Radio stars (Oct 1935-Sept 1936)

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" 'Read that, Eadie,' she said firmly, 'you'll forget all about being sick.' "I read the book through twice and forgot all about being sick ! I didn't eat dinner, though. I was still day-dreaming about Baker Street, Moriarity and dear Doctor Watson." Four years ago Edith suggested the idea to her radio producer-husband, Tom McKnight. "It's too old-fashioned, gal," he said dubiously. "Everyone has forgotten the old boy." This started the couple off on one of their friendly scraps. They fought backstage when they were in vaudeville together. They battled over ideas for radio. Most of the time the dark-haired girl won. This time it looked as if Tom would come out on top. Prospective sponsors scoffed at the idea. They wanted a streamlined sleuth, who spoke out of the side of his mouth, scared women and children. However, the new school of dicks the Philo Vances, Nero Wolfes, and Nick Charles (The Thin Man) — were not adaptable for radio — simply because they were so tough. Despite discouragement. Edith delved anew into Sherlock's habits. She has read every book ever written by Doyle. Then she discovered Holmes liked coffee — drank at least seven cups a day — and, believe it or not, that is how Sherlock got his first taste of the ether waves ! Edith, bright Vassar graduate that she is, put this bit of information under the noses of the G. Washington Coffee people, and did some very fast talking. Twentyfour hours later they became Holmes' first sponsor. Household Finance Corporation is his present one. Edith Meiser extracted a script from her portfolio, removed her wide-brimed straw hat and started to warm up to her subject : "Sherlock is perfect air material. There are not too many clues. Holmes, you know, was the first deduction artist. He was the first to use the famous cigar-ash and fingerprint clues. Doyle, a scientist at heart, believed in mental, rather than physical action. Therefore Sherlock has excellent radio pace. It's uncanny how smoothly it works out for radio adaptation. Conan Doyle had great vision." When Edith first adapted these stories, criticisms came in bundles. Blue-nosed listeners resented a character who once took cocaine. Holmes devotees, on the other hand, demanded that radio include all the detective's eccentricities. Conan Doyle originally wrote these stories for his own amusement. He gave his brainchild a few bad traits. "Quick, Watson, the needle!" became an internationally famous expression. Then Sherlock Holmes began to sell in the millions — and when colonists on the very rim of the British Empire waited impatiently for the next installments — which came via mailboats — Doyle knew it was an unwise move to make a world-hero a dope addict. Holmes stopped taking the "stuff" after the first two books. Edith Meiser left it out entirely. Other critics objected to the pronunciation of English words. The word "clerk" is pronounced "dark" over there. Yet if "dark" had been used on the air, the authoress explained, too many listeners would have missed the point of the episode. Retired British Army officers berated her conception of Dr. Watson. "My dear girl," one old gaffer commented, "you've made the old boy a bit of a sissy. After all he was a soldier in Her Majesty's forces." Dr. Watson was supposed to be a fearless ex-British Army Doctor, who saw service in the Afghan campaign. But Edith Meiser uses the faithful friend to set the scene and create suspense. In the books Doyle did this easily enough with graphic word pictures, which could not be transferred to the air. "Therefore it was necessary," continued the writer, "for me to have Watson always a bit nervous. Otherwise listeners never would know the risks Sherlock was taking." Edith writes her scripts in bed. She spends two days a week amid pillows and blankets, pencil and paper in hand, dogeared reference books nearby. Most of the stories run almost the exact time of a thirty-minute broadcast and are complete. Conan Doyle even left room for the commercials ! "Sherlock Holmes is like old wine, tell them that," spoke up Richard Gordon suddenly, "each time you play it you find something different." The soft, nasal voice of Richard Gordon captured the conversation. This was Sherlock Holmes ! Only checkered cap and magnifying glass were missing. This gray-haired actor has played each episode at least four times — yet he never knows how any of them will end ! "There's nothing obvious about Holmes," continued Gordon, "you get a new meaning every time." That night Gordon was acting in The Rcigate Puzzle. One particular line Gordon had been reading wrong, right up to dress rehearsal time putting the wrong inflection on one word. Here is the slice of dialogue that Richard Gordon discovered he was saying incorrectly a half hour before the broadcast: Holmes : Curious that a burglar with previous experience should deliberately break into a house at a time when he could plainly see that two of the family were at home. Alec : He must hare been a cool hand. Holmes: Yes, a curious feUotv. It was necessary for Holmes to say "curious" with a sly intonation. Gordon j pointed out, for the detective knew all the i time that Alec was the murderer.