Because the authenticity of the world of Sherlock Holmes was important at the Villa, it was necessary that any references to the Conan Doyle stories made in the "modern" mysteries be accurate. Some of the cases actually were written as present-day "sequels" to the Conan Doyle originals, including adventures derived from "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" and "His Last Bow."
"In addition to Holmes and Watson, we brought in quite a few of Conan Doyle's characters over the years," Sherwood said. "The most frequent 'extra' actually was Harold Stackhurt, a character known to few but ardent Sherlockians. Stackhurst appears only in 'The Adventure of the Lion's Mane,' and holds the distinction of being Holmes's only other close friend. In fact, Watson doesn't even appear in that tale.
"I brought Stackhurt in out of dire necessity," Sherwood said. "It began when Brooks Grantier had a personal conflict and couldn't appear as Watson at the Villa -- and, over the years, that happened a number of times. I would contact one of several capable actors, and one of them would step in as Stackhurst. Fortunately, they had to read only one of the stories to 'bone up' on what Stackhurst knew about Sherlock Holmes's adventures!"
Eventually, Stackhurst became important enough at the Villa to have an entire mystery written around a set of circumstances involving the character.
On one occasion, Sherwood added, the only person who was available to step in on short notice was a fine actress -- and she immediately assumed the role of Mrs. Hudson, a character as beloved to Sherlockians as Watson.
"One important 'other character' borrowed from Conan Doyle was Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older and smarter brother," Sherwood said. "In several of our cases, Sherlock is in the United States acting on a matter of interest to Her Majesty's Government, and Mycroft actually is pulling the strings. Although we never hired an actor to portray Mycroft, his unseen presence became very tangible throughout several of our cases."
But perhaps most vital in rounding out the set of Conan Doyle visitors was that of Irene Adler, the American adventuress created as Holmes's adversary in "A Scandal in Bohemia."
"Irene was so intelligent and capable," Sherwood said, "that she, too, would become the recipient of the royal-jelly elixir and would be serving in some capacity of international importance, serving Mycroft Holmes as one of his agents. I needed a beautiful, intelligent actress who could sing in the operatic manner, in the range of contralto. Fortunately, I knew such an actress, Katari Brown, and eventually -- perhaps to keep her around Union City -- I married her."
Still, Sherwood insisted that, despite what other modern authors have done with the characters -- and despite what some Villa guests might have hoped for or expected -- there would be no display of affection or romance between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler at the Victorian Villa. Holmes would continue to remain aloof to what Watson called "the softer passions."
Many visitors to the Villa also expected Professor James Moriarty to show up in Union City. But Sherwood again insisted that the Villa would stick to the script Conan Doyle had provided.
"The Basil Rathbone movies kept killing Moriarty and bringing him back. But Conan Doyle makes it clear that Moriarty was killed quite finally in 1891. So I would inform the guests that the late professor was definitely out of the picture. That seemed to disappoint a few of them. Eventually, I invented a new arch-enemy for Holmes, and finally settled on a character spun, again, from Conan Doyle. This was Victor Von Bork, great-grandson of Conan Doyle's Baron Von Bork, a nefarious proto-fascist who appears in 'His Last Bow.' My Von Bork was a fabulously wealthy neo-Nazi who either appeared -- or was involved as an off-stage character -- in the final five mysteries at the Villa."
Marv Boyes brought the character of Victor Von Bork frighteningly to life. Over the years, the various confrontations with Von Bork were successful in elevating the level of suspense and intrigue at the Villa -- so much so that, at times, Sherwood thought that guests might object to the taut tension of the weekend getaway.
"But the most vociferous objection we received was to a mystery that involved spiritualism," Sherwood said. "Conan Doyle himself was a spiritualist, and believed fervently that the living could contact the dead. Oddly, he made Sherlock Holmes a diehard skeptic when it came to the occult, and never used the character to perpetuate his own beliefs. However, in the course of our adventure, the 'reality' of our 'ghosts' was somewhat ambiguous, and Sherlock was allowed to conclude, given the evidence provided in the case, that it was logical to conclude ghosts *may* exist. This upset a few of the fervent Sherlockians, but those who are fervent Doyleans were more tolerant."
Diligent guests learned about actual detective work and investigative techniques, particularly those involving the observation and notation of precise detail, and the distinction between belief and theory -- and between theory and truth. And a few cases, like Doyle's own, centered on ethical and moral concerns that frequently became the subject of debate among guests -- and puzzles in their own right.
Some people weren't quite prepared for the challenge, though.
"One gentleman came for three years in a row. The first two years, he sat in a chair and spun theories about the events that were whirling around him. Of course, the people who jumped to the feet and pursued a line of thought did much better. The third year, I told him, 'Heavens, sir, if you would only travel the 50 feet necessary to prove or disprove your notion, would it not be worth the effort?' To my joy, he said, 'I suppose so,' actually got up out of his chair and went away for about 10 minutes. He came back absolutely ecstatic. His theory was right, and he had found a clue! He practically trembled with excitement. From that point, he was heavily involved and had a wonderful time."
Sometimes, a lack of self-esteem or a certainty of failure would hold people back from solving a case.
"One of the more exemplary attributes of Holmes that some people don't notice is that, above all, he persists," Sherwood said. "Persistence actually seems to be the true key to problem-solving. Even when Holmes is wrong -- which happens more often in Conan Doyle's stories than the stereotype suggests -- Holmes simply doesn't give up. He always has some alternative avenue to explore, or he'll try to learn more until a new idea occurs to him. But he won't shrug and walk away. The Villa guests who persisted -- even when illogical or unobservant -- often got much further than the logical, observant people who lacked motivation or confidence.
Some guests actually were less persistent about the mystery at hand than they were about the actual identities of the men playing Holmes and Watson at the Villa. Despite many efforts by scores of guests to ask Holmes and Watson who they "really were," the pair continued to insist on their Doylean names and managed to keep their actual identities under wraps for a dozen years.
Gibson played the game just as well. On more than one occasion, someone would ask him, "Who writes your mysteries?"
His reaction: "'Writes'?"
At other times, someone would press Gibson to tell him "Who's the guy in the dressing-gown?"
Gibson's response: "That's Sherlock Holmes."
Sherwood and Grantier posed for scores of photos and signed more autographs than they can recall -- many of them in editions of Conan Doyle's stories.
"Naturally, I signed them as Sherlock Holmes," Sherwood said. "And I often wondered, 'Who will these people show this to?'"
221B Baker Street - Visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London
Go to John Sherwood's performance credits.
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