MY HEAD WHIRLS

Percy Phelps sank back in his chair.
'My head whirls,' said he; 'your words have dazed me.'

One day this past week I found myself identifying somewhat with the ridiculous Percy Phelps and his experience of receiving a thought changing surprise over breakfast. (OK, it might be a bit of a stretch, but humor me.) Dawdling over breakfast, the newspaper and Wordle done, I opened Twitter, and found this post, with photos from the Baker Street Journal, Volume 2, Number 4, 1947:

@ephemeracity

A charming short story written by Basil Rathbone in this 1947 issue of The Baker Street Journal titled “Daydream”. He imagines an accidental meeting with Sherlock Holmes following a sting from one of his bees whilst on holiday in Sussex #sherlockholmes

 

I immediately pulled the Journal from the shelf and read the story. The piece is delightful--beautifully written and imaginative. I was stunned. I suddenly needed to think about Basil Rathbone in a different light.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I've never thought very much about Basil Rathbone at all. I did not grow up watching his Sherlock Holmes movies on television and I've never watched them through to this date. I have trouble keeping track of which parts I've seen and which movie is which. Nigel Bruce as Watson always annoyed me so I mostly stayed away. (Although, as I've aged, I've started to see the charm of the films, including Bruce's portrayal.) The only real time I've given to Rathbone was while reading the parts about him within Mattias Bostrom's From Holmes to Sherlock. 

In my mind, Rathbone was probably a nice man and excellent actor who saw his career stunted by being typecast as Holmes. I filed him away as such in the brain attic and didn't pay much attention otherwise. After reading his "Daydream," I realized I needed to reconsider the man and the variety of his work. What else did he write that I should have read?

I felt somewhat better about my lack of awareness when I saw that several Sherlockians I admire made posts on Twitter about being unaware of Rathbone and "Daydream."  In the course of reading through some of the replies and comments, I saw this post from David Stuart Davies:

David Stuart Davies

I have it - but the fascinating thing is, Basil had just left the film and radio series because he was fed up playing the character and then writes this piece.

The emotional distance between the quitting of the work and the writing of the story is fascinating, too. Certainly he had an emotional connection to Holmes. I started creating symbolism into the dialogue of the story where perhaps none existed. Did the stinging bee--that died after stinging the narrator--represent Rathbone's experience playing Holmes?

"I'm sorry to see that you have been stung by one of my bees."
I smiled; the smile was intended to say that it didn't matter.
"You must forgive the little fellow," he continued. "He's paid for it with his life."
"It seems unfair that he should have had to," I said, hearing my own voice as if it had been someone else's.

It seems unfair that he should have had to. Hearing my own voice as if it had been some one else's. 

Yes, Mr. Rathbone, it is unfair that you should have had to endure what happened to your career and your ability to use your own voice. Your celebrity as Holmes came at a high price.

I do not know if he meant "Daydream" to say that the price didn't matter but I wonder, especially when reading this part that soon follows the conversation above:

The incident--for an incident it had become--was strangely tempered with magic.

Sherlockians know that Holmes's world is sometimes tempered with unexpected magic. Did Rathbone agree? As always, the only way for me to know is to read. And I will. 

I understand he penned an autobiography. I expect to start reading it after breakfast one day soon.