I agree that Charlie Chan may have fallen out of mainstream culture, at least in terms of people still reading the books/watching the films, and maybe it's only classic movie buffs who will get who 'Dick and Dora Charleston' are spoofing, but I think the other characters being parodied - Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot, and…

I've loved this film for years, and kept telling my son he'd love it. He finally watched it a couple of summers ago, when he was 16, and proceeded to re-watch it several times in succession. A few weeks ago he watched it with his girlfriend, who'd never seen it, and when I asked if she'd liked it he said yes, adding,…

My mother's family had a home in the little town of Shanty Bay, near Barrie, Ontario, and she remembers when she was a little girl visiting the aunts and uncles in Shanty Bay that there was still talk of Major Arthur Peuchen, who had a residence there. He was the only male passenger Lightoller let in a lifeboat, and…

Years ago, when I lived in England, I had a chance to interview the British actor Ralph Michael. It was mostly about his role as the husband in the 'Haunted Mirror' segment of the classic Ealing ghost movie Dead of Night, but as a Titanic buff from way back I also asked him about his role in A Night to Remember (he…

I've watched all five series of Downton Abbey, and I have no idea why Carson has turned against Thomas like this in series six. It was established back in series one or two that Thomas was gay, and Carson knew, and there's nothing else that's come up that would make Carson so hostile; it's not like Thomas has been…

In her diary about the making of Sense and Sensibility, Thompson remarks that just before filming started she received a bouquet of flowers and a note from Danny DeVito, wishing her luck. This was just after she'd made Junior with him, and it struck me as a classy thing for DeVito to do.

It would be interesting if Robert's malady - whatever it is - proved to be either a) something Dr Clarkson and the local hospital were incapable of dealing with, due to lack of education/resources (point: Isobel), or b) something Dr Clarkson and the local hospital dealt with swiftly and efficiently (point: Violet),…

Ronald Pickup as Sir Michael was quietly heartbreaking; an epitaph for a dying age. When he wants to, Fellowes can deliver the goods, especially with a fine actor like Pickup to carry the weight of the lines; I just wish, throughout the course of Downton, that he wanted to more often.

After spinning out the murder of Mr. Green for two seasons, and fingering both
Anna and Bates as the murderer, the resolution to the case was – pretty anticlimactic, if that's it. Please, let that be it.

' Is this something to mourn, as it takes audiences taken further and
further away from the originals, or is this something to enjoy, as it
means that _something_ about the originals still resonates in today's
world?'

I agree that Tolkien and Conan Doyle are quite different to other franchises, in that neither is 'owned' by a corporation, in the way that, say, comic book franchises are 'owned' by various companies. This means that a variety of voices are able to be heard, so there's no overriding corporate message, for lack of a…

No, haven't seen that either. I live in a small town in the British Columbia interior that's an hour from the nearest big centre, and it didn't play there; I'd have had to drive four hours to Vancouver, and that's a bit far to go to see a film. I do have an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket, though, so will…

'Horribly mismanaged expectations and entitlement' from fans is no doubt part of the reason why adaptations of a beloved franchise are usually followed (or even preceded) by animosity from a segment of the devotees (just look at any discussion about Doctor Who). In the case of the Holmes stories, there's also the fact…

I'm sorry to say I haven't had a chance to see it yet. I know it's been on TCM, but I missed it there. I'm looking out for a chance to see it, though. Gillette's stage performances as Holmes (he appeared in the play, on and off, for close to 30 years after its 1899 premiere) are legendary, and while I don't know how…

Every time there's a new screen incarnation of Holmes and Watson there's an uptick of interest in the original stories, and more people entering the fandom. Back when I first got interested in Holmes (mid-1970s), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (novel), and the film version, had both reignited interest in Holmes (the…

Thanks! Nope, no Reddit - I've been reading the Holmes stories and related works for 40 years, have written extensively about them, and have been a member of the Baker Street Irregulars of New York for 10 years (my investiture is as 'Beryl Stapleton').

Notes on The Abominable Bride. This isn’t a critique of the show, just a list of the canonical references I spotted on my first viewing.

If Margot Kidder shows up at her brother's house for his New Year's Day party I'll let you know if she says anything crass.

They used the same pic they did last year, when they reported on the most-pirated shows. See what they did there?

Jackson Browne, 'The Rebel Jesus'. The best version is with The Chieftains, here: https://www.youtube.com/wat…