Seven Degrees of Sherlock Holmes #21 - Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)

Did not turn out hard at all on this one.
(I needed an easy week.)

The mountain of a man himself 'The Rock' Dwayne Johnson - 1972

was in the family fun film 'Journey 2; Mysterious Island' - 2012

which featured Mr. Without-a-Clue himself, Michael Caine - 1933

who played Sherlock Holmes in 1988's, well, 'Without A Clue' 

There you have it, there you are.

Was the scene in 'Without a Clue' where the dog keeps going after 'Holmes' a bow to HOUN?

My favorite quote from a recent podcast . .

that pretty well covers the caliber of the content is. . .

Reapersun: Well, I need to admit that I’m a really disgusting fan, and I got into it based on BBC–

Curly: There’s nothing wrong with that.

Reapersun: I still haven’t read all the stories.

Curly: That’s okay.

Liz: There’s a lot of them — it’s not like you were just going to sit and suddenly read thousands and thousands of pages, so…

(and since 'Sherlock' has been out for almost four years, why would you read the stories anyway?)

There was an agenda to this podcast, but it was not Sherlock Holmes.

On another note;

It also kinda amazes me that someone can hate 'Elementary' so much, yet give this type of podcast as much relevance as he does. There is tongue-in-cheek, there is irreverence, there is humor and there is inappropriate, Canonically speaking.

And still another note;

And the man trying to get all control of Holmes away from Doyle's estate collects Sherlockian porn, and he is considered a highly respectable Sherlockian. Sherlock Holmes has done well enough over all these years.

Don't know what to think about that one.

A good read

"Britain lost one million souls during the war of 1914-18 and of the millions who came home to the ‘Land fit for heroes’ a number went on to achieve their version of stardom or notoriety…"  This is how one reviewer starts his review of 'Famous 1914-1918.

It is filled with interesting stories about many famous Britain's and there experiences in WW1.
They include; A.A.Milne, J.R.R. Tolkien and of course Churchill and Mallory.
And for us Sherlockians the inclusion of Rathbone and Bruce.

We sometimes don't remember or realize that many of our favorite personalities had lives other than the way we see them on screen or in the news.
This book reminds us of that.
Each section is short and insightful.
A quick and easy read..

Both Rathbone and Bruce suffered great injury or loss in the war, and much of it must have remained with them the rest of their lives.


(Rathbone in uniform)

Play the Game where ever you like.

Paper Holmes

I believe he has a set of 'Sherlock' also.

Legendary Dartmoor and 'Sherlock'

Sherlock and the Hound

Tour de Hound - Chapter 7 - Brighter days - Watson very Lucy Liu like? - contradictions

Having depleted most words describing a bleak environment in the last chapter, Sunday morning could hardly start off anyway but brighter.
Where last night all seemed "shadowed and gloom" and everything seemed "hushed and subdued", we now find the morning sun making things glow and seem bronzed. We must have been very tired and chilled to ever think this wonderful old hall could serve up despair.

I think we would have all slept well if not for the dripping of the tap or crying of a women somewhere in the house.

Barrymore said he heard no crying and that it was probably a drippy gutter or swallows in the chimney.
You could tell be the look of Mrs. Barrymore's face that something had kept her awake also.

So we begin another day.

It would seem in this chapter that Watson has started to make some astute observation that would practically elevate him to a level well above Lestrade.

But when it comes right down to it, given the information he already has, they become pretty obvious.
Yet he is very resolute in his investigation.

His first deduction of the morning, correctly I might add, is that there was definitely a women crying in the night. And Barrymore's lying about this also convinces Watson that he, Barrymore, is hiding something.
Watson satisfies this observation by noting Mrs. Barrymore's face shortly after the interview with the butler.

In an attempt to once again try to prove Barrymore's culpability in the death of Sir Charles he pursues an inquiry into the possibility that the telegram sent to Barrymore was never actually given to him in person.
He follows up on this with the Postmaster of Grimpen.

James, the postmasters son, finally confesses that indeed Barrymore did not receive the letter himself, leaving open the possibility that he, Barrymore, was not at Baskerville Hall at all.

Watson is doing what most detectives have to do and that is follow any and all leads till they prove useful or not in the resolution of a crime.




As the above investigation shows, in this chapter, for every bit of good we find in Baskerville Hall and the surrounding moors, something questionable takes place. For every pleasant image we see, one cloudy appears right after it.

We are not left for long satisfied that the Hall is casting a more pleasing atmosphere, before we are reminded of the mournful weeping we heard in the night.

(Dr. Moritmer's place?)

We aren't long allowed a quiet stroll to the village Post Office before we learn requested chores were not carried out as directed,  leaving us to question our inquiry.

And so it goes throughout this chapter. For each seemly pleasant image we observe or are introduce to, we just as quickly are required to make a complete one eighty to observe an image of suspense, sorrow or question;

Net in hand, Stapleton first appears to be charming and friendly, but Watson soon finds reason to doubt first impressions.

A wonderful introduction and history lesson to the moors, only to be tainted be the death of a moor-land pony.

Beautiful island like refuge for flora and fauna, surround by sucking bog-holes.

A beautiful "proud, finely cut" women comes running up the lane, only to dash poor Watson's heart with an ill-timed warning to Sir Henry. (Twice I might add.)

A short chapter, with many contradictions. One to keep us off balance and not relaxed. We are never allowed to just have a peaceful day in our new surrounding, no break, completely, from the suspense the legend created. More tantalizing clues, but none resolved. I can not think in this chapter an image described that is not two sided.

(Merripit House?)

(And how come I never noticed the "strange, wizened, rusty-coated old manservant" before.
And does he smell of dog food? And will we meet him again?)

What we also see here is a Watson very much trying to meet up to Sherlock's implied expectations and come up with details Holmes can use in this case. While I on the other hand would just find a nice pub and wait for Sir Henry to finish his paper work.

The whole exchange at the post office is cut from the Granada episodes, with there being a post mistress instead.

Cool image . . .

FROM

And while you are there.

Seven Degrees of Sherlock Holmes #20 - Diva addition - Bette Midler - very apropros

Didn't plan it this way, had to do more digging than most on this one, but it has connections with this months tour.

The divine Bette Midler (1945)

had a small uncredited part in 1995's 'Get Shorty' - 

which featured John Travolta (1954) - 

who also participate in the low budget thriller, 'Devils Rain' - 1975

which proudly also featured William Shatner (1931) - 

who played Stapleton in 1972's 'Hound of the Baskervilles' - 

as a side note Shatner's 'Star Trek' co-star, Leonard Nimoy (1931) played Sherlock Holmes on stage

There you have it,there you are.

Do you agree with these suggestions?

Fan Cast

Chapter Six - 'Cloudy with a chance of murder' - going it alone

Having had my ticket refunded by 'Snarky Tours',

I find myself making my way to Paddingtion Station from Baker St., a distance of just over a mile and a half.

Having abandoned the tour, I found I could have a first class carriage to myself, gladly not having to share with snarky groupies.

A nice peaceful ride of just under two hundred miles to a little way- station just outside Princeton, which, if you remember, is fourteen miles away from Baskerville Hall.

And so the tale starts.

Chapter Six could arguably place very high on any top ten list of most atmospherically descriptive chapters or sections in the Canon. Not a chapter to read alone by a fireplace with a glass of wine (OK, depends how much wine you have). If the legend of the hound hasn't already put us in a Gothic horror story mood, then the ride from Paddingtion Station to Baskerville Hall surely must.

And it starts within a few paragraphs of the opening of the chapter.

Before the train even leaves the station, Holmes has posted two warnings to our travelers.

First to Watson, asking if he is carrying arms, encouraging him to keep them near at hand.

Second (the often quoted) warning goes to Sir Henry suggesting he not go out on the moor alone especially 'in those hours of darkness when the powers of evil are exalted." (See, I told you it is quoted a lot.)

If we were filming most of the rest of this chapter, we would start with bright comforting colors, our camera angle set to represent confidence and adventure. 

As the train gets nearer it's destination and our travels take us to the hall, our colors would shift to a more sober mood, our camera angle changing to represent environmental closeness and forebode.

What better mode of transportation for a Sherlock Holmes story to make this transition on, if the journey is to far for a hansom cab, than by train. If you are not going to have hansom's, you have to have trains!

If you type into google 'Sidney Pagets Sherlock Holmes' you come up with this image within the first couple of hits. . . ,

. .  and although this is from SILV, who would not agree that trains are as iconic to the Holmes image as are his pipe, the hansom cab, 221b and Watson. (I am sure you have others you would add to this list).

And at least for a little while we get to enjoy this ride in the comfort of a first class car, just for a little while forgetting the legend and the adventure that may lay ahead.

Although Sir Henry is happily greeted by porter and station master the gloom quickly deepens as we notice armed policemen and that, as Watson states, "behind the peaceful and sunlit countryside, there rose ever, dark against the evening sky, the long, gloomy curve of the moor,. . ."

Watson even finds a way to make the autumn leaves, normally considered a colorful end to summer, seem like a ground covering of despair and gloom, ". . . sad gifts, as it seemed to me, for Nature to throw before the carriage of the returning heir. . ."

Wow! talk about sucking the life out of a pleasant train ride. 

Not only is nature not cooperating in setting a pleasant mood, be we soon learn a murderer is on the loss, and it's not Hugh Grant of Notting Hill fame, but Selden of the Notting Hill murders. Dark mounted figures silhouetted against the evening sky searching for the killer.

We can't even see the hall yet and I am ready to go back to my first class compartment and head back to London.

One of my minds favorite images, not quite yet captured the way I see it by canvas or film, is of the little wagonette coming over that slight rise and looking down into 'that cuplike depression' and seeing Baskerville Hall for the first time. 

If someone finds a painting or photo that really depicts this scene, please send me a link. Let the director of 'War Horse' please recreate it!

Although Sidney Paget captures several images of the wagonette, he did not attempt to capture this first sighting with the hall below the rise. (One of my favorite things in the Canon is looking up the many different types or modes of transportation both Holmes and Watson use.)

And as our party arrives at the hall the mood gets no better at the sight of the old black granite monolith, nor does it improve as we sup in the dark building. Even the remains of the old lodge house are described as a skeleton against the evening sky, "The lodge was a ruin of black granite and bared ribs of rafters,. . . .". 

Following is a list of words or phrases Watson uses to set the mood of this chapter. If I repeat any, it is because Watson used them more than once.

Gray melancholy

Strange, jagged summit

Dim and vague

Strange spot

Dark, expressive

Forbidding moor

Hard faced

dark.

gloomy

jagged, sinister

rotting vegetation

sad gifts

Dark and stern

mottled, gnarled

craggy

cold wind 

shivering

malignancy

desolate

lurking, rustle

grim, barren, waste

bleaker, wilder, stunted

twisted, fury, shadow, gloom

bared rib

somber tunnel

shuddered, dull, heavy, clanged, heavily

subdued

smoke darkened, black clothed

daunted, moaned, weary, deathly, strangling gasp

Most of these words and phrases start coming pretty quickly the further we get away from Paddington Station.

It's not a long chapter, but that sure is a lot of bleak description in one chapter.

I think the mood has been set. If something bad doesn't happen now, we will surely be disappointed.

Several years ago our scion made the pilgrimage to Dartmoor to experience the setting ourselves.

It is well worth the trip. We saw the tors, the stone circles. Had great scones in a wonderful tea room.

Pints in Moretonhampstead (which is notable for having the longest one-word  name of any place in England) at the White Hart Hotel.

And since we are on Hound, and we have added thoughts about the Brett series, next time you watch it, count how many times Watson checks his gun.

Well time to shudder the windows and hope the next part of our trip is a little less ____( pick word from above list)_____.