Twenty-one Stormy Petrels and guests were treated to a talk by Sonia Fetherston, BSI who happened to be in Vancouver.  We were very delighted when she accepted our invitation to discuss the recently-restored silent William Gillette movie.  A film that would impact Sherlockians 100 years later! Sonia had been to the debut screening of the restored film last May in San Francisco and was able to inform us about how it was made, lost, found and painstakingly restored. (The film was not found in one reel but several and had to be put into sequence. Also,the title cards were originally in French and had to be translated). The movie, based on the play “Sherlock Holmes” written by William Gillette and featured Gillette in the title role who had played Holmes 1,300 times on the stage, but this was the only time he played Holmes in film. Sonia was able to answer many questions, and her enthusiasm was definitely contagious! Several of our group, who were not familiar with William Gillette’s work and his impact on the Holmes image, were all very anxious to see the movie. We thank Sonia for a wonderful evening! Hopefully we will see her again!

William Gillette was an American actor and playwright, born in 1853.  He portrayed Sherlock Holmes more than 1,000 times on stage, but only once on film. This film had been lost for almost 100 years, and was recently discovered in a film archive in Paris, France.  Great news for Sherlockians! The re-discovered film has been restored and the film made its US debut in San Francisco in May. Among the attendees was Sonia Fetherston BSI, award-winning author.

The Stormy Petrels are honoured and very pleased to have Sonia in Vancouver to treat us, and anyone wishing to join us, to a talk about William Gillette and the re-discovered and newly-restored film. She will answer questions on its actors, when and where it was made, how it came to be lost and how it came to be found and everything in between. The talk will take place at our usual meeting location, Hampton Place (UBC) at 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 16th. Please join us and meet Sonia and learn all about William Gillette and his film.

No hansom cabs stop at the curb,

The bell has lost its peel.

No servant’s heavy-laden steps

Up the staircase steal.

The window blinds – shut fast and tight,

The fireplace gone cold.

The pen lies still upon the page,

Cases left untold.

The ticking clock, which no one hears

Save for a small grey mouse.

The darkness looms, the thick fog falls

Upon the empty house!

by Fran Martin 1991