Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A kind of fame.

Hey, in checking out Dame Maggie Smith's birthdate -- I'm too much of a gentleman to reveal it -- I found a cross-reference to Wikipedia's page about the University College Players (Dame M appeared in an 1953 production by the Players, when she was only . . . no, not going there.)

The entry mentions the Players' outdoor production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1977 and 1978. Incorrectly, it was only 1978, and I know this because not only did I appear in that production, in four roles -- Robinson Duckworth, the Duck, the Executioner, and the voice of the pig-baby as it was tossed into the River Cherwell -- but I also adapted it from Lewis Carroll's book (and designed the poster). Yes, friends, I have lived. It was directed by my old friend, Robin Hodgkinson, who went on to marry the young lady playing Alice. Ahhhh.

(Distinguished author and former editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement Andrew Robinson -- not the Andrew Robinson who was so memorably shot by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry -- was the Hatter. QC and Deputy High Court Judge Andrew Edis was the March Hare.)

But can a published mystery author get a Wiki credit for his early work? Nooooooo.

3 comments:

  1. Alan:

    Forgive me for stating the obvious (but it is what I do best), but isn't Wikipedia editable by anyone who takes the time to create an account?

    Therefore, you could edit the contents of that article, correcting the error in the dates and adding a bio for a certain well-known, humorous, and oh-so-modest mystery writer whose 3rd mystery novel is currently in the works?

    Or, you could ask one of your many fans here to create a whole wiki page just about you -- provide us with a suitable bio and we'll do just that!

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  2. Kathi -- there are no pictures. There were pictures, but now there are no pictures.

    Marcia -- Editing a Wiki to stick in my own name? That's like Googling yourself. No, I think reading the events of my life on a Wikipedia page would be too depressing, but thanks for the offer. Maybe if the third book gets to see the light of day, I'll reconsider, for the sake of the self-promotion.

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