Green's bequest, said to be worth some $5 million, includes every Sherlockian collector's "brass ring," the Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887. This is the pulp-fiction "throw-away" magazine that happened to feature the first Sherlock Holmes story, "A Study in Scarlet." Portsmouth holds a unique place the history of Sherlock Holmes, and the City Museum there is mounting a special celebration in honor of the 125th anniversary of that singular Christmas annual and the seminal story within it. The photo shows museum volunteer Aneta Martiskova, with properly scarlet nail polish, reading from the Green/Portsmouth copy of Beeton's. You can read all about the doings here.

• The Case of the Broken Lamp The young folks who will turn out tomorrow's animated feature films are learning their craft at schools like TheRingling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, where Alberto Beguerie is a student. His two-minute film entitled The Case of the Broken Lamp mixes a film noir motif with youthful fun, and of course, a detective for all ages. Click it up and smile.

• Jeopardy Contestants Short on Sherlockian Savvy We've always had a hunch that among the editorial staff of the game show Jeopardy lurks a dyed-in-the-deerstalker Sherlockian. Questions about the great detective seem to appear frequently. On the program that aired October 4 there was an entire category about Sherlock Holmes Stories, but the three contestants fared rather badly. Here are the five questions. We won't insult you by giving the answers. . .$400 "This" in Scarlet (answered correctly); $800 A Scandal in this European Capital (no answer attempted); $1200 "This" league of ginger-haired (answered incorrectly); $1600 The Adventure of these men seen in a cypher (no answer attempted); $2000 This many Orange Pips (no answer attempted). Dear me, dear me.

• They're (Reichen) Ba-a-a-a-ck! A 70-member contingent from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London journeyed to Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls in September to once again re-enact the deadly struggle between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. The Red Circle's own Marcus Geisser, who's also a member of the London Society, was among the costumed pilgrims who braved the climb to take part in the Alpine antics. TheBBC News Magazine program covered the excursion and produced a lovely video record of the event, which features Society President Guy Marriott. You can watch it here, and don't miss the accompanying text.
• Behind the Canonical Screen Some 110 Sherlockians assembled at the UCLA School of Television, Film and Theater over the Labor Day weekend to survey the many onscreen interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. Sponsored jointly by UCLA and the Baker Street Irregulars, the seminars covered the arts, crafts and sciences of the Sherlockian celluloid legacy. The Red Circle was well represented at the gathering with eight stalwarts crossing the country to take part. Topics ranged from scripting to costumes to animation to the evolution of Feminism in Sherlockian film--and much more. The many highlights included a sparkling colloquy on scripting betweenscreenwriter/director John Landis and the author and screenwriter of The Seven Per Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer. Also featured was a screening of the pilot episode of the new CBS series Elementary, and a discussion with its producer,Robert Doherty. (Consensus view: Very good pilot; high hopes for the series, which Doherty expects to settle in as a consistently high quality "police procedural" program, with evolving characters and Sherlockian homages along the way). Saturday night was given over to a very special screening of the 1923 Stoll Pictures production of The Sign of Four, starring Eille Norwood. The presentation featured live piano accompaniment by film historian and composerPhilip Carli, who has added music to many silent films. The entire weekend was acclaimed as a rousing success, and the applause was long and loud for principal organizers Mike Kean and Les Klinger.
• When the Wiener Was Schnitzel Many Red Circle veterans will fondly recall Haussner's in Baltimore, where we met for drinks and dinner after runnings of the Silver Blaze from 1973 to 1998, while Pimlico racetrack was still hospitable to groups. Haussner's was an institution, and deservedly so. There you could see the world's second-largest ball of string, pieces of the world's largest painting, and the art collected by the family over the years. Haussner's closed in 1999 but there are some reminiscent glimpses of the restaurant in this film.

Archive 2012

Here are items that have appeared on our front page feature section, "The Inner Circle," in 2012. We have included those items that may have some continuing interest; however, some of the links in the items may no longer function due to the removal from the internet of the underlying material.

To review the archives of other sections of our website, click here.