Kieran McMullen

Donald Houston played the part of Dr. Watson in only one film, A Study in Terror (1965). It was, however, quite an outstanding performance. As we all know, Watson, in film, is too often portrayed as a buffoon. Mr. Houston played Watson as an intelligent, action oriented character. While a little too astounded by Holmes, he is quite good. The movie takes Holmes and Watson into Whitechapel to find Jack the Ripper. The rest of the characters are also portrayed well (for the most part). John Neville is one of the best Holmes portrayals before Brett and Judi Dench and Frank Finley are also quite good. Finley portrays Inspector Lestrade. It’s interesting also that Finlay would again play Inspector Lestrade in the Sherlock Holmes thriller Murder by Decree (1979) in which Holmes vs Jack the Ripper again. One of the best performances is by Robert Morley as Mycroft Holmes, absolutely wonderful.

Donald Daniel Houston was born on 6 November 1923 in Tonypandy, Wales. He died in Portugal, 13 October 1991. He was the eldest of three children born to Alex and Elsie Houston. His father was a professional football player. After school he worked at the Galmorganshire Colliery. While there he went to an audition at the Llwynypia Boys Club and started touring with a theatre company.

It was not until 1949 that Mr. Houston really came into his own with staring rolls in “The Blue Lagoon” and “A Run for Your Money”. For the bulk of his career he was cast as aristocratic or authority figures and a man of action. He stared in such movies as “300 Spartans”, “Where Eagles Dare” and “The Longest Day”. My personal favorite is “Yangtse Incident” (1957). It is the tale of the river gunboat Amethyst that ws attacked by the Chinese Communists in 1949 and it’s escape down the Yangtse. A Welsh river subs for the Yangtse in the filming.

I thought it might be some fun to do a short profile of the many, many actors who have portrayed my favorite character. Such a project MUST start with the most famous Watson of all; Nigel Bruce.

Born William Nigel Bruce on Valentine’s Day 1895 in Ensenada, Mexico Bruce was an actual decendant of Robert the Bruce. His family was British aristocracy, his father a baronet and the title passing to his older brother Michael. His mother, Angelica, was the daughter of General George Selby, Royal Artillery. Bruce went by his nickname, Willie. Willie was educated in England at The Grange (sound familiar?), Stevenage and Abingdon School, Berkshire.

With the start of WWI Willie received a commission and went to France with the 10th Service Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. While serving with the Honourable Artillery Company in 1915 he was wounded in the left leg (Hmmm… same leg as Watson!) at Cambrai and spent the rest of the war in a wheelchair.  They pulled 11 bullets out of the leg which gave him problems the rest of his life. He started his acting career in 1919.

Bruce acted on the stage and in silent movies and finally came to Hollywood in 1934 where he appeared in 78 full length features. Besides acting he was an avid cricket player and captained the Hollywood Cricket Club and a prime member of the “Hollywood Raj,” a group of (mostly) British actors who worked and played together in the many British Empire type movies produced in the ’30s.

Of course 1939 saw the teaming with Basil Rathbone for the famous 14 film Sherlock Holmes series. While the first two films: Hound of the Baskerville’s and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were fairly true to form, the next 12 were updated to the WWII period in which they were made. Bruce’s role as Watson became more comic relief than stalwart compatriot. And one must admit, that while not true to the Doyle character, Bruce was a truly great character and comic actor. Besides the 14 movies, Bruce and Rathbone reprised their roles in over 200 radio shows.

Bruce died of a heart attack, October 8th, 1953 in Santa Monica, California. He left behind a wife and two daughters. A great loss at an early age!

A Brilliant Book About Dr. Watson and the British Invasion of Afghanistan, February 7, 2011

I just finished reading Watson’s Afghan Adventure by Kieran McMullen and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was well written, well researched, and made me feel like I was there with Dr. John Watson while he was serving with the British Army.

The book, written as a recollection of Dr. Watson’s to his friend and colleague, Sherlock Holmes, starts when Dr. Watson just misses the visit of his former army orderly. This unexpected visitor leaves behind several strange gifts, and when Sherlock Holmes is allowed to see the gifts, Watson finds himself telling Holmes the story of part of his past that had never been shared before. More than the story of an army surgeon on campaign during the Afghanistan wars, it is a story of friendship, camaraderie, intrigue, treasure, revenge, and murder.

McMullen’s style of writing, coupled with his background in the US Field Artillery, takes the reader into the past and shows what it was like for an army surgeon in the late 1800s during the conflicts that led to the battle of Maiwand. McMullen’s well researched book shows what it was like for the British soldiers and officers alike as they marched from India to quell the local tribes in Afghanistan and prevent Russia from threatening the British interests in the region. The peculiarities of the British command structure and it’s less-known cultural norms, as well we how the British class system led to poor decisions that would later impact the army’s battlefield performance, are detailed as McMullen tells the intertwined stories of a group of friends looking for a lost treasure in the middle of a war for which the British are hopelessly outnumbered.

McMullen is an outstanding story-teller who breathes new life into characters, who are well know already, while presenting a fascinating tale of the fortunes of war that ultimately led Dr. Watson to meet and begin helping Sherlock Holmes solve the mysteries that have been thrilling readers for decades. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes mysteries and/or who wants to know more about the British soldier’s life during the late 1800’s.

For someone that doesn’t follow the wars of Queen Victoria or know much about firearms or the military; the story is still a good read and keeps you wanting more. McMullen is able to make the reader feel they’re right there standing behind the characters.

US Holmes Society Review: WATSON’S AFGHAN ADVENTURE, by Kieran McMullen (London: MX Publishing, 2010, 216 pp., $16.95), is a Watsonian pastiche that offers his own account of his adventures in Afghanistan,which were far more colorful than his brief report in the Canon; it’s a story of romance and treasure and the battles of the Afghan War.

From Amazon.com

Timea Pal: McMullen’s army background really comes out in this book. As a Watson fan I was looking forward to reading it but found myself really taken by the authentic feel – like it had been written by someone who was there – which I guess is the case. In his bio he mentions civil war reenactment and that again isn’t surprising as throughout the book the detail on the weapons of the era is excellent. Will be enjoyed not just by Holmes pastiche fans, but also those into military history.

Sharon-E: (London, England) – Arthur Conan Doyle covered most of the avenues of enquiry about Holmes across all the stories but when it came to Watson many questions were left unanswered – especially about his military career. Watson’s Afghan Adventure answers many of these and is a fascinating story in its own right. Holmes fans will love it, as will those interested in military history. McMullen’s own military experience shines through and gives the book hearty authenticity.

LyndaE: This book was exciting from the very first page with lots of actual military history and events which were fascinating! I read it cover to cover in only a few hours. It was very difficult to put down once I had started reading. The historical accuracy was astounding not to mention entirely accurate. The authors attention to detail and factual story line make it a fantastic read. Any avid Sherlock reader will not want to miss this fascinating tale. Kuddos to the author!

Charlie077: Wonderful read. Detailed and pacy and of course featuring one of my favourite characters in Watson – what more could you ask for.

Watsons Afghan Adventure has now gone live on iBooks for the iPad. iPhone – Apple have local iTunes stores in USA, Canada, France, Germany and UK and the book is available from all of them!

Also available on Kindle on NOW!!