The John H Watson Society

Born July 9, 1935, Williams was the husband of Dame Judi Dench. Williams portrayed Watson in every Canonical story for BBC Radio 4 between 1989 and 1998.

The June meeting of the John H. Watson Society today featured a lively discussion of John Watson’s childhood, which somehow took Watson from traveling via balloon to whether nannies counted as “experience of women,” a a lot of sideroads along the way. Would Paul Newman make a better Watson than a Holmes? And why was he in that convent with one of our members? How did you stop a monowheel? Did young Watson have toffee?

If you needed a reminder, which we failed to send, we’ll try better next time. What does “next time” mean? Our July meeting will feature a recognizable and colorful passage from the good Watson as read in as many different languages as our members can speak! Which passage will that be? We need suggestions!

What part of the Canon would you know even if it were in a language you don’t speak? What paragraph or dialogue is Watson at his best? Throw your suggestions in the comments and we’ll pick one a couple weeks in advance for our next meeting.

Others may start to gather in person, but the John H. Watson Society Zooms again! Saturday, June 26 at 10 AM PDT, 11 AM MDT, 12 Noon CDT, 1 PM EDT, 6 PM BST, 7 PM CEST, etc. is the next appointed meeting time, and we’ll get together to discuss John Watson’s childhood and all that it might have held. Favorite sweet? Favorite games? Favorite books? Family drama is for adults, so let’s let Watson be a kid and see where that takes us. Come one, come all. If the Zoom invitation doesn’t turn up in your mailbox somehow, drop a line to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll see you get one.

Carleton Hobbs was most famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes, but he first portrayed Doctor Watson alongside Arthur Wontner in a 1943 production of The Boscombe Valley Mystery. He was born June 18, 1898.

So, summer’s here, and you find yourself sitting around the Shingle of Southsea with fifteen or twenty minutes on your hands, and you’re just tired of listening to the cries of the various sea birds . . . what do you do? Remember the Watsonian Weekly?
https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/june-7-2021-the-coronet-of-watsons-summer-place (Also in all those places you find random podcasts. Just search “Watsonian Weekly” — nobody else is using that name, trust us!)

Miss Saturday’s meeting of the John H. Watson Society and need a report on it? Want to hear what brand new feature that Paul Thomas Miller has concocted for podcast listeners? All that and the features you’ve come to know and hopefully have some measure of affection for, on this week’s latest Watsonian Weekly. Find it online at:

https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/may-24-2021-hats-on-for-watson

Or you can always check your favorite podcast provider to see if they carry it! There are plenty of Sherlockian podcasts out there, but still only one Watsonian Weekly!

For John H. Watson, May of 1891 may have been a time of sad bereavement, but for the John H. Watson Society it is time to Zoom again! Saturday, May22 at 10 AM PDT, 11 AM MDT, 12 Noon CDT, 1 PM EDT, 6 PM BST, 7 PM CEST, etc. is the next appointed meeting time, and we’ll get together to discuss John Watson’s life in May of 1891 from the 5th through the end of the month. Where did he go? Who did he talk to? What were his next steps, if he could even rise to make them?

If you need the Zoom invitation, please send a request to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll get you the link.

And if you just want some good Watson to warm up for the meeting, this week’s episode of The Watsonian Weekly, our club’s official podcast, is on the e-air once again. Check it out at https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/may-17-2021-norfolk-mice-in-emerald-watson or wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

Born May 14, 1937, Battista portrayed Doctor Watson in a 1977 production of The Hound of the Baskervilles for CBS Radio Mystery Theater. He had starred in the 1950s soap opera Love of Life and appeared in a number of spaghetti Westerns.

Ralph Truman was born May 7, 1900 and he appeared in a variety of Disney and Alfred Hitchcock productions. He portrayed the good doctor in a 1943 production of My Dear Watson for the BBC Home Service.

Our own Bullpup Buck, Paul Thomas Miller, known for his tireless advocacy for wildlife in the Rear of the Year competition, has annotated the complete Canon so that you may now cite passages by chapter and verse. Check it out here: Chapter and Verse Holmes

Bullpup Buck has invited everyone to download and freely share it as well.

The John H. Watson Society will Zoom again on Saturday, April 24 at 10 AM PDT, 11 AM MDT, 12 Noon CDT, 1 PM EDT, 6 PM BST, 7 PM CEST, etc. (At least we think that’s how the time zones will work!)

This time out we’re breaking our toasting free of those same three monthlies, so bring toasts on anything Watson-related if you got ’em. Also, we’ll be doing a deep dive into that page that Watson says is missing from his letters to Holmes at the start of Chapter Eight of The Hound of the Baskervilles. What was Watson hiding from his reading public? Where did that page go? We’ll be entertaining all theories or any “found text” versions of that page you might have found (or claim to have found), so bring everything you’ve got on this Watsonian mystery we’re going to try to solve!

If you need the Zoom invitation, please send a request to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com and we’ll get you the link.

And if you just want some good Watson to warm up for the meeting, this week’s episode of The Watsonian Weekly, our club’s official podcast, is on the e-air once again. Check it out at https://watsonianweekly.libsyn.com/april-19-2021-gorilla-hardwicke-strychnine or on Apple podcasts or Spotify!

As if there weren’t enough to occupy your time on a Saturday in spring, including a virtual 221B Con, today at noon Central Standard Time, the Watsonian Weekly will be recording it’s 100th episode! Not the best weekend for it to happen, but one hundred is one hundred, and if you’d like to be present for the live recording and hear all the stuff that gets edited out before it gets edited out, just toss an email to podcast@johnhwatsonsociety.com for the Zoom link. We only hit one hundred once, so stop by and get a rare look at podcast history in the making!

You may have seen this ranking of Sherlock Holmes portrayals today: https://crimereads.com/100-sherlock-holmes-ranked/

Not to be outdone, we ranked all the Doctors Watsons. They all tied for first place.

Born April 7, 1930, Sachs appeared on many shows including Fawlty Towers and Coronation Street. He portrayed Doctor Watson from 2002-2010 in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Just in case you missed the earlier notice, the John H. Watson Society’s monthly Zooms are springing forward a couple weeks to the fourth Saturday, which seems like a less-trafficked Zoom day. Invitations aren’t out yet, but be sure to update your calendar to March 27th. Hope to see you then!

Per the results of the previous survey we will be moving to the fourth Saturday of the month. However, there was effectively a tie between keeping the same time or moving an hour later. If those are the only two options, which do you prefer.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScb3yLnS_rGXOHT6ocITbZIkiSS4PKiqyDhmTzrpdbFzz0W0w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Larry Albert, who plays Dr. Watson for Aural Vision Productions with John Patrick Lowrie as Holmes, recently celebrated the 23rd year of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, making this longest running full cast audio series devoted to the adventures of the world’s greatest detective! With over 150 original Sherlock Holmes scripts being produced, that’s something of a milestone for all involved.

Our March meeting will be this Saturday. We need toasts to Murray, Mary and Medicine. We would also still like someone to give a presentation on the career of Royce Pierreson. Please contact buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com if any of these opportunities appeals to you.

In 1941, famous author Rex Stout opined that Watson was a woman. His evidence is largely pulling out language that makes it clear that Holmes and Watson are a couple. In his mind that “proved” Watson was a woman. In the 21st century we tend to think it proves something else but nonetheless, the idea of a female Watson has long percolated. The American actor Lucy Liu arguably portrays the most famous female Watson. She received three People’s Choice Award nominations for the role, and directed six episodes of the show, Elementary. Even the artwork we see in Watson’s apartment was painted by Liu. Her Watson is notable for her independence from Holmes. In particular, Elementary shows us more of the late/post partnership period of Holmes and Watson’s lives than most adaptations. Ultimately a detective in her own right, we send our warmest regards to Lucy Liu and her Watson.