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P lum Lines The quarterly journal of The Wodehouse Society Vol. 15 N o 4 W inter 1995 WODEHOUSE CONVENTION 'CJ^t he latest and maybe the was smack in the midst o f much that made it so. You will realize that Bostonians aren’t too far T happiest gathering of wrong when I tell you that even in fairly total Wodehousians took place darkness some of their architecture is impres­ from Thursday to Sunday, sive. We did more than absorb culture. I have a October 19-22,1995, at the photograph, taken that evening, o f our very Copley Plaza Hotel in own Tony Ring giving a policeman’s helmet Boston, Massachusetts. the forward tilt which precedes the canoni­ cal upward lift. (The fact that the policeman 'THURSDAY had been clued in on this drama ahead of We began gathering at the time is irrelevant.) M y only regret is that the grand hotel on Thursday picture won’t reproduce well and you evening, when glad won’t see it. shouts of recognition Back at the hotel there was much rang out in the vast ‘What- ho’-ing and renewing o f old lobby —Wodehouse friends acquaintance by later arrivals, and if Miss meeting after a two-year void are Postlethwaite had been present much busi­ not shy. (The lobby is most im­ ness would have resulted for her. (The small pressive in white and gold, with The clever ‘Minuteman’ dark bar of the hotel, quite clubbish in walnut imposing pillars, glittering chan­ logo of the convention, shown paneling and discreet light, did remind me of deliers, and huge mirrors, and above and on many conven­ the bar parlour o f a far more famous place.) Versailles had better look slippy tion items, was designed by Each registrant for the convention was pro­ or it will lose the tourist trade.) Kate Harmon of the Boston vided with a tote bag filled with useful good­ Even the endemic rain could not NEWTS. The logo is a take­ ies—a program and much incidental infor­ quell the bonhomie. Several off on the famous Minute- mation about the convention, maps, tourist groups o f us went forth into the man statue near Boston: a guides, shopping guides, restaurant informa­ rain on a T our o f Boston by bright green newt with tion, and various nifty stuff to make a tourist’s Night,’ a rich mixture of archi­ monocle, in a white shirt, stay in Boston more pleasant. And the tecture and culture served up by brown vest, and powder horn, NEWTS had arranged to have Plum’s birth­ enthusiastic and well-informed and armed with a corked day declared P. G. Wodehouse Day in both local guides who clearly loved blunderbuss. It’s quite color­ the state o f Massachusetts and the city of their city. Boston, as proper ful and I would have repro­ Boston. Bostonians admit at the slightest duced it in color here, had not excuse, has been the hub o f the stern economic reality forbid­ FRIDAY universe since the time of den. See a picture of the real On Friday morning at 8 o’clock, when Emerson at least, and our hotel Minuteman on page 2. Jeeves himself might just have been arising, a contingent of TWSers was off to shows at once, a nearby Lexington and Concord for a record never equaled. chunk of history: they saw, among David, no mean hand much else, the Minuteman statue, rep­ with language him­ resenting the militiamen who turned self, told how Wode­ back the British soldiers at the begin­ house led the way to ning of what Americans whimsically modern musical com­ call the Revolution, and visited the edy form by integrat­ very spot where ‘once the embattled ing his songs with the farmers stood, and heard the shot fired The real story. round the world.’ Minuteman David’s daughter And the justly famous New En­ Rosalind sang Plum’s gland foliage was at its most brilliant just then, in every ‘Bill,’ ‘Cleopatterer,’ shade of scarlet, orange, and yellow, fairly shouting to and ‘The Land Where the passerby ‘Come and be dazzled!’ the Good Songs Go.’ Meanwhile, back at the hotel, an anteroom was opened She and Pat Wilson for Wodehouse book dealers and Chapter Corner par­ sang the duets ‘Bun­ ticipants, and videotapes of the ‘Wodehouse Playhouse’ galow in Q uogue,’ scries were shown more or less continuously. Through­ ‘Till the Clouds Roll out the morning the faithful continued to gather, one By,’ and ‘Nesting hundred fifty eight strong, for our best-attended con­ Time in Flatbush.’ vention ever. Rosalind’s mother Rosalind Landman The opening session began at 2:00 p. m. with a high- Elizabeth was the ac­ spirited welcome by our hosts, the New England Wode­ companist. It was an outstanding performance and house Thingummy Society, or NEW TS. Their rendition delighted us all. of the NEWTS theme song ended with the secret NEWTS Dan Cohen, of Chapter One in Philadelphia, handshake. The song, written by David and Elizabeth showed us ‘The OM’s Ghost Story.’ It was a video of Landman, is nameless, and is sung to the tune of ‘The an amusing section of an old British horror film. The Whiffenpoof Song.’ Elin Woodger, Coordinator of the section was about golf, was strongly reminiscent of convention, gave a brief welcoming speech and intro­ Wodehouse’s golf stories, and seems to have been duced President Toni Rudersdorf. Hal Cazalet, step- included in the film as comic great-grandson o f P. G. Wodehouse, brought us greet­ relief. Dan discussed the ings and good wishes from the family. probable influences of Incidentally, a reporter from Monitor Radio was Wodehouse’s writings on present throughout the convention and put together an that section o f the film. excellent short account of it, and some of Hal’s remarks Dan Garrison, represent­ are included. The radio account is included on the ‘Au­ ing The Chicago Accident diotape of Speaker Presentations’ listed on the Souvenirs Syndicate, gave us a number Order Form elsewhere in this issue. of good and amusing rea­ Anne Cotton, a NEWT, was our first speaker, on ‘The sons for holding our next Old School Tie that Binds.’ She discussed Plum’s school convention in Chicago, in­ days at Dulwich, illustrated with slides kindly provided cluding, but not limited to, by Jan Piggott, Librarian of Dul­ the excellence o f the numer­ wich College, and presented the ous free martinis served to school as shown in Plum’s remi­ him and Jon Lellenberg while they interviewed sev­ niscences and in his stories. eral hotel managers on the doubtful suitability of David Landman, another their hotels for the convention. Dan showed a short NEWT, spoke on ‘You, Too, video of the preferred hotel —it reminded me of what CanCrooninJune: Wodehouse went on in the Cities of the Plain, and I can hardly as Lyricist.’ Wodehouse wrote wait for the convention. Nobody actually responded more than four hundred pub­ this way, but a number o f us felt like jumping out of lished lyrics, and at one time in our chairs to accept his offer. In this volunteer orga­ 1919 had lyrics in five Broadway nization anyone who offers, freely offers without the 2 Plum Lines Winter I99S Toni RudersdorPs Kazoo Chorus, Missy Ratcliffe Neil Midkiff Christine Dorffi belting out a few hot ones Felton, Calif. Palo Alto, Calif Santa Ouz, Calif Max and Elizabeth, eggers Toni’s Kazoo Chorus in meditative mood Missy Helen Stephen Brown Hal Cazalet It’s harder than it looks! Photos bv Jan Wilson Kaufman 3 application of force, to hold the next convention, is panied spontane­ practically knighted on the spot. ous singing. The Our Blandings Castle Chapter, from the San Fran­ Chorus was a fluid cisco Bay Area, gave a concert reading o f‘Pig-Hoo- thing, forming and o-o-ey!’ We chose the story for two reasons: we reforming at vari­ needed a short story to meet the time restriction, and ous times with vari­ we thought it would be fun to shout ‘Pig-hoo-o-o- ous players, presenting songs by Wodehouse, songs in his ey!’ quite a number of times in rehearsal and on stories, and, well, just songs. It is a curious fact that a kazoo stage. It was fun, though we got some strange looks player, joyous though he may be in the accomplishment of from the neighbors afterward. Dave Smeltzer, as his art, must assume perforce an intent, even solemn, James Belford, gave such a thunderous final ‘Pig- expression that clashes ever so slightly with the exuberance HOO-o-o-ey!’ that an encore was demanded later. of ‘When the Saints Go Marching In.’ The plaster may still be falling. It was a beauteous evening, calm and free—well, no, it The day closed with the traditional Friday evening was a happy, friendly evening, and we all had a lot of fun. reception in one o f those large, glittering white-and- gold grand-hotel reception rooms. What started as a SATURDAY dignified feast o f reason, over a small glass of something or other as lubricant, descended Jan Wilson Kaufman started the Saturday morning ses­ rapidly into a sort of Wode- sion with a discussion o f ‘What the Well-Dressed Man is house orgy. Wearing,’ or costume of the Wodehousian Age, approxi­ A wildly exciting Egg-and- mately the 1920s. Jan showed an amusing slide collection of Spoon Race around the perim­ illustrations of period costumes: photos, fashion plates, eter of the large room required and story illustrations.

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