I had these two laying around for a while, but I think it´s about time that I showed them to the world (even thought I haven´t planned much with them). Meet Siger and Viola aka Mr. and Mrs Rathbone, Basil´s parents!
They don´t keep much in contact with their son since he went out to live on his own and pursued his career as a detective, but they do keep their eyes on the news from time to time.
As for Basil´s childhood (and a headcanon of why did he end up to be, in Glen Keane´s words. "such an intelligent guy, but a social misfit), I imaginee was very curious of his surroundings, full of energy as any other kid... However with how busy his parents´ schedules were, it was too much for them.
The young mouse recurred to more extravagant ways to get attention (when he wasn´t inmersed into reading a book), which made more than one of the babysitters he had quit... That is until Mrs. Judson came around that is (even though she was not his babysitter, but a housemaid). Sure the boy drove her crazy on more than one occasion, but she actually took the time to give him the attention his parents did not provide.
It wasn´t always easy however- But Basil always tended to open up more towards Judson when his parents were not around. Even as he grew up and went to college (which hit him hard because he had been homeschooled until then, so his social skills pretty much sucked among other things that happened to him), he still kept in contant with Judson. Her letters seemed to cheer him up quite a bit when he recieved them...
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Top 10 Portrayals of Mrs. Hudson
The last time I did a list related to the “supporting cast” of the Sherlock Holmes universe, I did a Top 10 of my favorite takes on Inspector Lestrade. Today we’ll be going over the other member of the “Baker Street Family,” Mrs. Hudson.
Mrs. Hudson is a character whom I often feel gets overlooked in the grand pattern of Holmes’ cast. She’s not really a major player in most of the original stories, but her presence is a fairly constant one. Like Watson and Lestrade, she essentially acts as an anchor, bringing some semblance of sanity into the wild madness that is Holmes and his world. Some adaptations barely make use of her, but a lot of my favorites play up the relationship between herself and her tenants in some fun ways. Mrs. Hudson is usually shown to be a sort of surrogate mother to Holmes, in more ways than one: she loves him dearly, but she’s also always in a tizzy over his hijinks, and forever put off by his rude behavior.
The two flip-flop between genuine affection and sniping at one another constantly…but no matter how often they fuss and fume, each genuinely couldn’t imagine being without the other. She is just as valuable a member of the team as Watson, or any member of Scotland Yard, and just as persistent a character. Very few Sherlock Holmes adaptations are without her, even if she’s just there for a few moments. For, as one version of Holmes rightly stated: “Mrs. Hudson leave Baker Street? England would fall.”
Picking my favorite versions of Mrs. Hudson was really quite difficult, but I think I managed to arrange and choose some winners from the bunch. With that said, let’s see those winners now! Help yourself to some tea and muffins: these are My Top 10 Favorite Portrayals of Mrs. Hudson!
10. Alison Leggatt, from The Seven Per-Cent Solution.
Honestly, I mostly chose this one because of the actress. It’s hard for me not to enjoy the Queen of Hearts as Mrs. Hudson.
9. Candis Cayne, from Elementary.
An interesting modern interpretation of the character to say the least. In this series, Miss Hudson - rather than Missus - is a slight latecomer to the show, and acts as a maid rather than a landlady. She’s a recurring character throughout the show, but ultimately not as prominent as one might expect after her initial appearance.
8. Mrs. Judson, from The Great Mouse Detective.
Voiced by Diana Chesney. While her role is very small, her brief scenes have always been quite memorable to me, and I felt this list wouldn’t be complete without this rodent reimagining.
7. Geraldine James, from the Guy Ritchie Films.
By far the most snarly relationship between a Holmes and Hudson of practically any version. I wish there had been some more genuine warmth between the two, but I will say that their banter is quite amusing.
6. Pat Keen, from Without a Clue.
In this film, Watson and Holmes effectively swap out, as it’s revealed the doctor is the real mastermind with Sherlock as his bungling sidekick. Mrs. Hudson is one of the few people who knows the truth, which is only fitting.
5. Mary Gordon, from the FOX/Universal Films.
While Mary Gordon didn’t really DO much throughout these movies - nor in the radio show with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce, where she was also a constant presence - something about her was just so memorable. She brought a sort of befuddled warmth to her scenes, and it’s worth noting that she was the only character, aside from the original Dynamic Duo, to appear in every single movie to some degree or another.
4. The Version from Moriarty the Patriot.
Much like Elementary, this version of the character is called “Miss” Hudson, and is depicted as much younger than usual. She’s something of a comic relief figure, but she still manages to work as an excellent take on the character. I love the sort of big sister/little brother relationship she has with Sherlock, and while, again, she rarely actually DOES much, she’s always fun to see in action.
3. Rina Zelyonaya, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson.
It was hard to choose between my top three takes on Mrs. Hudson, as all of them are pretty close together, and could all be considered arguably the definitive takes on the character, in my opinion. In this Russian series, Zelyonaya’s Hudson is a wonderfully experienced old lady. You get the feeling she’s known Holmes since he was still VERY young, and knows him better than anybody, even Dr. Watson.
2. Rosalie Williams, from the Granada Series.
This is one of the most “motherly” versions of Mrs. Hudson, in my opinion, in the way she interacts with both Holmes and the good doctor. I love her moments of temper and authority, but I also love her moments of genuine concern and care when they come out. I think one of my favorite parts of the show was all her scenes in “The Empty House,” and how excitedly she gets involved once she realizes Sherlock is still alive.
1. Una Stubbs, from Sherlock.
Much like Rosalie Williams, this version of Mrs. Hudson has one of the most overtly motherly demeanors of any version. I love how she’s so sweet and bubbly on the outset, but then as the show goes on you realize there is a real steel underneath that seemingly frail surface. Like most of the other major cast members, it was neat to see her go from the modern world to period Victoriana in “The Abominable Bride,” and I was very sad to learn of her recent passing. A marvelous depiction overall.
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Wait looking back isn’t it a potential fire hazard to leave the smoking machine thing on all day while you’re gone since it’s right next to all those papers and stuff?
-always a big fan of your work, Juda.
And why did it take so long to think of this after our initial conversation including the contraption? I have the retention and attention span of a burnt avocado, thank you for your understanding
Quite so. However, Mrs. Judson has the good sense to observe whether anything is going awry but not intervene unless absolutely necessary. She understands the damage she could incur should she attempt to interfere with any of my experiments before (or after) they have been completed.
Should there be a fire across the desk at risk of spreading, she has authority to put it out. Past that, I do not wish her involvement.
-Basil, of Baker Street
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