Baker Street Essays #4

Special points of interest: Issue IV Cadogan West is Money Spring, 2013 Bruce-Partington a hoax The play is the thing Reviews — Holroyd, Pointer Hey, I thought it was funny... From the Frederic Dorr Steele was featured in the last issue. Roll Top Keyboard Note his use of different shades of ‘dark’ to contrast I’m pleased to present the Moriarty opposite Arthur Holmes’ cloak, the bushes, fourth issue of Baker Street Wonter’s Holmes, Lyn Har- the ground and the house, Essays. ding was another great villain while still providing a burst from the Canon, as I discuss. of color in the doorway. This The Bruce-Partington Plans is is certainly a suitable illustra- one of my favorites in the And the first of a pair of tion for The Creeping Man. Canon and, I think, the parodies appears in Sherlock strongest of the latter stories. Holmes & the Case of Ineffable So it’s back for an encore Twaddle. It is to be followed The Cases appearance. I borrowed the by The Singular Affair of the The Bruce Partington Plans 2 case format I use for the Aluminum Crutches. Solar Pons Gazette. On the odd The Red Circle 5 chance I receive favorable Phil Cornell is a talented feedback on this, I will incor- Sherlockian artist, which is porate the style into some amply proven in this issue’s future story discussions. ‘Illustrators of the Canon,” as always, found on the back Before he played a menacing cover. Baker Street Essays Street Essays Baker ISSUE IV Page 2 More Thoughts Regarding The Bruce Partington Plans (BRUC) The Case (Hmm, reminds me of Nero lead one to think Doyle had The body of Arthur Cadogan Wolfe) ‘borrowed’ Morrison’s idea West, a clerk at the Woolwich and used it in The Bruce Parting- Arsenal, is found beside the Comments ton Plans. Except for the fact Underground tracks near the Mary Money was a young, un- that Doyle was actually draw- Aldgate Station. Apparently married female clerk found ing on his own work. West has stolen the plans for dead in a tunnel, apparently the experimental Bruce- thrown (or fallen) from a In October and November of Partington submarine and train, in 1905. Her killer was 1893, The Strand presented only seven of the ten pilfered never found and it is quite Holmes in The Adventure of the pages are found on his body. possible that Sir Arthur Co- Naval Treaty.” Which, you nan Doyle discussed this un- guessed it, involved stolen top In an espionage case with solved mystery as a member secret government documents. grave international conse- of The Crimes Club (subject The Naval Treaty was the last quences, Holmes pursues the of a future Baker Street Es- story before Doyle shocked German master spy, Hugo say). the world by (seemingly) send- Oberstein, with his brother ing the world’s only private Mycroft playing a major role. Thus, it is no surprise that we consulting detective off a cliff find elements of this murder into the Reichenbach Falls in Quotes in the Bruce Partington Plans, as The Adventure of the Final Prob- Holmes: Mycroft has his rails Cadogan West is a young, lem. and he runs on them. His Pall unmarried clerk, found dead Mall lodgings, the Diogenes next to the tracks, apparently The Dixon Torpedo was part of Club, Whitehall – that is his fallen from a train. the 1971 British television cycle. Once, and only once, he has series, The Rivals of Sherlock been here. What upheaval can August Derleth clearly bor- Holmes, and is included on set possibly have derailed him?...A rowed the specifics of the one of the recent DVD re- Experimental submarine planet might as well leave its Mary Money murder (page 21) lease. Oddly, this episode does development plays a orbit. for the December 14, 1919, not actually include Hewitt. key role in Michael Kurland’s pastiche, The entry in “From the Note- Infernal Device, as well Mycroft: You must drop every- books of Dr. Lyndon Parker.” Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s as in the movie The Private Life of Sherlock thing, Sherlock. Never mind This Solar Pons pastiche can more brilliant elder brother, is Holmes, starring Robert your usual petty puzzles of the be found in A Praed Street a major player in this tale. Stephens. In that film, Christopher Lee, who police-court. Dossier. Holmes had revealed little of had already portrayed Mycroft to Watson during Sir Henry Baskerville and Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft: Give me your details, In June, 1894, The Strand fea- their first meeting, which oc- was cast as Mycroft and from an armchair I will tured Arthur Morrison’s tale curred in The Greek Interpret- Holmes. return you an excellent expert of Martin Hewitt, The Adven- er. opinion. But to run here and run ture of the Dixon Torpedo. The there, to cross-question railway story involved the theft of top However, here, Holmes inti- guards, and lie on my face with a secret plans, this time for a mates Mycroft is a very im- lens to my eye – it is not my torpedo, not a submarine. A portant person. What else métier. superficial evaluation might could one make of such Page 3 BAKER STREET ESSAYS More Thoughts Regarding The Bruce Partington Plans (BRUC) cont. found in the original story. Unfortunately, the fourth (and final) installment in the series, The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire, represented a serious regression and the Frewer project came to an unsatisfy- ing end. Brett and Frewer are not the only actors to star as Holmes in adaptations of The Bruce Partington Plans. Eille Nor- Charles Grey (Blofeld in Diamonds are Forever) and Jeremy Brett as the wood made a silent version Holmes Brothers. back in 1922, while Douglas phrases as “occasionally he is after stating that he “thought Wilmer’s BBC series featured the British government,” and everyone had heard of it.” this tale in 1965. “he remains the most indis- This isn’t exactly brilliant dia- pensable man in the country”? logue. It seems more likely to The Wilmer episode was have been uttered by Nigel scripted Lestrade offers a perfectly rea- Bruce’s Watson than Holmes’ by Giles sonable explanation, which, as brother. Cooper Holmes says, “holds togeth- and re- er.” But Holmes dismisses it The Royal Scandal is the third (and used for by saying that the case would far and away the best) of Mat- the Ger- be over. And Mycroft simply thew Frewer’s four turns as man 1967 says, “All my instincts are Sherlock Holmes. The engag- -1968 against this explanation.” ing plot combines elements of Holmes A Scandal in Bohemia and The television series starring Erich Since Lestrade’s theories pret- Bruce Partington Plans. This is Schellow. ty much always contain major even carried so far as to in- flaws, it is odd to see him clude Cadogan West, albeit a dismissed quickly when he more sinister version than is comes up with a valid solu- Kenneth Welsh played an underrated Watson to Frewer’s Holmes. tion. So, Mycroft tells us that the Bruce Partington submarine is “the most jealously guarded of all government secrets.” This is only a few moments Page 4 BAKER STREET ESSAYS A Letter to The Editor Of The Strand Magazine January 14, 1909. plete poppycock! head presenting it to the Austri- To Martin Greenhough Smith, Anyone who has read this story an government. However, re- Editor, The Strand Magazine, knows that it deals with the theft search and development in the field continued, with production I can no longer sit idly by and of top secret plans regarding the of the first British torpedoes read the allegedly factual ac- developmental Bruce-Partington occurring at the Woolwich Arse- counts published by your peri- submarine. But how could this nal in the early 1870’s. Wool- odical regarding one Mister possibly be? wich was a key research facility Sherlock Holmes. Of course, it The Admiralty has admitted that for the development of explo- is quite possible he has played it did not encourage home- sives. Shortly after, the first tor- no part in misleading the public development of this new class of pedo boats were constructed. and that the blame lies fully at naval vessel. The esteemed En- the feet, or rather, should I say, gineer-In-Chief of the Royal What does this have to do with the hands, of his biographer, Navy, Sir Durston, acknowledg- Watson’s fanciful tale? You may Doctor John Watson. es that the first British subma- recall, sir, that in 1894, your magazine published my own I am referring to your issue of rines were based on the design account of how Martin Hewitt last December (1908) containing of the American “Holland” sub- prevented an international inci- a remarkable piece of fiction marine. The first Holland was dent and recovered the plans for entitled “The Adventure of the sold to the United States Navy the Dixon Torpedo. Unlike the Bruce-Partington Plans.” It is in 1900. There were certainly no tale spun in “The Bruce- clear that you, sir, do not cast a advanced British submarine Partington Plans,” I can assure critical eye on the accounts of plans in 1895! you the account of “The Dixon Sherlock Holmes that your mag- And the Woolwich Arsenal is an Torpedo” is true. Even Mycroft azine has long rushed to print at army facility. Why would the Holmes would be forced to ad- every opportunity. Royal Navy be developing a top mit such. According to Dr. Watson, in the secret sea vessel there? Appar- Sherlock Holmes is currently very first sentence of his tale, he ently logic and accuracy are not retired and living on the Sussex states that events regarding the requirements for submissions to Downs, passing his days by Bruce-Partington Plans occurred your magazine.

Load more