Mysteries are not only great to read, they can be experienced at leisure. Earlier this month, mystery book fan and member of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club, Mike O’Connor, did just that.
Mike Under Sign Reading: Sherlock Holmes / William Gillette / 1853-1937
He visited Gillette Castle on the Connecticut River, the home of the great actor, William Gillette. It was Gillette who immortalized Sherlock Holmes on the stage, and fixed the Holmes we now know in the popular mind. He paved the way for two later interpreters of the Holmes legend–Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett.
Gillette wrote the script for Sherlock Holmes in 1898, which was fully approved by A. Conan Doyle himself. Gillette went on to perform as Holmes some 1300 times.
Gillette solidified the deerstalker cap and the curved pipe as part of the image associated with Holmes and, while Doyle frequently causes Holmes to utter “elementary” to Watson, it is Gillette who put it together: “elementary, my dear fellow.”
Gillette was the model for pictures by the artist Frederic Dorr Steele, which were featured in Collier’s Weekly then and reproduced by American media. Steele contributed to Conan Doyle’s book-covers and, later, doing marketing when Gillette made his farewell performances. Conan Doyle’s series were widely printed throughout the USA, with either Steele’s illustrations or photographs of Gillette on stage. [This paragraph from Wikipedia]
Adding to his mystery book fan day, Mike also enjoyed a performance of “Something’s Afoot” at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. This hilarious musical is a spoof of Agatha Christie and is not to be missed by mystery-lovers! Here is a clip from YouTube to the theme song of the show “We Owe it All to Agatha Christie,” because, as all mystery lovers know…we DO owe it all to Agatha Christie!
Mike says this video will give you the flavor of “Something’s Afoot”.
Way to go, Mike! Thanks for sharing about your very fun experience!
Part of Gillette Castle State Park along the Connecticut River
