Sherlock's Fun Facts and Trivia

[Arcadia]

That's always mystified me too.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I was wondering about the same thing.

Actually I also wondered about mannequin because some articles didn't mention more of it. Mannequin? Why on earth there are mannequin in prison? On further read, it was explained that the mannequin are human shape made of bedsheet etc. Maybe it's the term, in my world, I only know mannequin as those creepy human lookalike to display clothes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Right, that's why they said "makeshift" mannequins. Even if they could get the department-store kind smuggled in, they'd be a real bitch to hide!

[Van Buren Supernova]

I added the makeshift, the first few articles didn't say anything, only mannequin.

I made quite a fuss about it in my original post then decided to dig even more because it sounded too impossible.

 

Even if they could get the department-store kind smuggled in, they'd be a real bitch to hide!

precisely.. and even if they were successful, why all the troubles?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Right -- all they need is a lump in the bed. Odd wording in those articles, I'd say!

[Van Buren Supernova]

Good to know. Sometimes, well most time, I have doubt that maybe I just don't know the full term/other term of English language.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Not this time. If someone says "mannequin" to me, I think department-store dummy, though i think the term is sometimes used to mean a live model as well.

 

I'm guessing that one of those articles was copied by the others. That's the only reason I can think of why they'd all use that word.

 

Now I'm trying to think what word I'd use. Dummy, maybe. But more likely I'd just say they put a couple of pillows under the covers so the guards would think they were in bed. I think that's the sort of wording I've generally seen other people use to describe thst sort of situation.

[besleybean]

A mannequin is only a shop dummy to me.

Otherwise it's a live model.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yeah, me too. But I've heard it used that way by the high fashion crowd. Or perhaps people who think they're in the high fashion crowd. ;)

[Van Buren Supernova]

Wait... you mean in high fashion crowd they refer to live model as mannequin?

[Carol the Dabbler]

I believe I've heard it used that way, yes. I would guess that might be the original meaning, since the opposite would be so derogatory. Let me go see what I can find.

 

OK, the Wikipedia page says that even though the French word itself referred to an artist's jointed wooden figurine, the original meaning in the UK was a live model, but in the late 1930s it changed to meaning a dummy.

 

Wish I could recall where I've heard it used meaning a live model. It may still mean that in some circles, or I may be thinking of some pre-late-30s movies or books.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Wow.. new thing learned today. I wonder what prompted them to change it.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Sherlock Holmes is a pioneer in forensic science in many ways, one of them is using fingerprint as evidence.

 

 

At that time, anthropometry or Bertillonage system was used for criminal identification, a meticulous measurements of human body.

 

The Sign of Four (1890) is the first case which fingerprint is mentioned. Scotland Yard only started using fingerprint in 1901.

Sherlock used them even before the first recorded criminal case in Argentina in 1893, when a mother was convicted for killing her two children and accusing her neighbor in order to clear her path to marriage, case of Francisca Rojas.

[besleybean]

The Sign of Four holds a particular place in my heart...it was the first Sherlock Holmes I ever read.

[Arcadia]

I recently saw the 1939 film version of "Hound of the Baskervilles." I can see why the Moftisses love the Rathbone version of Holmes; he is a compelling actor, even though the movie itself is a bit of a snore by today's standards. I dozed off at one point.
 
Some trivia about the movie:

At it's full (unedited) length, it's only 80 minutes long.

This is the first movie (out of a total of 14) in which Basil Rathbone portrayed Holmes.

 

The line "Oh, Watson, the needle!", which referred to Holmes' cocaine habit, was cut by censors. It was put back in for a 1975 re-release.

This film began a new tradition of Watson having equal billing with Holmes. Previously, he was portrayed as primarily a somewhat passive observer.

This film was supposedly the inspiration for the Grateful Dead song "Dire Wolf".

[Van Buren Supernova]

Awesome!

 

Based on look only, because I haven't watched any of older Holmes adaptation, mostly also because of difficulty sourcing them, I like Basil the most.

 

I think he has the most Sherlock Holmes look, well of course until Benedict Cumberbatch *screws* it up.

[besleybean]

Wash your mouth!

[Arcadia]

Yeah, Rathbone was my first exposure to Sherlock Holmes, so to me he's pretty much the model for all the ones who came after.

[besleybean]

Mine, too...but I still think Benedict is better!

[Arcadia]

I find I don't really compare Rathbone, Brett and our Benny; I think they're all really great. But BC's my favorite, which is not quite the same thing as thinking he's "better". I have a friend who loathes this version of Sherlock simply because BC "is not Brett." I finally pointed out "I don't think he's meant to be" and she backed off a little (but still won't watch the show. Her loss! :D )

[besleybean]

I suppose if she tried and it's not for her...

[Arcadia]

Yeah, what can you do. If you don't like something, you don't. I just think her reasoning was a bit silly, but I know other people like that ... they have to compare everything, decide which they think is best, then be fiercely loyal to that one thing to the exclusion of everything else. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

[besleybean]

I got really angry with my colleague.

She had never seen Sherlock, but got sick of us all going on about it.

So she decided to watch an episode...I think it might have been Empty Hearse.

She couldn't make head nor tail of it.

But I did point out to her, it was like starting a book at chapter 7!

[Arcadia]

Yes, I can think of better places to start than S3!

[Van Buren Supernova]

That is insane, by starting with TEH, she parctically missed the foundation, root of the stories great episodes, and...and.. wrong! Wrong! Wrong!!