Sherlock Holmes: The Ghost of Baker Street (2006) by Val Andrews

Author:Val Andrews [Andrews, Val]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2015-11-15T14:00:00+00:00

THREE

The filming of ‘Walton’ had been in progress for quite some time with Lyle Garrison mercifully spared imprisonment to supervise it. I was invited to attend, which I did, though not on a regular basis, and even then keeping my involvement to an absolute minimum. I had, in the past, observed over anxious writers who interfered with filming and had seen what eventually happened to them. I was happy to be working and getting paid for it and had no desire whatever to rock the boat, but when Holmes suddenly appeared among those upon the sidelines, I was a trifle worried. No pass had been issued to him, but then, nothing could stop him being wherever he wished. I explained away his presence to Lyle, who was entirely unworried by the appearance of an amiable eccentric in a worn red dressing robe.

I said, “Lyle, I was on the point of getting a pass for Cyril when he seemed to go missing, only to turn up here in the studio. Goodness knows how he managed to get in.”

Garrison said, kindly, “Don’t give it another thought, I’ve already got real problems to worry about as you know, but tell me, does he usually go around in his dressing gown?”

I forced a chuckle and said, “He’s British, and you have more eccentrics to the square foot than I thought possible.”

Lyle laughed despite his troubles and said, “You have your fair share in Hollywood. I was once told that Valentino used to sleep in a glass coffin… or was it Navarro?”

I had been a little fortunate in my ability to keep rash promises because Orson had returned to Baker Street to tell me of the premature closing of Wuthering Heights brought about mainly through a breach in his friendship with Wolfstein.

“He turned out to be a martinet old man, once he had got his hands on the backing money that I had worked and slaved to get him.”

I sympathised, secretly rubbing my hands with glee, knowing that Garrison was ready to snap him up for a one episode rôle in ‘Walton’ as a kilted Laird in the first story. Moreover, I had no difficulty in getting him to give Peppy Clovis a small part, so complete was his satisfaction concerning the ‘gift’ of Orson.

Thus I had kept all my promises and my world seemed to be quite serene. As Garrison sat in ‘producer’s corner’ with his papers and clip boards, the director strode around and issued his orders to camera crew and actors. He was an intense young man with a British public school accent, “Charterhouse I think, for it has not the dominance of Eton or Harrow”. Holmes knew more about dialect than anyone I ever met, making Professor Higgins seem like an amateur.

I was soon to get an example of that which was Welles’ strength and weakness in one. In any scene in which he was involved, the director was soon made redundant. He was, of course, quite magnificent in his rôle, and his suggestions to the cameraman and lighting crew were very sound.

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