(PC w n L in es 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.