BOYHOOD IDOLS-SHERLOCK HOLMES

update - 17 Oct 2009 - Following the successful Saint Weekend on the Archive, this November (2009) will see a Sherlock Holmes weekend with features, interviews and every story reviewed.

Holmes fans keep coming back to make sure you don't miss this.


The legend of Sherlock Holmes has grown beyond the original canon of 60 stories written by Conan Doyle - Holmes has appeared in outer space, on foreign islands, in time zones other than his own and in comics, cartoons, films, computer games even on T-shirts, posters, mugs. There have been some nutty pastiches and parodies - I read a story as a child and I can't for the life of me remember either the author or the title.In this story there are two motor car detectives and the entire things is written so the detective car can deliver the punchline, "Elementary my dear Datsun" at the end of the story.

Anyone know what this was?







There is not one single section of popular culture that the character has not become a part of. As I write this post I am sipping from a Sherlock Holmes mug and my pipe is filled with Dunhills Sherlock Holmes blend.



THE ORIGINAL STORIES: List courtesy of The Baker Street Connection -

The first published Sherlock Holme

s story in 1887
• A Study in Scarlet 1888
• The Sign of Four 1890

• Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1892
  • A Scandal in Bohemia
  • The Red-headed League
  • A Case of Identity
  • The Boscombe Valley Mystery
  • The Five Orange Pips
  • The Man with the Twisted Lip
  • The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
  • The Adventure of the Speckled Band
  • The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
  • The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
  • The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
  • The Adventure of the Copper Beeches
• Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 1894
  • Silver Blaze
  • The Yellow Face
  • The Stock-broker's Clerk
  • The "Gloria Scott"
  • The Musgrave Ritual
  • The Reigate Puzzle
  • The Crooked Man
  • The Resident Patient
  • The Greek Interpreter
  • The Naval Treaty
  • The Final Problem
• The Hound of the Baskervilles 1902
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1905
  • The Adventure of the Empty House
  • The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
  • The Adventure of the Dancing Men
  • The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
  • The Adventure of the Priory School
  • The Adventure of Black Peter
  • The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
  • The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
  • The Adventure of the Three Students
  • The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
  • The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
  • The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
  • The Adventure of the Second Stain

  The Valley of Fear in September 1914

• The Valley of Fear 1915
• His Last Bow 1917
  • The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
  • The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
  • The Adventure of the Red Circle
  • The Adventure of the Bruce-Pardington Plans
  • The Adventure of the Dying Detective
  • The Disappearance of Lady Francis Carfax
  • The Adventure of the Devil's Foot
  • His Last Bow
• The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes 1927
  
  • The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
  • The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
  • The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
  • The Adventure of the Three Gables
  • The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire

    

  • The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
  • The Problem of Thor Bridge
  • The Adventure of the Creeping Man
  • The Adventure of the Lion's Mane
  • The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
  • The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
  • The Adventure of the Retired Colourman

Probably my first example of Holmes were the Rathbone movies that often showed on BBC2 and from there I would have moved onto the original stories. I loved Rathbone's Holmes and still do - okay he may not have had the characterisation right and sometimes the tales were placed out of the true Holmesiverse (Like that word - not sure if I invented it. Anyone heard it before?) but it didn't matter - they were all exciting tales often featuring Nazi spies with stolen government plans.

Basil Rathbone certainly had the Holmes look as drawn by Sidney Paget.

Over the years I've seen many other actors playing the part - maybe Jeremy Brett was the definitive version but I also liked Peter Cushing's stab at the part and more recently Richard Roxburgh made a decent Holmes for the BBC TV-movies.

In fact scores of actors have played the part and Holmes is now officially the most filmed fictional character in history.

And every now and then, when I'm in the mood, I often sit back and read one of the original stories - there is something comforting about slipping into the Holmesiverse (there it is again.) and enjoying the thrilling adventures in a world of gas lighting, hansom cabs, cheerful street urchins - a world that perhaps never really was.