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The Fall Meeting of the comrades from upper Swandam Lane began at 6PM with a cash bar. President Art Renkwitz delivered greetings and directed the toasting ( Toasts ) as the Denizens settled in for a delightful meal and unique festivities.
The subject for the evening was
The
speaker for the evening was Jim
Arva.
Here's Jim's description of his presentation:
" The presentation will be about some of the actors who have played the role of Sherlock Holmes on the radio. There will be audio clips showing examples of their acting, the voices of their colleagues discussing various aspects of their off-mike personalities and what it was like in the studio during rehearsals and broadcasts. They will be accompanied by photographs, as well as a few pieces of memorabilia about the sponsors.
I
will try to bring out the unusual, such as … audio clips of
an actor who was versatile enough to play both Holmes and a
Chinaman on two weekly radio series … clips of one playing
both Holmes and Moriarty - once on British radio and once in "The
Colonies" … a clip of the then-mayor of Van Nuys, California
and well-known radio and movie star playing the part of The Hound
as that ignoble canine was never portrayed before or since …
a Holmes who was an engineer of elaborate Rube-Goldbergesque
devices … or a clip of Holmes played by a long-running radio
and television comedian (who even made a few movies).
There is a relatable segue into my grandmother's account of what it was like in the streets during the "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
Slightly off-subject, I have also included a goodly segment on
Nigel Bruce, with numerous clips of his friends talking about him
… one of which describes the night of the day he died, ending
with five simple words
from a telephone operator that will grip your throat with pathos
at the same time it tries to make you laugh.
I am a former gasogene of The Six Napoleons of Baltimore, and so with great pride, I bill myself as, "James H. Arva, Past Gas." Speaking of gas … I will limit the presentation to 45 minutes. The only time I ever listened to a speaker for longer than that without wanting to put a gun to my head was when I witnessed the baroness Von Trapp speak of her real-life experience in "The Sound of Music". What a spell-binding woman she was. I didn't breathe for an hour and 15 minutes! I can't promise that, but I think we'll have fun."
Quizzes were provided by Paul Churchill and Steven Bergenholtz. Gifts were given to the winners in the Beginner and Master categories. Regina Stinson (Ribston Pipin) and Gordon Vincent took the honors and will be the quiz masters for the Spring Meeting.
The Quiz of the evening tested their knowledge of
from The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The
Dinner menu was as follows:
*Each entree was served with house salad, a starch, a vegetable and assorted breads*Dessert was Strawberry Cheesecake
1. Sliced London Broil- with red wine mushroom sauce2. Chicken Piccata - chicken breast sauteed in lemon juice and white wine with sliced mushrooms and capers
3. Salmon Provencal - with tomatoes and capers. Delicious!
4. Garlic Shrimp - what could be a better combination?
All-in-all it was a memorable night that the Denizens were glad to be able to share. The Spring Meeting of 2007 will be on Saturday, April the 14th beginning at 6PM.
Art Renkwitz
