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you mind telling us something about your late (presumably) husband?

      Curious in Carfax

      * * * *

      Dear Curious,

      Yes, I would mind.

      Mrs Hudson

      * * * *

      Dear Mrs Hudson,

      My late husband John Jasper Weems died recently and would have left me penniless but for the generous life insurance payment that my solicitor recently received.

      Unfortunately, this worthies’s offices have been broken into a few weeks ago and all of the monies stored there have been lifted, even though it was all kept in a state-of-the-art safe.

      Have you any advice? I am at a loss as to what I may do, and my bills are accruing at an alarming rate!

      Desperately,

      Mrs (Elizabeth) Weems

      * * * *

      Dear Elizabeth,

      I hope you do not mind my addressing you by your first name, but I am touched, troubled—and quite alarmed—at your fiscal predicament. Kindly brace yourself for some shocking news…

      Your husband is not dead! He is a criminal with whom Mr Holmes is quite familiar. Indeed, he was imprisoned for many years for a crime identical in nature to the one that “Mr Weems” has perpetrated upon you. (I have placed his name in parentheses because his real name is Jacob Moran. He is the younger and estranged brother of the infamous Colonel Moran, who is employed by a man Mr Holmes cautions me not to name).

      Rest assured that Moran soon will be brought to justice, at which time what is rightfully yours shall be restored to you. Mr Holmes is about to apprehend him. He says I should tell you that he will not charge for his services, for he was already “on the case.” Though if you wish, a small gift would be appreciated; pipe tobacco is always welcome, but if you decide upon this, kindly avoid the more aromatic blends that Mr Holmes enjoys to the discomfort of me and Dr Watson!

      I trust your heart shall weather this unexpected turn of events.

      Trusting in Your Good Sense

      Mrs (Martha) Hudson

      * * * *

      In my column in the nineteenth issue of this magazine, I said that I would honour requests to share mixed drink recipes I have concocted for me and my tenants. Here are four of them. Three involve blended scotch, which Dr Watson is fond of, though he generally drinks it neat. Scotch does not mix well with most cocktail ingredients.

      For the last recipe, I had to do a bit of research. My church asked me to prepare a libation for a fund-raising party. I came upon Fisherman’s Punch though it why it is called that, I have no idea. Do be warned! It goes down ever so easily—and therein lies the danger; it is like the theatrical works of James M Barrie, that dear Scottish playwright, whose compositions are the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove.

      SCOTCH AND DUBONNET

      2 oz. of blended scotch

      1 oz. of red Dubonnet

      3 dashes of orange bitters

      1 1. Ice a cocktail shaker.

      2 2. Strain all liquids into the shaker.

      3 3. Add an orange twist.

      * * * *

      ARTHUR’S SWEET

      The name of this drink is based on Edinburgh’s old mountain Arthur’s Seat.

      1 oz. of blended scotch

      ¾ oz. of cherry brandy

      1 oz. of fresh orange juice

      ¾ oz. of sweet vermouth

      1 1. Ice a cocktail shaker.

      2 2. Add all liquids to the shaker.

      3 3. Shake well.

      4 4. Strain into an appropriate glass.

      5 5. Add a cherry.

      * * * *

      LOCH NESS BREW

      2 oz. of blended scotch

      1 bottle of ginger beer

      ¾ oz. of lime juice

      1 1. Fill a highball glass with ice.

      2 2. Place the lime juice and scotch into the glass.

      3 3. Fill the remainder of the glass with ginger beer.

      4 4. Stir the liquids.

      5 5. Add a slice of lime.

      * * * *

      FISHERMAN’S PUNCH

      1 bottle of blended scotch (avoid the peatier ones)

      1 bottle of apricot brandy

      1 small bottle of armagnac (cognac is also usable)

      ½ bottle of green ginger wine

      1 bottle of champagne

      1 1. In a large punch-bowl place a great quantity of ice.

      2 2. Add apricot brandy, armagnac, scotch and ginger wine

      3 3. Fill to half the bowl’s capacity with plain soda.

      4 4. Chill the mixture till just before serving.

      5 5. Add champagne and stir.

      SCREEN OF THE CRIME, by Kim Newman

      Sherlock Holmes

      After Arthur Conan Doyle and Sidney Paget, the most important figure in the rise of Sherlock Holmes from one-shot detective novel hero to global icon was actor-author William Gillette. Though Doyle had killed off Holmes in “The Final Problem” in 1893, the character remained popular—and Doyle, among others, made several attempts to transfer Holmes (and Watson) to the stage. However, Gillette pulled off the trick—combining elements from several stories (“A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Final Problem,” “The Greek Interpreter”) along with new-made plot-licks and supporting characters in a script which debuted in 1899. Remembered for his trend-setting performance as Sherlock Holmes, Gillette is often overlooked in his capacity as a major writer involved with the character. Gillette didn’t include Mrs. Hudson in his Sherlock Holmes, replacing her with “Billy the Page” (a role once played by a young Charlie Chaplin). Billy become so much a part of the show (he has more to do than Watson) that Doyle—in what now seems an astonishing admission the franchise had got away from him—later wrote the character into “The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone.” In an exchange of cables, which later pasticheurs have used to justify all manner of mischief, Gillette asked Doyle “may I marry Holmes?” and received the reply “you may marry him or murder him or do anything you like with him.”

      Gillette achieved great success in the star role of Holmes, which he played in New York and London. H.A. Saintsbury took over the part when Gillette moved on (and was identified with the role enough to appear in a 1916 film of The Valley of Fear). Gillette returned to the deerstalker and dressing gown for revivals of the play throughout the rest of his life—and even appeared in a radio version. In 1916, Gillette reprised the part in a movie directed by Arthur Berthelet at the Esssanay Company’s Chicago Studios, making his only feature film appearance. A major hit in its day, but also old-fashioned even by the standards of 1916, the film was long thought lost… until the Cinematheque Française discovered a print of the 1919 French release version. This divided the film into four chapters suitable for exhibition run as a serial in the manner of Louis Feuillade’s popular homegrown Fantômas and Judex adventures (in contrast to which, it must have seemed even more mannered). Restored, the film has been screened at festivals around the world with a live musical accompaniment by the pianist Neil Brand (who adds an enormous amount of value to the work). I caught it at the London Film Festival, where it was supported by the very lively short Canine Sherlock

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