I believe that most people first meet the Great Detective not through the works of Sir Arthur Conan Dole, but through either television or movies. I first met Mr. Holmes through the films of Basil Rathbone. There is a scene near the end of the movie where Sherlock and the heroine are captured by Moriarty. They are standing in his hideout, gagged with their hands tied, when Dr. Watson and the police burst in. A gun battle erupts.
Sherlock reacts quickly.
He realizes he is unable to help Watson and is almost helpless himself, but he can protect the heroine. He bumps against her, knocking her into a corner and then stands in front of her, protecting her from the gunfire. As a young boy, this made quite an impression on me. I thought this was the most noble and bravest behavior I had ever seen. I vowed to grow up to be the kind of man Sherlock Holmes was in that movie.