Blandings Castle and Elsewhere

Blandings Castle and Elsewhere is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 12 April 1935 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and, as Blandings Castle, in the United States on 20 September 1935 by Doubleday Doran, New York. All the stories had previously appeared in Strand Magazine (UK) and all except the last in various US magazines.

Overview

The first six stories all take place at the book's namesake Blandings Castle; they are set some time between the events of Leave it to Psmith (1923) and those of Summer Lightning (1929). Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle is depicted as a gentleman farmer, growing prize pumpkins and especially concerned with his prize pig, Empress of Blandings; he is also concerned with his nieces and nephews as well as the love life of his younger son Freddie Threepwood. The seventh story concerns Bobbie Wickham, an acquaintance and sometime fiancée of Bertie Wooster, who also appears in three of the stories in Mr Mulliner Speaking. The last five are narrated by Mr Mulliner and are set in Hollywood among the movie studios that Wodehouse knew from his time as a screenwriter in 1930–31.

Contents

"The Custody of the Pumpkin"
 US: Saturday Evening Post, 29 November 1924
 UK: Strand, December 1924

See "The Custody of the Pumpkin". (Blandings Castle story.)

"Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best"
 UK: Strand, June 1926
 US: Liberty, 5 June 1926

See "Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best". (Blandings Castle story.)

"Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey"
 US: Liberty, 9 July 1927
 UK: Strand, August 1927

See "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey". (Blandings Castle story.)

"Company for Gertrude"
 UK: Strand, September 1928
 US: Cosmopolitan, October 1928

See "Company for Gertrude". (Blandings Castle story.)

"The Go-Getter"
 US: Cosmopolitan, March 1931 (as ""Sales Resistance")
 UK: Strand, August 1931

See "The Go-Getter". (Blandings Castle story.)

"Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend"
 US: Liberty, 6 October 1928
 UK: Strand , November 1928

See "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend". (Blandings Castle story.)

"Mr Potter Takes a Rest Cure"
 US: Liberty, 23 January 1926 (as "The Rest Cure")
 UK: Strand, February 1926

See "Mr Potter Takes a Rest Cure".

"Monkey Business"
 UK: Strand, December 1932 (featuring Mervyn Mulliner in magazine versions, Montrose in book)
 US: American Magazine, December 1932 (as "A Cagey Gorilla")

See "Monkey Business". (Mr Mulliner story.)

"The Nodder"
 UK: Strand, January 1933
 US: American Magazine, January 1933 (as "Love Birds")

The story was illustrated by Gilbert Wilkinson in the Strand, and by Roy F. Spreter in American Magazine. Along with the four other Mulliner stories in the collection, "The Nodder" was included in the Mulliner Omnibus (1935), The World of Mr. Mulliner (1972), and the Wodehouse collection The Hollywood Omnibus (1985). It was featured in the 1985 Wodehouse collection Short Stories.

Plot
While discussing child characters in films portrayed by midgets, Mr Mulliner remarks that one such actor, Johnny Bingley, played a role in the affairs of his distant relative Wilmot. He tells the following story about Wilmot.

Wilmot Mulliner is a Nodder. A Nodder is similar to a Yes-Man except lower in the social scale. He is expected to nod in agreement to what the chief executive says after all the Yes-Men have said yes. Wilmot works for Mr Schnellenhamer, the head of the Perfecto-Zizzbaum Corporation, a film studio. Mabel Potter, Schnellenhamer's secretary, was formerly a bird-imitator in vaudeville. Wilmot overhears her arguing with a director about how cuckoos sound. Having grown up on a farm, Wilmot is familiar with birds and agrees with her. They grow closer together in the weeks that follow. He proposes to her, but she says she will not marry a mere nodder. Disappointed, Wilmot goes to drink at a speakeasy. Another person sits at his table, apparently a child in a Lord Fauntleroy costume. Wilmot recognizes him as the child actor Little Johnny Bingley and is surprised to see him there. Bingley asks Wilmot not to tell Schnellenhamer he was in a speakeasy, since there is a morality clause in his contract. Wilmot agrees. They become friends and visit other speakeasies together.

The next day, Mr Schnellenhamer tells his fellow executive, Mr Levitsky, that he is concerned. Bingley told him that he may have revealed to Wilmot that he is actually a midget. If this becomes known, Bingley will be worthless to them, and he has a contract for two more films. Levitsky suggests they watch Wilmot closely. If he acts unlike his usual deferential self, they will know he knows and have to pay him off. In reality, Wilmot barely remembers his night out and does not know the truth about Bingley. At a story-conference, Wilmot seems listless, which Schnellenhamer and Levitsky think means he knows, though Wilmot actually just has a hangover. Wilmot winces when he nods, which looks like a scowl to the anxious executives. Schnellenhamer talks about adding birds that go "cuckoo" to the story, but Mabel says he is wrong, to the astonishment of the many obsequious men in the room. She insists that cuckoos go "wuckoo". She says that Wilmot agreed with her, and for her sake, Wilmot risks his job by firmly agreeing with her in front of the executives. Mabel is delighted and embraces him. Schnellenhamer and Levitsky tell the others to leave. They remark that Wilmot is loyal to the firm and would never betray its secrets. They ask if he will consent to become an executive. Wilmot does not entirely understand what is going on, but he is glad he will get to marry Mabel and nods.

"The Juice of an Orange"
 UK: Strand, February 1933
 US: American Magazine, February 1933 (as "Love on a Diet")

The story was illustrated by Gilbert Wilkinson in the Strand, and by Roy F. Spreter in American Magazine.

Plot
The topic of dieting comes up at the Angler's Rest, leading Mr Mulliner to tell the following story about Wilmot (from "The Nodder"). 

Wilmot is now an executive at the Perfecto-Zizzbaum Corporation, a film studio. He is engaged to Mabel, the secretary of the head of the company, Mr Schnellehamer. Schnellehamer convinces Wilmot to take a large salary cut by claiming it will help the company. This upsets Mabel, who believes that Wilmot is still a Nodder at heart. She refuses to marry him unless he proves he can assert himself. Wilmot thinks there is nothing he can do, and his disappointment makes him eat more than usual. Before long, Wilmot gets indigestion. He consults a physician, who advises him to take orange juice, which the physician insists on calling "the juice of an orange", in place of meals. Wilmot goes from being very genial to very irritable as a result of being on this diet for four days. There is a plate of sandwiches at the next story-conference. The sight of Schnellenhamer enthusiastically eating a sandwich pushes Wilmot too far. He shouts at Mr Schnellenhamer to stop eating. Schnellenhamer is about to fire Wilmot when a siren goes off.

This siren warns all workers on the lot to take cover because Hortensia Burwash, the temperamental female star actress, has lost her temper. She is armed with a sword she borrowed off an actor playing a Roman soldier. Everyone flees except Wilmot, who is too busy brooding on his diet to notice, Mabel, who crouches on top of the filing cabinet, and Schnellenhamer, who hides in a cupboard. Hortensia appears and breaks an ink-pot with her sword, and some of the ink gets on Wilmot's trousers. Wilmot grabs the sword and demands that she stop. Surprised by his reaction, she apologizes and explains that she is in a bad mood because she has been on an orange juice diet for fifteen days. She is on the diet because of a strict weight clause in her contract. Wilmot sympathizes with her and borrows her sword. He makes Schnellenhamer write Hortensia a new contract without a weight clause, and tells him to restore his former salary. However, Hortensia wants Wilmot to be her new business manager, at double his old salary. Mabel is pleased and writes out the contract for Wilmot's new job.

"The Rise of Minna Nordstrom"
 UK: Strand, April 1933
 US: American Magazine, March 1933 (as "A Star is Born", omitting Anglers' Rest introduction)

See "The Rise of Minna Nordstrom". (Mr Mulliner story.)

"The Castaways"
 UK: Strand, June 1933

See "The Castaways". (Mr Mulliner story.)

Television

Several of the Blandings shorts from this collection were adapted for the first series of The World of Wodehouse, broadcast in February and March 1967 in six half-hour episodes. They starred Ralph Richardson as Lord Emsworth, Derek Nimmo as Freddie Threepwood, Meriel Forbes as Lady Constance, and Stanley Holloway as Beach. Unfortunately the master tapes of all but the first part ("Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend"), were wiped, and no known copies exist.

Three of the stories featured in the collection, "Mr Potter takes a Rest Cure", "The Rise of Minna Nordstrom" and "The Nodder", were produced as part of the BBC's Wodehouse Playhouse series, starring John Alderton and Pauline Collins, airing in 1975 and 1976 respectively.

In 2013 and 2014, BBC television aired a series titled Blandings starring Timothy Spall as Clarence, Jennifer Saunders as Connie, and Jack Farthing as Freddie. Beach was played by Mark Williams (2013) and Tim Vine (2014).

See also

 List of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse

References and sources
References

Sources
 
  – Alphabetical list of Wodehouse's short stories, with publication and collections.
  – Lists of characters and publication dates for each story.

External links
 Fantastic Fiction's page, with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies
 

Category:Short story collections by P. G. Wodehouse
Category:1935 short story collections
Category:Herbert Jenkins books
Category:Pigs in literature