A Night of Magic by Heather Hinson

“Spiritualism is the most important fact in life, and we much make this world accept it in the interest of both worlds!” - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Alton Illinois has a rich and unusual history. Well known for its limestone bluffs and being an important town for the abolitionists during the Civil War. It was the site for the seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate and housed the first penitentiary in Illinois which during the Civil War held 12,000 confederate Prisoners of War, many of whom died during the smallpox epidemic of 1863.

All of this is to say that Alton is haunted.  So, it makes Alton the perfect place to host an event titled, “The Ghosts of Arthur Conan Doyle.”

The event was located at the American Oddities Museum which is located inside the historic (and haunted) Mineral Springs Hotel. The event’s host was Master Magician and Mind Reader, Carlos David who amazed and spellbound his audience with history and magic.

While Arthur Conan Doyle was discussed, it wasn’t for his brilliant consulting detective, who, had he never explained his deductions, might have been mistaken for a spiritualist himself. Instead, it was the later part of Conan Doyle’s life when he was deep into his beliefs of spiritualism and his parting of the ways with Magician Harry Houdini.

Each of David’s points were accented with a magic trick. Turning on a light bulb inside a plastic bag and not attached to any electrical device. Calling out the correct cards of five different people without looking. Calling someone’s number whom he didn’t know because of a dream he had the night before.  Having five people pick a key from a bowl and then know which person had the correct key to a lock around a wine stem.

I am of the generation who saw David Copperfield at his height of popularity. Illusionists and magicians have a bit of whimsy for me. And watching Carlos David that night brought me back to those evenings watching Copperfield fly across a stage.

He spoke of how both Houdini and Conan Doyle were motivated by the need to speak to loved ones who had passed on. For Houdini, it was his mother. For Conan Doyle, it was his father and his son Kingsley. How this need of both men sent them decidedly different paths.

The most dangerous trick of the night was bringing a woman up front who had lost someone and “sending her a message” from her deceased husband. Watching David perform this, and he was very clear that this was a magic trick, brought home like no other trick how dangerous this could be. Especially for people who want to believe and the magicians out there who prey on vulnerable people.

Even in the early 20th century, when Houdini was at his height, according to David, Conan Doyle and others believed that magicians were just trained in the art of illusions, but instead they were true spiritualists, being guided by the other side and merely refused to tell anyone the truth.

David’s final trick was sweet if not a little sad. David spoke of when Conan Doyle was on his deathbed, his final words to his wife were “You are wonderful”.  As David spoke he flipped around two old-fashioned chalkboards used in schools to show they were empty. He then placed a stick of chalk between the two and placed a bell on top of them. Bells, he said, had meaning to the spirits and the spirit realm and were used a great deal. After the ringing of the bell, he lifted both boards and the words “You are” were written on one board and the world “wonderful” was written on the second. It is magic at its simplest. And a show that I’m sure Arthur Conan Doyle, if he were alive today, would have insisted the spirits were in fine form for that evening.

I Spy Sherlock Everywhere by Kristen Mertz

After going to 221bcon and the Midwest BSI Canonical Conclave is April, I thought I would have a ton of material in my brain to do a blog post. Of course, that didn’t work out for me at all. I wracked my brain for things and then it kind of occurred to me that there is SO MUCH Sherlock everywhere right now! 

First, the Sherlock & Co podcast that has become quite the rage among Sherlockians and has created a fandom all its own as well. I have recommended it to several people outside the Sherlock world who have told me they loved it. This year at 221bcon, there was a panel for where we all got to meet the creators via Zoom and ask questions. It was really cool to get to hear them answer questions from everyone; AND, we got big news. I guess this isn’t a spoiler by now. They announced a spin-off podcast about Raffles! I’m really looking forward to hearing those adventures as well. Sherlock and Daughter on CW premiered as well. I haven’t had a chance to see this one, but I’ve heard promising things from other Sherlockians. 

There so many shows, podcasts, comics, music with Sherlock references. Heck there are so many books with just lists of this stuff, but I’m thinking now about all the little things we might just miss, unless we weren’t as keyed in to hearing Sherlock’s name.  There are so many references to that use Sherlock phrases are just everyday vernacular. We all know, and some hate, the phrase “no sh*t Sherlock”. And of course, we hear phrases like “elementary my dear Watson” despite how non-canonical it is. The name Sherlock has come to mean anyone that is extremely smart, and that uses logic and deduction to solve problems. Sherlock is even, in fact, in the Oxford English Dictionary as both a noun and a verb *https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=Sherlock.

Then there are all Sherlock references that I see randomly everywhere, even when I least expect it. Walking back to the train station in Tokyo after the Sherlockian dinner, I just happened to find the 40th Anniversary edition of the Railway Detective, with a very nice likeness of our venerated Holmes.

The video games, the comics, the podcasts, endlessly putting in cute little nods to our favorite detective or someone that played him or a favorite line from Watson. Like in Dr. Strange when Benedict Cumberbatch flips up the collar of his cloak, *wink* we Sherlock fans know what you did and yes, Benedict, you do look cool. I watched The Residence recently and I loved that they named all the episodes for detective stories. Including titled “The Adventures of the Engineer’s Thumb”, which (NO SPOILERS), is actually about an engineer. There was no hydraulic press, rather a pressure issue that he solved and no murder attempt on his life in which he lost a thumb, but I loved the reference all the same.  

And then, while watching a Japanese show about a team of forensics pathologists who solves murders, I saw a more twisty reference that ended up tying the entire episode together. A young student had been murdered at his school and a classmate challenged one of the pathologists, Mikoto, to determine his cause of death through only video while and the clues he would give her, while live-streaming the entire interaction. She is under pressure to solve the mystery because he has threatened to kill another student once his stream reaches 100,000 viewers. Whew, what a challenge! The final clue is a reading from a novel (pictured below) where he obscured the character’s names by using only their initials. Just as Mikoto and team were gathering what seems to be the most confusing evidence ever and she attempts to put things together, the name of the story the live streamer is reading is revealed to be “Thor Bridge”. Mikoto immediately goes to the library, as one does, gets a copy of Sherlock Holmes and reads “The Problem of Thor Bridge” and with that figures out how the events unfolded. Yes, dear readers, it was indeed a suicide cleverly hidden by a block pulling the murder weapon into a hiding place to seem as though his death was caused by a student who had been relentlessly bullying him. No river, no bridge, no affair, but a very updated version of the same sad tale.

I submit, dear readers, that based upon the evidence presented if you are looking for more Sherlock or just some mysteries to solve in Sherlockian style, dig around. You might be surprised by what you find. So, I invite you to play I Spy Sherlock edition and post all the Sherlock references you have found today in the comments.

PS. I will be back in the fall to share more statue hunting adventures!

Too Old to Play Holmes? by Adam Presswood

Recently, I found myself an unwilling prisoner at one of the city's many auto repair shops. A good one, for the record, but that hardly matters. You wake up early, get the car to the shop right when it opens, and somehow there are still so many people ahead of you that you end up stuck for hours in what feels like a Soviet bread line. On top of that, I turned 50 this month. With that milestone came an increase in grouchiness and a decrease in patience. Thus, I was far from the happiest person in the waiting room.

Fate, however, has a way of changing things like that, and I soon found myself engaged in the liveliest conversation with a young woman who had recently relocated to St. Louis to work on her postdoctoral research at Washington University. Somehow, the topic of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man movies came up. She said she was a huge fan, and that she couldn't wait until he came out with another one. I probably shouldn't have, but I broke her heart by telling her that there was some question as to Downey's ability to continue in the role. 

"Why," she asked. "Is it ageism? I hate that so much!"

I don't think age is the main concern with regard to Downey reprising the role of Iron Man, but I wasn't sure at the time, so I let it go.

"Well," she added. "Maybe they will at least let him keep playing Sherlock Holmes. I love those movies."

As a Sherlockian, I of course felt my ears perk up at this statement. We chatted for some time about the Parallel Case, the Harpooners, and myriad other scions. She was unfamiliar with all of them, just for the record. Then I broke her heart again (Is it any wonder I'm single?) by telling her that the much awaited third installment seems to have been put on the shelf (something I have since learned is inaccurate). 

"Age again?" she asked. "There's no such thing as someone who is too old to play Sherlock Holmes!"

I agreed completely, but her comment got me thinking about the respective ages of the many actors who have portrayed our favorite detective. So, I did what all good historians do best. I did some research. I discovered quickly that, since silent movies arrived on the scene, approximately 350 actors have donned the deerstalker cap and the pipe. While it is impossible to pinpoint all of their ages, here are some highlights:

Basil Rathbone - 47

Ian Richardson - 49

Jonny Lee Miller - 39

Charlton Heston - 57, 67

Peter Cushing - 46, 53, 66

Stewart Granger - 61

Hans Albers - 39

Christopher Lee - 69/70?

Carlyle Blackwell - 45

John Neville - 40, 50

Jeremy Brett - early 50s

Christopher Plummer - 50

Robert Stephens - 39

George C. Scott - 53

Benedict Cumberbatch - 34

John Barrymore - 35

Robert Downey Jr. - early 50s

Ian Mckellan - 75

As you can see, Downey is well within the average age range for portraying Holmes. In fact, there seems to be a historical preference for older actors where Sherlock's character is concerned. It is also worth noting that the vast majority of the actors who have played Holmes have done so in a manner consistent with their own ages at the time - including Heston, Mckellan, Cushing, and Lee. It would seem, then, that not only is one never too old to play Holmes, but Downey is still a few years away from hitting his peak. Good news, considering that after a hiatus of more than ten years since Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Downey will be in his early 60s when he begins filming the third installment. Given the high energy level of the first two films, he will need all of the stamina he can get.

So, all things considered, the list of impressive men who have taken on the role of Holmes has had me feeling pretty good about turning 50. After all, age is really just a number. Right? And you're only as old as you feel. Right? If Downey can continue to pull off the high energy, swashbuckling version of Holmes that he has become famous for, then there are really no limits for any of us. Right? Good! Now maybe Holmes and Watson can help me convince my cardiologist, my foot and ankle specialist, my pulmonologist, my orthopedic surgeon, my .............. :)

Sherlock Holmes Film Night 2025 by Joe Eckrich

On Saturday, February 22, The Parallel Case of St. Louis held a Sherlockian Film Night at the Ethical Society of St. Louis.  Joe Eckrich hosted the event with films from his extensive Sherlockian film collection.  The program consisted of three films from three different eras and, naturally, a cartoon.  

Up first was a film from 1932 naturally entitled Sherlock Holmes, starring Clive Brook (1887 – 1974).  Brook first played  Sherlock Holmes in The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1929.  This was the first sound Sherlock Holmes film, although a silent version was made for those theaters not yet converted to sound.  It was actually this film which started the trend for giving Holmes a much older and dimmer Watson, played by H. Reeves-Smith.  

In general, reviewers liked Brooks’ Holmes and he was given another opportunity with the film shown that night.  Sherlock Holmes was produced by Fox and directed by William K. Howard.  Brook was originally cast as Holmes because producer David O. Selznick though he looked like the Paget drawings, although Brook, along with most critics, failed to see the resemblance.  Brook was essentially a stage actor of the old school and he often appeared as the perfect English gentleman.  

In this film Watson is played by Reginald Owen, who a year later would play Holmes himself in A Study in Scarlet, and would go on to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

By the way, in between his two Holmes films, Brook would play the detective in a revue Paramount on Parade.  One of the skits featured in the film was Murder Will Out which combined two of Paramount’s successful series of films featuring Philo Vance played by William Powell and the other Dr. Fu Manchu played by Warner Oland.  The sketch also included Sherlock Holmes played by Brook.  Both Vance and Holmes are killed by Fu Manchu.

Sherlock Holmes contained a romance for Holmes which was not new, having been taken from the Gillette play and introduced in several previous movies.  In addition, we are presented with a Holmes who has invented a gadget that produces an electric ray to immobilize automobiles.  However, in spite of these anomalies the film was considered “great fun, moved at a fast pace and was far glossier that its British counterparts.”

Our next film was The House of Fear starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.  Rathbone and Bruce first played Holmes and Watson in two films produced by Twentieth Century Fox, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, both in 1939.  These were both set in the Victorian period.  Afterwards Fox dropped the series and in 1942 Universal picked up the series and brought it forward to the current time.  In the first three films Holmes faced off against the Nazis and, of course, won.  After that it reverted to normal detective films and the fifth of these was The House of Fear (number 8 overall) produced in 1945 and directed by Roy William Neill.

A press release at the time confessed that attempts to modernize Holmes "to solve problems of the current war, in Canada and Washington, did not meet with the expected response from devotees of the Conan Doyle mysteries.  Film fans want to see their Holmes and Watson in typical Doyle plots and in English settings where they belong."

The House of Fear is the nearest the series got to an old-fashioned, old dark house whodunit.  The setting was a remote Scottish mansion perched on the cliff top with a nearby fishing village with quaint inhabitants and even quainter buildings from Universal’s Frankenstein set. It is loosely based on “The Five Orange Pips," very loosely.

It was now time for a cartoon and Joe chose “The Case of the Screaming Bishop," produced in 1944 and directed by Howard Swift. The best that can be said is that this was a seven minute wild and crazy Columbia Phantasy cartoon starring Hairlock Combs and Dr. Gotsum.

The final offering of the evening was “The Boscombe Valley Mystery” produced in 1968 as part of a series starring  Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock.

In 1964-65 the BBC brought Sherlock Holmes to television in the person of Douglas Wilmer with Nigel Stock as Watson in a 13 episode series.  Many, including many British Holmesians, believe Wilmer to have been an excellent Holmes.  However, he was dissatisfied with many of the production values, including rehearsal time and the quality of the scripts.  He would often spend hours rewriting them, so after one series he left to star in several Fu Manchu films in a very Holmes like character of Nayland Smith.

In 1968 the BBC decided to try again this time with Peter Cushing in the lead and Nigel Stock again as Watson.  Cushing had previously played Holmes in the 1959 Hammer Films production of The Hound of the Baskervilles.  The series was produced in color and 16 50-minute episodes were filmed.  Unfortunately only six episodes have survived.

Cushing was a fan of Sherlock Holmes from his childhood.  When he was approached to play the part in Hammer’s The Hound of the Baskervilles he accepted immediately. Cushing shared many qualities with the Great Detective, including a steely gaze, gaunt features and a preciseness of speech, although he did lack height.  Cushing’s interpretation of Holmes is decidedly prickly in the Hammer Hound, but when he resumed the part for the BBC series in 1968 he presented a softer, more humane version of the character.  Many consider the two-part Hound of the Baskervilles that was part of this series to be superior to his Hammer Hound.

That brought the evening to a close and everyone looked forward to the next film night.

Information provide at the film program and contained in this article come primarily from the book Starring Sherlock Holmes by David Stuart Davies, an excellent guide to Sherlockian film.

Sherlockian Musings in Shibuya by Kristen Mertz

About 3 years ago I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend the Reichenbach Irregulars conference in Leukerbad, Switzerland. Little did I know just how much that would affect my Sherlockian life. I mean I had a clue, but I digress. In attendance at that conference were Sherlockians from all over, including members of the Sherlock Holmes Club of Japan. I remember having a good chat with the group at the top of the Gemmi Pass about my upcoming Japan trip to visit my son, who was at the time doing a semester abroad. They inquired what I was most looking forward to about visiting and I remember saying everything, but probably anime and the food the most. I was wrong about the anime. I mean yes, they have lots of great anime, but this is a small fraction of what makes Japan so wonderful.  I was NOT wrong about the food.  The food in Japan is amazing.

Fast forward to summer of last year, while attending the Sherlock Holmes @50 conference in Minneapolis, MN. To my surprise, 3 members of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club were in attendance, Yaeko Amano, Masamichi Higurashi and Yumiko Shigaki. I had a great time catching up Yaeko and Yumiko about my trip to Japan last year, including telling them about my son’s girlfriend, whom he met while studying there. I also told them that I have been studying Japanese and about another upcoming trip to Japan I was planning as a graduation gift for my son. I tried to remember some of my Japanese, although I can speak for us all when I say it is very difficult to actually put into practice a language you have been studying without much time practicing in conversational situations. I felt an immediate sympathy for our Japanese friends listening to Sherlockian lectures in English, especially with the blistering pace at which some of us speak. Upon hearing I was visiting Japan, Masamachi suggested I come to the end of year meeting for the Japan club. I immediately said that I would love to meet with the club! Yaeko and I exchanged emails and I promised to send my travel plans once they were pinned down so we could arrange a meeting. I don’t think I need to tell you dear readers that I was very excited about all of this.  So much so that I may have been overzealous in in my bidding for the Strand Hound of the Baskervilles set, but it provided a good photo opportunity for me since Yaeko just happened to be wearing a lovely Hound scarf.  

 

After a few emails back and forth, plans were made! I thank Yaeko again for kindly arranging this dinner with the club members and handling the reservations. The dinner was set for December 29th at the Izakaya Banya in Shinjuku, Tokyo. In case you are interested here is their website: https://www.banya-group.jp/en/

My son, Teddy and I arrived in Tokyo on December 16th and made a whirlwind tour that went from Saitama, Obanazawa and Sendai to Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya, finally coming back around to Tokyo on the 28th of December. The day of the dinner finally arrived (it went rather quickly actually with all the running about!) and I had to get ready early to meet up with my son and his girlfriend who were already in Tokyo. I was staying in Saitama, so I planned to leave by 4 PM as the trip by train was about an hour, plus I always give myself extra time for the possibility of getting lost, finding exact locations and just general additional walking time. Google thinks I can walk a kilometer in 10 minutes for some reason and it is definitely not accounting for the massive number of stairs you will encounter in Japan. Also, I was possibly excited and certainly didn’t want to be late. I was immediately proven right, because although I found the building with no issue, I was confounded as to the location of the restaurant in the building. The signs were in Japanese, and Google translate was very little help, probably because I was looking at the wrong signs. Eventually, I figured out there are elevator banks in the center of the building and the different elevators went to different floors. I immediately texted my son’s girlfriend to let her know so they wouldn’t have the same issue. After that, I made my way onto the elevator. I arrived at the restaurant’s front desk and I heard the woman from the elevator ask for “Amano” and quickly realized it was Yaeko. We were actually in the elevator together and didn’t recognize each other probably because it is rude to stare at other people in an elevator.  We greeted each other and we were led to a private room with hooks on the walls for coats and purses and got settled in for our dinner together. My son and his girlfriend ended up being a little late, but it all ended well with everyone seated comfortably.

Attendees of the dinner, clockwise around the table starting on the left include Yaeko AMANO, Hiroyuki FUTUKAWA, Yuki SAHARA, Hiroko NAKASHIMA, Takahiko ENDO, Mayuko YAMASHITA, Theodore DANG, Nachi ONODERA, myself, Tommoya YOSHIDA, Masamichi HIGURASHI, and Yumiko SHIGAKI.

Dinner was wonderful. We started with drinks, including sake, beer and highballs (I have not tried one, but they are very popular in Japan!). Dinner started with tofu at the table, then the servers brought out sashimi, then tempura and chicken hotpot. It got really warm in that room when the hotpot was going. When I thought I couldn’t eat anymore, the servers came back and added udon noodles into the pot. I do not regret eating probably more than I should have as everything was amazing. For our final course we had ice cream for dessert. It was quite the feast! 

During the dinner, I had several lively conversations with Tommoya, Yuki and Hiroko. Our conversations included so many topics, I wish I could remember them all.  We talked about anime and manga, including Detective Conan, Moriarty the Patriot and we did wander off into others, including Jujutsu Kaisen and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures. Masamachi told me that his BSI Investiture was Baron von Gruner, much to my surprise. I was very confused by this because Masamichi is so nice, but then he explained because of Gruner’s collection of pottery, that link had not occurred to me at all. I was happy to have that explained to me. I regaled them with the story of my visit to the Sherlock Statue in Oiwake, my adventure in getting there from the shinkansen, to the local train to my 45-minute hike past Mount Asama and the very nice man I directed to the statue after a brief conversation. We also chatted about the BSI weekend. Tommoya was going for his first time and didn’t know what to expect. Since I have never gone, I was not much help but I did mention that others have told me there is always plenty to do and Sherlockians in New York would never let other Sherlockians go without company. I hope you enjoyed your trip to New York, Tommoya!

We also exchanged gifts. I brought Parallel Case pins for all the Japanese club members and Yaeko presented me with a beautiful handmade calendar and various collectibles from the Japan Sherlock Holmes club including pens that look like needles.

After dinner, gathering our things, we stood and looked out the window at the view of Tokyo at night. Masamachi asked if I had seen the crime scene the club had put together. I believe I have heard of it previously, but have not been lucky enough to see it yet. Masamichi, if you are reading this, I would LOVE to have a picture of your crime scene, please.

We went down in the elevators and took photos together, shook hands and exchanged farewells. Even my son, Teddy and his girlfriend, Nachi had fun, but I’m not sure I have convinced them to become official Sherlockians just yet. I will keep trying!

There is something about sitting down and having a meal and drinks with other Sherlockians that is magical. Even with the challenges of language differences. I would say that Sherlockians share, not only an admiration of Sherlock Holmes and “the game”, but also curiosity and a love of books and learning in general that really shines through when I listen to all the conversations and talks we have. I will say my only regret is that I never have enough time with my Sherlockian friends, that was especially so at this dinner. There is just not enough time to share all of our experiences and things we have learned and done in the times between seeing each other. I honestly wish I could remember every single word of the conversations we shared because they are a gift.

What I will remember very clearly is that tucked away in a cozy izakaya in Tokyo we shared some of the best food, drink and conversation with a wonderful group of friends, that I am very fortunate to have had the chance to meet. To my new Japanese friends, I hope you had wonderful New Year celebrations. Thank you for sharing your evening with me. I cannot tell you how much this meant to me. Mata aimashou! I will be practicing my Japanese and I hope our next meeting comes very soon.

2025 and The Parallel Case of St. Louis

The Parallel Case of St. Louis has spent the past few years building up our connections in the Sherlockian community.  Through our members travelling to Sherlockian events around the country, hosting our own Zoom meetings three times a year, and hosting a wildly popular Holmes in the Heartland in 2023, we believe that our Sherlockian bonds have really strengthened over the years.

And we have no plans to slow down in that avenue.  We have members planning on attending Holmes, Doyle & Friends, 221B Con, and the Canonical Conclave this year.  Our next Zoom meeting is on February 8 (Register HERE), and Holmes in the Heartland will be back in 2026.  And of course we will continue with our monthly blog posts. (If you missed Heather's great post on Inspector Lestrade last month, don't miss out!)

But this year we want to be more intentional about engaging with our city, St. Louis.  We have lots of ideas in the hopper and who knows what will come to fruition in 2025, but hopefully it will lead our group to enjoying the city more and meeting some new friends who are also interested in Sherlock Holmes.  

After a few years of inactivity, our Instagram account has gotten up and running again.  We are following all kinds of bookstores, coffee shops, and St. Louis-centric accounts.  If you're on Instagram, give us a follow!

We are still meeting every other month at The Ethical Society of St. Louis, but this year finds us in the more comfortable setting of the Teen Hangout Room.  Even though we are pretty well past our teen years, we all appreciated the couches, comfortable chairs, and relaxed vibe it gave during our first meeting in January.

And it's time to start having more fun events outside of our meetings!  February 22 will be a Sherlockian movie movie night.  We will watch 1932's Sherlock Holmes starring Clive Brook, 1945's The House of Fear with Basil Rathbone, and 1968's The Boscombe Valley Mystery with Peter Cushing.  And look for more fun local events this summer once all of the aforementioned conference travels are over!

We plan on reaching out to area libraries and newspapers to promote our in-person meetings.  Maybe even some bookstore visits after upcoming meetings.  And we'd love to hear from you!  What ideas should we consider for outreach in the community?  

On an internal note, our group has formalized some roles to help with organizational tasks.  Our current officer list is:

Gasogene (President) - Rob Nunn

Tantalus (Secretary) - Heather Hinson

Commissionaire (Treasurer) - Adam Presswood

Gasogene Emeritus (Advisor) - Joe Eckrich

2025 is looking like it's going to be a pretty great year for The Parallel Case of St. Louis!  If you are interested in joining our group or haven't been to a meeting in a while, we'd love to see you.  In the immortal words of Sherlock Holmes, "Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same.”