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The quarterly journal of The Wodehouse Society Vol. 17 No. 4 Winter 1997

CHICAGO AND ALL THAT JAZZ 1 9 9 7 !

By Elin W oodger and Ed Ratcliffc

hat ho Chicago! The city biown for its wind plum-colored license plate holder bearing the legend “Ask hosted the latest and perhaps best yet conven me about P.G. Wodehouse ” Told that we would receive tion of The Wodehouse Society, presented by our convention mug and pin the next day, we responded Wthe Chicago Accident Syndicate. But warmth of weather with an astonished, “You mean there’s more?” and warmth of spirit were most noticeable — Chicago was Many (Most? Well, all right, lots o f us) collected at the as balmy as the finest summer day at Blandings (“Are you Intercontinental’s bar, there to rearrange furniture and sure this is October?” ). And the warmth o f spirit made it otherwise challenge the wait stall as the throngs of clear that we were going to have a grand old time in the Plummies grew larger. Spirited conversation and laugh­ best tradition of previous conventions —and so we did! ter overflowed the bar and spilled out into the streets as groups of revelers broke away for dinner and socializing Thursday, October 2 with as sound a lot of good eggs as ever donned a helio­ trope sock. Some of the durable among us stayed out for he ever-so-grand Intercontinental Hotel stood ready what Bertie would have described as a “latish evening as Wodehousians began converging from every cor­ Tner o f Am erica as well as England, Sweden, the Friday, October 3 Netherlands, and New Zealand. Some had arrived as early as Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon Plummies any of us went early to register just outside the began to encounter other Plummies. With cries o f “What M meeting room on dae Intercontinental’s third floor, ho!” and “ Oh, I say!” we exchanged hugs with old friends, and to browse in the anteroom among the offerings of and Internet buddies attached faces to names. I believe it book dealers and audiotape sellers and the displays from was Margaret Slythe from England who referred to the various TWS chapters. Since the convention activities did rest o f us as her “two-year family.” not begin until late afternoon, we filled a busy day with We soon discovered the concierge desk, guarded by a sightseeing, excellent museums, and river cruises to ad­ life-size cardboard cutout o f an English bobby. Here early mire Chicago’s magnificent downtown architecture. One registrants signed in, received handsome dark blue hardy group decided to play cricket—a remarkable deci­ totebags, and found inside an impressive array of good­ sion, given that only two in the group had ever played the ies: maps o f Chicago, London, and Britain (the bags had game and most o f the rest were intimidated by its myster­ been generously donated by the British Tourist Author­ ies. ity) ; Chicago tourist guides for shopping, entertainment, Still, it seemed the thing to do on such a lovely morn­ culture, and sports; the “Chicago Accident Syndicate ing, so we bundled into cars and taxis and headed north Songbook,” providing words for our sing-alongs; a jolly to a small park where we were joined by one Ramesh magnet in the shape o f a nice fat Berkshire sow; an offi­ Srikanthan, an area resident and capital fellow who cial convention pen and a pad of paper bearing Plum’s stretched both himself and his schedule to provide the signature and caricature; a Chicago ’97 key ring; and a cricket equipment. In a prolonged practice session, old cricket hands Gussie someday” Fink-Nottle (aka Alekh The Green Swizzlers Bhurke) and Pongo won the abbreviated Twistleton-Twistleton game by only three runs, (aka Shamim and we who had previ­ Mohamed), with ously been baffled by the Ramesh and his coura­ sport left the cricket geous friend, Alak, pa- grounds only mildly US. tientlv taught the rest fogged and quite pleased u o ~ of us the basics of the with our play. game. The convention began Then we divided into at four o’clock Friday af­ two teams —the Green ternoon, when we gath­ Swizzlers led by Gussie, ered in the meeting room and the May Queens for socializing, games, headed by Pongo —and and the commencement launched into the sort of of the Scripture Knowl­ game that would make pro­ edge Competition. It fessionals wince, but satis- wasn’t long before egg- Book browsing tied us no end. Gussie Fink- and-spooners were dash­ (Photo credirs at Nottle later reported the ing down the middle of end of article) game this way to the room, cheered on by alt.fan.wodehouse: “ If ever their fans, while Steggles America decides to civilise herself by having a proper na­ (looking suspiciously like Charles Bishop) worked the tional cricket team, she will not have to search far...Where crowd, making book and doing his best to nobble the else could you find an opening batswoman like Lady likeliest contenders for the brass ring. Elsewhere, Constance (Anne Bianchi) who scored a run right off the Plummies were happily tossing cards at a top hat (it’s first ball she faced and sacrificed her wicket while going much harder to score than you might think), while oth­ for a valiant second run! Or Max Pokrivchak, who took ers were content to enjoy wickets with his wily googlies without giving away any the Wodehousian cama­ runs! Or Susan Cohen, who kept rotating the strike! Dan raderie. Eventually chief Cohen, throwing himself at every cracking shot hit by convention organizer Charles Bishop without caring for life or limb. Aunt Dan Garrison stepped up Dahlia (Elin Woodger) always alert at point and Aurelia to the microphone, wel­ Cammarleigh (Kristin Fowler) in what might be loosely comed us to the conven­ termed a deep ist slip. tion, and announced the Pongo kept the wickets ex­ Scripture Knowledge cellently but could not bat Competition (hereafter to due to an injury. Caroline be referred to as die SKC). Pokrivchak was the official About which a few words score keeper and took to must now be said. it like a Drone to a This was not, as you cocktail...I must also add might expea, a quiz de­ that I clean bowled signed to test our knowl­ Charles Bishop with a edge of the kings of Judah, Dan Garrison slow straight one and that, but rather a jolly wheeze ladies and gentlemen, was thought up by a sight to see. A wonder- Quizmaster Tony Rang to determine which TWS chapter ful delivery. I have no knew die most about die Wodehouse Scripture. The game Alekh Bhurke bowls, doubt that he is, even as I was modeled after the popular British TV program “Mas­ Shamim Mohamed write, practicing his bowl­ termind ” A three-person team from each TWS chapter takes aim of a different sort. ing to return the favour was to subject itself to the excruciating challenge of ques-

2 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 Winter 1997 tions created by Tony and been on stage. And many his partner in crime, Neil on stage confessed they Midkiff. Two teams were would have preferred the to compete in each elimi­ view from the audience! nation round until the We shall return to the winner emerged Saturday SKC later in this report, evening. Six chapters had but there is still much to signed up: Blandings say about Friday’s activi­ Grand Inquisitors Neil Midkiff, Tony Ring Castle of die San Francisco ties. With the opening re­ Bay Area (Marilyn ception and the first Scrip­ MacGregor, Shamim Mohamed, and Doug Stow, not pic­ ture Knowledge session tured); the Drone Rangers of Houston, Texas; the completed, groups of Pdrones of St. Louis; Capital! Capital! of Washington, Plummies scattered hither and thither for drinks and din­ D.C.; Chapter One of Greater Philadelphia; and the ner, then returned to the NEWTS of New England. These were joined by two Intercontinental for what scratch teams: a U.S. Domestic team and an International proved to be a highlight Team from England and of the convention: an Sweden. original performance of By mid-day Saturday two Wodehouse stories the Pdrones, the Drone by the City Lit Theatre of Rangers, the Interna­ Chicago. This troupe spe­ tional team, and the cializes in dramatizations NEWTS had earned the of literature and in each of right to proceed to the the past several seasons next round by answering has presented an adapta­ correctly such questions NEWTS: tion of a PGW novel. Ar­ Drone Rangers: Toni as “In ‘Uncle Fred Flits Elin Woodger, tistic Director Mark Rich­ John Fahey, Rudersdorf, Elliott Milstein, By,5 how many people did ard, who adapts and di­ Anne Bianche Richard Morrissey Uncle Fred and Pongo rects these Wodehousian impersonate?”; and productions, also plays Bertie Wooster. Their Jo y in the ccWhat kind of animal was Sam Goldwyn in The M ating M orning will run from Season?” The sadistic Tony and Neil wouldn’t accept a November 14 through mere “dog” as an answer January 25 — alas, too to the question —one had late for us. However, on to specify what k in d of Friday evening the com­ dog. Correct answers were pany presented two greeted with a happy readings at the conven­ rattle; incorrect answers tion just for us: “Jeeves were crushed by a honk Takes Charge” and “Ber­ US. Domestic Team: Max Pokrivchak, like a flatulent Bronx cheer. tie Changes His Mind” Susan Cohen, Jay Taub Too-loud whispers showed (the bookend stories in that the “ experts” were in Pdrones: Sandy Morris, Carry On, Jeeves). I11 the first story Mr. Richard was joined the audience, and Tony an­ Dick Olsen, Eric Otcen on stage by Page Hearn as Jeeves, Kelly Nespor as nounced at one point a Florence Crave, Kenneth score of “Teams 13, Audi­ Northcott as Uncle ence 20,” and asked listen­ Willoughby, and Justin ers to be quiet lest they Fletcher as the wretched give away answers. Most boy Edwin. Mark Rich­ Capital! Captal!. in the audience later con­ InternationaTTeam: ard provided the key ele­ Shana Singerman fessed themselves quite Sven Sahlin, Flelen ment in this and the Ann Hoey, John Phipps happy that they had not Murphy, John Fletcher other successful Wode-

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 W inter 1997 3 arranging it. Bravo!

Saturday, October 4

he big day had ar­ T rived! And a full day it was, with seven speakers due to step up to the plate, four more rounds of the SKC to squeeze in (not to mention die finals), the Dreaded Business Meeting, and a banquet to top all TWS ban­ quets. The proceedings began in high style with a talk by Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for The Washington Post, on Ciry Lit Theatre: Mark Richard as Bertie “Wodehouse and the Crit­ ics.” Michael presented house adaptations: the many answers from many narration from the origi­ sources to a question nal story. Plummics who never, I believe, consid- Michael Dirda have had the good fortune ered so carefully before: to see fully-staged City Lit What were Wodehouse’s masterpieces: his best novel and performances say it is a de­ short story? What was Michael’s conclusion? You can read light to see Bertie turn to it for yourself—his speech is printed in this issue. (We the audience, and offer his expect to print several other speeches in later issues.) comments on the pro­ Will Richardson from ceedings. New Zealand was the The second story, “Ber­ next speaker. A new ac­ tie Changes His Mind” quaintance to most o f us, featured Kenneth he is a classical scholar and Northcott as Jeeves. Mr. is co-authoring a book Northcott’s English voice with Dan Garrison. Will and dry delivery made for spoke about Wodehouse a delightful reading o f the as lyricist, focusing on only story narrated by two songs: “Go, Little Jeeves. Kelly Nespor drew Boat” from M iss 1917, and raves for her multiple per­ “Bill,” intended for Oh, formances as the school­ Lady!, Lady!!, but cut girl, the maid, Miss from that show and later Tomlinson, and the entire used in Show boat. H e Will Richardson Kelly Nespor as a student body, all done by spoke lyrically, if you will, whole herd of people a simple switch o f head- o f Plum's simplicity o f style, his almost complete lack of gear and changes o f voice. conscious poetic technique, and the “ singabilitv” of his It was when she stood up alone and portrayed an audito­ lyrics. Will's discussion o f the songs was illuminated by rium full of young girls singing a rousing welcome to the singing of Hal and Lara Cazalet. The Cazalets, Plum's Bertie that she nearly gained a standing ovation. great-grandchildren , were particularly welcome at our After the performance Mr. Richard returned to the mi­ convention. (Both are professional singers and perform­ crophone to take questions from the audience about ers. Hal is currently touring in the states.) Lara made an adapting Wodehouse for the stage and about the Citv Lit’s especially big hit with her renditions of both versions of successful productions. It was a hugely satisfying evening. “Bill” : Plum’s rarely heard original version, never used We are most grateful to City Lit for providing marvelous on stage, and Hammerstein’s revision in Showboat. It was entertainment and to the Chicago Accident Syndicate for perhaps the first time both versions had been pc rformed

4 Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4- Winter 1997 together. ety will continue to receive The final speaker of the the original short and morning was the estimable sweet “ constitution” writ­ Helen Murphy, who dis­ ten by founder Bill Blood, cussed “Plum and Rosie: A and Marilyn MacGregor Match Made in Heaven” will send die new consti­ Helen spoke knowledgeably tution to those who re­ about the popular literature quest it. and advertisements that As expected, Vice Presi­ Plum drew upon in his sto­ dent Dan Garrison was ries, and persuasively pre­ unanimously elected presi­ sented the probable source of dent; he immediately pro- Rosie M. Banks and her posed the blushing Elm Elllot Milstein “Mervyn Keene, Club-man” Woodger for vice president Her parallels between Plum and she was approved with a whoop and a holler. Another Scripture Knowledge Round, dien a rush for Lara Cazalet the doors as the hungry crowd sought lunch. The afternoon session and Rosie were surprising began with round five of and amusing. the SKC, wherein the The last bit of morning Pdrones faced the fish-eat­ entertainment was the ing International Team and Dreaded Business Meet­ went down to honorable ing. Conducted with a defeat. feather touch by President The mood turned briefly Elliot Milstein, this half serious as Jon Lellenberg hour proved to be one of delivered his talk entitled die day’s pleasures. Elliot Hal Cazalet “Wodehouse Makes a spoke briefly about the Comeback” His subject possible creation of an in­ was Wodehouse’s Berlin ternational steering com­ broadcasts and their conse­ mittee looking toward a quences, as seen in light of worldwide Wodehouse so­ the correspondence, now Jon Lellenberg ciety. Officers of the vari­ stored at the Library of ous societies will continue Congress, of the late Ken­ to discuss the matter and neth McCormick, Plum’s editor at Doubledav before TWS members will be kept World War II. Jon argued that Plum was profoundly na­ apprised of developments. ive about politics and public sentiment, and failed to un­ Elliot mentioned the on­ derstand how much his going campaign to get P. broadcasts affected the G. Wodehouse on a U.S. British people, not only Helen Murphy postage stamp. This effort during the war but after­ is being coordinated by Su­ ward. In the discussion san and Dan Cohen o f Chapter One, and petitions were that followed, many mem­ on hand to help push the movement along. The primary bers of the audience of­ bit of business, though, was the proposed new constitu­ fered their opinions on this tion for The Wodehouse Society. After two years of dis­ painful episode in Plum’s cussions about providing an architecture for the society life, but without dampen­ without overburdening it, Elliot presented and explained ing the overall good spirits a one-page document that provides a minimum of ad­ of the day. ministrative machinery. The constitution was accepted Jon was followed by Pe- with only one dissenting vote. New members of the soci­ ter Sinclair, a fellow mem- Peter Sinclair

P lum Lines Vol 17 N o 4 Winter 1997 5 The last speaker of the day was Peter Schwed, Plum’s American editor and publisher at Simon and Schuster for the last twentv-five years of his life. Peter’s subject was the Princess shows in the early part of the century and the songs they fea­ tured. He was assisted most ably by the talented Cazalets, who sang “Till the Clouds Roll By.” Pe­ ter mentioned his favor­ Peter Schwed The “Wilberfloss effect” ite of all Wodehouse dra­ matizations, the lirtle-see “Wodehouse Playhouse” of ber of the Capital! Capital! chapter, who reported hilari­ early 70s television.. ously on “The Wilberfloss File” This was (and is) a series of real-life events in Peter’s office touched off by Peter’s use of the name of J. Filken Wilberfloss, a minor charac­ ter in Psmithy Journalist. Peter initially used J. Filken to fend off pushy salespeople (“That department is managed by Mr. J. Filken Wilberfloss, but lie’s out in the field right now” ). After a number o f such conversations Filken be­ gan to take on a life of his own. He appeared on mailing lists, collected numerous invitations, and received num­ berless phone calls. Peter’s boss was annoyed to find that J. Filken, but not he himself, had been invited to be listed (for a price) in a kind of W ho’s Who. And there was that call from the office o f (no kidding) Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich . . . Aided by his office colleagues, Peter has accumulated a thick file of phone messages and cor­ respondence addressed to “Wilbur Floss,” and die file con­ tinues to grow. Marilyn MacGregor, TWS corresponding secretary, spoke on “ Plum’s Sherlock: Conan Doyle’s Influence on Plum’s great-grandchildren and his editor together Wodehouse.” Marilyn demonstrated with many quotes (with Neil Midkiff), like distant planets in conjunction— the strong connection be­ has it ever happened before? tween Arthur Conan Doyle and Plum, who The afternoon session ended with the last semi-final of greatly admired Doyle and the SKC, pitting the Drone Rangers against the NEWTS. his stories. Wodehouse After much laughter and several nail-biting moments, the made frequent references NEWTS won the right to meet the formidable Interna­ to Holmes in his stories, tional Team in the evening finals. and his creation of Adrian We gathered early that evening for cocktails, chat, and Mulliner was in itself a sa­ costume displays: Over here die Empress of Blandings lute to Doyle. Marilyn’s (Carla Gladstone) is snuffling about for that misplaced talk provided a fascinating potato peeling. Over there one spies Madeline Bassett insight into the relation­ (Cecily Martin) waxing enthusiastic about the stars be­ ship between these two ing God’s daisy chain, while Claude and Eustace (Nicho­ Marilyn MacGregor masters of fiction. las Lellenberg and Carey Martin) trail jauntily behind her,

6 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 W inter 1997 impending mischief gan to fly. In clearly printed on their gentle tosses and yoimg faces. And what’s long, hard this? TWO Gussie Fink- pitches, chunks of Nottles (Anne Bianchi bread filled the air and Aiekh Bhurke) scar­ until the floor let-clad as looked like the Mephistopheles? Cocktail Arctic tundra in a in hand, leopard-skin hat hard winter flamboyantly atop her And then, after head, and black feather numerous toasts boa floating about her to absent friends, neck, Grayce Llewellyn we got down to (Jean Tillson) is chatting the ever-popular up Bertie Wooster (John banquet. What Lady Bassett (Anne Cotton) Fahey), who is wearing a can we say of the with elephant gun suitably elegant dressing meal that is not gown, having roused the said by Jon inhabitants of Brinkley Court out of bed with his ill-ad­ Lellenberg’s menu below? The food and sendee were ex­ vised ringing of the fire bell. Lord Emsworth’s Girl Friend cellent, and happy chatter filled the room. It was difficult (Marilyn MacGregor) has arrived in a red velveteen dress, to find a face without a smile (or spoon) on it. O f the “flarze” clutched tightly in her hand. She is accompanied by her brother, Ern (Jay Taub), who seems to have mis­ placed his shoes, for he is wearing oversized bunny slip­ pers. Constable Potter is suitably oafish, and among the flappers Cathy Oliveri is impossibly glamorous. The cos­ LIE I I M I tumes are brilliant, and later in the evening are featured in a fashion show emceed by that expert on What the CHEZ LE WCDEUCISE ICCIETY Well-Dressed Plummie is Wearing, Jan Kaufman. In the midst o f all this socializing Shamim Mohamed was help­ C h c a <5€, CcrcccL 4 , 1 9 9 7 ing several helpless gentlemen “achieve the perfect but­ terfly effect” with Le PLem Tomato SaIacI their bow ties. Then it was time for dinner, and at each Le BiRd of some kii\d place setting we found a v ec Les Veq . et La S tarcN a little booklet beauti­ fully designed, hand set, and hand printed LeS BREAdRoLLs by Doug and Marga­ ret Stow to com ­ memorate this 9th In­ Les Viss ternational Conven­ tion of The Wode- house Society. A keep- SpikEd FiNk-NoTTlE s DEliqhT sake to treasure, it consists of twelve pages, each with a Le CoffEE Wodehouse quote. Well, the breadrolis (as Bertie Wwister remembered it) had no sooner been Drone (Aiekh Burke) served than they be­ Our chanks to Jon Lellenberg for this menu.

Plum Lines V0I17 N o 4 Winter 1997 7 other festivities —well, coming loss. I mean to say, how could anybody win they stretched on until against a team consisting of John Fletcher, Helen Murphy, past midnight, and in­ and Sven Sahlin? But the NEWTs made a respectable cluded the finals o f the showing all the same—the winning margin was a mere Great Poetry Handicap. five points. The victorious International Team descended Several finalist poems from the stage to wild applause. Congratulations Helen, had already been chosen John and Sven! We who could never have answered half by a committee, to be read die questions you did salute you! aloud that evening by As the evening wound to a close die room filled widi their authors if present. die sounds of jazz (Chicago has always been known for Hal and Lara Cazalet very the music), drawing a number of couples to die dance kindly agreed to read the floor—many of whom did not let their left hip blow what poems of several absent their right hip was doing. It was a sight to see. authors. The winning poem, chosen by audi­ Sunday, October 5 Hal Cazalet reading ence applause, had been Matt Simon’s winning poem written by the absent ur final gathering took place in the appropriately- Matt Simon of Cam­ Onamed King Arthur’s Court. The entrance to the bridge, Massachusetts, room is guarded by two suits of oversized armor (empty, and was read by Hal Cazalet. The poem, published else­ I suppose, though I didn’t check). The room has a look of where in dais issue, is Bertie’s lament on his dunking in large-scale pre-Raphaelite luxury, as if John Jacob Astor the swimming bath. We had hired Dante Rossetti as interior decorator: lofty (and by the editorial “we” coffered ceiling, dim paneled walls, glowing stained glass, we mean bodi of us) the no end of leafy surface decoration, and vistas that vanish poems to be of surpris­ in die distance. A casual litde place to drop into for ingly high quality. brunch. There was an abundance of good friends, good Scattered throughout food, good conversation, and the knowledge that we were the evening several prizes about to part. When the clinking of tableware had died were awarded, and ac­ down, the final event of the weekend was announced: the knowledgments and pre­ now traditional reading of a Wodehouse short story by sentations were made, to the Blandings Castle chapter. The tale this time was “The deserving Plummics, in­ Crime Wave at Blandings,” read by Ed Ratcliffe, forever cluding the hard-working typecast as Lord Emswordi, Missy Ratcliffe, ditto as Lady convention organizers. And there was the spe­ cial treat of listening to Hal Cazalet sing “Sonny Boy” to a very appreciative audience, who rewarded him with a well-deserved standing ovation. But what of the SKC, you ask? Well, the Grand Finale took place despite complaints from the NEWTs diat while die rest of the crowd had been fed chicken, the International Team had undoubtedly Reading of “The Crime wave at Blandings”: Neil Midkiff, Marilyn MacGregor, Jan Kaufman, been served fish —surely a Missy and Ed Ratcliffe, Shamin Mohamed, cunning ploy to allay their Tom Wainwright, Jay Taub. embarrassment at their (Beth Wainwright not shown.)

8 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 W inter 1997 Norman Murphy... —Alekh Bhurke, he o f sartorial splendor on Friday and Saturday evenings. Who can forget his gray cutaway, spats, top hat, and cane, or his scarlet Mephistopheles?... —Alekh again, running from corner to corner to cor­ ner o f the cricket field cheerfully dispensing instructions to those who hadn’t the foggiest... —American cricketers, continually thinking they were playing baseball and throwing their bats to the ground as they took their runs, much to their instructors’ dismay... —Tony Ring, presiding over the Scripture Knowledge Competition with outrageous pig tie and much more aplomb than some of the contestants (Tony knew a ll the answers)... Our final sing-along, Neil Midkiffat the controls —Dan Cohen, toting a Bible and a list o f the kings of Judah to the stage for the SKC, which helped his team Constance, Tom Wainwright as Beach, Shamim “Pongo” not at all... Mohamed as young George, and Jay Taub as the Efficient —The standing ovation given to the City Lit perform­ Baxter. Narrators were Jan Kaufman, Marilyn MacGregor, ers. Without a doubt, they know their Wodehouse! (“Oh, Beth Wainwright, and Neil Midkiff. (Neil had also pruned are we?” )... and adapted the story superbly and directed rehearsals.) — Carla Gladstone, awarded the first o f die ten (un­ The presentation was fun for audience and performers graded) costume prizes for her brilliant portrayal of the alike, and one of Plum’s funniest stories appropriately Empress of Blandings... closed our convention. —A table largely populated by NEWTs claiming “first Well, not quite closed it. Some of us weren’t ready to blood” in the bread-tossing event with a direct hit on die face the Real World yet, and gathered round the piano Chapter One table... (not for the first time that weekend) for another sing- —Lara Cazalet again, who, when asked what she along, aided mightily by Neil Midkiff’s piano playing and thought of her first TWS convention, responded, “I think the lyrics o f R G. Wodehouse. So the good times in Chi­ you are all mad!”—then went on to confess that she had cago came to an end. Hugs abounded as we said our good­ had a wonderful time... byes and expressed our hopes o f seeing each other again —The final sing-along at the piano. We Plummies sure before the next convention...until we finally, reluctantly, do love our “Sonny Bov!” .. slid down the drainpipe and fled the premises. Some o f —Jay Taub, as the Efficient Baxter, emitting a wonder­ us, surely, by milk train. ful howl as he was potted repeatedly in the seat o f the Yet so much has been left out o f this report! The mind’s trousers... eve conjures up so many random people and events... —Finally, there was the superb job done by the Chi­ —The talented Cazalets, whose presence and perfor­ cago Accident Syndicate in putting together this splen- mances gave us so much pleasure... —Neil Midkiff', who made countless contributions to the fun and games, and provided all the piano accompa­ niment throughout the proceedings. Many thanks to Neil!... —Bill Milligan, who designed the nifty convention logo —a cool, Chicagoish design that appeared on many convention items. —The Drones Club tie sported by so many and envied by so many others. Future orders may be placed with David McKenzie of Chapter One (details elsewhere in this issue)... —The gathering of tie-sporting Plummies Sunday morning for a group picture that will be sent, along with their own ties, to the absent Richard Usborne and See you in 1999!

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1907 9 did convention. Their seamless efforts gave 200 mem­ bers a most happy weekend. Dan Garrison must be singled qpHE BETRAYAL OF gERTRAM out as Chief Perpetrator. The co-conspirators include, but are by no means limited to, Jon Lellenberg, Katherine Lewis, Susan Jewell, Tina Garrison, Bill Saddler, Dean Bvj Matt Keiler Simon Miller, Carolyn Simons, Bill Milligan, Gale Wagner- Miller, Christina Woelke, and Ann Bishop. Now who did This was the winner ofThe Great Poetry Handicap at the Chicago we miss? This may well be remembered as one o f die great­ convention, and a nice piece of work it is. est conventions in history. What? You think we exaggerate? Well, old thing, just Soaring, flying swinging I ask anybody who was there! Did cleave die gende air on high: Ye gods! How could a mortal chap Feel weighdessness and grace like diat! Above all we are grateful to our beloved From ring to ring to ring to ring, O’er swimming badi and tiles did sing Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse My lusty frame through midnight air On Tuppy Glossop’s fruity dare. whose life and work we meet to celebrate. How litde did my tipsy head Know Fate widi her duck pipe of lead Behind me stood with rolled up sleeves — Woe for Bertram! Where were you Jeeves? e 0 times! O manners! Wretched fiend! This Glossop’s devilry unseen Betrayed a friendship’s trust and care: Photo credits: Page 2, Book browsing (Jan Wilson The final ring—it was not diere! Kaufman(JWK)), Alekli Bhurke (JWK), Nevertheless (Jean Tillson), Dan Garrison (JWK). Page 3, Grand In­ Have you, my friends, e’er hit die drink quisitors (Ralph Cherniak), Drone Rangers (JWK), In swank attire with gold cufflink? Pdrones (JWK), Capital! (JWK), Chapter One (JWK), No? Never? Well, then let me say, NEWTS (JWK), U.S. Domestic Team (JWK), Interna­ For Bertram ’twas no holiday. tional Team (JWK). Page 4, Citv Lit (JWK), Kelly Nespor 1 clambered out, while diis dark horse (JWK), Michael Dirda (JWK),' Will Richardson (JWK). (Of Judas’s correspondence course) Page 5, Hal Cazalet (Jean Tillson), Lara Cazalet (Jean Could only scream and hoot and race Tillson), Helen Murphy (JWK), Elliot Milstein (JWK), Widi laughter at die Wooster face. Jon Lellenberg (Ed Ratcliffe), Peter Sinclair (JWK). Page 6, “Wilberfloss effect” (JWK), Marilyn MacGregor How could a man of honour miss (JWK), Peter Schwed (Ed Ratcliffe), Plum’s great-grand­ A chance to right a wrong like diis? children (JWK). Page 7, Lady Bassett (Elin Woodger), It Fear not for Bertram, my stout friends. can be done! (Elin Woodger), Drone (Ralph Chermak). The Luminous Rabbit will make amends! Page 8, Hal Cazalet (JWK), Lara Cazalet (JWK), Read­ ing (Elin Woodger). Page 9, Sing-along (JWK), See you in 1999 (Elin Woodger). A pillar o f integrity, like all the Mulliners, Matt Simon merely adds to his rock-solid reputation for honesty with the following passage from his cover letter for this poem:

I fed quite stronglv that anv unfair attempt to bias the highly intelligent, devilishlv attractive, and extraordinarily kind judges would be unethical and reprehensible. Furthermore, I can only assume that the refined and cultivated judges ofThe Great Poetry Handicap are entirely above bribery and corruption. (Would $1,500 do?) To those of gentle pedigree, such vulgarity would not be cricket. (I could make it $2,000.)

10 Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 JO U D E R A N D p U N N IE R pinch he might even allow them to marry Watson...but once the story was underway, they had to retire into the background and stay there” Plum then proceeds to give A review by Bob Nissenbaum a brief overview of crime fiction of the twenties, accom­ panied by his own “spin” on the good, the bad and the ugly. Bob Nissenbaum, when he is not writing reviews for fun, does In many ways a man, as we know, of the 19th centuiy, them for the Pen & Dagger, a monthly newsletter issued by he bemoans the disappearance o f falconry, with all its trap­ Mystery Books, a bookshop in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in which pings, and in a similar vein, the demise of the position of he has a small interest. country house-keeping’s major domo in "Butlers and the t seems to be a sacrosanct theorem o f literary reviewers Buttled,” in which he points out how it is hard on the Ithatprecious few writers of fiction, however brilliant in butlers to have faded from the scene, and also laments that field, can write essays, news articles, biographical the time long ago when being buttled TO was a wonder­ material, etc.—in a short phrase, any non-fiction—even ful kind o f life. He expounds on a theme rife throughout tolerably well. However, our hero (ahem!) seems to have his fiction, and repeated in his autobiographical material— the ease of versatility to switch from one to the other to wit: that he has an unconquerable fear of butlers ex seamlessly. I suspect it is because his approach doesn’t officio, and suspects that most o f the rest o f us ordinary vary, so that his fiction seems like fact, and vice versa. mortals who have experienced life under the butler do, as A beautiful case in point is the series o f articles Plum well. wrote for Vanity F air magazine in New York in the late There are essays about divorce, income tax, spores, gam­ twenties*, during his regime as theater critic, and later as bling, and ocean liner travel (at which he is admittedly an managing editor. Incidentally, his (temporary) replace­ authority), but my favorite piece is in the last section of ment, Bob Benchley, was a clear case of the opposite: he the article on theater life, in which he deftly eviscerates could write uproariously funny essays but was really luke­ the Baconian view that W. Shakespeare did not write his warm at his fiction. But I digress. Plum rewrote and pol­ own material. In a brilliantly conceived scenario, F. Ba­ ished these magazine articles for publication in book form con takes his latest play, something called Hamlet, to the in London (1932). They have never been reprinted in the 16th centuiy equivalent of a Broadway producer. Said p. U.5 . to this day. Because o f the loosening o f the copy­ calls in a gent known as a “ fixer,” i.e., a man who can re­ right restrictions in Great Britain (succumbing to pres­ pair damaged drama. The fixer is named Bill Shakespeare, sure from its E C partners to loosen its hold on the good and what he does to poor Frannie Bacon’s play is yours stuff), we can now secure these essays from the Mother to read about and enjoy. I suppose that goes for the whole Country. book. An even dozen essays, with subsections and diversions dividing up three of them, and crowned by a biographi­ cal, explanatory, and (of course) witty intro., comprise the bound volume. Since trying to delve analytically into You can order a copy of this book from Bob the Master’s humor is a little like trying to catch light­ Nissenbaum at Mysteiy Books, 916 Bryn Mawr PA 19010, ning in a jar, I will brush lightly over the texts, extracting for $13.95 plus $3.49 shipping and handling. More details examples where the whimsy tugs me thence. in the last Plum Lines, page 3. The first offerings, in three parts, contains some tongue- * Jasen’s bibliography says these stories were written in-cheek literary observations. N ot so t-in-c is the piece “during the later teens”, and Mcllvaine’s bibliography decrying the then-current trend to bung a female love confirms it. — OM interest into mystery thrillers. Quoth he: “Who wants a beastly girl messing about and getting in the way when the automatics are popping?” Plum waxes eloquent about “her” beauty and stupidity: “a messenger, a one-eyed Chinaman, brings her an unsigned note at 2:00 a.m. to ‘come at once ’ so she naturally accompanies him to a ru­ ined cottage in a swamp, where the hero, at great incon­ venience to himself, must rescue her” Sherlock Holmes would "permit them to call at Baker Street, and tell him about the odd behavior o f their wicked uncle, and...in a

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 II ^VODEHOUSE AND THE CRITICS

By Michael Dirda

A talk delivered at the Chicago convention of The Wodehouse Society, October, 1997- Michael is a writer for and an editor of The Washington Post Book World. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literary criticism in 1993 and later achieved the even greater distinction of membership in The Wodehouse Society. His talk is reprinted here by his kind permission and that o f the publisher, The Washington Post Co. I submit that this is more than an entertaining talk; it is a chunk o f quite respectable literary research. Critics and professors of literature often entertain themselves with what mav be called the masterpiece question. No one, to my knowledge, has attempted a comprehensive answer to that question with regard to the works of PGW. Until now. —OM

mong the gifts to humanity bestowed by a benefi­ tell stories in the evening and either Corky or Catsmeat A cent providence one must surely count die longevity, Pirbright, a son gout, for companionship? imaginative fertility and sheer industriousness granted to These are, admittedly, all slightly different questions, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. Had our audior booked but they overlap sufficiendy as a way to think about Wo­ passage to New York on that spiffy new liner the Titanic dehouse and the critics. Which novels, in short, have the or had he succumbed at forty during one o f diose deadly Master’s admirers judged his best? And, as a corollary, flu epidemics early in the century, he would certainly be which short stories? appreciated today by only a few antiquaries, dusty special­ To determine some answers I read around in a good ists in the byways o f Edwardian and Georgian fiction. He many books, articles and reviews dealing with Wode­ might rank with Barry Pain, Ouida or Ediel M. Dell, house, consulted various reference works and literary com­ though perhaps not quite so high as these colossi o f the panions, checked out several humor andiologies and short best seller list. story collections. I spent a pleasant couple of weekends Yes, it could have been a very near thing for enlight­ at my task and herewith announce die results o f my re­ ened readers everywhere. What if Wodehouse, like his searches. Doubtless, I have overlooked relevant material, confrere E. M. Forster, had written four or five novels and doubtless members of this audience, far better in­ and then simply retired, having discovered diat his pen— formed Wodehouscans than I, will be able to offer fur­ or rather his Monarch typewriter—had gleaned his teem­ ther suggestions and corrections. ing brain'1 Or what if the Wodehouse peepers had been a Let us begin with the author himself. Asked to name little stronger and he had been ordered up to the front his favorite among his books, Wodehouse told his Paris trenches during the Great War, and there met the fate o f Review interlocutor: “Oh, I’m very fond of a book called his fellow humorist Saki, not to mention a generation of Quick Service and another called Sam in the Suburbs, a very poets that included Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke? old one.” In fact, as good as his word, Wodehouse chose But Wodehouse didn’t end up as cannon fodder and Quick Service as the novel diat rounds off that splendid he never stopped writing, producing somewhere between anthology, The Most of P.G. Wodehouse. However, as for 90 and 100 books—the exact figure depends on how you Sam in the Suburbs, aka Sam the Sudden, on his 70th birth­ calculate and whom you ask. For fans die great quantity day Wodehouse paradoxically confessed to a Sunday Times o f Wodehouse titles is an occasion for dianks and joy. One reporter: “If you ask me frankly whether I consider Sam will never, it would seem, run out o f books about Lord the Sudden or The M an with Tivo Left Feet any good today, Emsworth and Jeeves and Psmith and Uncle Fred and I must tell you no. Arc people still reading the stuff?” Monty Bodkin and innumerable Mulliners, Drones, In short fiction Wodehouse recommended a number Crumpets and Eggs. But for the critic this impressive lit­ o f his miniature masterpieces. For a collection called M y erary achievement insidiously leads to an overwhelming Funniest Story he plumped for die Mulliner storv “Hon­ question: Which is the Master’s greatest book? Which eysuckle Cottage.” Just after the war he compiled three novel or story collection do you reverently lend to the andiologies with his agent Scott Meredidi and these re­ neophyte, eager to enter the literary equivalent of the print either “Sonny Boy” or “Trouble Down atTudsleigh.” Elvsian fields, a locale diat classical scholars assure us abuts In A Century of Humour, edited by PGW alone, he chose the gardens of Blandings Castle? Not least, which single “The Exit of Battling Billson.” But when Frank Muir was volume would the informed Wodehousian choose to tuck editing The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose, the genial ra­ under his or her arm en route to a desert island, prefer­ conteur o f My Word asked the Master to suggest his own ably with Jeeves to tend the coconuts, Mr. Mulliner to entries. This time Plum opted for “From a Detective’s

12 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 Winter 1997 Notebook” and the famous section of Right Ho, Jeeves in ut critics, really! What do they know? Now pub­ which a drunken Gussie Fink-Nottle presents the prizes B lishing companies, they have their corporate fingers at Market Snodsbury Grammar School. on the pulse of the market. When Simon and Schuster inaugurated a series called The P.G. Wodehouse Classics it started with Fish Preferred (that is, Summer Lightning), o much for the author. But what does he know? Let The Code o f the Woosters and Uncle Fred in the Springtime. Sus advance to some o f his best known interpreters and When Penguin first brought out Wodehouse in paper­ critics. Richard Usborne, perhaps our greatest authority back, it turned to R ig h t Ho, Jeeves, The Code o f the Woosters, on Wodehouse, announced in the appendix to The Pen­ Leave it to Psmith, and, somewhat surprisingly, B ig Money. guin Wodehouse Companion thatJoy in the Morning was his A Vintage paperback series similarly began with Leave it to “favorite Bertie/Jeeves novel.” Biographer Frances Psmith, M ulliner Stories and The Code o f the Woosters. Donaldson names Right Ho, Jeeves as her subject’s best Clearly, four or five contenders for best book are emerg­ book. In a more expansive passage she adds, “I have ing. Consider the novels included in three classic Wode­ enjoyed The Small Bachelor, Ice in the Bedroom, Do Butlers house collections. Foe Nothing But Wodehouse, published Burgle Banks, a collection of short stories called Indiscre­ in 1932, Ogden Nash chose Leave it to Psmith. In the Ameri­ tions of Archie, even French Leave and Barmy in Wonderland, can edition o f the 1939 Weekend Wodehouse the unnamed as much as any of his books except the two masterpieces editor reprints Fish Preferred, aka Summer Lightning. As I Right Ho, Jeeves and The M a tin g Season.” Philip Thody, in said earlier, The Most of P.G. Wodehouse, published in i960, a prefatory somewhat philosophic essay in the mammoth includes Quick Service. Interestingly, when Peter Schwed Wodehouse bibliography, notes that Bertie is always recommended this volume in an essay included in the “happy to find himself on the losing end if that is the best huge Morgan Library centenary volume, he way to make people happy. The paradigmatic case o f this misremembers its contents and speaks o f The Lttck of the is at the end o f what is Wodehouse’s best book, R igh t Ho, Bodkins. Could this be an act o f wish fulfillment? Was The Jeeves.” Luck of the Bodkins the novel that Schwed had hoped to Like many commentators, including Joseph Connolly, include? N.T.P. Murphy and Benny Green, Owen Dudley Edwards Let us turn for a moment to some of the short stories. never points to a single book as Wodehouse’s best, but When the writer’s agent Scott Meredidi edited the 1949 his perceptive study implicitly makes the case for Leave it Best of Wodehouse, he chose what he regarded as the best to Psmith as the plum of Plum’s productions, both in it­ short story about each major character: Hence, “Jeeves self and because o f the number o f different series that may and the Yuletide Spirit” ; “Trouble Down at Tudsleigh” be linked to it. In The Comic Style of EG. Wodehouse Cornell (Freddie Widgeon); “Strychnine in die Soup” (Mulliner); linguist Robert Hall chooses Uncle Fred in the Springtime “The Level Business Head” (Ukridge); “The Crime Wave as representative of his subject’s mature humor. When at Blandings” (Lord Emsworth); “Sonny Boy” (Bingo proffering an extended analysis of the Wodehouse prose Litde); “The Letter of die Law” (Oldest Member), and style, Hall applies his skills to the opening section of The “Tried in the Furnace” (Drones Club). James Heineman, Luck of the Bodkins, clearly a personal favorite, especially among the greatest Wodehouse collectors and boosters, in its more leisurely English version. Herbert Warren must have thought particularly highly of “The Great Ser­ Wind suggests near the beginning of his genial profile of mon Handicap” since he eventually published six volumes die sage of Remsenburg that The Code o f the Woosters is devoted to its translation into various languages. die great work. David Jasen avoids naming a particular In the Modern Library’s Selected Stories of P.G. Wode­ Wodehouse tide, though he conies closest in describing house editor John W. Aldridge reprints nothing but Ber­ Service with a Smile as “one o f his masterpieces.” Similarly, tie and Jeeves adventures. “ O f all Wodehouse’s stories,” R. B. D. French onlv goes so far as to sav that Sum m er he writes, “those relating to Jeeves and Bertie Wooster L igh tn in g and Heavy Weather are “ the most solid and are, to my mind, the most successful.. .Leave it to Psmith is decorous o f the Blandings stories” and to call Uncle Fred an almost perfect book.. .But Wodehouse’s mastery lies in in the Springtime somewhat overrich. In my opinion, one the field of the short story, and there Jeeves is absolutely can never be too rich. In her elegant Wooster Proposes, Jeeves without peer.” One might, by the way, want to contrast Disposes or Le Mot Juste Kristin Thompson makes a case the latter part o f this critical observation with a remark of for the considerable merits o f such late books as Ice in the Owen Dudley Edwards: “It is ungenerous to the Jeeves Bedroom, and takes a mild potshot or two, calling The Code short stories, notably those in Very Good Jeeves, to deny o f the Woosters episodic and The Mating Season so exag­ their high quality, but only one or two of them are com­ gerated as to be close to a parody. parable in quality and human observation to the novels ”

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 13 You pays your money and you takes your choice. Kipling—himself frequently undervalued these days—told a friend diat “Lord Emsworth and the Girlfriend” was “one o f the most perfect short stories he had ever read.” y now, I trust, matters are growing a tad confus­ This is a judgment in which Frances Donaldson and Owen B ing. Let’s be less high-minded and more venal. Per­ Dudley Edwards concur, each calling this moving, per­ haps the best Wodehouse book is the one that’s worth the haps partly autobiographical story the peak of most. In this case, you would obviously plump for a first Wodehouse’s short fiction. For The Oxford Book of H u­ edition of, say, The Pot Hunters or The Swoop, each o f morous Prose Frank Muir also selects “Lord Emsworth and which sell for $4,000 or $5,000, according to the latest the Girl Friend” along with “Ukridge’s Accident Syndi­ edition of Collected Books. O f course, Wodehouse himself cate.” It’s worth recalling that Ukridge was Wodehouse’s would probably prefer Summer Moonshine, for which The own favorite among his fictive creations. The once promi­ Saturday Evening Post paid $45,000 in 1938 for serial nent English critic Bernard Levin named Uncle Fred in rights. Nevertheless, the Master’s most lucrative prose— the Springtime as his favorite book. In his preface to The die most return on the word—must be die only two Code o f the Woosters, Alexander Cockburn observes that Wodehouse sentences uncut from the musical A nything Joy in the Morning is “ regarded by many as preeminent in Goes. Those two sentences entitled Plum to a share o f the the Wooster/Jeeves cycle.” profits, amounting at one time to $500 a week during the Many writers on Wodehouse discuss his virtues—the show’s run. If, however, one were to point to the single audacious similes, the fracturing of quotation and cliche, most profitable sentence in the oeuvre, that could only be: the razor-edged plotting—without focusing on any par­ “Mrs. Gregson to see you, sir” the first recorded words, ticular title. Like Trollope or Agatha Christie, PGW is a from “Extricating Young Gussie,” of the most gigantic climate all to himself. People say “Pm reading a P. G. brain this side of Spinoza, the inimitable Jeeves. Wodehouse,” the particular title seeming hardly to mat­ Because most established critics have tended to neglect ter. Indeed, even for many admirers it is sometimes diffi­ Wodehouse, often dismissing him as a mere entertainer, cult to remember which bits of comic business occur in his most informed admirers have frequently been ordi­ which books. Obviously the oeuvre as a whole counts for nary readers and fellow craftsmen. Hilaire Belloc famously more than its individual parts. This is a compliment to called him “ the head o f my profession ” while the master the high and even level of the Wodehouse accomplish­ of the English ghost story M .R. James and the poet A.E. ment, one characterized by what Frank Swinnerton called Housman both deeply admired his felicitous prose. The an “ irresistible air o f improvisation” supported by an ex­ great Russian writer Vladimir Brussilov once remarked, quisite use of language. with his usual modesty, “No novelists anywhere any good All that aside, an editor must nevertheless make dis­ except me. P G. Wodehouse and Tolstoi not bad. Not tinctions. In Tellers o f Tales, a collection o f the world’s great­ good, but not bad.” In a similar, if less colorful fashion, est stories, Somerset Maugham—no slouch at short fic­ W. H. Auden compared Wodehouse with Dostoevsky and tion himself—includes “Uncle Fred Flits By.” So too does Tolstoy, and not entirely to their advantage. Louis Untermeyer in his Treasury of Laughter. (A com­ Evelyn Waugh, it is said, displayed an obsessive fond­ panion volume, The Treasury of Great Humor, reprints ness for the Psmith stories, and once suggested that an “Strychnine in the Soup” ) Historical novelist Thomas B. andaology ought to have reprinted “Strychine in the Soup” Costain, once a name to conjure with, chose “The Click­ since it was funnier than “Goodbye to All Cats.” Brother ing of Cuthbert” for his popular anthology Read with Me. Alec Waugh firmly stated that if he were shipwrecked on For his Treasury of British Humor, scholar and humorist a desert island, he would take along “the ever delightful Morris Bishop—a Cornell friend of Robert Hall’s—picked M ik e” Anthony Powell also preferred the early school sto­ “Tried in the Furnace,” adding sensibly: “I dare not assert ries to the mature masterpieces, while the late poet laure­ that this is the noblest story Wodehouse ever wrote. Who ate John Betjeman claimed to have “loved every word could choose the one most perfect rose displayed at the Wodehouse has written. I think I have read every one Royal Horticultural Society, or the finest vegetable mar­ from the days he appeared in The Captain” Malcolm row ever grown at Blandings Castle?” In I Couldn’t Help Muggeridge reports that M ike held a special place in its Laughing Ogden Nash again nets “Uncle Fred Flits By”, author’s esteem because it conveyed so well the action as do several other anthologies. I think it and “Lord and atmosphere of a cricket match.” When Muggeridge Emsworth and the Girl Friend” are probably Plum’s most told his friend George Orwell about this, Orwell replied admired stories. with his trademark seriousness that “Wodehouse was per­ Robertson Davies once expressed his fondness—in a fectly right. M ik e , he insisted, was his best book.” review for The Washington Post Book World of several

14- Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 Winter 1997 Wodehouse items—for Jill the Reckless, probably for its reading, Frederick Raphael and Kenneth McLeish choose theater background and its bats-squeak whisper of sexu­ The Inimitable Jeeves as their main selection, followed by ality, one o f the few in Wodehouse: “The touch o f his Leave it to Psm ith and Summer Lightning. In the Selective body against hers always gave her a thrill, half pleasur­ P.G. Wodehouse Chronology that prefaces the Morgan able, half exciting” Shockingly explicit. Paraphrasing Library’s exhibition volume the unnamed compiler calls Faulkner on Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” Wilfrid The Code of the Woosters “for many the ultimate Jeeves - Sheed asserted that Leave it to Psmith was worth any num­ Bertie novel.” The Dictionary of American Biography entry, ber o f old ladies. Nancy Mitford once wrote in a letter to scripted by Philip Thody, mentions Gussie presenting the Evelyn Waugh that certain sentences in The Code of the prizes as one o f the funniest scenes in literature and points Woosters made her absolutely shriek with laughter. to “ Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend” as the best of the Blandings stories. The headnote to the Wodehouse entry in Contemporary Literary Criticism refers to its subject’s hich suggests the interesting question: Which is “strongest novels, The Code of the Woosters and Jo y in the WWodehouse’s funniest sentence? Richard Usborne M orn in g.” A Reader’s Guide to the 20th Century Novel suggests the opening to The Luck of the Bodkins: “ Into the throws caution to the wind and includes four titles, with face o f the young man who sat on the terrace o f the Hotel accompanying short essays: Psmith in the City; Uneasy Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive Money; Carry On, Jeeves; and Galahad at Blandings. shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an If one or two or even three o f these last seem like slightly Englishman is about to talk French.” Elliot Milstein in a eccentric choices, it is worth noting that, in the end, nearly Plum Lines article disagrees and gives the laurel for best every Wodehouse title has its advocate. In a review for opening sentence to Joy in the Morning: “After the thing the New Republic o f Sunset at Blandings, D. David Bowen was all over, when peril had ceased to loom and happy concludes, “for the great Wodehouse read Something New, endings had been distributed in heaping handfuls and we Pigs Have Wings or F u ll Moon in the Blandings series, or were driving home with our hats on the side o f our heads, the Jeeves books Joy in the Morning or The Code of the having shaken the dust of Steeple Bumpleigh from our Woosters I Richard Usborne admiredJill the Reckless as one tyres, I confessed to Jeeves that there had been moments o f the “ best contrived, one o f the fullest o f something for during the recent proceedings when Bertram Wooster, everybody, one o f the longest and probably the best value though no weakling, had come very near to despair.” for money o f all the pre-farce light novels.” R. B. D. French In yet another learned disquisition Curtis Armstrong calls B ill the Conqueror, “one of the more solid and roomy maintains that the opening sentences to The Code of the books of the period,” and describes The Small Bachelor as Woosters deliver the biggest, if subtlest, laugh right off: “one of the most elegant and controlled works of “ I reached out a hand from under the blankets and rang Wodehouse’s middle manner.” Robertson Davies particu­ the bell for Jeeves. 'Good morning, Jeeves.’ 'Good larly praises Performing Flea as offering with Virginia evening, sir.’ ” Woolf’s diary, “ die most penetrating insight into a writer’s With such lines on my mind, I decided to look up the life that I have seen in current literature.” Evelyn Waugh Wodehouse entries in the 1996 Oxford Book of Quotations. refers frequently in his correspondence to The M ating This estimable volume selects nearly two dozen citations Season, though mainly for the scene in which Gussie, from the oeuvre, including four from The Code of the drunk again, gives his name to the police as D uff Cooper. Woosters and four from The Inimitable Jeeves. One sentence With this flourish and a send-up of A. A. Milne’s Pooh from the novel is particularly notable: “He spoke with a poetry, The Mating Season takes a mild poke at two of certain whatisit in his voice, and I could see that, if not Wodehouse’s harshest critics during the affair o f the Ber­ actually disgrunded, he was far from being grunded.” Still, lin broadcasts. I suspect that Wodehouse’s most celebrated witticism, We will hear more about those broadcasts this after­ since recycled by numerous other authors, is this one, the noon from that distinguished Conan Doyle and Wode­ dedication to The Heart of a Goof: “To my daughter house aficionado Jon Lellenberg, who, in his cups, once Leonora without whose never-failing sympathy and en­ confessed to a particular fondness for Cocktail Time. O f couragement diis book would have been finished in half course, this is a man who displays a sampler in his kitchen the time ” embroidered: “Blessed are the Debonair for They Shall Drink Cocktails.” Even a novel like Psmith Journalist has its ardent fans. Owen Dudley Edwards, for instance, says T> eference efi books! Start down that factstrewn path and that it “ is an astonishing n ovel. . . this novel, more than i V t h ere is no end. In The L ist o f Books, a guide to good any other, tells what the American progressive era in jour­

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 15 nalism was about” Naturally one must first care about poR O SK N rr the American progressive era in journalism. Charles E. Gould says of H ot W ater that it is one of Wodehouse’s “most light-hearted, extravagantly and skillfully plotted avid Landman recendy uncovered a slab of social and funniest novels” And in 1956 Wodehouse’s editor D (or is it cultural?) history when he noticed one word Peter Schwed wrote that Something Fishy seems to be “just in a Wodehouse lyric and one advertisement in a long-ago about a perfect work of art.” A writer’s editors, however, magazine. Here’s his account of the discovery: are never on oath. Still, retitled The Butler Did /r, this In the song “Bongo on the Congo” from Sitting Pretty same book would be Plum’s “biggest seller in America of 1924 there are the following verses: since the end of World War I I ” The summer girl is not a prude Her tastes are simple, even crude: Her clothing, what there is of it, hich, by this time you might wonder, or then Is what you might call porosknit. Wagain you might not, is my own favorite Wode­ No one has any trouble with the last word because it house? At first I was going to choose the chimerical W hite obviously denotes see-dirough mesh material. But I won­ Hope, a title which in Charles E. Gould’s words “some­ dered why Wodehouse spelled it that peculiar way instead how crept into Simon and Schuster’s list of books by P. G. of “porous-knit,” until I ran across the enclosed ad in Wodehouse about 1962 and has been there ever since.” Colliers Easter Number for March 19,1910. “Porosknit” was But if we are wishing I will go all the way and pick the book a brand name probably sufficiently well known to be that Plum hoped to do in 1955. According to David Jasen, familiar to a musical comedy audience in 1924. The “Plans for Plum’s next novel were unusually ambitious. It C olliers, by the way, contains the Hollywood story was hoped that he could write a story involving all of his “ Archibald’s Benefit,” later collected in The M an Upstairs. major established characters—what Simon and Schuster described as an £an all-star Wodehouse novel.’ When he came to it, however, he was unable to evolve a plot of sufficient strength and the idea had to be abandoned.” Imagine Jeeves at Blandings! And the return of Psmith! And perhaps Adrian Mulliner teamed up with Bingo Little against the efficient Baxter and the villainous Roderick Spode. Best of all, think of Bertie, Lord Emsworth and Uncle Fred entangled in some hare-brained scheme to thwart Aunt Agatha ! And Bring on the Girls, all of them from Madeline Bassett and Stiffy Byng to Honoria Glossop and Bobbie Wickham! Ah what a book that would have been! Sometimes while drifting into sleep, I like to think that Wodehouse just might have it waiting for us when we finally reach that Great Celestial Library.

© Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Co. pY PE CAST I 9 9 9 CONVENTION At each of our last five conventions I have been asked to play the part of Lord Emsworth in a play or reading. Why, I wonder, have I never been asked to play the rich, Toni Rudersdorf, president of the Texas Drone Rang­ handsome, young Esmond Haddock? Or Desmond ers, writes that our 1999 convention is scheduled for the Franklyn, the “ lean, keen, hawk-faced Empire-building next-to-last weekend of October at the Wyndham- sort of chap” ? No, it’s always that doddering, wooly- Warwick Hotel in Houston.For the numerically inclined minded old . . . ah . . . what is his name? — OM that’s October 22-24,1999. Toni is moving fast on this!

16 Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 NEW MEMBERS

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Plum Lines V0I17 No* Winter 1997 17 pROM BARRY pAIN TO ^NSELM ]^[ULLINER; A ^/ODEHOUSE SOURCE TRACED

By William A. S. Sarjeant

hroughout a long life—and despite the early distraction of in the evening. When the light dies behind the stained windows, sport and the later distraction of television—P. G . Wode- and the music speaks, and through the open doors you can smell T the svringa-bushes, then—for some reason that I know not—it is house was not only a prolific writer of his own books, but also more easy to think oneself a sinner and to wish one were not. an eager reader of books by others. In a letter quoted by Da\id Preaching would naturally be more effective at such a time. Jasen (P. G. Wodehouse, A Portrait of a Master, 1974, p. 17-18), Plum’s long-time friend, William Townend, wrote that “ [h]e Pain did not develop the theme, but it is my belief that was an omnivorous reader. Some authors were Barrie Pain and the paragraph stayed long in Plum’s mind. Almost fifty James Payn, Rudyard Kipling and W.S. Gilbert.” years later, it came to fruition in one o f the very best o f Kipling and Gilbert, of course, remain famous names, the Mulliner stories, “Anselm Gets his Chance”, published even nowadays. Their influence upon Plum’s own writ­ in the collection Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940, p. 132). ing has been considered—albeit usually briefly—by most Here is Mr. Mulliner, discoursing to that ever-receptive biographers. In contrast, there has been only one specific audience in the Angler’s Rest: reference to the influence of Barrie Pain on Wodehouse, when Plum himself wrote to Richard Usborne (quoted “The old old story,” he said, a touch o f sadness in his voice. “ I do in Frances Donaldson’s EG. Wodehouse, 1982, p. 62) as not know if you gentlemen are aware o f it, but in the rural districts of England vicars always preach the evening sermon during the follows: summer months, and this causes a great deal o f discontent to seethe among curates. It exasperates the young fellows, and one can When was the first number of Chumsr Was it 1892? Anyway, it understand their feelings. As Miss Postlethwaite rightly says, there contained—in addition to Max Pemberton’s “ Iron Pirate” —a is something about the atmosphere o f evensong in a village church school story by Barry Pain called “Two” (published in book form that induces a receptive frame o f mind in a congregation, and a as Graeme and Cyril). It made an enormous impression on me. It preacher, preaching under such conditions, can scarcely fail to grip had practically no plot but the atmosphere was wonderful. I was re­ and stir. The curates, withheld from so preaching, naturally feel reading it only the other day and it’s great stuff. that they are being ground beneath the heel o f an iron monopoly and chiselled out o f their big chance.” I would like to suggest that, in another instance, Wo­ dehouse may have based a plot on an idea culled from Barrie Eric Odell Pain was born in 1864, the son of a one of Barrie Pain’s other books —In a Canadian Canoe Cambridge draper. His family was sufficiently well-to- (London: Henry, 1891). This was Pain’s earliest book; it do as to send him to a public school, Sedbergh in York­ comprises two groups o f stories and three individual tales, shire (no, not Sedleigh!) and permit him to study at Cam­ most of them republished from the Cambridge Univer­ bridge University. After graduation—and perhaps as a sity student literary magazine G ranta. The group o f nine result of their similar style—Pain succeeded Jerome as essays that furnish the book’s tide are written in a style editor o f Today, then one o f Britain’s most important lit­ reminiscent of that of Jerome K. Jerome. They are very erary periodicals. He was a prolific writer, especially of much in the style o f Jerome’s Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fel­ novels and humorous stories of working-class life. He is low (1886), representing Pain’s musings and dreams while remembered nowadays for his short stories of mystery, rowing leisurely, or just drifting, in his canoe on the Backs crime and detection, in particular The Memoirs of at Cambridge. In die ninth essay, there occurs the fol­ Constantine Dix (1905), which has been several times re­ lowing passage: printed. Regrettably, however, Pain’s humorous writings have A curate was once complaining to me about certain hardships almost faded from memory. Though dated in theme and that he suffered at the hands o f his vicar. “And, above all,” he said, attitudes, diey are well worth finding. I enjoyed especially “ I am never allowed to preach an evening sermon. I get no chances. The One Before (London: Grant Richards, 1902), in which The vicar always preaches the evening sermons.” There was a good deal o f justice in the complaint; we are all naturally more righteous the lively illustrations by Tom Browne add gready to the fun.

18 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 Winter 1997 In contrast, the other essays in Pain's first collection no SOMETHING ODD? longer read well. They are sometimes quirkily humorous, often thoughtful, but they contain classical allusions that few modern readers will comprehend and are much too By John Fletcher often charged with undergraduate morbidity. (The se­ quence “The Nine Muses Minus One” represents the apo­ n the first Blandings novel, Something Fresh or Some­ theosis o f this). However, since it surely-served as launch­ Ithing N ew , can you sort out what happens on which ing-point for one o f Plum’s finest humorous flights, the days? collection has earned its own special place in literary his­ George and Aline, Ashe and Joan all go to Blandings tory. Casde on a Friday (chapter 3, §3 and §9). Chapter 5 is set on that Friday. Chapter 6 describes the next day, Satur­ day; §1 —in the small hours, Baxter disturbing Ashe Matson and Joan Valentine as they both independently q n r e c e d i n g c h i n s converge on the scarab; §2—later in the morning, when Ashe and Joan agree to take turns at trying to raid the museum to steal it. Ashe (winning the toss) starts on that A K arilyn MacGregor found the following delightful Saturday night. As they take alternate nights, Ashe would T V J. letter in The First Cuckoo, More Classic Letters to The maraud on the nights o f Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, [London] Times 1900-1975■ The letter has been reprinted a Friday, and the following Sunday and Tuesday. Joan number o f times in various places, but may still be new to would take the nights between. Chapters 7 and 8 are both many o f us. The letter was dated 30 November, 1937. about the day “ten days after Joan and Ashe had formed their compact” (7 §1). Baxter had had nine sleepless nights Sir, since first interrupting Ashe (7 §2) or “ten nights to cool Your correspondent Mr. John Hayward is to a great off” by “nearly w o o’clock” on Sunday morning (chap­ extent right in his statement that Bertie Wooster has a ter 8 §1); and George had dined eleven nights at Bland­ receding chin. ings (8 §2). As I count the days and nights, that should A fishlike face has always been hereditary in the Wooster take us to the second Tuesday-Wednesday night, and family. Froissart, speaking of die Sieur de Wooster who Ashe’s turn. In his prowl, he collides with George did so well in the Crusades—his record o f 11 Paynim widi Emerson bringing food to Aline (8 §4), so waking up the 12 whacks ofthe batdeaxe still stands, I believe—mentions house. In chapter 9 §1 Ashe “ recounted die events o f the that, if he had not had die forethought to conceal himself past night” to Joan and tried to dissuade her from taking behind a beard like that of a burst horsehair sola, more her chance next, “after what happened last night” So it than one o f King Richard’s men—who, like all o f us, were must be Wednesday. Joan insisted on sticking to the rota fond of a good laugh—would have offered him an ant’s agreed. By half-past eleven on the following morning egg- (Thursday?) when Baxter wakes up, the scarab had been O11 the other hand, everydiing is relative. Compared stolen. “It being Sunday morning,... most of die occu­ with Sir Richard Glossop, Tuppy Glossop, old Pop Stoker, pants o f the place had gone o ff to church” (9 §2) . Yet Mr. Blumenfeld, and even Jeeves, Bertie is undoubtedly chapter 9 §4 seems to be the day after diat Wednesday opisthognadious. But go to the Drones and observe him night, and so Thursday, because Peters, back from church, in the company o f Freddie Widgeon, Catsmeat Pottcr- was magnanimous to Emswordi; Ashe told Peters diat Pirbright, and—particularly—of Augustus Fink-Nottie, Joan was the thief; and Joan assumed that Ashe had bro­ and his chin will seem to stick out like the ram o f a ken his word and stolen it himself. battleship. Is it Thursday or Sunday? Tony Ring (as author) and I Your obedient servant, (as publisher) are now preparing the volume o f die con­ P. G. Wodehousc cordance dealing with the Blandings saga. We would like to solve the conundrum, if possible. Any comments grate­ fully received, preferably in writing, either to Tony Ring, 34 Longfield, Great Missenden Bucks HP16 oEG En­ gland, or fax 4 4 - 14 9 4 863048, or by email to me: [email protected].

Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 W inter 1997 19 _^N INTERVIEW WITH p Q 'yy'ODEHOUSE

By Jack Ellsworth

The following article was recently spotted in The GreatNeck Record Jerome Kern? You worked with him so often and knew published in the town o f Great Neck, Long Island, New York. We him very well.” called Mr. Ellsworth and learned that he owns and manages radio “He was a very delightful fellow, very cheerful and full station WLIM in Patchogue, not far from Remsenburg, and writes just for the fun o f it. His interviews with a number of well-known o f pep. We got along awfully well. H e was such a splen­ people have been published in a group of Long Island newspapers. did fellow to work with. He used to work practically all Mr. Ellsworth told us that he met P. G. Wodehouse, “ a very likable night. Once while he was living in Bronxville, he called and gracious man,” at an event to benefit the Bide-a-Wee pet me at direc a.m. and woke me up to say, ‘I’ve got the cemetery (a special interest of Plum and Ethel), and was subse­ melody for the second act number,’ and then he played it quently granted an interview at Remsenburg. We are grateful for for me over the phone. Then I wrote a dummy of it and Mr. Ellsworth’s permission to reprint this interesting interview. then did the lyrics. Then he continued to work all night. It was on a lovely spring afternoon in the early 70s that I think that’s what killed him. He wasn’t strong at all....not I had the thrill o f interviewing Mr. P. G. Wodehouse. We an awfully strong fellow and he never wanted to go to sat on his comfortable sun porch at his home in bed.” Remsenburg. Mr. Wodehouse had enjoyed a long and il­ I asked Mr. Wodehouse if Kern was ever concerned lustrious career in music and literature. His contributions about competition with other composers. to the world of popular music included collaborations “Not while I knew him. He was absolutely leading the with Jerome Kern, Guy Bolton, and Oscar Hammerstein. field in those days. Then a litde later George Gershwin Mr. Wodehouse first worked with Jerome Kern in Lon­ became known. George was actually a protege of Jerry’s don in 1906. They wrote several songs together and later and if Jerry needed help on a show, he’d get George to collaborated on various shows including Miss Springtime, assist him with the music. Later Richard Rodgers came an early Ziegfeld show, and one called Have a Heart, along. I understand toward the end o f his life, Jerry was which ran briefly in New York and then went on the road. fairly gloomy about the younger generation knocking at After that came the 1917 Oh, Boy!, an enormous success. the door. He was very sensitive about his position. He Among the songs in Oh, Boy! were “ Nesting Time in fretted if he couldn’t sort o f be the leader.” Flatbush,” “A Pal Like You,” “An Old Fashioned W ife” I told Mr. Wodehouse that one o f Kern’s loveliest songs and the most memorable, “Till the Clouds Roll By” An­ was “I’ve Told Every Litde Star” from Music in the A ir. other great success that same year was Leave It to Jane. Bing Crosby said it was his favorite and that the melody Again Jerome Kern wrote all die music and P.G. Wode­ was inspired by the song of a finch singing outside his house did the lyrics. Leave I t to Ja n e enjoyed a three-year window one morning while he was vacationing in off-Broadway revival in the mid fifties. Mr. Wodehouse Quogue. I daen whisded what could have been the bird’s said he really loved that show. song. I asked Mr. Wodehouse, “ O f all the songs you wrote Mr. Wodehouse chuckled, “That’s a delightful story, with Kern, which were your favorites?” isn’t it?” He replied, “Well, I’m very fond o f Th e Siren’s Song’ I then said, “Fve been told that much o f Jerome Kern’s from Leave I t to Ja n e , and, o f course, ‘Bill’, which is in music was inspired by German folk songs. Is that true?” Show Boat. We originally wrote ‘Bill’ for an earlier show “I believe it was. I’m not sure, but I think ‘Till the called Oh, Lady! Lady!! That was about 1918. It was a farce Clouds Roll By5 was taken from a German folk melody— starring Vivienne Segal, but Jerry felt ‘Bill’ was too slow, or based on one. The great thing about Jerry in those so the song lay dormant, so to speak, for about eight years. days was that he was so high spirited and he’d do the light In 1927, while I was out in Hollywood, Jerry came to me numbers so very well. When we worked together, Jerry one day and asked if he could use ‘Bill’ for Show Boat... and generally wrote the music first, but if it was a comic song, I said, oh yes, of course you can....and it was a big suc­ then I did the lyrics first...but generally he’d do the music cess. I must say that o f all the Jerry Kern melodies, ‘Bill’ is first and I’d fit the lyrics to it. I always preferred writing my special favorite. O f course, all o f his stuff was so good.” that way. I was awfully inclined to make a thing just like a I asked Mr. Wodehouse, “What kind of a man was set o f light verse...You know, too regular a meter. I re­

20 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 W inter 1997 member a song in Oh, Boy, the chorus ran something like appeared. In the early days when I was living in Green­ this...If eveiy day you give her diamonds and pearls on a wich Village and trying to earn a living by writing, there string ...Well, I never would have thought o f that. I mean were all those pulp magazines like Aigosy, The Blue Book, the first beat came... If you give her diamonds and pearls The People’s and dozens o f them. I f you wrote a story you on a suing...To me it wouldn’t have scanned properly. I could always land it some where... and get about fifty dol­ mean my stuff when I wrote the lyrics first was always lars for it. Even the slick paper magazines, they’ve all dis­ much too regular.” appeared. Colliers is gone, so is the American Magazine, I asked Mr. Wodehouse what he thought about the then the Delineator, and so many others. Getting a story pub­ current musical M y B a ir Lady. He said, “That is such a lished today isn’t easy.” wonderful show. The music was awfully good by Lerner After chatting a while our interview ended and I de­ and Loewe.” ITe said he didn’t care for rock and roll and parted saying I hoped we’d meet again soon ...Unfortu­ country music. His comment was, “Well, I don’t like it nately we never did. myself, but that may just be an old fashioned point of view. But before I forget, I haven’t seen Hello, Dolly as yet, but I understand the big number is a world beater.” I then asked Mr. Wodehouse about his present activi­ ties. Perhaps best known to many for his writing, par­ pLUM AND AGATHA ticularly about the character Jeeves, he said... “I just fin­ ished a novel yesterday. It needs a little more work. My great trouble these days is getting a thing long enough. Jan Kaufman found die following item in The New York Times of Publishers want 70,000 words and Pm very apt to write September 19,1997. IPs an excerpt from a story by Frank McCourt (author o f Angela's Ashes) about his early days in New York City about 63,000, so I have to do a bit o f lengthening.” forty years ago. I then asked about the movie he worked on. “ In 1937 there was a Fred Astaire movie called A Damsel in Dis­ t was in Sam’s store I first met Yonk Kling: aitist, art tress. Wasn’t that based on your book?” Irestorer, bon vivant. There was Yonk over in the fiction “Yes, I worked on that production. You’ll remember section laughing over a P. G. Wodehouse “Ukridge” Ginger Rogers stepped aside for that film. She wanted to story. Only those who know and love Wodehouse will do more dramatic roles, so Fred’s leading lady was Joan know what it’s like to encounter a fellow Wodehouse Fontaine. Fred had to work with her on the dancing be­ lover. Only a line out o f Wodehouse could describe our cause she wasn’t quite up to Ginger’s talents but she was meeting: I fell on Yonk’s neck with a glad cry. We chanted a delightful, lovely leading lady. The Gershwins wrote the a litany o f characters: Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Ukridge, music fovA Damsel in Distress and there were some won­ Rosie M. Banks, Pongo Twistleton .... derful songs diat have endured very well indeed. There . . . [W]e made our way to Greenwich Street, where was 'Nice Work If You Can Get It,’ and CA Foggy Day.’ ” Yonk’s uncle, Joe Kling, had his bookstore. Joe looked “Well, Mr. Wodehouse, this has been a very rewarding like a character out o f an old newspaper movie: green experience for me. I’ve been wanting to meet you ever eyeshade, purple bands holding up his shirtsleeves, he since my dear old dad introduced me to your work. He lived at die back o f the store, where he had a metal cot, a was a great admirer o f Bolton, Wodehouse, and Kern. toilet, a sink, a small refrigerator. Every Sunday, Joe trav­ And I hear that Guy Bolton lives in this area and that you eled to Yonk’s apartment on Montague for a bath and a fellows still get together.” Sunday dinner. “ Yes indeed,” Mr. Wodehouse replied. “He remains a When we walked into the store, Joe was telling a cus­ very close friend. We worked awfully well together on tomer: “No, I don’t have Agatha Christie. I sell books, over twenty shows.” not entertainment. That woman’s books wouldn’t chal­ I said, “If only Jerome Kern were alive, you could do lenge the mentality o f a Jersey City politician.” another show.” The customer stormed out and Yonk nudged me, “Ask Mr. Wodehouse nodded and said, “Oh, yes!” him if he has any Wodehouse.” “In closing, Mr. Wodehouse, what advice would you Joe glared at him. “What are you saying, Yonkel?” give to young people who were interested in writing for I fell into Yonk’s trap. “Mr. Kling, do you have any P. the theatre or perhaps writing books and stories such as G. Wodehouse?” you have written?” Froth suddenly speckled Joe’s lips. “What? What? Wo­ “Well, that’s rather difficult. I’m veiy glad I’m not start­ dehouse? Friend o f yours, Yonkel? H e’d better be a friend ing writing today because the market has practically dis­ of yours or I’m throwing him out.”

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 W inter 1997 21 SOMETHING NEW of a domestic animal of your choice. I bought my copy of the book at the Chicago conven­ tion. A note on the dust jacket says that you can get your copy “and a list of books related to Wodehouse, from Three items this time: two new collections o f early Wodehouse Book Systems Plus (telephone 01799-542254), at 2B Pri­ stories, and a listing o f Wodehouse booksellers, including a newly ors Hall Farm, Widdington, Essex, CB11 3SB ” Members discovered one. — OM in America might find it more convenient to get a copy from one of the specialist booksellers listed later in the t’s a great day for lovers of Plum’s school stories. Our column. For reference: ISBN 1-870304-24-1. 1 don’t have Iown John Fletcher, who cleverly conceals himself be­ a price for the book. hind the name Porpoise Books, has just published a collection of twenty-five school stories you probably haven’t read. The back o f the dust jacket has this to say for itself: avid Jasen, also a D TWSer, announces In 1905 P G Wodehouse wrote six stories, set in Wrykyn College the publication of a new ENTER and called Tales of Wrykyn. Two years before he had published a collection o f early Wode­ book with twelve stories and four essays called Tales of St Austin’s, house stories, edited by JEEVES and no doubt meant to produce an equivalent Wrykyn book. Here David and published by it is at last. It contains 25 new Wodehouse short stories: the six basic 15 Tales of Wrykyn with their original illustrations; six more Wrykyn Dover, the well-known re­ EopIij stories; and thirteen stories set in other schools.Among the “Else­ publisher of all sorts of where” stories is “Stone and the Weed/J where a newfangled motor worthy out-of-print ma­ Slo ries car gets a Sedleigh boy away so fast from the scene of his crime that terial. “This is theonly col­ he almost establishes an alibi; “ Personally Conducted,” in which a lection,” according to the teenage girl creditably maroons a Beckford housemaster at the top of a church tower; and “The Adventure of the Split Infinitive,” at back cover, “ to contain the the farcically named St Asterisk’s, a bitter mockery of the Sherlock first eight Jeeves short sto­ Holmes stories. We despise ruthless Reginald even while we ries as well as the complete cannot help admiring his elegant revenges. However wrong the Reggie Pepper series.” characters seem by any adult standards, even those o f their own Reggie, as all dedicated time, we are drawn into their world of warped values. They are P.G.WODEhCUSr fans know, was a Drone unusual, even bizarre; certainly wry, they are in many wavs also our kin.I and the predecessor of Bertie Wooster, though he lacked any such figure as I asked Len Lawson and found that many of these sto­ Jeeves. ries were originally published in The Captain, a popular The Pepper stories range from “Absent Treatment” magazine for boys, but some were from such obscure (The Strand, 1911) to “The Test Case” (Illustrated Sunday sources as Windsor M agazine and London Magazine. All M agazine, December 1915). The Jeeves stories range from were written in the first decade or the early teens o f the “Extricating Young Gussie” (Saturday Evening Post, Sep­ century. Len says that nine o f the stories have been pub­ tember 1915) to “Jeeves Takes Charge” (The Strand, 1923). lished in relatively recent collections: Plum Stones, The The appeal o f this collection is twofold: (1) some o f the Swoop and Other Stories, and The Uncollected Wodehouse. stories are hard to find—five of the Reggie Pepper stories None of these books quite made it to The New York Times and two of the Jeeves stories are not listed in Jasen’s bestseller list, however, so for most of us there is much bibliography and none appear in the relatively recent The good stuff in this new book. We are indebted to John Uncollected Wodehouse and The Swoop and Other Stories; (2) Fletcher for making the stories available. all of die stories appear here in their original magazine It’s a handsome hardcover book, well produced with form. As David wrote (private communication—I’m feel­ crisp, clean printing, and a pleasure to read. The Wrykyn ing very literary today): “ .. .these earliest Jeeves stories are stories are accompanied by their nineteen original maga­ somewhat different than commonly found in the short zine illustrations. A bonus is the authentic-looking story collections, when Plum rewrote them from maga­ “Wrykyn College Lower Fifth Form Prize,” a certificate, zines. Tightened them up, don’t you know, but somehow complete with coat of arms, printed on the first endpa­ lost the original take-your-time feeling the magazines per and already signed by the headmaster. Blank lines are imparted.” provided for the insertion o f your own name and/or that The only nit I can pick is that none o f the delightful old

22 Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 W inter 1997 magazine illustrations is included, but we don’t read Wo- The book is available only through their catalog at $16.95 dehouse for the pictures. Bet you haven’t read most of per copy. Add $4.95 shipping and handling for one or these stories, and this may be your only chance. two copies. New York residents add sales tax. The book The book describes itself as “Unabridged Dover (1997) is listed in catalog number 0087. To order call (800) 832- republication o f 15 stories from standard editions. Edited 7323 *or write The Common Reader, 141 Tampkins Ave., and with an introduction by David A. Jasen. 240 pp. 5J/#x Pleasantville, NY 10570-3154- For further information on 81/!. Paperbound.” ISBN 0-486-29717-9 (pbk.) The price this book and others, go to: www.commonreader.com in the U SA is $8.95. Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, New York 11501.

¥ PUBLIC SCHOOL

alph Doty, way out there in Oklahoma, writes as QUESTION bllows about a book dealer way back there in Mary- land: hil Ayers has a question for which someone must At the risk o f striking a commercial note, I have come across Phave an answer. Phil has been reading the school what looks like the chance to do a spot o f good for good old TWS stories lately and has noticed that the public school boys . . . A chappie with whom I’ve done the occasional bit o f business, who are their subjects seem to have no choice o f residence Nelson Freck of Second Story Books in Rockville, Maryland, has at the school. begun to offer first editions o f The Master, as well as some fairly “In The Head o f Kay’s,” notes Phil, “Fenn, the head of respectable Wodehousiana: I include a page o f his catalogue so that the house, hates being there but does not seem able to you can see for yourself... .Try to call when Nelson isn’t there, so that you may have the extra treat ofconversation with his charming move to another house. Even when he returns for a new wife, Jennifer. term he must go back to Kay’s. Yet Kay, the housemaster, The commercial note is just exacdy what we want to is able to "borrow’ Kennedy from another house appar­ strike, since so few Wodehouse books are given away these ently without Kennedy’s consent. M y questions are, did days and so many are hard to find. The two pages of the boys have any choice about the house they lived in, could they change houses at will, and could a master require a October 1997 catalog (DC #54) list 84 books by Wode­ house, including many firsts, and four related items, such boy to change houses without his consent?” as Benny Green’s biography. To get your share, call Nelson Please send your annswcrs to OM or AD and your name will appear Golly. — OM or Jennifer at (301) 468-9689 or fax to (301) 770-9544. I in print. don’t have their street address. For those who came in late and are just getting settled in their seats, I should point out that other Wodehouse qpHE SCORE AT SEVENTY specialists are doing business at their old stands, and doing many of us a great service. They all provide catalogues. Fritz Menschaar found this self-description o f Wodehouse in Charles E. Gould Frederick Menschaar The Oxford Book of Ages. It is said to be an extract from a letter Wodehouse wrote to his doctor in February, 1951, but I haven’t Box 543 140 Cabrini Blvd., Apt 132 been able to find a published record of the letter. Even when Kent CT 06757 New York NY 10033 describing his own infirmities, Plum could not avoid being enter­ taining. Anthony Cotes Nigel Williams 12 Abbey Farm 7 Waldeck Grove he score then, to date is that I am deaf in the left ear, St Bees London SE27 oBE T bald, subject to mysterious giddy fits, and practically Cumbria CA27 oDY UK cock-eyed. I suppose the moral of the whole thing is that UK I have simply got to realize that I am a few months off being seventy. I had been going along as if I were in the Finally (a fourth item), A Common Reader, often a rich foities, eating and drinking everything I wanted to and source of Wodehousian treasures, has published a hand­ smoking far too much. I had always looked on myself as a some new paperback edition of Bring on the Girls!, Plum son o f freak whom age could not touch, which was where and Guy Bolton’s somewhat exaggerated but very enter­ I made my ruddy error, because I’m really a senile wreck taining version o f their collaboration in musical comedy. with about one and a half feet in the grave.

Plum Lines Vol 17 No 4 Winter 1997 23 y/ODEHOUSE ACROSTIC SOLUTION

ere is the solution o f the acrostic published in the Autumn 1997 Plum Lints, shown in the printing o f Peter H Schwed himself. Members who sent correct and complete answers to the acrostic are, in alphabetic order, Joel J. Bratti, Ed Bronstein, Anne Cotton, Allen Crocker, Ralph Doty, Kim Kieinman, Marilyn MacGregor, Roxanne Ortiz McCord, Chris Riff, Paul Schnake, and Murray Wilson. The sender o f the first entry is, as promised, entitled to the full-size hand-knitted replica of the Eiffel Tower, done in several lovely shades of blue wool. It pains us deeply to tell you that we cannot keep our promise. Elin sprained her right index finger on a metaphor while working on this issue ofPlum Lines, and Ed had scarcely begun to knit when he was painfully gored on the horns o f a particularly vicious dilemma. Both of us are recovering nicely but we have been ordered by our medical attendants to avoid even the mildest forms of exercise for an indefinite period. In what we hope may be some measure o f compensation, we are able to offer members o f the society 80,000 yards of knitting wool, in several lovely shades of blue, at a greatly reduced price.

06 T V e > 1071 100 N K I 179 I 130 6 131 U N N c> 153 X 154 1 U

CONTENTS yOLUNTEER OFFICERS ------

Chicago and all that jazz, 1997! 1 Information and new memberships ‘The Betrayal of Bertram” (poem) 10 Marilyn MacGregor Louder andF tinnier 11 3215-5 Bermuda Ave. Wodehouse and the critics 12 Davis CA 95616 Type cast 16 Porosknit 16 Dues payments and address changes 1999 convention 16 Tom Wainwright New members 17 220 Grover Lane From Barry Pain to Anselm Mulliner 18 Walnut Creek CA 9+596 On receding chins 19 Something odd? 19 Contributions to Plum Lines An interview with P. G. Wodehouse 20 Ed Ratcliffe, OM Elin Woodger, AD Plum and Agatha 21 538 San Lorenzo Ave. 135 Elm St. Something new 22 Felton CA 95018 Everett MA 02149 A public school question 23 EWoodger @ aol.com The score at seventy 23 Wodehouse acrostic solution 2+ Dues are $20 per year.

All quotations from P. G. Wodehouse are reprinted by permission o f the Estate of P. G. Wodehouse

24- Plum Lines V0I17 No 4 Winter 1997