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 .............. :)