THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion

FAVORITE SERIES OF BRITISH DETECTIVE SERIES- IS SHERLOCK HOLMES YOUR FAVORITE? MISS MARBLE? LORD PETER WHIMSEY? RAFFLES? DR THORNDYKE?

I like Doyle also. The Holmes mysteries are alsways a fovorite of mine. People sometimes forget he wrote more than just Holmes. "The Lost World" was very well done. It's like Ian Flemming, the Bond books are great, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a well written book.

R.Michael wrote: "I like Doyle also. The Holmes mysteries are alsways a fovorite of mine. People sometimes forget he wrote more than just Holmes. "The Lost World" was very well done. It's like Ian Flemming, the Bond..."

Loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- hard to believe Ian Fleming wrote it- tho- the car was FULL OF BOND LIKE GADGETS! Reallyloved the movie- esp Lionel Jeffries as the VERY eccentric Grampa

anyone know the 2 actors who played Raffles on screen?

I believe they were Ronald Colman and David Niven

Excellent, Rick. There were a few films pre-1930 about Raffles, but with unfamiliar actors.

Love David Niven. Ronald Coleman is, imho, just okay, although veeeeeery good-looking.

Coleman had one of those great voices! James Mason was King of the great voices! Herbert Marshall also had a wonderful voice!

Ooooooooo, yeah, I forgot Herbert Marshall; yes, a great voice. And of course Burton, who sort of shared that deep, deep, and British quality. Uh-huh. Too bad they (Mason, Marshall, Coleman, Burton) didn't do books on tape. That would be fun in the car.

However, back on topic, I like lots of British detectives. Miss Marple, although extremely class-concious, is a favorite. Inspector Wycliff another. Huh. I'll have to look at my booklist to recall some more. Of course, the great Holmes, so well-played by Rathbone and...uh...Jeremy Brett.

Gail wrote: "Ooooooooo, yeah, I forgot Herbert Marshall; yes, a great voice. And of course Burton, who sort of shared that deep, deep, and British quality. Uh-huh. Too bad they (Mason, Marshall, Coleman, Burton..."

I of course prefer Rathbone- but Brett on BBC was quite good- I am a huge Nigel Bruce fan- and though he played Watson with bit more comedy than the stories- I loved his performances!

Sherlock Holms and James Bond LOL

Karen wrote: "Sherlock Holms and James Bond LOL"

To me Goldfinger is the best of the Bond films- loved Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger "No, MR Bond...I expect you to die!!!"

Steven wrote: "Dick Frances! Like his books. He's now writing with his son? Just started 'Silks.'"

Yes indeed he is- His wife was his collaborater - a very long and loving relationship- whenshe passed away about 2 years ago- Mr Francis announced that he would not be actively writing as much as before- hence- his son took the place of his late wife

I love Sherlock Holmes, and on film, I oddly love all the more recent potrayals by different actors, starting with Jeremy Brett. I think when newer actors come into a classic character, it helps keep that character alive.

In strictly detective literature, I love Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel and Josephine Tey's Alan Grant.

I also meant to say I love Ronald Coleman. And yes, I guess Chitty Bang Bang was sort of the cotton-candy version of a Bond car! I love it! That is a good movie and when I watch it with kids in my family today, it translates great to the new millenium (do I spell that right? sad, I live in it but don't know how to spell it) Now Dick van Dyck, was there another American guy who could seep into a British setting like he could? Is he the founder of the Americans-in-British-type films acting group? He was so good, he always seems like someone I would like as a neighbor -- same with Judi Dench.

Ok, now that was a ramble!

Sarah wrote: "I also meant to say I love Ronald Coleman. And yes, I guess Chitty Bang Bang was sort of the cotton-candy version of a Bond car! I love it! That is a good movie and when I watch it with kids in m..."

never a ramble! love youposts- Ronald Coleman is a favorite of mine- He, Herbert Marshall of course!!!JAMES MASON have -in my opinion- the best voices in film- not tomention pure acting talent.
Dick Van Dyke was so good as Bert in Mary Poppins- had he not been so well known from his TV show- one would have assumed he was British- as far as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- I LOVE LIONEL JEFFRIES!!! He was so funny as the very very eccentric-daft Grampa-loved the scene when he was walking on skies with ski poles- and when asked what he was up to- his reply "I'm off to Alaska" hahah

The Grandpa was so good. Everything he did was odd, but they never seemed to notice. And there was the one scene when he was so encouraging to Prof Potts. So many good parts to that movie -- I never get the scene out of my mind that shows the automatic breakfast maker and I loved the scene where they take the candy whistles to the factory.

Thanks Rick, this is a fun group!

Sarah wrote: "The Grandpa was so good. Everything he did was odd, but they never seemed to notice. And there was the one scene when he was so encouraging to Prof Potts. So many good parts to that movie -- I n..."

haha- yes grampa was very loving to the children and while he was WAY WAY out there- they did seem to have great respect for him. Loved the breakfast machine- I was very confused by Grampa's laboratory - it was the size of a phone booth- what possible experiments could he conduct in such a tiny space?

Strongly recommend Dr Thorndyke - Dr John Evelyn Thorndyke is a fictional detective in a long series of novels and short stories by R. Austin Freeman
very much a thinking-person's detective!

Yes, I have been away doing experiments in my purse today! Just kidding -- that's funny what you were saying about Grandpa Potts. It is a good movie that stretches the kid's imagination to try to figure out something like the tiny lab -- that is why some movies are just so much better than the "trendier" stuff. Although Chitty Chitty was probably trendy in its day.

When were the Dr. Thorndyke mysteries set and when were they written?

Sarah wrote: "Yes, I have been away doing experiments in my purse today! Just kidding -- that's funny what you were saying about Grandpa Potts. It is a good movie that stretches the kid's imagination to try to..."

here is some info I got from the web- hope it helps
Dr John Evelyn Thorndyke is a fictional detective in a long series of novels and short stories by R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943). Thorndyke was described by his author as a 'medical jurispractitioner': originally a medical doctor, he turned to the bar and became one of the first - in modern parlance - forensic scientists. His solutions were based on his method of collecting all possible data (including dust and pond weed) and making inferences from them before looking at any of the protagonists and motives in the crimes. (Freeman, it is said, conducted all experiments mentioned in the stories himself.) It is this method which gave rise to one of Freeman's most ingenious inventions, the inverted detective story, where the criminal act is described first and the interest lies in Thorndyke's subsequent unravelling of it.

Dr John Evelyn Thorndyke is a fictional detective in a long series of novels and short stories by R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943). Thorndyke was described by his author as a 'medical jurispractitioner': originally a medical doctor, he turned to the bar and became one of the first - in modern parlance - forensic scientists. His solutions were based on his method of collecting all possible data (including dust and pond weed) and making inferences from them before looking at any of the protagonists and motives in the crimes. (Freeman, it is said, conducted all experiments mentioned in the stories himself.) It is this method which gave rise to one of Freeman's most ingenious inventions, the inverted detective story, where the criminal act is described first and the interest lies in Thorndyke's subsequent unravelling of it.

oops! copied same thing twice
here is list of works
Between 1907 and 1942 Thorndyke appeared in around 60 novels and short stories.

[edit:] Novels
The Red Thumb Mark (1907)
The Eye of Osiris (1911), published in the USA as The Vanishing Man
The Mystery of 31, New Inn (1912)
A Silent Witness (1914)
Helen Vardon's Confession (1922)
The Cat's Eye (1923)
The Mystery of Angelina Frood (1924)
The Shadow of the Wolf (1925)
The D'Arblay Mystery (1926)
A Certain Dr Thorndyke (1927)
As a Thief in the Night (1928)
Mr Pottermack's Oversight (1930)
Pontifex, Son and Thorndyke (1931)
When Rogues Fall Out (1932), published in the USA as Dr. Thorndyke's Discovery
Dr Thorndyke Intervenes (1933)
For the Defence: Dr Thorndyke (1934)
The Penrose Mystery (1936)
Felo de se? (1937), published in the USA as Death at the Inn
The Stoneware Monkey (1938)
Mr Polton Explains (1940)
Dr. Thorndyke's Crime File (1941) -- omnibus including "Meet Dr. Thorndyke" (essay), The Eye of Osiris (novel), "The Art of the Detective Story" (essay), The Mystery of Angelina Frood (novel), "5A King's Bench Walk" (essay), and Mr. Pottermack's Oversight (novel).
The Jacob Street Mystery (1942), published in the USA as The Unconscious Witness
[edit:] Short Stories
The short-story collections are:

John Thorndyke's Cases (1909) (published in the United States as Dr. Thorndyke's Cases).
The Singing Bone (1912) (published in the United States as The Adventures of Dr. Thorndyke).
Dr. Thorndyke's Casebook (1923) (published in the United States as The Blue Scarab)
The Puzzle Lock (1925)
The Magic Casket (1927)
Two different omnibus editions of the collected Dr. Thorndyke short stories exist. The British edition is R. Austin Freeman, The Famous Cases of Dr. Thorndyke: Thirty-seven of His Criminal Investigations as set down by R. Austin Freeman (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1929 and later reprintings).

Sarah wrote: "Yes, I have been away doing experiments in my purse today! Just kidding -- that's funny what you were saying about Grandpa Potts. It is a good movie that stretches the kid's imagination to try to..."

I would have to assume setting is London based on following...
Thorndyke resided at 5A King's Bench Walk, Inner Temple. He was often assisted by his friend and foil Christopher Jervis, who usually acts as narrator, and always by the resourceful Nathaniel Polton, his crinkly-faced lab technician. Thorndyke tended to have a better relationship with the police (usually in the form of Superintendent Miller) than Sherlock Holmes did, despite proving them wrong on numerous occasions. Thorndyke, although tall, athletic, handsome and clever, never married.

Thorndyke sounds great. Are they still in print? I have wanted to find more early mysteries. Thorndyke may not fall into this category, but I like mystery novels that aren't all about the mystery too. I am a fan of Elizabeth George for that reason. I see some reviews for books and the readers complain "there was no mystery." In the modern day, I think they may be saying there was no bloody murder or something, because sometimes it is a cold case or some other storyline about the characters.

Sarah wrote: "Thorndyke sounds great. Are they still in print? I haven't wanted to find more early mysteries. Thorndyke may not fall into this category, but I like mystery novels that aren't all about the mys..."<

I would recommend checking on Amazon.com-
I found this collection
The Best Dr. Thorndyke Detective Stories (Dover Edition) (Paperback)
by R. Austin Freeman
R. Austin Freeman (Author)
› Visit Amazon's R. Austin Freeman Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Available from these sellers.

2 new from $19.99 53 used from $0.01

you can get it of one cent plus $3.95 shipping- but make sure to look at more expensive titles- because there are a few in which you can "look inside" and see if the writing style is to your liking.

Thanks Rick, I corrected my earlier post -- I was trying to say I did want to find earlier mysteries! Silly typos! I am sure I will put that one on my shopping list. There's always a chance the local library might have it too.

Thanks for sending the mail message about the polls too. This group is so interesting.

How about the two classic mysteries Rebecca and Suspicion both starring Joan Fontaine -- the first with Olivier and the other with Cary Grant. Forget Disney, it was those movies that made me fall in love with movies in general as a kid! WAS THERE any finer movie making than that?

I only just realized that Joan Plowright was married to Lawrence Olivier. I looked them up on IMDB after that. It said they became Baron and Baroness. Is that a tile given by the Crown? What goes along with that? Olivier was sure married to talented ladies.

Olivier was first mad a Sir (a knighthood) and then given a Lordship- the highest honor available in UK- hence he went from Sir Laourence to Lord Laurence- Joan Plowright was a great blam to him after his very emotional marriage to the talented but difficult Vivien Leigh- He and Plowright's marriage was a very happy one by all signs- You must see her in Avalon-a film by Barry Levinson- which is simply stunning!
PS- Was not Claude Rains wonderful in the older movies!!!

Sarah wrote: "Thanks Rick, I corrected my earlier post -- I was trying to say I did want to find earlier mysteries! Silly typos! I am sure I will put that one on my shopping list. There's always a chance the l..."
I do think you will find the Dr Thornydke stories/novels quite intriguing- see Olivier info below!
Rick

I fell in love with Olivier when I saw him in Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson. I watched the movie over and over again as a kid (enough that my father--who does not read, knows who Mr. Darcy is!) He is also very good in Rebecca. Speaking of Pride and Prejudice and I have since moved on to the A&E Version and when I read the book Mr. Darcy always looks like Colin Firth!

So being given a Baron title was when he was afterward addressed as Lord Olivier. Interesting. I remember being interested in Avalon several years back, but I never saw it.
Oh, Claude Rains -- another basic reason to watch movies! I am trying to remember the last one I saw of his that I loved. I have not watched many older movies in a while, but your group is definitely going to change that for me, Rick!

Sadie, I love the story about watching Pride & Prej. with Olivier. My dad would have been the same way -- not really into my books and films, but indoctrinated by my chatter after a while of how good so & so was!

I moderate Jane Austen group, and there are many, many Pride & Prej fans who think of Colin Firth as Darcy! He was a natural -- great choice in Firth's career -- even though I also love his comic talent.

Sarah wrote: "So being given a Baron title was when he was afterward addressed as Lord Olivier. Interesting. I remember being interested in Avalon several years back, but I never saw it.
Oh, Claude Rains -- ..."

Claude Rains was in so many wonderful roles! Mr Skeffington with Bette Davis, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Casablanca (Gambling at Ricks Place!!! I am shocked-shocked!!" and of course- The Invisible Man!

Sadie wrote: "I fell in love with Olivier when I saw him in Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson. I watched the movie over and over again as a kid (enough that my father--who does not read, knows who Mr. Darcy..."

I really enjoyed Edna Mae Oliver in Pride and Prejudice- she was a wonderful character actress of the 1930's- also wonderful in Drums along The Mohawk

I have always judged my Bonds by the villians! I felt Gert Frobe as GOLDFINGER was superb- hence- Goldfinger is my favorite Bond Pic

M.J. wrote: "I love Sherlock Holmes. James Bond is also amazing.

I've seen all the Bond movies. My favorite 'James' is Roger Moore. Daniel Craig has brought a new and interesting twist.

MJ
http://jmsmi..."

I go back and forth about the best Bond, but I do like Daniel Craig, he seems more like the Bond in the original books. They're a fun read.

R.Michael wrote: "M.J. wrote: "I love Sherlock Holmes. James Bond is also amazing.

I've seen all the Bond movies. My favorite 'James' is Roger Moore. Daniel Craig has brought a new and interesting twist.

MJ

youtube has a hilarious segment with Roger Mooreon The Muppet Show singing "Talk to the Animals" wonderful viewing!
http..."

I never got used to Roger Moore not being the Saint.

Sheila wrote: "I never got used to Roger Moore not being the Saint."

It is hard to separate an actor from a role he is so tied too- everytime I see Jim Backus- I think- THURSTON HOWE III !!!!!

OHMSS developed Bond as the vulnerable hero that turned me into a major fan of the films.

Fleming's books were in man ways much better. In Casino, Bond was much more human. The background story to Ian Fleming as portrayed in "The Secret Life of Ian Fleming" was really good, but I wonder how accurate it was.

Tod

Tod wrote: "OHMSS developed Bond as the vulnerable hero that turned me into a major fan of the films.

Fleming's books were in man ways much better. In Casino, Bond was much more human. The background story ..."
amazing that the man who wrote Bond- also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! The actor Joseph Wiseman- who played Dr NO in first Bond film passed away this past week btw- my favorite remaind GOLDFINGER

I got hooked on James Bond as a teenager borrowing my Granddad's "grownup" library card. My Dad bought me a complete set of Sherlock Holmes, so he was an early favorite too. Father Brown has to be one of my favorites as well.

Sheila wrote: "I got hooked on James Bond as a teenager borrowing my Granddad's "grownup" library card. My Dad bought me a complete set of Sherlock Holmes, so he was an early favorite too. Father Brown has to be ..."

I cannot think of a better gift from parent to child then a complete set of Sherlock Holmes! what a wonderfully thoughtful gift your father gave you, Sheila!

Is it just me who enjoyed Edward Woodward in The Equalizer as a British former intelligence operative?

I liked him in The Equalizer, but I always liked Callan best. Used to cut the stories out of the Sunday Express and collect them in an old shoe-box.

Sheila wrote: "I liked him in The Equalizer, but I always liked Callan best. Used to cut the stories out of the Sunday Express and collect them in an old shoe-box."

thanks for the info Sheila, I had never heard of Callan before..heres what I learned on web....

Callan was the title of a British television series, set in the murky world of espionage, that aired on ITV broadcasting over four seasons spread out between 1967 and 1972. The series starred British actor Edward Woodward as David Callan, a reluctant professional killer for a shadowy branch of the British Government's intelligence services known as 'the Section'.

the "section" seems similar to Sean Dillon's group in the terrific Jack Higgins thrillers

Gail wrote: Ronald Coleman is, imho, just okay, although veeeeeery good-looking."

Ronald Colman (no 'e')made one of the very best adaptations of a British thriller, 1934's Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back, produced bt 20th Century Pictures (before their merger with Fox)

I've always been partial to some of the British adaptations of the Edgar Wallace stories like The Frog, The Squeaker (known in the U.S as Murder on Diamond Row), and The Return of the Frog (1938)--all great fun, if not exactly great films.

Can anyone give me any information about a British TV series from the 1950s known in the U.S. (and perhaps in Britain as well) as Dial 999? It was syndicated in the U.S. and I saw it as a kid, but all I much remember is that the lead detective always seemed to be wearing a trench coat.

Robert wrote: "Gail wrote: Ronald Coleman is, imho, just okay, although veeeeeery good-looking."

Ronald Colman (no 'e')made one of the very best adaptations of a British thriller, 1934's Bulldog Drummond Strik..."

and he is one of my favorite actors!! I shall never add an "e" to Ronald's name again!! Did you like him in "A Double Life"?

Favorite (the only REAL James Bond)
SEAN CONNERY!!! OMG!

My favorite British detective is Richard Jury.

Robert wrote: "Can anyone give me any information about a British TV series from the 1950s known in the U.S. (and perhaps in Britain as well) as Dial 999? It was syndicated in the U.S. and I saw it as a kid, but..."

here is some info Robert
Inspector Mike Maguire (Robert Beatty) was sent to London by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to study advanced crime detection techniques. He was awarded the rank of acting Detective Inspector and was assisted in his investigations by DI Winter (Duncan Lamont) and Det. Sgt. West (John Witty).

The stories were fairly rough and rugged, with plots that suggested that it took a clenched-fist Canadian copper to clean up London's underworld.

The series was made in conjunction with Scotland Yard and involved much location filming around London and at Elstree Studios.