0012: THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP

DATE

June 18, 2011

LOCATION

Hedberg Public Library Public Meeting Room

MEMBERS PRESENT

Ron Del Ciello, Tom Drucker, Judy Goodhue, Resa Haile, Elaine Khan, Bryan Pike, Gayle Lange Puhl, Victor Rufer

CHARTER MEMBER

James Haile

QUIZ AND MISCELLANY

Resa provided the quiz and Tom the prizes. Tom took first, Gayle second, and Ron third.

Gayle provided the Eille Norwood silent version of "The Man with the Twisted Lip." The acting styles were very interesting.

Ron reported on The Sherlockian by Graham Moore, in which a modern mystery is juxtaposed against a mystery Conan Doyle investigates.

STORY: THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP

Victor noted that, in the 1960s, there were professional panhandling schools. Gayle said that the beggars in Victorian London were licensed. Resa pointed out that Hugh Boone had no license, as he was being arrested regularly. Gayle said that a pound of currency at the time would equal $64 in today’s money, so “Boone” was making $138 a day. His villa was £80 a year.

Resa said that the children would have been very small, based on how long the couple were married. Tom pointed out that the movie emphasized the romantic element, which misrepresented what bothered St. Clair.

Tom and Resa both found it was interesting that Holmes looked down on the addicts at the Bar of Gold. Gayle said Holmes was not addicted, because he could pull himself out.

Gayle said the concern was the blot on the children, the social stigma. It was a social engineering problem. The parents could struggle through, but the children suffered.

Elaine wondered the news about his being a beggar would travel around so much without the Internet. Gayle said that word of mouth was not invited. Elaine said that professional beggars in China beg in a province far away from home and have money to build beautiful villas. Their children go to good schools. Peasants who had worked on a farm came to the city. Resa said the children going to good schools means they get a good education and can move up. Elaine said children are kidnapped to get more sympathy for begging, and this still goes on in China.

Resa questioned the ethics of pretending to be poor to induce strangers to donate money. Victor said that no one was forced to give him money. Resa said Boone provides the service of making the person donating feel good. Gayle said in Israel this was known as a “mitzvah.” There was a discussion of begging and what makes people give to a beggar, if the beggar does something, etc. Various experiences with beggars were shared.

Resa noted that this was another case that argued against Holmes’ misogyny. Gayle said there was a theory that Mrs. St. Clair was an old friend of his.

NEXT MEETING

THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND—July 30, 2011, 11 a.m.

Minutes prepared by Resa Haile.