On the trail of Sherlock Holmes , and leading up to today's summer reading list. . . .

The Sherlock Holmes trail. . .

Brad's summer reading list - #10 - Gloria Scott (GLOR) - Not a luxury cruise at all.

There are several good points worth discussing in GLOR.

The one point picked up most of all, usually, is the information that is provided about a younger Sherlock Holmes and his time before Baker St. His college years.
We learn of his studies, or lack there of.
We learn of his interest in the martial skills of boxing and fencing.
We learn that indeed Sherlock did form a friendship, again with a person very much not like himself, and seemingly very much like Watson. (Read Brad's take on this relationship at Sherlock Peoria.)
And we also learn that Sherlock was in tune with the feelings of this friend when we realize that he shorten his vacation because he felt his presences seemed to put a burden on the young master of the house.

But for me the story once again is in the surroundings and not the case.
And with most stories I like to chose some thing within the 'stage props' to focus on.

It is quite evident that Watson (Doyle) was very up on his knowledge of nautical terms and meanings.
We know Watson took at least one long sea voyage, We also know Doyle served on a ship as ships doctor.
And we know both men were astute observers and would have picked up a good deal more knowledge than most.
Several cases of Holmes involve adventures that took place aboard ship, or at least required long sea voyages at one point or another.
The one thing that jumped out for we on the re-reading of GLOR was the words 'picking my salt meat out of the harness cask'. More specifically 'harness cask'.
That's not a phrase you are going to hear on a modern cruise ship, that's for sure.
Imagine if you will, in your work environment, having each meal during your working hours being placed in a large tub in the middle of the work room floor. And it is from this tub you get your food. Most often hard biscuits and salted meat. Then imagine if you will doing this for two years or longer. And said food would not have been in a zip-lock bag. No nice igloo cooler.

The image to the left shows the ships cooper 'coopering' the harness cask.

A ships coopers job was maintaining the barrels used on a ship.

What warrants thinking about here is the conditions of sailors at this time in history. It was a very hard life, with much risk to the individual.

This cask would have been lashed down in some way to prevent it moving or spilling in rough seas.
And there would have been a very specialized knot or hitch for holding that barrel down.

Check out this wonderful book about knots and see how many are no longer used. (and rope is made out of different materials now, so many of these knots are no longer usable. Nylon and hemp do not react the same way, so can not be used in all cases the same way.)

Like the food served to the crew, water would have been obtained the same way, a mutual barrel.

Coopers, like so many other jobs casually described in the Canon are jobs that either no longer exist or are at least rare.

One interesting bit of research I did once, based on a Canonical reference, was how Holmes was able to describe peoples occupations by what they were wearing. A butcher say would wear a different type of apron than say a baker. A sail maker would wear a different type of glove compared to a press operator.

How many modern occupations now a days are recognizable by clothes or uniforms. Some still, but not as many. (Some time, when sitting in a bar at happy hour, make a game with a friend out of trying to figure out what people do by how they are dressed.)

Another interesting thing about the words 'harness-cask' is to wonder how many of our modern terms will be around in fifty or a hundred years. How many readers of our modern mysteries will know the a word, say, like eight track or CD.

Most of us Sherlockians would love to decorate a room in our homes to look like 221b Baker St. with what to us are antiques, but to Watson would have been modern conveniences and decor.

So much about the research into the Canon becomes more than just finding out facts, it becomes a history lesson. And in doing that research for ourselves, we preserve a little bit of knowledge for the next generation.

One other point I would like you to consider is; How many of the wealthy men involved in the cases of Sherlock Holmes gained there wealth after or being involved in some crime?

Seven Degrees of Sherlock Holmes - #57 - Shemp Howard

Known mostly for being a Stooge, Shemp Howard did have a solo career for a while.

Shemp Howard ( 1895-1955)

Starred in 1944's "Crazy Knights"

which also featured boxer/actor Maxie Rosenbloom (1907-1976)

who was also in the film from 1937 called "Nothing Sacred"

which featured Fredric March (1897-1975)

who took part in "Mary of Scotland" (1936)

in which John Carradine (1906-1988) was also featured

and we already know of John Carradine's for his appearance in 1939's "Hound of the Baskervilles"

In honor of the Chester Baskerville Society, and also to Brad's earlier post.

Popeye: 10 things you never knew

Popeye first appeared 85 years ago, in a comic strip by the cartoonist Elzie Segar. Here are 10 unexpected facts about everyone's favourite one-eyed sailor

Three views of the famous cartoon character Popeye Photo: ALAMY/EVERETT COLLECTION/REX

By Rebecca Hawkes

5:03PM BST 01 Jul 2014

10 Comments

1. Popeye and Olive Oyl were real people

Well, they were based on real people. When Elzie Segar introduced Popeye in a 1929 comic strip, he drew his inspiration for the sailor from a character from his hometown of Chester, Illinois – a one-eyed man named Frank 'Rocky' Fiegal. Fiegal, who shared Popeye's fondness for fighting and pipe-smoking, was apparently rather flattered by his link to the cartoon: when he died in 1947, his gravestone was inscribed with the words "inspiration for Popeye." Olive Oyl was based on another of Segar's neighbours – a very tall, slim woman named Dora Paskel, who usually wore her hair in a bun.

^{Dora Paskel, believed to be the inspiration behind Olive Oyl (PICTURE: AP)}

2. He convinced American kids to eat spinach

As all Popeye fans know, whenever the sailor feels in need of some extra strength, he simply downs a tin of spinach, and instantly sprouts bulging biceps. During the Great Depression, a 33% increase in spinach consumption was widely attributed to the character's popularity and his famous fondness for the green stuff. Rather endearingly, spinach was also listed as the third favourite food of American children at the time (after turkey and icecream). However, the cartoon's link between spinach and rapidly expanding muscles actually had its roots in a scientific mistake: due to a misplaced decimal point in an 1870 medical journal, many people in the Thirties believed spinach held 10 times more iron than it really did.

3. He was the first cartoon character to get his very own statue...

...also thanks to the spinach. A full-colour Popeye statue was erected in Crystal City, Texas, in 1937, to celebrate the boost to the region's spinach-growing industry. Meanwhile, earlier this year, billionaire casino tycoon Steve Wynn paid $28 million for a statue of Popeye by the artist Jeff Koons.

4. He didn't always rely on spinach for a boost

In Segar's very early comics, Popeye gained his superhuman strength by patting the head of a magical creature called a whiffle hen. The whiffle hen – known in the comic strip as Bernice – granted good luck to anyone who rubbed her feathers. In one early storyline, Popeye is shot at a casino (presumably not one of Steve Wynn's), and uses Bernice's powers to regain his health.

5. He was originally just an extra

The very first time Popeye appears, in a 1929 newspaper comic strip called Thimble Theatre, he's a sidekick rather than a star. Popeye creator Elzie Segar's stories originally revolved around the lives of Olive Oyl and her extended family (including a brother known as Castor Oyl). However, when the Popeye character was introduced, he proved so popular, Segar was soon forced to make the strip all about him.

^{Bluto, Olive Oyl and Popeye, in one of the early cartoons (PICTURE: ALAMY)}

6. He turned the Empire State Building green

In 2004, the Empire State building was illuminated in green (as in, spinach-green) light to celebrate the 75th birthday of the famous cartoon character.

7. The voice of Popeye ended up marrying the voice of Olive Oyl

Popeye was first turned into a series of short animated films in 1933, with the character making his big-screen debut alongside another famous cartoon, Betty Boop. The films usually saw the sailor compete with the villainous Bluto for the affections of Olive Oyl – Popeye's capricious, usually angry, often unfaithful sweetheart (exactly why Olive Oyl inspired such devotion from one man, let alone two, remains a mystery). From 1935 onwards, Popeye was voiced by the actor Jack Mercer, who went on to voice the character for the next 40 years. Between 1938 and 1942, Mercer was also married to Margie Hynes, who provided the voice of Olive Oyl.

8. He gave us the word "wimp"

In the original Popeye comic strips, Segar introduced a cowardly, overweight, hamburger-loving character named J. Wellington Wimpy (reputedly based on one of Segar's former bosses). The character later inspired both the insult "a wimp", and the restaraunt chain, Wimpy's.

9. He has his own themepark

In 1980, Robert Altman released Popeye, a live-action film adaptation of the Popeye cartoons, which starred Robin Williams as the sailor in his first-ever big-screen role. The film was produced in Malta, and, after filming wrapped, the set was turned into a tourist attraction, known as Popeye Village. Visitors to Popeye Village can experience rides, shows, a Popeye museum, and, rather appropriately, a boat trip.

10. The famous Popeye themetune is based on Gilbert and Sullivan

The Popeye the Sailor Man tune, which accompanied the original cartoons, was composed by the Romanian-born US songwriter, Sammy Lerner. Impressively, it took him less than two hours to devise the song. The melody is loosely based on the opening lines of the "I am a Pirate King" song from Gilbert and Sullivan's 1880 operetta, The Pirates of Penzance.

Sherlock Peoria

Rather well done. . . .

Can be found here.




















The original.

Brad's summer reading list - #9 - ENGI - No longer two thumbs up.

The Engineers Thumb is one of my favorites.
Not because the case is all that great, after all, the only thing Holmes really did was figure out how far from town the house was. And even that required no extra energy from Holmes, because the fire proved to be the last pin needed on the map.
And if we really think about it, that is the only thing nearing a deduction that takes place in the whole story.
We had no parlor tricks as Holmes explains to Watson or Lestrade how such-and-such on a you-know-what, means that you-know-who did you-know-what.
There was not gathering of evidence or days of pursuing small leads.
The case is like Watson said, included for it's grotesque nature and not deductive puzzle.

Watson is not at Baker St. and is happily married to Mary, but Mary once again does not make an appearance and has no dialog.
He is doing well, and can afford a maid.
He keeps in contact with Holmes, but has his own life.
I love the fact that Holmes and Watson like bacon and eggs for breakfast. Well, we at least hope so, for that's what they got.
Mrs. Hudson is not mentioned, but we assume she is the one who cooked said breakfast.
The client seems to have a little more back bone than some we've seen.
And there are a few similarities to GREE. And HOUN as far as it goes with a woman trying to warn off one of our leads.

The thing I really like about ENGI is how there is so much other stuff you can investigate in the story.
And, as is important to me. . . . there is a beer connection.
And, almost as important, there is a personal connection to Queen Victoria, or at least her comfort, and it may even be argued, her privacy.

If you have followed this blog at all, you know finding a connection between Holmes and Watson and beer is important to me.

So, the case involves a young engineer who is hired to inspect an Hydraulic Machine, but comes to realize he has been lied to about the use for the machine.
And while trying to escape receives a grim wound. The reason Watson becomes involved, and then Sherlock.

But how you ask. . . "Does all this have to do with beer, Queen Victoria's comfort and privacy?"

Well, it all comes down to the reason young Mr. Hatherley became involved.
The hydraulic machine.

One of the founding fathers of Hydraulic Engineering and the Hydraulic Press was an Englishman named Joseph Bramah (1748-1814), a Yorkshire man.

Now, not being an engineer, I don't know if society could live without hydraulic machines or not.
But being a beer drinker, I know we can not live without the 'beer engine'.
It may be argued that the beer engine has done more (good or bad) for English society than the hydraulic press could ever do.
The beer engine is the device that allows beer to be drawn from it's cask and up and out to a glass. Joseph Bramah was important in the improvement of that device.
As if this man has not done enough to help in the creation of the Victorian world we love about Sherlock Holmes he does not rest on his laurels.

Nope. Just like the rest of us, he chooses to rest, at least from a period of time each day, on another part of his anatomy.
You see, Mr. Bramah was also an important mover in the world of toilets. He did not invent the flap that is now so common in commodes, but he did make it more common for his countrymen. No longer were our seats freezing in colder weather.
How, pray tell, does this involve the Queen?
Well, some of the water closets he helped develop were installed in the Queens estate at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. And they are still working to this day.
And if the Queen ever felt insecure about her privacy in the water closet she could have also installed a lock from Bramah's lock company.

What could be asked more of a man than to have helped in delivery of beer, relief from it's consumption and the possibility of privacy while doing so?

Like so many other cases of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, there are clues buried within.

Cheers!

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes will be coming to St. Louis!!!

ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER

Opening 10/09/2014 — St. Louis, MO

Thanks for the update Parallelogram

Just fount this out. Something to look forward to this fall.

Here is a link.

Seven Degrees of Sherlock Holmes - #56 - up-and-comer Logan Lerman

Logan Lerman (1992)

was in 2000's big hit "Patriot"

which featured actor Tom Wilkinson (1948)

who was also in 1997's "Wilde"

which featured Sherlockian participants Jude Law

and Stephen Fry

So, there you have it, there you are.

Brad's summer reading list - #8 - The Man with the Twisted Lip (TWIS) Watson was missed more than we realize.

I like TWIS.

It has Mary, although she is never named.

Watson is married, but so far for just a short time.

They have a nice house with staff. Is Watson making good money or is Mary paying for it?

And it has another strong woman character.

It would be interesting to go back (yet another potential paper) and see how many shrinking violets (no pun intended) there are in the Canon. There are lots of men, noble and other wise, who crumble under the strain in one case or another. 

But how about the women. We don't find many, if any, who give up and just buckle under the pressure.

Well, except for maybe Katy Whitney. But she has after all been putting up with her husbands bad habits for a long time. But even her 'loss of self-control' is brief and no smelling salts are required.

But I think the key point to this case is how much Holmes missed and needed Watson. (As if we didn't already know that!)

One of the main things Holmes had always valued about Watson was his ability to remain silent, or as Holmes has recently commented, Watson's 'gift of silence'.

But it wasn't only that gift that was important, but also Watson's gift of being a good listener.

I think it could be said that Holmes was at his best when Watson was around as a sounding board for his ideas. Sometimes just saying something out load can clarify an idea, or even prove that the idea is not a good one.

And many times that was Watson's roll. Just having someone to say things out loud to would validate or cancel a conclusion for Holmes. Watson's comments were not even necessary most of the time.

But in TWIS Holmes does not have Watson as his filter, at least at the beginning,  and perhaps he then over thinks the problem of Neville St. Clair.

But once Watson finds Holmes (or is it the other way around) Holmes can once again verbally lay out his case and find or lose validation.

As we know, Watson may not be the light itself, but he at least proves to be the catalyst.

Oh, um, and it does have Mary.

And a reference to beer!

Brad's summer reading list - # 7- GREE

Once again, intrigue from a foreign land.
Mainly because I haven't the mental energy this morning to produce a work of even minor scholarly worth, I am going to suggest an inquiry instead. In other words; I am hoping someone with more mental energy than I will have a more scholarly answer.
But before we begin.

If for not other reason than this line, “Because my brother Mycroft possesses it in a larger degree than I do.”, GREE would forever find itself in the annals of Sherlock Holmes Canon.

In reality, for better or worse, this line and a few surrounding passages probably get more focus than anything else in this case. Mycroft appears or is mentioned in only four tales in the Canon. GREE is his introduction. And ever since then we Sherlockians have been trying to put a face on his personality and character, just like we have done with Holmes, Watson and many others in the stories.
(I actually like Stephen Fry as Mycroft in many ways in the RDJ movies.)

The story starts in Baker St. with Holmes and Watson after afternoon tea ( how many times do we hear that in the Canon?) discussing a variety of topics eventually coming around to how heredity effects ones talents or abilities. It not only sounds like an interesting conversation, but it is comforting to know that Holmes and Watson would at times just relax and enjoy each others company when not involved in a case. One of those minor things we may at times overlook.

It is during this conversation that Mycroft's name comes up. And although we hear very little of Mycroft as the cases go by, we are lead to believe at one time in GREE that the brothers may have more contact than we may first imagine.

But that's for another time. (A gasp goes up from my reading audience.)

What I am seeking today is answer to a question that has arisen from Brad's summer reading list.
And that is; Who many cases of Sherlock Holmes involve intrigue that is generated from some foreign country, either in it's participants or origin of the crime?
Just going over several of my favorites I find that most of them involve someone or something of a non-British nature.
It is interesting.
Anyone care to give me an informed or uninformed idea?