Doctor Who in New Orleans Concept Number 2

[Edwardian Cricketer]

Doctor Who in New Orleans Concept Number 2
Working titles:  Madame Vieux Carre′
        Prohibition
        New Orleans Ladies (a reference to the elaborately painted houses)


This story would see the fifth Doctor and Peri in post Katrina New Orleans, somewhere between 2007 and 2010. Events will also take them to the 1920s during the time of the Jacque St. Germain mystery. I chose the fifth Doctor as I have been reading a lot of fifth Doctor stories lately and I think I can relate to him a bit better than some of the others. Peri seems to be the better companion for this story as she is American and it could be assumed that she would have visited the city at some time with her stepfather before she met the Doctor. The story would have to take place between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani as do some other missing or past Doctor adventures.

In a city known for voodoo and occult legends, it seems only fitting that the Doctor and Peri should come to New Orleans and find themselves almost immediately involved with the mystery surrounding the St. Germain house. There actually is a mystery surrounding the house. See the references below.

They meet Eric Howard, an assistant museum curator responsible for a display of items from the house, among others. The theme for the display is “New Orleans Unsolved Mysteries” and some of the items have gone missing. Nothing else disturbed except for items from the St. Germain house. The Doctor decides to pay a visit to the house in the ‘20s to get an idea of what they might be dealing with, leaving the museum mystery in Eric’s hands.

It seems there are more things than museum artifacts going missing, though, as several young girls have also vanished. Oddly, these young girls had attended night events at the museum. The police have been unable to find any clue as their whereabouts.

The Doctor and Peri meet Jacque St. Germain at one of city’s grand parties. The Doctor realizes where he’s met St. Germain before. St. Germain also realizes that the Doctor is a Time Lord and traps him in the attic. St. Germain decides to entertain himself at Peri’s expense but she escapes. She tells the police but when they arrive at the house, it is empty. She frees the Doctor and they race back to the 21st century.

Eric sets a trap for whoever is stealing the artifacts from the museum, only to become implicated in the theft himself when the trap goes wrong. He discovers that the curator is responsible for the thefts and is none other than Jacque St. Germain.

St. Germain, after fleeing from his house in the ‘20s, returns to Europe from whence he came. Now that more than 80 years has passed, he has come back to claim what was his. He positioned himself as curator of the museum after learning that his things were being put on display. On display are:  a violin, sheets of music, clothing, furniture, personal effects, some things from the ‘20s, and some things from the 1700s.

The end of this story will have the Doctor letting St. Germain live in peace, having trapped him as a human who will eventually die of old age.

The story does need better motivation for the villain and probably a better ending. Tying up loose ends could be tricky.

St. Germain’s house is located at the corner of Royal and Ursuline.
During the 1920s in New Orleans it was very fashionable for the wealthy to hold elaborate dinner parties where, presumably, everyone would dance the Charleston and marvel at handle bar mustaches. One of the most well known hosts of these parties was Jacque St. Germain, a man of great wealth, class, and charm who had arrived in New Orleans under mysterious circumstances. Guests described him as charming and worldly but no one had any idea where he had come from, even more strange, guests reported that they never saw St. Germain eat even a morsel of food, he would simply sit at the dinner table and take small sips of red wine while the guests ate. One night, a young woman burst into the police station claiming that St. Germain had attacked her after he’d asked her to stay behind after one of his parties. The woman claimed that St. Germain had tried to bite her neck and she had only escaped by jumping from his balcony. When police arrived at St. Germain’s house he had vanished, a search of the house revealed that it was completely empty, accept for some blood stained tablecloths and racks upon racks of red wine. A policeman opened and drank from one of the bottles and immediately spat it out saying it was filled with blood. Jacques St. Germain was never seen again.

Note: In 1700’s there was a well-known philosopher and statesman named The Count of St. Germain. He was often associated with mysticism and the occult, and it was rumored that he never aged. I mention him because descriptions of him are almost identical to those of Jacque St. Germain right down to his refusal of food during dinner parties.
Top 5 Unsolved Mysteries of New Orleans, http://www.nolafreepress.com/?p=160

On St. Germaine, down rue Royal, at Ursuline, there sits the former home of Jacques St. Germaine. St. Germaine, moved to New Orleans from France in 1903 and only occupied the home for a short time. It is said that during his time here he attacked and bit a young woman in his home, after luring her there for a glass of wine. She was able to escape however, and make it to the local authorities. St. Germaine mysteriously disappeared. However, the authorities upon entering his lair, found a collection of wine bottles, which they later found to be filled with a combination of wine and human blood. Some say St. Germaine is still alive today, and visits the French Quarter occasionally.
New Orleans Vampire Tour, http://www.trustedtours.com/store/new-orleans-vampire-tour.aspx

Making his first appearance in the court of Louis XV of France, the Comte d’ Saint Germain endeared himself to the aristocrats by regaling them with events from his life. An alchemist by trade, he claimed to be in possession of the “elixir of life,” and to have been over six thousand years old. Contemporary accounts from the time record that despite being in the midst of many banquets and invited to the finest homes; he never ate at any of them. After a while, he left the French court and moved to Germany, where he was reported to have died. However, people continued to spot him throughout Europe even after his death.
In 1903, a handsome and charismatic young Frenchman named Jacques Saint Germain, claiming to be a descendant of the Comte, arrived in New Orleans, taking residence in a house at the corner of Royal and Ursuline streets. Possessing an eye for the ladies, Jacques was seen on the streets of the French Quarter on a nightly basis, with a different lady on his arm every night. His incursions came to an abrupt end one cold December night, when a woman’s piercing scream was heard coming from Jacques’ French Quarter home. The scream was quickly accompanied by the woman herself, who flung herself from the second story window, to land on the street below. As bystanders rushed to the aid of the young woman, she told them how Saint Germain attacked and bit her, and that she jumped out of the window to escape. She died later that evening at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. By the time the New Orleans police kicked in the door of Saint Germain’s home, he had escaped. However, what they did find was disturbing nonetheless. The stench of death greeted the nostrils of the policemen, who found large bloodstains in the wooden flooring. The house was declared a crime scene and sealed off. He seemed to have left in a hurry with all posessions remaining in the home, inclusing expensive wine. The officers cataloged the contents of the home, but a few bottles of wine made it to the police capitan's dinner table. He and his wife began to drink it and were disgusted when they realized the wine was mixed with human blood. From that evil night to the present day, no one lives in that home in the French Quarter. The window the girl jumped from is presently bricked over. It is private property and all taxes have been paid to date, but no one has been able to contact the present owner or owners.
* The story is paraphrased from to the book Journey Into Darkness...Ghosts and Vampires of New Orleans, as well as the account related on the Haunted History Tour in New Orleans, LA. In addition, Reed and Brandon both work with a lady at the Broadmoor Branch who lived in the Vieux Carre in New Orleans for many years who acknowledged hearing this tale.
New Orleans Haunted History, http://students.cis.uab.edu/lesdgray/germaine.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_St._Germain

Journey Into Darkness...Ghosts and Vampires of New Orleans, by Kalila Katherine Smith, October 1, 1998, DeSimeon.

[Michele]

Back in JNT's era there were plans (never realized) to film a story in New Orleans. I wonder if it would have been anything like this?

 

[Edwardian Cricketer]

Really?! I don't think I ever knew that. Hmm. . . I wonder what idea JNT might have had in his mind at the time. Lots has happened since the '80s, though. 'Course, more happened before the '80s. . .  Could have been anything. Louisiana Purchase, Battle of New Orleans, Civil War, Prohibition, Huey P. Long; enough fires and floods to rival London. And I have to wonder if they actually planned on coming overseas to film, given budgetary constraints at the time. I would very much like to see the current production team come back to the states and film here in the Crescent City. And we are becoming known as the "Hollywood of the South."

[Michele]

It is one of the anecdotes JNT recounts in his memoirs -- and yes, they did actually plan on filiming in New Orleans. I believe it was supposed to be in partnership with an American entity, but that part of the funding fell through.  Clearly I need to relisten to that chapter of the memoirs to recall the details. I think it was the story that ended up being The Two Doctors and was still filmed out of Britain on the continent.