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George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury is a recurring fictional character in the stories of British author P. G. Wodehouse. Pyke is a publishing magnate, the founder and owner of the Mammoth Publishing Company. Outside his business, he has a passion for pigs and is the owner of a prize pig named Buckingham Big Boy. Pyke appears in several novels, including two set at Blandings Castle: '' Heavy Weather'' (1933) and '' Service With a Smile'' (1961). Inspiration According to Robert McCrum, Wodehouse knew the British publishing magnate Lord Northcliffe, who served as a source of inspiration for Lord Tilbury. Life Wodehouse introduces Pyke in ''Bill the Conqueror'' as plain Sir George Pyke. Mammoth Publishing Company is already a mighty undertaking and Pyke is about to become a Lord – he selects the Tilbury title based on the address of his headquarters, at Tilbury House on Tilbury Street. Pyke is not a tall man and runs somewhat to fat. His similarity to Napoleon, both in physique ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fictional Character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction of a "fictional" versus "real" character may be made. Derived from the Ancient Greek word , the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in '' Tom Jones'' by Henry Fielding in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor" developed.Harrison (1998, 51-2) quotation: (Before this development, the term ''dramatis personae'', naturalized in English from Latin and meaning "masks of the drama," encapsulated the notion of characters from the literal aspect of masks.) Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person". In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, hel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to practise there as such. For example, in England and Wales a solicitor is admitted to practise under the provisions of the Solicitors Act 1974. With some exceptions, practising solicitors must possess a practising certificate. There are many more solicitors than barristers in England; they undertake the general aspects of giving legal advice and conducting legal proceedings. In the jurisdictions of England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, in the Australian states of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, Hong Kong, South Africa (where they are called '' attorneys'') and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers (called ''advocates'' in some countries, for example Scotland), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy Weather (film)
''Heavy Weather'' is a television film with a screenplay by Douglas Livingstone based on the 1933 novel '' Heavy Weather'' by P. G. Wodehouse, set at Blandings Castle. It was made by the BBC and WGBH Boston, first screened by the BBC on Christmas Eve 1995 and shown in the United States on PBS's ''Masterpiece Theatre'' on 18 February 1996.Taves (2006), p. 198. Plot Though abridged for a 90-minute film, ''Heavy Weather'' follows closely the novel of 1933, the fourth in the Blandings series. Many of the familiar elements of the Blandings books are present: the wish of Lord Emsworth's nephew, Ronnie Fish, to marry a chorus girl, Sue Brown; the concern of Emsworth's sisters, the imperious Lady Constance Keeble and Ronnie's mother Lady Julia Fish, to ensure that the reminiscences of their other brother, the Hon. Galahad Threepwood, were not published; Galahad's protectiveness towards Miss Brown, the daughter of his long lost love Dolly Henderson; the sustained efforts of the publisher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Johnson (actor)
Richard Keith Johnson (30 July 1927 – 5 June 2015) was an English stage and screen actor, writer and producer. Described by Michael Coveney as "a very 'still' actor – authoritative, calm and compelling," he was a staple performer in British films and television from the 1960s through the 2010s, often playing urbane sophisticates and authoritative characters. He had a distinguished theatrical career, notably as a cornerstone member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was once acclaimed as "the finest romantic actor of his generation." Biography Early life and career Johnson was born to Frances Louisa Olive (née Tweed) and Keith Holcombe Johnson in Upminster, Essex. Johnson went to Felsted School, and wanted to act instead of going into the family paint business. He trained at RADA and due to the manpower shortage of wartime made his first professional appearance relatively quickly, on stage in Manchester with John Gielgud's company in a production of ''Hamlet'' in 1944. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blandings (radio Series)
The ''Blandings'' radio series is a series of radio dramas based on the Blandings Castle stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. The stories were dramatised by Wodehouse biographer Richard Usborne. The series ran between 1985 and 1992 on BBC Radio 4. The 1985 episodes are based on six short stories. The first five of these short stories were featured in the collection ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'' (1935), while the sixth, "The Crime Wave at Blandings", was collected in ''Lord Emsworth and Others'' (1937). The later episodes are based on four novels published between 1929 and 1965. Production The short story episodes broadcast in 1985 were produced by Bobby Jaye. Martin Fisher produced the episodes based on ''Summer Lightning'', ''Pigs Have Wings'' and ''Heavy Weather'', and Gareth Edwards produced the episodes based on ''Galahad at Blandings''. Main cast * Narrator – Nigel Anthony (short stories), Ronald Fletcher (''Summer Lightning''), Moray Watson (the other nov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Savident
John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a retired British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 1994-2006. He is also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End debut of The Phantom of the Opera and ''The Lion King.'' Early life Savident was born in Guernsey and still lived there at the time of the German occupation of the island in 1940. He and his family escaped to England in a fishing boat. During his early years, he was a police officer before turning to acting as his profession. Career Savident created the role of Monsieur Firmin in the original production of ''Phantom of the Opera'', which opened on 9 October 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket, London. He appeared as the renegade scientist Egrorian in a 1981 episode of the cult science fiction TV series ''Blake's 7''. He also had other television appearances in '' The Saint'', ''Callan'' and '' Doc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Shelley
Norman Shelley (16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's '' Children's Hour''. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera ''The Archers''. Perhaps Shelley's single best-known role was as Winnie-the-Pooh in ''Children's Hour'' adaptations of A.A. Milne's stories; for many British people of the mid-20th century, his is the definitive voice of Pooh. Other roles for ''Children's Hour'' included Dr. Watson (opposite Carleton Hobbs as Holmes) in the 1952–1969 Sherlock Holmes radio series; Toad in Kenneth Grahame's ''The Wind in the Willows''; and the roles of The Magician and Captain Higgins in the specially written ''Toytown'' series. Shelley also played the parts of Gandalf and Tom Bombadil in the 1955-6 radio adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. In the 1973 BBC television series ''Jack the Ripper'' Shelley played Detective Constable Walt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Something Fresh
''Something Fresh'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published as "Something New" in the United States, by D. Appleton & Company on 3 September 1915.McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P.G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive bibliography and checklist''. New York: James H. Heineman, pp. 27–28. . It was published in the United Kingdom as "Something Fresh" by Methuen & Co. on 16 September 1915. There are a number of differences between the American and British versions, but essentially, it is the same book. The novel introduces Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, whose home and family reappear in many of Wodehouse's later short stories and novels. The story is a comic caricature of English aristocratic life and the American aristocracy of wealth. The servants of the English country house, who follow a very elaborate hierarchy and take meals at many different social levels, mimic their betters, "and in so doing make their betters look absurd". Plot summary Ashe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frozen Assets (novel)
''Frozen Assets'' is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 14 July 1964 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title ''Biffen's Millions'', and in the United Kingdom on 14 August 1964 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), A97, p. 98. Set in the publishing world, ''Frozen Assets'' is a romantic comedy revolving around English editor Jerry Shoesmith, who falls in love with American journalist Kay Christopher and must keep his friend, Kay's irresponsible brother Biff, out of trouble. The story features the recurring Wodehouse characters publishing magnate Lord Tilbury and his devious lackey Percy Pilbeam. Minor characters include movie mogul Ivor Llewellyn, who appears in two Monty Bodkin novels as well as ''Bachelors Anonymous'', and the solicitor John Shoesmith, from '' Money in the Bank'' and ''Ice in the Bedroom''. Tilbury's niece Linda Rome works for Leonard Gish of ''Something Fishy''. Stephen Fry is a reported fan of the novel, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uncle Fred
Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in comedic short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse between 1935 and 1961. An energetic and mischievous old chap, his talent for trouble is the bane of his nephew Pongo Twistleton's life. Appearances The Uncle Fred stories comprise one short story and four novels, two of which are set at Blandings Castle: * "Uncle Fred Flits By" (1935) – included in the collection '' Young Men in Spats'', (1936) * ''Uncle Fred in the Springtime'' (1939) – a Blandings story * ''Uncle Dynamite'' (1948) * ''Cocktail Time'' (1958) * '' Service with a Smile'' (1961) – a Blandings story Background and character Uncle Fred is a tall, slim, distinguished-looking man, with a jaunty moustache, and an "alert and enterprising eye". As a child he gambolled at Mitching Hill, his Uncle Willoughby's estate just outside London, which later became the suburb of Va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Summer Lightning
''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Herbert Jenkins Ltd, Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 56–57, A41. It was serialised in ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' (UK) between March and August 1929 and in Collier's Weekly, Collier's (US) from 6 April to 22 June 1929. It forms part of the Blandings Castle saga, being the third full-length novel to be set there, after ''Something Fresh'' (1915) and ''Leave It to Psmith'' (1923). ''Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel), Heavy Weather'' (1933) forms a semi-sequel to the story, with many of the same characters involved. Plot introduction Galahad Threepwood, Gally is down at Blandings and writing his memoirs, to the horror of all who knew him in their wild youths, particularly Lord Emsworth's neighbour and pig-fancying rival Sir Gregor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam The Sudden
''Sam the Sudden'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 15 October 1925 by Methuen, London, and in the United States on 6 November 1925 by George H. Doran, New York, under the title ''Sam in the Suburbs''.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 49–50, A35. The story had previously been serialised under that title in the '' Saturday Evening Post'' from 13 June to 18 July 1925.McIlvaine (1990), p. 157, D59.68–73. The cast includes the recurring character Lord Tilbury, publishing magnate and founder of the Mammoth Publishing Company, who had appeared in Wodehouse's novel of the previous year, ''Bill the Conqueror'', and who would later visit Blandings Castle in '' Heavy Weather'' (1933). It also introduced the criminals Alexander "Chimp" Twist, Dora "Dolly" Molloy and Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, who reappeared in '' Money for Nothing'' (1928), '' Money in the Bank'' (1946), and '' Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin'' (1972). Plot summary Sam Shotter, having fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
