Secret Identity Heroes

I have a “thing” for secret identity heroes, particularly Superman and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The Scarlet Pimpernel is, according to my limited, crackpot research, the first secret identity hero. I plan to write an essay for my website on why people are attracted to secret identity heroes, but that’s down the road.

One of my friends is also a Scarlet Pimpernel fan. We, however, prefer different versions. She likes the recent A&E series with Richard Grant. I discovered the story with the 1982 made-for-TV-version starring Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews, which combines two of the Pimpernel books (the original and El Dorado) and takes the bold liberty of romantically linking Marguerite and Chauvelin. Debating the merits of each version is a fun, passionate pastime for us.

Recently, we met up with a mutual friend of ours while in Atlanta for a writers’ conference. The three of us were part of a large group that descended on the hotel restaurant for an evening of food, friendship and laughter. The subject of the Scarlet Pimpernel came up, with me defending the Anthony Andrews version and Chris proclaiming the superiority of the Richard Grant version when Jenna chimes in that she, too, is a Pimpernel fan, but the 1934 Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon version is the best.

There you have it. The story, in all its manifestations, is a wonderful tale of love and intrigue, with Sir Percy Blakeney a master of disguise, not only as the Pimpernel, but also as a mockery of himself – perhaps the very best secret identity of all. I have read only the original THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL story by Baroness Orczy because it appears to be the only one of the series still in print. However, there is a wonderful website, http://www.blakeneymanor.com/, where one can read the other PIMPERNEL stories.

They seek him here, they seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell?
That demmed elusive Pimpernel.

Sink me!