THE BLOG
Published on December 31, 2012
Comments 49

New Year and some stats

written by
The Baz has been going for around six months now, and we’ve just been handed our WordPress stats for the year.

The Baz stats June- December 2012

29,000 visitors from 77 countries.
662 followers
74 posts

most popular search terms that find us:
1. “basil rathbone” (yes, I was shocked too)
2. “the baz” (people are actually looking for us :))
3. “the adventures of sherlock holmes”
4. “sherlock holmes”
5. “classic movie screen shots” (?)

Other popular search terms that don’t make the top five:
“how did Cynthia Rathbone die” (you would be amazed how often we get this one)
“basil rathbone gay” (again, it’s bizarre how often this comes up)
“basil rathbone candids”
“ouida bergere” (apparently people are curious about her)

top referrers (sites that send us traffic)
1. basilrathbone.net
2. tumblr.com
3. twitter.com

Most Popular Posts:
1. Q&A with Robert Matzen
2. A Closer Look at the Second Mrs Rathbone Part I
3. The Best Candid Ever II
4. Two Unidentified WWI letters
5. A Closer Look at the Second Mrs Rathbone Part III

Most Commented posts:
1. The Best Candid Ever II– 191 comments
2. Two Unidentified WWI letters – 171 comments
3. Q&A with Robert Matzen – 160 comments
4. A Closer Look at the Second Mrs Rathbone Part I
– 124 comments
5. A Closer Look at the Second Mrs Rathbone Part III
– 104 comments

Wow, I can’t believe how many people have visited, and how many followers we have! We’ve done ok in six months haven’t we. 😀 Thanks to all our readers, regular and transient; this blog would be nothing without you. Please keep coming and commenting as smartly and insightfully and humorously as you have.

Happy, peaceful, healthy and all round ok New Year to you all!

Oh and congrats to Robert Matzen for making the most popular contribution! Sadly I have no wonderful engraved statuettes to give to our winners…oh well (as Sondheim says)…maybe next year.

49 Comments

  1. Sonje says

    Congratulations! Good work. I have just found this site and it is very marvellous. I have been a fan of Basil since last year!

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  3. Thomas Dekker says

    I have been impressed throughout by the work you are doing here, and it seems to me you are laying the foundations for a fascinating biography. I think Rathbone offers a unique opportunity in that his contribution to the Golden Era was crucial and he remains iconic for his portrayal of Holmes and for his swashbuckling roles with Flynn, and yet his life has never been subjected to the kind of over-exposure as most comparable stars. And he was also, as it appears, a deeply interesting and complex human being. May 2013 be prosperous and interesting!

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    • Elaine says

      I absolutely agree with that. But I think he would be a difficult subject too in many way because he was rather a private person and took care not to reveal some of the most meaningful aspects of his life.

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  6. Barb says

    Hav a great 2013 everyone and thanks for a wonderfully fun and informative six months at Baz Central

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    • NeveR says

      Wow, great work.

      So, does this mean she was definitely a real niece, as opposed to a “niece”? I’m guessing it’s more likely anyhow. Odd that there’s no census to show her living with the Rathbones when she was allegedly being raised by her loving aunt. Is that story another bit of publicity-conscious embroidery I wonder.

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      • Countess says

        Well the cencus is only take every 10years.This one is the newest one released they wont release the 1950 for another 10 more years..I belive it’s to protect peoples id.And very rightly so. After all someone living in 1940 can be and very likeley is still liveing today.Posibly at the very same location. We are talking about a girl of 21 here.Think I found her in 1930 this aft. let me digest what i found and get back to all tomorrow night.Finding her parents b4 1900 has been a real hard dig and still i have big zip to show for it.Sometimes people can be SO ordinary they seem to just slip into the background of history. I only found this record because Ouidas bro has a unusaul name. Mabey the only time being named Bernice and being a boy could be a good thing…

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        • Marcia Jessen says

          Bernice? The census form says “Bernie” (probably short for Bernard). Not so unusual. But congrats and thanks for finding the census report anyway!

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          • NeveR says

            I think I’ve read “Bernice” as Ouida’s bro’s name somewhere before though – odd as it sounds 🙂

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            • Countess says

              No it realy does seem to be Bernice Cleveland spelled just like the city. Actuly it sounds odd but I have a great uncle born abt the same time a couple years dif.His name was Bertie Cleveland. Mabey named for Grover Cleveland the prez? He bros name makes him easy to find. The Bernice could be a family name.I’m still trying to figuer what possesed Basils folks to name his sister Beatrice George Woodham? George of course her Moms last name still wondering on the woodham..hopeing it could be from her moms side to..might be of use someday locating Annies family. Donent seem to be hrom his dads side. Of course we might always wonder and never find out. Another of my uncles[fill in 3xgreat i think it is ] was named for the DR. thatdelivered him,he had a bro named for his dads comanding officer during the war of 1812.Unless that family story had been handed down how would we ever guess it.well its late i’m rambling.

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  11. Ken says

    Thank you Neve for the hours of pleasure you have given….

    errr…on the blog I mean

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  12. Margaret G says

    Happy New Year all and thank you to Neve for a very fine site, and to Marcia for Basil Rathbone Master of Stage and Screen!

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  16. Elaine Drury says

    I’m very very glad to see how popular your blog is becoming. Basil deserves it. I think I see a new generation of fans discovering him via the BBC Sherlock. I understand Stephen Moffatt is a huge fan of Rathbone’s Holmes

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    • NeveR says

      Thanks, crucofb, I love the dance card with Basil’s grandpa’s name in it 🙂 And “Greenbank” was freakin huge!

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  20. margaret G says

    That is noteworthy that Cynthia’s death attracts so much continued interest. I suppose most of his fans are aware her death was tragically early and unexplained. A biography would have to try and answer that question, and it might, who knows, help explain other things as well

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  21. sally says

    long time lurker and HUGE fan of Neve and the The Baz. Want to say thank you for six months of fun, interest and some tears. Happy New Year. Just a question – couldn’t you turn some of these wonderful posts into a book?

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    • Countess says

      THANK YOU Neve! For giving all of us this place to view and talk about our fave star…Happy new year. Now for my award actceptence speach..first I’d like to thank,all the little peope..you munchkins out there, that made this movie about Oz a…oh… ahh.. oops wrong movie..Keep calm and carry on. And party on dudes!

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  26. Judy D. says

    The stats are great news. As soon as I first plugged into your site over six years ago, I knew it was professionally and lovingly managed. Photos, movie descriptions, lists of radio shows, etc. A monumental platform upon which his fans and those just curious have built a sturdy structure…no feet of clay here. And judging by the searchers, there certainly may be an audience for another book about him. I WISH, WISH, WISH someone would stumble upon and share his old silent movies–but I guess they all turned to dust with so many others’ work. We’re sure lucky to have “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,” with that primitive 1929 soundtrack.

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    • NeveR says

      Thanks Judy, but I can’t take any credit for my friend Marcia’s great site basilrathbone.net! She has helped me enormously with the blog, and without her expertise I wouldn’t have had a chance, but all those wonderful archives are totally down to her hard work. “Professionally and lovingly managed” is exactly what it is, you’re totally right. What would any BR fan or researcher do without it?

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        • Judy D. says

          Oops, sorry, I had originally thought that but then got the idea you were all in this together, thirty flying fingers on the keyboard.

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          • NeveR says

            well, we are sort of linked in that we both run the biography archive thing, but Marcia has been doing this a lot longer than I have. I’m totally the junior partner and much more inclined to be a hopeless fangirl 🙂

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            • Countess says

              You may be a hopeless fan girl.Not alone there.I’ll step proudly to the front of that line with you! But the best bios are writen by fans. Because other fans are the ones who buy the books. Who buys a book about a star they cant stand? Cant rember the last time I bought a book about The Jonas Bros..oh wait, yes I can,it was the 12th of never.Rember the last time you picked up a book about smeone you liked only to find the authour had done a hachet job on them. Whowants to read that. Basils book need to be writen.And buy someone who likes him,and who can wright with way more style an better grammer then I have.

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        • embechtel says

          Good review.I have the remake with Ethel as well.I naturally prefer the Baz.Some reviewers i read were not too kind to Aline.

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          • Ellen Foley says

            I think she would’ve been equal to Ethel B,although maybe not as well known.I’ve never actually seen that version,love watching my Baz,too.

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