Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
dorinda: Sherlock Holmes smiles fondly, unseen, at Watson. (holmes_watson_01)
[personal profile] dorinda
While running an unnecessarily protracted errand, I was listening to my favorite Sherlock Holmes radio adaptation, like I do (the one produced by Bert Coules, honorary fangirl ♥ ). And I am again reminded just how gay the premise of "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is.

Holmes' client, Mr. Scott Eccles, explains just how he came to be staying overnight in This Guy's house, when the next morning This Guy had disappeared and was soon found dead. And the basics go like this:

"I am a bachelor," said he, "and being of a sociable turn I cultivate a large number of friends. Among these are the family of a retired brewer called Melville, living at Abermarle Mansion, Kensington. It was at his table that I met some weeks ago a young fellow named Garcia. He was, I understood, of Spanish descent and connected in some way with the embassy. He spoke perfect English, was pleasing in his manners, and as good-looking a man as ever I saw in my life.

"In some way we struck up quite a friendship, this young fellow and I. He seemed to take a fancy to me from the first, and within two days of our meeting he came to see me at Lee. One thing led to another, and it ended in his inviting me out to spend a few days at his house, Wisteria Lodge, between Esher and Oxshott. Yesterday evening I went to Esher to fulfil this engagement.

"He had described his household to me before I went there. He lived with a faithful servant, a countryman of his own, who looked after all his needs. This fellow could speak English and did his housekeeping for him. Then there was a wonderful cook, he said, a half-breed whom he had picked up in his travels, who could serve an excellent dinner. I remember that he remarked what a queer household it was to find in the heart of Surrey, and that I agreed with him, though it has proved a good deal queerer than I thought.


So let's see, we have:

* The very important (?) and relevant (??) facts that he's a bachelor, and that Garcia was the most handsome man he's ever seen
* "In some way we struck up quite a friendship"
* "He seemed to take a fancy to me"
* "One thing led to another"
* Now it's time to stay with him for the weekend!

I left the last paragraph in despite the "half-breed" term (yecch), only to say that it does indeed seem a raaaaaather queer household, but Scott Eccles seemed fine with that until people up and vanished...

Date: 2022-11-22 07:59 pm (UTC)
ride_4ever: (FK - joined hands)
From: [personal profile] ride_4ever
This is totally Grindr 1890~ I <3 your astute brain!

Date: 2022-11-22 08:13 pm (UTC)
the_shoshanna: my boy kitty (Default)
From: [personal profile] the_shoshanna
Ye gods, it's the Mysterious Affair of the Mysterious Affair!

Date: 2022-11-22 10:10 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] msmoat
Hah. Yes, indeed. Thanks for sharing that; rather what I needed this afternoon. So many words; so much layered meaning.

Date: 2022-11-23 11:20 pm (UTC)
corvidology: SH/CSI ([EMO] CRACKED IT)
From: [personal profile] corvidology
The age of 'good looking people' couldn't possibly be eeeevil. Yeah... :D

Date: 2022-11-22 10:20 pm (UTC)
movies_michelle: (Default)
From: [personal profile] movies_michelle
They were CLEARLY Just. Good. Friends.

Possibly distant cousins.

Date: 2022-11-23 02:51 am (UTC)
sakana17: persuaders brett and danny credit: sdwolfpup (persuaders-drinks)
From: [personal profile] sakana17
LOLOL! I love that "good-looking" is such an important detail to include. And the "one thing led to another" -- Sorry, Sir Arthur, my pal, but my mind is in the gutter. :D

Date: 2022-11-24 09:29 am (UTC)
marycrawford: 13 hour clock icon (Default)
From: [personal profile] marycrawford
I love how very blatant this is, like, we're past the gay equivalent of an ankle glimpse and into full nipple nudity here. A Confirmed Bachelor of a Sociable Turn, you say? Strikes up a friendship 'in some way' with a very handsome man? Oh I bet one thing did lead to another...

Date: 2022-11-24 07:49 pm (UTC)
amedia: (Sherlock Holmes - Tigger)
From: [personal profile] amedia
Y'know, I read all of the Sacred Canon when I was Far Too Young and Innocent to pick up on such things ... (really, yes, there was such a time--I think I was twelve). Clearly I'm due for a re-read, if not a re-listen! Because ... damn, that's blatant!

I think I've heard all the SH radio adaptations, but mostly while falling asleep. I have them categorized by actor rather than producer, although I did begin to notice who the writers were so I could avoid the ones in which Holmes keeps telling Watson to shut up. All of this to say ... I'mma have to dig that one up!

Bert Coules isn't the one with the broad comedy who always works in a reference to "Sherlock Holmes, toffee-nosed ponce" in every episode, is he? I don't think that producer did any straight (as it were) adaptations.

Date: 2022-11-26 03:56 am (UTC)
amedia: (Sherlock Holmes)
From: [personal profile] amedia
Haha, the "toffee-nosed ponce" series is actually very funny and leans hard on the fourth wall. But it's a broad parody, not an adaptation nor yet a true pastiche. I probably still have it ... somewhere. (The source I got a lot of my radio theater from was a dear dear person but not a very good speller, which can make it very hard to search one's hard drives!)

The Bert Coules ones are the ones originally on BBC Radio 4, starring Clive Merrison & Michael Williams. Yay, I do have those! The stories at least--I'm guessing I probably have the novels somewhere too. Those would be a lot of fun to re-listen to! Holmes and Watson care about each other, even though they sometimes clash, and conflict comes from deep feeling and specific characterization. ♥ ♥ ♥ DEFFO need to re-listen!

Profile

dorinda

January 2025

S M T W T F S
   1 234
5 6 7891011
12131415161718
19202122 232425
262728293031 

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Page generated Jul. 31st, 2025 09:33 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios