The Luck of the Bodkins / Big Money
by P. G. Wodehouse
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The less well known Wodehouse novels can yield gold, and this one is a case in point. Monty Bodkin, heartbroken after Gertrude Butterwick breaks off their engagement follows her, taking passage aboard the RSS Atlantic, bound for New York.
I have loved " The Luck of the Bodkins" for years,one reason being my fascination with enclosed communities( I love train movies for the same reason)
Unable to get far away from each other, Monty and Gertrude's romance continues it's bumpy route. Their friends add to the complications and a McGuffin-like brown plush 'Mickey Mouse' plays a considerable part in proceedings.
Other characters include the talkative steward Peasmarch, whose ramblings always make me think of Eric Blore in the show more Astaire/Rogersmovies.
Wodehouse has enormous fun with Ivor Llewellyn, President of the Suberba-Llewellyn Film Studios, who is pre-occupied with the problem of how to get his wife Grayce's necklace through customs without paying duty on it. His belief that Monty is a spy who is on to him complicates both their lives further. P.G. Wodehouse loved to have fun at the expense of Hollywood, payback for his less than enjoyable time in the writers block at MGM in 1930.
He wrings every possible variation out of the complex relationships aboard ship, including the mischievous activities of red headed star, Lotus Blossom. The story is continuously funny despite lacking any quotable set pieces. Here the humour comes out of the characters, the situation and the un-usual setting, far away from the familiar Wodehousean Country House milieu. It is a joyful comic experience which I am happy to return to again and again. show less
I have loved " The Luck of the Bodkins" for years,one reason being my fascination with enclosed communities( I love train movies for the same reason)
Unable to get far away from each other, Monty and Gertrude's romance continues it's bumpy route. Their friends add to the complications and a McGuffin-like brown plush 'Mickey Mouse' plays a considerable part in proceedings.
Other characters include the talkative steward Peasmarch, whose ramblings always make me think of Eric Blore in the show more Astaire/Rogersmovies.
Wodehouse has enormous fun with Ivor Llewellyn, President of the Suberba-Llewellyn Film Studios, who is pre-occupied with the problem of how to get his wife Grayce's necklace through customs without paying duty on it. His belief that Monty is a spy who is on to him complicates both their lives further. P.G. Wodehouse loved to have fun at the expense of Hollywood, payback for his less than enjoyable time in the writers block at MGM in 1930.
He wrings every possible variation out of the complex relationships aboard ship, including the mischievous activities of red headed star, Lotus Blossom. The story is continuously funny despite lacking any quotable set pieces. Here the humour comes out of the characters, the situation and the un-usual setting, far away from the familiar Wodehousean Country House milieu. It is a joyful comic experience which I am happy to return to again and again. show less
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P. G. Wodehouse was born in Guildford, United Kingdom on October 15, 1881. After completing school, he spent two years as a banker at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in London and then took a job as a sports reporter and columnist for the Globe newspaper. His first novel, The Pothunters, was published in 1902. He wrote over 100 novels and short show more story collections during his lifetime including A Perfect Uncle, Love Among the Chickens, The Swoop, P. Smith in the City, Meet Mr. Milliner, Doctor Sally, Quick Service, The Old Reliable, Uneasy Money, A Damsel in Distress, Jill the Reckless, The Adventures of Sally, A Pelican at Blandings, The Girl in Blue, and Aunts Aren't Gentlemen. His most famous characters, Bertie Wooster and his manservant, Jeeves, appeared in books such as Much Obliged, Jeeves. He also wrote lyrics for musical comedies and worked as screenwriter in Hollywood in the 1930s. In 1939, he bought a villa in Le Touquet on the coast of France. He remained there when World War II started in 1939. The following year, the Germans appropriated the villa, confiscated property, and arrested him. He was detained in various German camps for almost one year before being released in 1941. He went to Berlin and spoke of his experience in five radio talks to be broadcast to America and England. The talks themselves were completely innocuous, but he was charged with treason in England. He was cleared, but settled permanently in the United States. He became a citizen in 1955. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1975. He died from a heart attack after a long illness on February 14, 1975 at the age of 93. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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