Monday, May 12, 2008 3:59:43 AM
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Here are the Big Three in my little world of fiction, and in some respects, education. Sherlock Holmes (and Dr. Watson) Nero Wolfe (and Archie Goodwin) and Hercule Poirot are my favorite detectives. Each one of them is amazingly skilled and at the same time singularly flawed. Their skill lies in their ability to observe and imagine, correlate facts and details, and then to both solve the problem, and also lay a trap for the guilty. The "Plus One" is coming soon! Any guesses?  Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson and their residence at 221B Bakler Street in London are the creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The picture here is from the Granda Television series staring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Dr. John Watson. This series, I think, is the best representation of Doyle's stories that have been produced. Brett portrays Holmes to perfection and Hardwicke brought a sense of competence to Watson that had not been previously seen. Sherlock Holmes is certainly the greatest of the fictional detectives and Doyle really created the template for the genre that would be followed in large measure by Christie, Stout and many others. Although Holmes is occasionally seen handling cases without the assistance of Watson, it is still safe to say that Holmes needed Watson to bring him into balance. As Holmes stated, "there are those, who lacking genius themselves, have the gift of stimulating genius in others."  Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, the creation of Rex Stout, share many traits with Holmes and Watson. Their residence, "a brownstone on West 35th Street" is nearly as famous as 221B Baker Street. The house is important in the stories because Wolfe almost never leaves it. Only the most dire circumstances cause Wolfe to leave the comfort and safety of his home. The most notable example of this fact is in the story, In the Best of Families. Wolfe relies almost entirely on his assistant, Archie Goodwin, for the "leg work" in their detective business. Goodwin is perhaps as remarkable as Wolfe. He is an excellent PI in his own right, possessed of a photographic memory, a ladies man, great dancer, and both Wolfe's accountant and personal secretary. Most recently the A&E Channel ran two years of Nero Wolfe mysteries staring Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie. It was one of the best television shows made in the last several years, but of course, A&E then decided to cancel it. Rumor has it that the Hallmark Channel is interested in producing some new episodes, the first being my personal favorite story, the aforementioned In the Best of Families.  Hercule Poirot Appearing in nearly all of the Agatha Christie stories featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, David Suchet (pictured here) has probably captured the essence of a character as well as an actor could. Poirot is the exception to the three in some respects. He began his career as a "real" policeman in Belgum before World War I, going into "private" practice when the German occupation forces him to flee to England. Two other differences are noteworthy. First of all, Poirot's residence, although mentioned, is never really central to the stories or him personally. The other difference is that while Holmes and Wolfe needed their partners, Poirot never really seems to. He does have a constant assistant in the stories, his friend Captain Arthur Hastings. However, Hastings is more of a classic "sidekick" than a full partner. There are also a good number of stories that Hastings does not appear in. 
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