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The Spring 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.
A new segment was added to our meetings featuring Denizen Jim Arva
Here's
Jim's description of his presentation:
Drawing
from material I pulled together -- much of it as yet unused --for
a talk I gave several years ago at The Pratt, the idea is a series
titled, "A Goodly Daze of Evil Knights -- Noble in Name Only",
featuring members of the nobility who fall far from the mark when
it comes to sterling character. Some possibilities would
be:
[1] Sir Robert Norberton, in "Shoscombe Old Place".[2] Baron Adelbert Gruner, in "The Illustrious Client".
[3] Colonel Sebastian Moran, in "The Empty House".
[4] Barion Maupertous, in "The Reigate Squires" (this, admittedly, might be a stretch).
[5] Count Negretto Silvius, Baron Dowson, and Lord Cantlemere, in "The Mazarine Stone".
*[6] Sir George Burnwell and His Royal Highness Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, in "The Beryl Coronet".
[7] John Clay, in "The Red-Headed League".
[8] The man with name as long as a country mile our hereditary King of Bohemia, in "A Scandal in Bohemia".
Aside from the series, I have another presentation which I wrote for The Pratt but never gave because I had to go to Saudi Arabia for two weeks. It involves comparison between the Charlie Chan movie series (including all three Chans) and The Canon. There were, as a matter of fact, numerous actors shared between the Chan series and the Rathbone-Bruce Holmes series. There were actors we knew well from elsewhere, such as... Milburn Stone (Doc, in "Gunsmoke"), and ... Elena Verdugo (of "Meet Millie" and a guest appearance on "The Red Skelton Show" that brought the house down), and ... Jay Silverheels (Tonto, in "The Lone Ranger"). This one lasts about 35 minutes.
I used to spend some time every year with Kate Phillips, who wrote the plot, the dialogue, and the music for "The Blob". Before World War II, when she left Hollywood to do volunteer work, she acted in such movies as John Ford's "Drums Along the Mohawk", with Claudette Colbert, and in at least half a dozen of the early Charlie Chans with Warner Oland. She furnished me with a lot of stories, such as how Warner Oland's disappearance led to the Mr. Moto series, with Peter Lorre. She gave me stories about the Chan movies, and I furnished her with copies of the ones she acted in because she couldn't find them anywhere else.
Back to the Evil Knights series. I started with, "The Beryl Coronet", fueled by an act of gross irresponsibility, followed by a theft no real English gentleman would ever consider, combined with acting the cad to its maximum malevolence, and finally, treachery to a kind and trusting old man.
Anyway ... what do you think of the Evil Knights series as a starter?
The
featured presentation of the evening was to be
However, a sudden illness prevented Helen from attending. She will, we are happy to say, be the featured speaker at our October the 13th meeting.
Helen Chappell has published more than forty books, both fiction and nonfiction. She also writes romantic fiction under the pseudonyms 'Rebecca Baldwin', and 'Caroline Brooks'. Her column, "Oysterback," appeared for many years in the Baltimore Sun. She has also written for the Washington Post, Tidewater Times, and several other regional magazines, and taught workshops and classes in journalism and fiction. She has written two produced plays, and been a commentator for Public Radio. Her work has been recognized with an A.E. Emart Excellence in Journalism Award and grants from both the Sumner T. McKnight Foundation and the Maryland State Arts Council. Chappell lives near Royal Oak, Maryland, where she tries to keep a low profile and stay out of the line of fire.
Oysterback.com
The presentation of the evening was delivered by Denizen, and BSI,
Paul Churchill. Paul's presentation was
You may think you know the story of The Beryl Cornet, but I assure you there is more. Paul explained the allegorical details through an anagram. It was fascinating.
Quizzes were provided by Gordon Vincent and Regina Stinson (A
Little Ribston-Pipin). Gifts were given to the winners in the
Beginner and Master categories.
The Quiz of the evening tested the knowledge of
from The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The
Dinner menu was as follows:
*Each entree was served with a house salad, starch, 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 are glad to be able to share. The date for Fall Meeting of 2007 will be October the 13th.
Art Renkwitz
