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No Place Like Holmes

Moore Watson and Holmes.....

29/7/2014

Today we have a brand new entry into the TV section of The Howard Ostrom Holmes and Watson Collection.

Early TV featured an hour-long parody, "Sherlock Holmes in the Mystery of the Sen Sen Murder", on the 5 April 1949 episode of NBC's "Texaco Star Theatre".

The satire featured Milton Berle and Victor Moore as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and a guest appearance by Basil Rathbone as Rathbone of Scotland Yard.

For more signed Holmes and Watson photos, check out the rest of the Howard Ostrom Collection here.

The Earliest Spanish Sherlocks

27/7/2014

Today we add a little historic European flavour to The Howard Ostrom Collection Stage Section.

Enric Gimenez, was the first actor in Spain to play Sherlock Holmes. He starred in an adaptation of Gillette's "Sherlock Holmes" play at the Teatro Principal, Barcelona (Opened April 22, 1908)

He was followed by Josep Santpere , who played Jeph-Roch Holms in "The Detective Jeph-Roch Homs", a parody of Gillette's play at Teatro Principal, Barcelona (Opened April 1, 1909)

Salvador Bonavia was the playwright for both plays.

For more Stage Holmes, both contemporary and historic, check out the rest of the Stage Section of The Howard Ostrom Collection here.

Macavity: The Mystery Cat Full Poem Reading

26/7/2014

As those who have seen The Diogenes Documentaries: The Dark Side of The Coin will know, we used a shortened version of T.S Elliots Macavity poem within it. However, a full version of the reading and a video was also made.

So, today we have said video — The full length version of T.S Elliots
Moriarty inspired poem, as read by Kelsey Williams.

The Murdoch Mystery Holmes

25/7/2014

The Howard Ostrom Collection gains another new addition with the inclusion of Andrew Gower.

Andrew Gower (1989 - ), has appeared twice as Sherlock Holmes in two episodes of Canada's present day hit TV series "Murdoch Mysteries".

The show stars Yannick Bisson as Police Detective William Murdoch. A strong argument could also be made that William Murdoch is a Sherlock Holmes clone, even though he is a detective for the Toronto Police, and Jonny Harris, as Constable George Crabtree, as Murdoch’s righthand man, is his Dr. Watson.

The two episodes from 2013 were "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" and "A Study in Sherlock".

For more autographed photos of Holmes and Watson actors, be sure to check out the rest of The Howard Ostrom Collection here.

Once Upon A Time In Baker Street....

25/7/2014

Today we have a very interesting new Sherlock Holmes in the Howard Ostrom Autograph Collection TV Section.

Alfred Muller (1926 - 2010) starred as Hans Holms in Germany's 1992 "Ein geheimnisvolles Geschenk" (Sherlock Holmes and The Seven Dwarfs). Hans Holmes, a retired detective chief and grandfather, while visiting the grandchildren, finds on the couch in the living room the Seven Dwarfs.

The Dwarfs fervently beg Holmes to retrieve the kidnapped Snow White. From that moment on, the house is the starting point for excursions into the turbulent detective tale kingdom. An old armchair, a parting gift from Holmes colleagues, serves as a sort of lock into the land of the Brothers Grimm.

The sober analyst and facts man Holmes must investigate who kidnapped the Snow White, but the last few pages have been torn out of the book of fairy tales. The series had eight episodes.

1                     A Mysterious Gift
2                     The Black Cab
3                     A Royal Guest
4                     Labyrinth of Death
5                     The Hostel of Evil
6                     The Stolen Treasures
7                     The Lost Archivist
8                     The Secret of The Tower Room

For more Holmes of Television (fantasy based or otherwise) check out the rest of The Howard Ostrom Collection here.

Sherlock Holmes! Holmes Sherlock!

23/7/2014

"I say, Watson, this is a most serious case — the window is broken on both sides."

Today we have a brand new entry in the Howard Ostrom Collection TV Section, just like that!

Comedian Tommy Cooper (1921 - 1984) played Sherlock Holmes in a sketch in the TV show "It's Tommy Cooper", Season 1, Episode 6 (14 Mar. 1970).

The Hardly There Holmes

22/7/2014

Today we have a brand new entry into the "Howard Ostrom Holmes and Watson Collection- Television Section."

Roger Ostime (1931 - ) & Hubert Rees (1928 - 2009) played Holmes & Watson in BBC's 1983 eight episode series "The Baker Street Boys". Roger Ostime played Sherlock Holmes in just four of the eight episodes. He was referred to many times, yet given to very brief appearances in just four of the eight episodes (never showing his face, sometimes he seen in silhouette, sometimes just the merest hint of his costume).

Hubert Rees was Doctor Watson in five of the eight episodes.

Want to see more Holmes and Watson actor autographed photos? Check out the rest The Howard Ostrom Collection HERE.

The Simian Sherlock

8/7/2014

You might think we have gone bananas, but Howard and I have decided to induct some Chimpanzees who played Holmes and Watson into The Howard Ostrom Collection.

Sadly, despite being competent in holding pipes and magnifying lens, the use of a pen proved too much, thus no autograph could be traced.

So, we did the next best thing and got hold of the voice actors instead.

In 1953 for United Television, the legendary voice actors Paul Frees and Daws Butler voiced chimpanzees dressed in Holmes and Watson outfits in a series of 13 five minute sketches.

It was called "Professor Lightfoot and Dr. Twiddle", with Frees voicing Professor Lightfoot and Butler voicing Dr. Twiddle. The "Case of Hypnosis" episode of "Professor Lightfoot and Dr. Twiddle" can be viewed on the DVD set “Sherlock Holmes Archive Collection” Volume II.

Paul Frees also voiced Boris Badenov as Hemlock Soames with June Foray voicing Natasha Fatale as Dr. Watkins in some 1960 TV episodes of the animated "Rocky and his Friends" series.

Paul Frees would also voice Sherlock Holmes with Jim Backus as Mr. Magoo in Dr. Watson's role in "Mr. Magoo Man of Mystery" (1964) & "Mr. Magoo's Sherlock Holmes" (1965).

For more obscure and unusual Holmes and Watson's, be sure to check out the Misc Section of The Howard Ostrom Collection HERE.

Baltar Of Baker Street

7/7/2014

I bet you thought we had run out of Holmes and Watsons to put in the Howard Ostrom Collection! Far from it. Today see's the induction of John Colicos and Donald Symington.

Canada's John Colicos (1928 -2000) is perhaps better known to younger audiences as Klingon Commander Kor in "Star Trek" or Count Baltar in "Battlestar Gallectica". Yet, John Colicos has also played Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, and Professor Moriarty.

On stage, at Florida's Coconut Grove Playhouse (1975) in Gillette's "Sherlock Holmes", he played Sherlock Holmes, with Donald Symington (1925 - 2013) as Dr. Watson.

In an 1989 episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" titled "My Dear Watson'', Colicos would play both Lestrade and Moriarty, with Briand Bedford as Holmes and Patrick Monckton as Dr. Watson.

The Adventure of The Three Watsons

6/7/2014

Click each picture to expand.

Sometimes, for reasons that are not always anyone's fault, a Watson does not stay with a Holmes forever. It is a sad fact of life. I know as I speak from experience

But this being said, Holmes are not necessarily more faithful. I cite Ian Hart, Nigel Stock and Nigel Bruce as case point Watson's left alone in the fall out.
But we learn from it, and in time, if the heart is open, sometimes a new Doctor or Detective is found, and a brand new partnership begins.

Which is why today we have 3 (or 4 really) new entrants into the Howard Ostrom Collection. Clive Brook and his three separate Watsons.

Clive Brook (1887 - 1974) would become the first Sherlock Holmes of the talkies in Paramount Pictures "The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929). H. Reeves Smith (1862 - 1938) was his Dr. Watson.

In a part of the film revue "Paramount on Parade" (1930), Clive Brook would again play Sherlock Holmes as part of 'A Tapestry of Detective Mysteries". in "Sherlock Holmes" (1932) for Fox Film Corp, but this time with Reginald Owens (1887 - 1972) as Dr. Watson.

Then, lo and behold, Reginald Owens would appear as Sherlock Holmes in World Wide Pictures' "A Study in Scarlet" (1933), with Warburton Gamble (1883 - 1945) as Dr. Watson.

Clearly, some men just are not designed to be monogamous Holmes.

For more Holmes and Watsons, typically of a a more faithful nature, be sure to check out the rest of Howard Ostrom Collection here.