We don’t talk about Jack Stapleton enough on here so here is a not-exactly-appreciation post (obviously he wasn’t a good person) for him.
-He was the main villain of The Hound of the Baskervilles, otherwise known as the most famous Sherlock Holmes book, so technically (technically) he out ranks Moriarty
-ACD decided to make him an entomologist just because he could. I mean villains do need hobbies other than killing
-I take that back he probably killed a load of insects as well
-Pretty much every time we see him he’s chasing bugs with his little net in the fields like what?????
-He makes his wife pretend to be his sister so Baskerville will fall in love with her, then he gets upset when it works???? Like, you asked for it???
-Plan failed successfully or whatever the opposite of that is
-Out of everything he could have done to scare Baskerville, he chose to set a dog on fire and let it loose in a field. It worked though, so it obviously wasn’t a bad idea
-His backstory is a lot better than most in the stories (if you’re not familiar with it, Stapleton was a secret relative of the Baskervilles) considering most characters just come to existence then are forgotten (*Coughs* Mary Morstan)
-He dies by running in a muddy field and sinking. That is an extremely simplified version of it but it is gist
*This isn’t to glorify Stapleton because he did some messed up stuff to his wife*
I had never heard of this interpretation of the Baskerville Hound. Now it is a moovie that can be defined grotesque rather than comic, but as often happens, through the comic one can convey otherwise uncomfortable truths. It’s a demented parody, honestly not very well done, but like others I think it is not to be overlooked. It is the work of Paul Morrisey, Andy Warol’s partner in crime, director of raw and avant-garde films, in which the homosexual theme is always roughly present. This is an unsuccessful opear but interesting thing, it seems to use tropes known to us. Sherlock Holmes is Peter Cook while Dudley Moore plays Watson … and others. A close-knit artistic couple in many shows. spoiler under the cut
My lifelong enthusiasm and fascination for Sherlock Holmes began when I watched “The Hound of the Baskervilles” starring the immortal Basil Rathbone for the first time in the mid-eighties when I was a teenager.
We are listening to the voices of Walter Niklaus for Basil Rathbone and Hinrich Köhn for Nigel Bruce.
Recollections of my youth: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce and “The Hound of The Baskervilles”
My first encounter with the English master detective Sherlock Holmes took place in 1984. I was a young teen at that time and for the first time I watched the atmospheric classic “The Hound of the Baskervilles” starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The film was dubbed and broadcast by the East German television.
Until then I had only heard of the famous characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but never read any of the stories or novels, which were hard to come by in the GDR anyway nor I had watched a movie starring the two gentlemen from 221 B Baker Street.
I was immediately fascinated by the two brilliant actors, the atmosphere and the exciting story. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce started my lifelong fascination for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
I received the East German paperback edition of the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle as a birthday present. My dear parents must have been moving heaven and earth to purchase these very hard to get by books. Of course I still have them, a bit well-thumbed but still treasured.
I’ve seen a lot of different actors as Holmes and Watson since then, but Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will always have an altogether special place in my heart.
Forever in my heart: Basil Rathbone (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967)
