The Game Is Afoot: For all things Sherlockian

[Rob Allen]

Or one about Doyle's mentor and inspiration for Holmes.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bell: "The BBC television series Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes was a fictionalized account of Doyle's time as Bell's clerk. The series may have exaggerated Bell's criminal investigations as well as the degree to which Holmes was based on Bell (played by Ian Richardson), and it positioned Doyle in the role of a Dr. Watson to Bell's Holmes. The original one-off production, which led to the later series, was released on DVD and VHS in the US in 2003, titled Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle – The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes."

It goes on to list other works inspired by Bell, including a comic book.

[achilles]

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bell: "The BBC television series Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes was a fictionalized account of Doyle's time as Bell's clerk. The series may have exaggerated Bell's criminal investigations as well as the degree to which Holmes was based on Bell (played by Ian Richardson), and it positioned Doyle in the role of a Dr. Watson to Bell's Holmes. The original one-off production, which led to the later series, was released on DVD and VHS in the US in 2003, titled Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle – The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes."
havIt goes on to list other works inspired by Bell, including a comic book.

Awesome. Should have known there would be though. It's too obvious.

[seismic-2]

A sort of blending of the character of Holmes and the medical background of Doyle led to the final realization (after many changes) of the TV medical drama series House. The connections are explained in some detail on Wikipedia here.

[Greg Hatcher]

To be honest, I'd love a story about the real life friendship and break-up of said friendship between Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, (or for that matter between Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla). Or one about Doyle's mentor and inspiration for Holmes.

Houdini and Doyle....

[Greg Hatcher]

...and Dr. Bell.

[foxley]

And Dynamite Entertainment did a 5 issue Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini miniseries in 2014, riffing on the friendship between Doyle and Houdini.

[achilles]

Wow, thanks everyone. I just thought those things would be nice to see, never thinking that other people agreed enough with me to actually do those projects. Going to check them all out.

[Riv86672]

I keep meaning to mention a few of my favorite pastiches. I got interested back in 1975; my interest in Holmes was re-awakened by The Seven Per Cent Solution. I was fourteen and for about a day and a half it fooled me into thinking Holmes was real. I picked it up from the paperback stand at the grocery store next to whjere I bought my comics and didn't put it down till I'd finished it.

Of course Meyer started something of a cottage industry and he's done three more of his own... and they are all pretty good, but that first one was lightning in a bottle.

But it also served to demonstrate to me that there was MORE HOLMES out there to read. Even back in the seventies there were a lot of them out there. For a long time this was my favorite.

And this is my favorite done for comics.



And lately I think Lyndsay Faye is the one to beat.


I could go on, but I'm curious about you all. Whatcha got?

Thanks for sharing these.
I read Scarlet in Gaslight based on your recommendation and it was really good!

My contribution is a reimagining of Holmes and Watson into a modern urban setting I ran across last year...



...it’s by Karl Bollers and Rick Leonardi. Storywise it was interesting though it didn’t blow me away; the art was top notch.

Houdini and Doyle....

I really enjoyed this short lived series.
I was surprised at how the tragedies in their lives weren’t glossed over but instead used to drive the narrative.

[seismic-2]

I have not read this, and in fact until yesterday I was unaware of its existence. However, in light of the season I call your attention to it:



Here's the synposis: "While Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson sit comfortably by their fireplace on the evening of December 24th of 1894, Dr. Watson's memory of previous Christmas Eves draws forth an unexpected response from his companion. Holmes, normally very reticent to speak about his early life, meditatively recalls a particular incident that happened on the same date in his own past: that when he was a very young man, before ever meeting Watson, he had occasion to meet and to be of great service to none other than a very old Ebeneezer Scrooge." The author is a retired reference librarian.

[foxley]

On that subject, Holmes for the Holidays is a collection of Christmas-themed Holmes pastiches, and contains three stories linking Holmes to A Christmas Carol.

[Greg Hatcher]

I've given that as a gift a number of times over the last couple of decades.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

On that subject, Holmes for the Holidays is a collection of Christmas-themed Holmes pastiches, and contains three stories linking Holmes to A Christmas Carol.

That looks plenty darn interesting!

[foxley]

That looks plenty darn interesting!

It's a pretty good collection. I've just learned that there is a second volume More Holmes for the Holidays and have ordered a copy.

[foxley]

In a discussion I was having regarding the passing of Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), I mentioned that one of my favourite episodes is "Up to Bat" in which the Professor and Skipper appear as a parody of Holmes and Watson.

The more I thought about this, the more I realised that while Alan Hale, Jr.'s performance is a very good parody of Nigel Bruce's Watson, Russell Johnson (who was a very talented actor and deserves to be remembered as more than just the Professor) does an excellent Holmes, and could have been brilliant playing a straight version of the character. He even looks the part. (He reminds me a bit of John Neville in A Study in Terror.)

Russell Johnson.jpg

What other actors do people think would have been good as Sherlock but never played the role?

[Greg Hatcher]

Mark Strong. How you have him in a Holmes movie but NOT playing Holmes is just nuts.