The Big Bad Wolfe

 

In 2000, A & E Television produced a one off film The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery, which starred Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin as, respectively, Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe.  

The Nero Wolfe series of novels, written by Rex Stout had been created in the 30's and were published, both as short stories in magazines (later to be collected 3 or 4 at a time in book form) and novels until the author's death in 1975.  

(Side note:  The mantle of Nero Wolfe has, in recent years, been taken up by one Robert Goldsborough, who does an admirable job of it.)

The background of Nero Wolfe over the years has been spotty, to say the least.  There were at least 4 separate radio series, (3 of which aired during the heyday of radio entertainment,  radio being the prominent format for home entertainment, pre- television), and, as near as I can tell, at least 2 attempts to try to move Nero Wolfe into the television era of entertainment (prior to the series discussed today.)

One of those, which I remembered fondly and have been lucky enough to have found on DVD featured William Conrad as Wolfe and Lee Horsley. 

Conrad, of course, will be familiar to most of you.  Not only was he the voice of Matt Dillon when Gunsmoke was a radio show (obviously if you've seen him you know why he didn't transition to that role on TV), and he played lead roles in two TV series, Cannon and Jake and the Fatman.  Lee Horsely, on the other hand, may not be all that familiar, depending on your perspective.  He did have the lead role in a Magnum, P.I. knockoff (my perspective of it anyway), Matt Houston. But other than that, he has a very slim file of appearances.

There were also a couple of attempts to bring the character to the big screen, both of which took such liberties with the character that Stout himself refused to authorize another adaptation.  (Seems like Stout had much the same opinion of these attempts as Stephen King has been known to have for film adaptations of his works.)

So back to the original premise of this post.  A very good adaptation of Stout's The Golden Spiders was produced for A & E.  Not only did they stick with the story as much as possible (which includes...spoiler alert!....the death of the kid who comes to Wolfe's door early in the story).  And, BTW, not the same with an earlier adaptation. In the 1977 TV movie that preceded the Conrad/Horsely series, the boy survives... so much for PC TV. 

Anyway, the reception to the A & E movie was such that the studio greenlighted a series.   And each one was to remain true to the original Stout vision.  The sad part is only 20 episodes were made,  But each one of those was adaptations of already published Rex Stout stories.  Unlike the multiple radio series and the 1981 TV series, the producers didn't attempt to create their own intricate mysteries for the detective.

And there was a new twist (one that I hadn't seen at any rate) on this new series.  Th episode featured a repertory (multiple actors who came back each episode playing different characters each time. There were a few recurring characters in the series, including the familiar ones such as Fritz Brenner, Wolfe's major domo and chef (always played by Colin Fox) and the irascible Inspector Cramer (always played by Bill Smitrovich). Plus frequent secondary help from independent P.I.s Saul Panzer (Conrad Dunn, Fred Durkin (Fulvio Cecere) and Orrie Cather (Trent McMullen).

Colin Fox

Bill Smitrovich

Conrad Dunn

(And, BTW, does Dunn look familiar?  He was the character "Psycho" in the Bill Murray movie "Stripes"...)

But in addition, there were multiple members of the cast who were part of the repertory who would come on in various roles as needed.  Among these were a couple of familiar people.  James Tolkan (who, if not familiar by name, is definitely familiar by face... he was Principal Strickland in the Back to the Future series of films). Tolkan is recognizable, most of the time.  It took me by surprise that it was him in one episode, however, since the character sports a shaggy toupee(?) and a big bushy mustache, but you hear his voice and think, "oh, yeah, it's him...")

 George Plimpton (probably better known as an author than as an actor, but he did have some acting credits), is also among the familiar names.

The rest of the recurring repertory were names I had never heard of prior to watching the series, and none of them appeared in ALL the episodes.  It usually depended on what characters were present in the stories. And since they were instrumental members specific to the plot of each individual episode, they were, of course, not reprising a previous role from a preceding episode.

One of the highlights when watching the opening credits, for me, was seeing that Kari Matchett was included in the cast. 

Twice she only briefly appeared, as Lily Rowan, Archie Goodwin's now and again enamorata, and was thus only briefly involved in the story.  At other times she was a significant player in the ongoing plot of the episode., and so I got to see more of her.

A complete list of the actors and actresses who appeared over the course of the series can be found here:

Nero Wolfe Characters (2001-2002)

The series was well-scripted with much attention to keeping it in line with the original stories.  The list of teleplay authors is pretty good, too. Sharon Elizabeth Doyle wrote a majority of them, and her resume is not real extensive, but she did a good job with the adaptations.  

But also included in the cast of writers was Stuart Kaminsky, whom some will remember has the writer of at least two fairly well known detective fiction series, one of which ranks among my favorites, that of Toby Peters. Peters was to put it in my own terms "detective to the stars".  Each book involved the detective working with stars of the 30's and 40's Hollywood.

And then, the final set of writers I want to highlight are Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin, both of whom later wrote scrips for one of my favorite TV series, Monk. And Goldberg has even a few of the Monk novels under his name. (not to mention a few others, he is prolific...)

The A & E was far too short, however.  What could have gone on for several years only lasted two.  With a combined total of 74 stories and novels by Stout alone, that could have expanded the show at least  for another 3 or 4 years.  The biggest disappointment, for me, though was that the series did not adapt my favorite Stout book "Too Many Cooks".  (Of course, adapting that one would have necessitated that most of the female members of the repertory be sidelined, since that one consists of almost all male characters).

At any rate, having been cooped up this week, I finally got a chance to more or less binge the entire series.  It gave me a serious jonesing to see more of Timothy Hutton, whom I had forgotten was such a great actor.  I remember my first experience was seeing him in Taps  and Turk 182 in the early 80's. The last thing I remember seeing him in was as the main character in the adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Half. 

Primarily I remember Turk 182 as it was a big influence on me in my youth.  I still remember it some 40 years later, even though I only saw it that one time in the theater.  Currently trying to track down a copy for a review, but might have to break down and buy it retail, since I can't find it in the used stacks and it's not streaming currently.

Maybe one day (I doubt it, but one can hope), another well produced Nero Wolfe series may appear on the scene.  Not sure who among the current available actors could pull off a believable Nero Wolfe, however.  Unfortunately Chaykin passed away a few years ago, so it would have to be somebody else, and the role is limited in it's potential prospects, given the size of Wolfe himself.  (God forbid they get somebody like an Arnold or Sylvester and put a fat suit on them... and if you needed last names there, boy are you a newcomer...)

Well, folks, if you happen upon this great adaptation, it's worth a look. And if you only get to one or two, might I suggest you start with The Doorbell Rang as your first?  You really get to see Archie (Hutton) at his best and Nero (Chaykin) holds his own especially in moments of exasperation with others.

Drive safely folks.

Quiggy

Toon Noir

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know, some movies change over time without you even being aware of it having changed? Not really, of course, but attitudes change as you grow older, seemingly making whole movies change perspective.  That's the way I felt, anyway,  when I recently re-watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the movie getting an entire makeover from what I remembered from seeing it the first time.

The Stephen Spielberg niche in my mind is one of family friendly films like E.T., Hook, and even to some extent, the Indiana Jones films. (Not to discredit the less than "family friendly" films like Jaws and Saving Private Ryan...) But I honestly remembered a much more wholesome movie when it came to Roger Rabbit. 

But upon re-watching it, I encountered some pretty disturbing scenes.  Although I never had kids myself, I imagined some kids being traumatized by some aspects of the movie.  I had to alter my viewpoint as a result and classify this more as a movie for adults with a still nostagic bent towards the cartoons of their childhood, but with a more mature outlook on life.

To wit, the final scene in which, spoiler alert, the villain Judge Doom (spoiler alert!) meets his demise. The scene is pretty horrific from a point of view of watching it as a movie fror kids.  Not that it was necessarily meant for kids.  After all, there are some pretty adult things going on in it. Does anybody who ever saw it as an adult really think Jessica Rabbit is all that wholesome for kids?

I saw it at the ripe old age of 27 in the theater. I took my sister to see it.  Not sure whether she actually liked it, but I enjoyed it.  But watching it just the other day I began to re-think my opinions about it.  I imagine some kids might have been traumatized by the scene with Judge Doom.  And I'm quite certain Jessica's sexuality sailed right over their heads.

The movie is sort of an homage to classic film noir, so many of the familiar tropes of that genre appear in this film, whether for comic relief or for serious plot advances.  The detective who is down on his luck or just trying to get by, the femme fatale (who it turns out is not so "fatale", but still..).  The bad guy who is not everything he appears to be at the outset.

Anyway, just in case you have never seen it, or are considering a family night, be forewarned: it is probably a good idea to watch it by yourself first before that planned family night with the kids.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988):

It's the 1947. In this alternate universe, cartoon characters (called "'toons") live side by side with humans. They are segregated because all of the 'toons live in Toontown, an animated world.

Alcoholic detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) takes on whatever jobs he can get to pay the bills, although his alcoholism limits him.  The job he is in line for is as a snoop, checking out the assignations of the wife of film star Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer).

 

 

 

Jessica (voiced by Kathleen Turner)  is a singer at The Ink and Paint Club, a human bar that features 'toon performing acts.  Initially Eddie shows up thinking he is going to see a female rabbit, but Jessica is a human form 'toon. And she sings a steamy rendition of a classic song "Why Don't You Do Right".(which is not Turner, but Amy Irving, who, at the time, was married to Spielberg). At the bar Eddie meets Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye) who is rumored to be making time with Jessica.

 

 

 

After the show, Eddie follows Jessica and Marvin and snaps pictures of them playing "pattycake" (OK, so far so good, still not wholesome, but not entirely questionable.  Roger is devastated when he hears the news and loses his happy mood.

Hours later, Marvin ends up dead, with a piano having been dropped on his head. Eddie is not exactly heartbroken, however, because he had a similar thing happen to his brother years earlier when a 'toon dropped a safe on his brother's head.  But suspicion immediately falls on Roger as the culprit.

Enter Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd).  Doom is a human who has managed to become the big wig in Toontown.  But he is a very vicious leader.  He has made it his goal to find Roger, try him and execute him for the murder.  Not an entirely easy goal, because everyone thinks that 'toons are indestructible. 

 

 

 

But Doom has discovered a concoction that will perform the trick. Which he demonstrates by using an innocent by-standing animated boot.  

Roger shows up at Eddie's office proclaiming his innocence and pleads with Eddie to hide him and find out what really happened/ In classic film noir fashion, Eddie is roped into proving the innocence of a man, I mean 'toon, that he really doesn't like.  Eddie has a deep seated dislike for 'toons in general, because it was a 'toon that killed his brother,

In true noir fashion, the detective does some investigating and finds out that there is some subterfuge going on behind the scenes, including a missing will that Acme had which would give over ownership of Toontown to the 'toons.  Without the will it becomes the property of the highest bidder which turns out to be a front called Cloverleaf Industries which has been willy nilly buying up companies and dismantling them.

Why? Well it turns out that Judge Doom is the sole stockholder in the company and he has some nefarious plans all in the name of progress.  Progress that most people are not aware of, especially Toontown, which stands in the way of said progress.

I'm willing to bet that at least 80% of you have seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit? so it won't be a surprise to you to find out that Judge Doom plans to destroy Toontown in the name of progress, which includes building a freeway through the heart of Toontown. Or what's left of Toontown, anyway.

The big surprise of course is that Judge Doom himself is a 'toon.  And the aforementioned defeat of Doom reveals not only that Doom is a 'toon, but he was the 'toon that killed Eddie's brother.  (No real surprise there. You had to see it coming that Doom figured into Eddie's past. It's another defining characteristic/trope of film noir.

The death of Doom is one of the trauma inducing features of the movie that redefined the movie for me in retrospect.  I still think it's a great movie. Just not one I'd recommend for kids.

Well, the old Plymouth will still get me home.  Thankfully Doom's freeway is not a part of my trip, although you can't avoid the real ones much these days.

Drive safely, folks.

Quiggy

Hot in the City

 

 

 

 

 

In the 70's Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds were at the top of their game as far as box office draw and popularity.

Clint Eastwood from 1970 to 1980 made Dirty Harry Callahan a household name with Dirty Harry and The Enforcer, as well as one of his classic (in my opinion) westerns, The Outlaw Josey Wales and even his first stab behind the camera (directing himself) in Play Misty For Me.

Burt Reynolds, although not making as big an impact on the critics, was still a big box office draw.  Smokey and the Bandit and the original The Longest Yard made their debut during this period.  He also made one of his most memorable dramatic roles as the lead in Deliverance.

Surely someone in that time period thought "Wouldn't it be great if we could get Eastwood and Reynolds together in a movie?  Well, it took until 1984 for that to happen.  I'm sure the bigwigs in the back room were counting the millions up in their heads that this match-up would surely draw. And on paper, just for the star power, it probably seemed like a sure bet.

The thing is City Heat comes off like a parody, even though I don't think it was meant to be a parody.  Of course, Richard Benjamin, the director, made most of his career as an actor as a comedy actor and his only movie directing output up to that point had been comedies (Where's Poppa?, Racing with the Moon and My Favorite Year).  And the script was written by Blake Edwards who had his finger in the pie in a number of great comedies (The Peter Sellers run of The Pink Panther, S.O.B., The Great Race).  So maybe it was supposed to be a parody after all.

The movie was universally panned at it's premiere. Roger Ebert's comment illustrates the problem that critics had when he wrote "almost every scene in the movie seems to have been a separate inspiration, thrown in with no thought for the movie as a whole. "

My personal opinion is that it is a pretty entertaining movie, even though you can get lost in all the double crosses that is at the center of the movie.  The movie generally appears on lists of the worst movies of all time, probably because of that incoherency. Steve Miller in his book 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See says that we have here is "a convoluted story, flashes of absurdist humor that are out of place, and every actor but Burt Reynolds is underused."

So why should you watch?  Well, because it is Burt and Clint, obviously, even if they don't seem to connect as a pair like you might expect.  It is all you're ever going to get, though, as they never paired together again and Reynolds has gone on to film movies in that great movie studio in the sky.

City Heat (1984):

The film starts off pretty well.  Lt. Speer (Clint Eastwood goes to a diner to get a cup of coffee.  Two thugs show up looking for Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds), who shows up a few moments later (driving a beat up roadster with no top, in the rain, forcing him to drive while holding an umbrella, one of the funnier parts of the movie.)

 

 

 

Murphy gets into a fight with the two thugs while Speer calmly drinks his coffee, watching as Murphy gets his ass kicked.  That is until one of the hoodlums jostles Speer and makes him spill his coffee.  He then joins the fight.  At this point we discover that Speer and Murphy were once compadres but they don;t like each other much now.  It seems Murphy was once a fellow police officer before he left the force to form a private detective business.

Murphy has a partnership with Diehl Swift (Richard Roundtree) .  Diehl is out on his own, running a scam to make a buttload of money.  Apparently he has come into possession of some ledger books for a crime boss named Coll (Tony Lo Bianco).  He has a deal with a rival gangster Primo Pitt (Rip Torn) to turn over these ledgers for $25,000.

 

 

 

But Diehl is trying to play both ends off each other and tries to make a deal with Coll to give him his ledgers back for $50,000. (What rival gangster Pitt wants with Coll's ledgers is a mystery.  Also why gangsters keep ledgers of their illegal activities is a bit confusing to me.  It was one of the things that brought Al Capone down in The Untouchables but I never really understood it then either.)

Anyway, Pitt gets wind of the double cross and ends up killing Diehl in front of Diehl's girlfriend, Ginny Lee (Irene Cara).  So now Ginny Lee becomes a key in the story.  And Ginny Lee is no idiot.  She's hiding out and no one knows where she is.

 

 

 

So while Speer is seeking Ginny Lee as a witness and Murphy is looking for the ledgers and both Pitt and Coll and their respective henchmen are trying to get their hands on these ledgers we get treated to a couple of (somewhat) humorous encounters.  Twice more Murphy finds himself in a dire situation as the various gangsters zero in on their prey, and Speer, who just happens to be in the neighborhood, sits idly by.  The running gag is Speer is willing to let the hoods have their way until they intrude on his own private space.

One in particular I find hilarious is both gangs end up in a shootout at Murphy's apartment.  Speer sits in his car watching the proceedings until a stray bullet hits his car window.  An angry Speer then grabs a shotgun and proceeds to mow down the hoods while Murphy is trying desperately to hide from the onslaught.

Since a trope of these kinds of movies involves a love interest being put into a dangerous situation, you have Murphy's girlfriend, Caroline (Madeline Kahn) kidnapped by Pitt and held hostage for the goods.  And Murphy's secretary, Addy (Jane Alexander), a would-be girlfriend of Speer, kidnapped and held hostage by Coll.

 

 

 

 The movie is pretty fun, in my opinion, despite whatever flaws the critics might have found in it.  Is it Oscar worthy?  Hardly.  But then, if you have seen most of my posts over the years, you know that Oscar material is hardly a criteria for what I like.

Drive safely, folks.

Quiggy

 

Mr. Monk and the Writer: Lee Goldberg's Monk Episodes

My favorite TV series is, without a shadow of a doubt, the early 2000's TV series Monk.

If you've never seen an episode imagine Sherlock Holmes with more quirks and emotional deficiencies than you could shake a stick at.  Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is a former police officer who has gone downhill since the murder of his wife.  He was already a little quirky even before, but after her death he became almost catatonic.

With the series premiere, Monk is gradually working his way back to some semblance of normal.  At least as normal as an OCD compulsive, phobia-laden man can be.  With the help of his personal assistant (and nurse), Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), Monk becomes an essential go-to guy when the San Francisco police department is stumped (which happens just about as often as it did when Sherlock Holmes was brought in as a consultant for Scotland Yard).

He also is the favorite of many bigwigs in the city and state government.  In fact, even though initially Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and his assistant L. Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) are resentful and reluctant to allow Monk to help in cases, both gradually develop a respect for him over the span of the series.

A few years after I became a devoted fan of the series I happened across a book "Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse" by Lee Goldberg.

This was the first in a series of books that Goldberg wrote with the "defective detective" as its star.   Goldberg went on to write a total of 15, both within the span of the history of the TV series and after the TV series ended.

My initial reaction when I first read "Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse" was that Goldberg had just taken the script (which he was co-author of, BTW, with William Rabkin) of an episode of the TV series and just novelized it, albeit with a few changes.  When I stated as much on my (now retired) book review blog ...and then, I read... as such, however, the author himself kindly informed me that the book came first and the script for the TV show was adapted from it.  [And I really appreciated him taking the time to correct me.  Made me feel good that anyone famous would even acknowledge I existed.  :-) ]

Anyway, I read all those books, even though I never got around to reviewing all of them on that blog.  (I didn't lose interest in reading, just lost interest in keeping up with multiple blogs.  This blog, The Midnite Drive-in was the winner in the blog derby.)  Unfortunately, a few years back Goldberg stepped away from the Monk novels and the reins were taken up by another author Hy Conrad.  I understand the need to not be bogged down with a series like that, but I definitely liked Goldberg's novels better.

Anyway, aside from those novels, Goldberg also wrote three of the TV screenplays for the series, along with co-author Rabkin.    The first to be aired was "Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico", the second episode of season 2.  The second to be aired was the fifth episode of season 3, "Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather".  And the last episode that Goldberg was involved with writing was the episode which was referred to above: "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing", airing as the 4th episode of season 5.

Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico (original air date: June 27, 2003):

 Adrian Monk absolutely hates leaving San Francisco.  This can be seen throughout the series.  Occasionally he is called on to visit locations that remove him from his staid environs, and to a number he is always so far out of his element that he can be very hard to deal with, by either Sharona, his nurse (in the first seasons), or Natalie, his assistant (in later seasons).

But at least for the most part he hasn't had to leave the state of California.  But the mysterious death of the son of a bigwig in San Francisco (and, by chance, a good friend of the mayor) draws him to Mexico.  The son died when his parachute failed to open during a parachute jump, but the doctor in the morgue, Dr. Alameda (Jorge Cervera, Jr.) who is doing the autopsy, insists that he drowned... in mid-air, no less, since he was talking with others just before he jumped.  Thus the local constabulary in Mexico, Capt. Alameda (Tony Plana) and Lt. Plato (David Norona) are confused.  Enter Monk who, although reluctant, is able to make the trip because he has 18 suitcases full of stuff that he can't live without (including three or four with just bottled water, the only brand of water he drinks.)

But someone wants him off the case.  Or rather someone wants him dead.  First his entire suitcase collection is stolen (including his cherished water).  Then on several occasions someone tries to run him down while walking on the street.  With severe dehydration setting in (since he won't drink the water, and not just the local water, but any water than is not the brand he drinks, which seems to be unavailable.)

Monk does his usual investigations including talking with an obnoxious spring breaker, T.J. (Shiloh Strong) who challenges him to a drinking contest before he will hand over any information he has.  Of course, Monk doesn't drink, but Sharona does and whips the whippersnapper up one side and down the other of the pitcher of beer.  She later suffers from a hangover and the mysterious appearance of a bunch of fiesta beads.  (Even if you've never been to a Mardi Gras celebration you probably know how she got those beads, but she doesn't initially know.)

As he tries to solve this case, despite being hampered by his aversion to drinking the local water, Monk observes several things that lead him to discover the true culprit.  Which may leave you kicking yourself when you realize how well you have been fooled by the red herrings that Goldberg throws at you.  Should have been obvious from the start, I think, but I admit I didn't see it coming.


Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather (original air date: July 23, 2004):

In a barbershop that is actually a front for a Mafia numbers gambling racket several gangsters are shot and killed.

"Fat Tony" Lucarelli (Lochlyn Munro) and his "associate" (read: bodyguard) Vince (Oleg Zatsepin) approach Monk and Sharona in an effort to get them to discuss solving who committed the crime with Tony's uncle.  Tony's uncle is Salvatore Lucarelli (Philip Baker Hall), the local "godfather" of the SF Mafia.  He suspects the culprit is one of two rival gangs and wants Monk to find out.  Seeing the potential for causing gang warfare, however, Monk refuses.

But the FBI stick their fingers in the pie in the person of Agent Colmes (Rick Hoffman) who convinces Monk that if he works on the case the FBI will help to get him reinstated as a police officer (his dream).  Despite Stottlemeyers's objections, Monk agrees, because after all, the carrot that the FBI guy waves in front of his face is just what he wants.

There was  witness of sorts to the crime.  A government mint employee across the way from the barbershop.  Supposedly he saw the guy who went into the barbershop, and the culprit was wearing a jacket worn by the local Chinese tong (the Asian Mafia).

But when Monk goes to visit the tong leader he determines that they are innocent.  When a Molotov cocktail is thrown in to the building while he is there, however, it is apparent that someone else is not so convinced.

The true culprit behind everything, in true Monk fashion, has nothing whatsoever to do with who we think is involved.  Although this episode is the least of my favorites of the three episodes Goldberg wrote I have to admit I really liked the character of Fat Tony who is admittedly (by himself, at least) to be "very persuasive".  (Or maybe it's really Vince who is the persuasive one... You only have to see Vince to know he could convince you to do whatever Fat Tony wants...)

Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing (original air date:July 28, 2006):

The third and final episode in which Goldberg was credited is the one which was based on the aforementioned novel "Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse".

Monk and his assistant Natalie goe to the firehouse because Monk wants to be sure that the plethora of smoke alarms he has in his house are in working order.  Unfortunately while Monk is there a fire alarm goes off and all but he elderly Rusty (Art Evans) go off on a call.

While Rusty checks out the alarms (by puffing on a cigar and exhaling on them) a guy walks in like he owns the place.  When Rusty confronts him the guy hits him with a shovel, killing him.  When Monk tries to stop him, the guy throws solvent in his face, blinding him.

Monk of course is distraught at the loss of his eyesight, and receives no encouragement from the eye doctor who says he doesn't know if Monk's eyesight will return.  In order to get Monk focused on  things other than his potential perpetual blindness, Stottlemeyer forces Monk to focus on helping solve the crime of who killed Rusty and what the culprit was after.

Monk's acute powers of observation help him when he realizes that one of the fireman's jackets and helmets that were there when he came in the first time are now missing.  But finding the jacket and helmet later are of no real help because the homeless man who has them just found them abandoned.  Which causes Monk to wonder why someone would kill a man to steal the equipment and then later abandon it.

By far the most complex and thus most entertaining of the triplet of episodes, the story has many twists and turns.  And just when you think its about time for Monk to utter his iconic phrase "Here's what happened".... Bam! Another twist.

Goldberg has written dozens of scripts and story lines for TV shows and has written probably at least 100 novels (I'm too lazy to actually count, but he has written a lot.)  Aside from the series he wrote involving Monk he also has written several involving the TV series "Diagnosis: Murder",  "The Dead Man" series written with his co-author of the Monk episodes, William Rabkin, and one that just caught my eye and I intend to seek out,  a non-fiction book titled Unsold TV Pilots.  (I'm intrigued by just what doesn't sell on TV considering what actually makes it.  I once wrote a couple of blog entries years ago that I called "Spinoff Hell" in which I discussed some of the more obscure spinoffs that successful TV shows inspired.)

Here's hoping Goldberg sticks around (which may be for some time, because although I can't actually find his birth date online, he looks to be a fairly young chap)  I really like the stuff he writes.

Quiggy

Holmes, Sweet Holmes

This is my entry in the Mystery Mania Blogathon hosted by Pop Culture Reverie

Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, during the final years of the Victorian age,  with the appearance of A Study in Scarlet in The Strand magazine.  Doyle was a prolific writer, but outside of Sherlock Holmes (and possibly The Lost World), not many people could name another creation by the author.  It may seem impossible to believe, but Doyle spent much of his life trying to distance himself from his most famous creation.  He wanted to be known as a writer who created great novels, and at one point even killed off his consulting detective in a rather useless attempt to do this. (See the story "The Final Problem")

But the public howled over the loss and demanded more.  Initially Doyle wrote a novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, which took place some time prior to Holmes' death to satisfy the public, but even that was not enough.  He eventually had to accede to the public's wishes and bring back his detective from Death's door.  He continued writing stories well into the Edwardian age.

Sherlock Holmes, to me, has always belonged firmly entrenched in the Victorian era, an age when hansom cabs were the primary mode of travel, and gaslight lit homes and streets.  When Hollywood came to call, this was sometimes ignored however.  Except for the first two Rathbone/Bruce films, most of the output from the 40's had Holmes combating the primary enemy of the age, the Nazis.  And cars are almost ubiquitous.  As well as electric lighting.

Over the years, Holmes has sometimes been used in his original historical setting.  The 1965 TV series featuring Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock kept Holmes in his own historical milieu, but on the other hand, some of the attempts just adapted the Holmes character into the historical era of the time of the production.  Not that they were all bad, just because Holmes wasn't limited to late 19th century technology,  however.

Given my predilection for Holmes and Watson to be portrayed in their own historical setting, you would think that a series that put Sherlock and friends in the 21st century would be an anathema to me right?  Well, I admit I approached it with some reservations, I admit.  But barely 15 minutes into the first episode I was hooked.  One of the things that helped was how Mark Gattis and Steven Moffat, the creators of the series, managed to weave in new interpretations of events that happened in the original canon.

One rather convenient factor helped make the transition a bit more acceptable.  Instead of being a veteran of the Second Anglo Afghan war in Afghanistan, our new Watson is still a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, albeit the one fought in the early 21st century.  Otherwise, except for the fact that Martin Freeman is quite a bit younger than the traditional portrayals of Dr. Watson, he manages to become a modern day equivalent of what we expect.  Although this Watson is definitely a bit more on the uptake.

Benedict Cumberbatch takes the diffidence and isolation of Holmes to whole new levels.  And there is an added twist to the new portrayal of the old character.  He has a love interest.  Well, not exactly...  Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), a doctor in the morgue of St. Bartholomew's has an unrequited crush on Sherlock, but he, for the most part, seems entirely unaware of it.  To round out the recurring cast, we have Rupert Graves playing a more well-rounded Inspector Lestrade, co-creator Mark Gattis as Sherlock's brother Mycroft, and a very entertaining Mrs Hudson, Sherlock and John's landlady, played by Una Stubbs.

Other characters from the canon make appearances.  Rather than just being a one off villain, Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) manages to span two entire seasons as a nemesis for Holmes, up to the final episode of season two in which we get a new twist on the old story of the death of Moriarty and Holmes.

Sherlock (BBC TV series 2010-2017):

The series kicks off with "A Study in Pink" which gives a whole new twist to the original Holmes story A Study in Scarlet.  It seems there is a rash of suicides going on in the city, but the police force are clueless as to why.  Only Sherlock has the idea that they are not really suicides, but the work of an ingenious serial killer.

In "The Blind Banker"  (which in my opinion is the least interesting of the entire series), Sherlock has to deal with a Chinese Tong (the Chinese variation of the Mafia), and try to discover why two unrelated deaths are connected.  (Only he sees the connection.  Of course, until he tells Lestrade that they are, the police think they are separate.)

The final episode of the first season,  "The Great Game", one of the best in the series, finally introduces us to Jim Moriarty and a series of riddles that he sends Sherlock on, with the added danger that if he doesn't solve the riddle in time an innocent citizen will be blown up with explosives.  The season ends with a cliffhanger that will have you waiting with bated breath to watch season two's opening episode.

Season two brought the three most famous original Holmes stories into a new light.

In "A Scandal in Belgravia" Holmes meets his ultimate female nemesis, Irene Adler.  Pretty much the same as the original "A Scandal in Bohemia" with some additional twists that make it one of the best in the entire arc of the series.  In this one Irene is transformed from an actress to a high-class dominatrix.  The conservative sector of the country was scandalized by the appearance of a nude Lara Pulver, the actress who played her, on screen during a time-slot that was supposed to be safe from such prurient things.  (Note:  Much of the nudity is from behind, and what you see from the front is still tasteful, but maybe this episode should only be watched by adults in the family.)

The second episode of the season gives us a new twist on the classic "The Hound of the Baskervilles".  The entire episode covers mysterious events happening at a secret government facility (think area 51, for you readers in the U.S.)  The "gigantic hound" of the Baskervilles is still here, but the twist on it makes this episode my second favorite of the series.

The second season ends with a twist on the classic Holmes tale "The Final Problem".  In "The Reichenbach Fall",  Moriarty engineers a plan to fully discredit Sherlock Holmes and make him not only the laughing stock of the public, but even bring him under suspicion for crimes he didn't commit.  Of course, it inevitably leads to Moriarty and Holmes in a duel of wits at the top of a tall building.  And this being a parallel of the original, the seeming death of Sherlock.  However, unlike the original story, we are given a cliffhanger, again as the final scene we see Sherlock, still alive, watching on as Watson attends to his grave.

One can only wonder how the British public responded to this.  It was reported to be a water cooler type moment, not much unlike the season ending cliffhanger of "Who shot J.R.?" that ended the third season of the American TV show Dallas.  And which also paralleled the actual response to the death of Sherlock Holmes when Doyle killed him off in the original canon.

When Sherlock returned for a third season, the first thing that had to be done was resolve how Sherlock had supposedly survived the fall.  "The Empty Hearse", true to the feel of the entire series, never really gives us a concrete solution, but there are many theories proposed.  Including one by (former) Det. Anderson (Jonathan Aris), a thorn in Holmes' side on the police force from the previous two seasons.  (Note:  There is a mini-episode, available as near as I can tell, only online, and which I've never seen, which details how Anderson deteriorates from a good detective into one who is obsessed with trying to prove Sherlock is still alive.)  There is also a plot involving terrorists which Mycroft sets Sherlock to try to solve.  And we have to deal with Watson's reaction to the fact that his friend is still alive.  Plus Watson is finally going to get married.

Which he does in The Sign of Three".  But there is a decent mystery behind the scenes involving the mysterious death of one of the Queen's Guardsmen, which Holmes was never able to solve.  This comes to the fore as he tries desperately to fulfill his obligation of delivering a best man speech at Watson's wedding to Mary.  It is during the speech that he not only figures out the solution to that case, but is able to prove that one of the guests not only killed that soldier but is intent on doing likewise to another of the guests.

Season three ends with Holmes battling wits with Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen), a man whom Holmes is absolutely certain has committed several murders, but for a while is at a loss to prove his conclusions.  He also uncovers someone who is actual a secret agent within the close knit family of Holmes.  The cliffhanger for this one will make you reel, as Holmes, who is being sent away from the country by Mycroft has to return, as a former enemy, though to be dead, makes his presence known.

The fourth (and so far final) season has three more equally intriguing mysteries for Holmes and Watson.  "The Six Thatchers", "The Lying Detective" and "The Final Problem" may require you to devote an entire afternoon/evening because all three arc nicely together and will be enthralling to say the least.  Suffice to say there are more twists here than a donut shop.  Not the least of which is the discovery a second, heretofore unremembered, sibling of Sherlock.

Most of the episodes in the series could be watched individually without having to devote time to the entire series, but my humble suggestion is you start with season 1 episode 1.  After all, it all subtly arcs together to the final denouement at the end of season 4 episode 3.  If there are never anymore Sherlock episodes, the series wraps up neatly, and after you have spent the 18 hours or so it takes to digest the entire series, I feel you won't be disappointed.

Time to take the ride home.  Drive safely, folks.

Quiggy

"Dog" Days

This is my entry for the Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon hosted by In the Good Old days of Hollywood

H. C. McNeile, who wrote much of his writings under the pen-name of "Sapper",  was the creator of Capt. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond.  Like many of his antecedents, Bulldog was an amateur sleuth, a man from a wealthy family who, tired of his dilettante status as a member of the elite, delved into crime as a pastime.  Bulldog was always at odds with the police, especially in the person of Col. Nielson, the head of the police department at Scotland Yard.  McNeile wrote several Drummond novels beginning in 1920 until his death in 1937, after which several other writers took up the mantle.

Several attempts at stage and radio tried to bring Bulldog to life, but his best portrayals were done in a series of movies.  John Howard played him the most and, although the Col. Nielsen character was played by different actors over the Howard era,  John Barrymore lent his skills to the character in three films in the period from 1937-38.

While the Bulldog Drummond series of movies are not the action packed mysteries that they could potentially have been, they do not suffer from incompetent acting, at least.  Reginald Denny, who appears as Bulldog's best friend, Algy, is a hoot.  E. E. Clive, an ubiquitous character actor from the era, is pretty good too as Tenny, Drummond's valet and frequent stooge in his adventures.  Not quite sure about Louise Campbell who appears in these three as Phyllis, Drummond's soon-to-be wife.  I have read elsewhere that Heather Angel (who took over the role after this series) was better.  Although she is instrumental in the first entry, Bulldog Drummond Comes Back, she just seems to be additional padding for the other two entries, and I didn't warm up to her. 

 In Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937), Drummond is harassed by the wife, Erana Soldanis (Helen Freeman),  of a man whom Drummond was instrumental in seeing sent to the gallows.  She is assisted by the brother of the dead man, played by J. Carroll Naish.  The pair want to exact revenge on Drummond, but like that classic cliche, they're going to kill him slow.

So they kidnap his fiancee Phyllis (Louise Campbell).  Then they give him the runaround with a series of cryptic clues which sends him chasing all over London and the surrounding area for the next clue.  I tell you it's a pretty lame plot, and without the addition of Barrymore, as Nielson.  adopting a couple of disguises so he can surreptitiously follow  Drummond, this entry would have been dreary.  Even J. Carroll Naish, who usually appeals to me even when he is playing a stereotype of a foreigner lacks the zing that he gives in other movies.


The next entry in the series, Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937) featured our hero, still not married, but getting ever closer.  He is at his friend Col. Nielson's office when he learns of the plans to transfer a new explosive from it's inventor's lab.  Although Col. Neilson wants to have the professor sent with an armed guard, he rashly insists on flying only with his manservant.

Of course, this is a mistake because the manservant, Nogals (Frank Puglia) has plans to betray the inventor, and steal the explosive.  He manufactures a crash and ditches the plane with the explosive.  Conveniently (or maybe not so conveniently) Drummond and pals come across the explosive, which was parachuted separately, and take it.  But the bad guys know who has it.  So plans are hatched to get it back.  Then Drummond has to retrieve the explosive again for the good of King and country.

This one is, by far, the best of the three that I watched for this blogathon.  Although it suffers slightly for the lack of one particular thread that remains a mystery even at the end (who exactly is the mysterious Japanese man, Sumio Kanda (Miki Morita).  I get the feeling he was supposed to be more instrumental in the plot, but other than a brief encounter between our main bad guy and him on the train, there is no real indication of whom he is.


The final entry that had Barrymore and Howard together was Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938). Once again, Bulldog is on the verge of following through with his marriage to Phyllis.  He is in Switzerland, at the home of Phyllis' aunt, where wedding gifts are pouring in from everywhere.  One of the gifts turns out to be a synthetic diamond.  One that is so good that, apparently, it could potentially cause the value of real diamonds to drop dramatically if the synthetic diamond became public.

Of course, the fake diamond is stolen, and a Swiss guard who was hired to watch the valuable wedding gifts is killed.  This leads to Drummond going on a chase after the culprit.  Despite the fact that Phyllis, exasperated by her husband-to-be's adventurous nature wants to call off the wedding.  (This a theme running throughout the series.  Phyllis wants her fiancee to settle down and be a stick-in-the-mud, so to speak, but Bulldog keeps getting caught up in adventures.)  

As it turns out, there are two scientists who, independently. are working on an idea to make the synthetic diamond.  The one who sent the present is the one who has better success, but the other may or may not be jealous of his rival.  There is also the guy who stole the diamond to begin with. 

All three of these entries only run about an hour each, which makes them easy to binge watch in one afternoon.  For you Barrymore fans, it may be a little bit of not enough, but when he does show up, his gruff demeanor as Col. Nielson is enough to make it worthwhile.

Drive home safely, folks.  And keep an eye out for Bulldog because he drives pretty erratically...


Quiggy