"First Aid for Dora" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeev ...

, which first appeared in the United States in the July 1923 issue of ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' and in the United Kingdom in the August 1923 ''

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline *Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa *Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street, ...

''. It features the irrepressible

Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge ( ) is a fictional character in comedic stories by author P. G. Wodehouse. Ukridge appears in one novel and nineteen short stories. Ukridge is a charismatic opportunist who will do anything to increase his capita ...

, and was included in the collection '' Ukridge'', published in 1924.

Plot

Our narrator Jimmy Corcoran spots Ukridge helping an attractive young girl onto a

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

; intrigued, he finds the girl is one Dora Mason,

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

to Ukridge's Aunt Julia, a novelist. Later, having won some money on the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, Corcoran promises his friends a night out, but returning home to dress, he finds Bowles has let Ukridge borrow his evening suit. Dismayed, Corcoran must in turn borrow an ancient outfit from Bowles, which in addition to being rather snug, smells rather strongly of moth-balls, rendering his evening less than pleasant. Seeing Ukridge enjoying himself in his fine clothes, Corcoran upbraids him strongly, but hears that Ukridge is entertaining the pretty Dora. The next day, Ukridge arrives with the news that, attempting to smuggle the girl back into his aunt's house, they were caught by a police officer, who woke the aunt, who in turn sacked Dora. Corcoran suggests asking their respectable friend George Tupper to put in a good word for the girl. Later Ukridge returns with the news that Tupper's appeal has failed, and further upsets Corcoran by informing him that Aunt Julia now expects a visit from the writer, posing as a journalist from her favourite magazine, ''Women's Sphere'', sent to interview her. Arriving at the house, he meets Aunt Julia in the company of another woman, introduced to him as a Miss Watterson, and finds her far less intimidating than expected. However, she soon reveals that Ukridge's thin plot has been see through, and that Miss Watterson is in fact the editor of ''Women's Sphere'', sending Corcoran away in shame and embarrassment. Arriving home, he finds Ukridge on his couch, and hears that Dora has found work elsewhere and the scheme need not go ahead. Ukridge had known this the previous day, but had forgotten to inform his friend and spare him his ordeal.

Characters

, the irrepressible entrepreneur ** Julia Ukridge, his haughty writer aunt *** Dora Mason, Julia's secretary and companion * Jimmy Corcoran, Ukridge's writer friend ** Bowles, Corky's landlord, an ex-butler * George Tupper, an old schoolfriend of Ukridge and Corcoran * Muriel Watterson, a friend of Julia's, editor of ''Women's Sphere''

Publication history

The story was illustrated by T. D. Skidmore in ''Cosmopolitan''. It was illustrated by

Reginald Cleaver Reginald Thomas Cleaver (died 1954) was a British cartoonist notable for his work for ''Punch'' and ''The Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was ...

in the ''Strand''. "First Aid for Dora" was included in the 1932 collection ''Nothing But Wodehouse'', edited by

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York Times'' the country's best ...

and published by Doubleday, Doran & Company, New York. The collection ''The World of Ukridge'', published in October 1975 by Barrie & Jenkins, included the story.

Adaptations

"First Aid for Dora" was adapted for radio and broadcast on the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

in 1940, as the fourth and last episode of a Ukridge series. The episode featured Malcolm Graeme as Stanley Ukridge, Noel Dryden as Corcoran, Charles Mason as George Tupper, William Trent as Bowles,

Alan Wheatley Alan Wheatley (19 April 1907 – 30 August 1991) was an English actor. He was a well known stage actor in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, appeared in forty films between 1931 and 1965 and was a frequent broadcaster on radio from the 1930s to the ...

as Victor Beamish, Harold Scott as Bertram Fox,

Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...

as Robert Dunhill, Philip Cunningham as Freddie Lunt, Mary O'Farrell as Miss Julia Ukridge, Dora Gregory as Miss Watterson, and

Edgar Norfolk Edgar Norfolk (5 November 1893 – 1980) was a British actor. Norfolk was born Edgar Greenwood. He was the first husband of the actress Helen Saintsbury (a daughter of the actor H.A. Saintsbury); her second husband, Captain Buckley Rutherford, a ...

as a butler. The story was adapted into the second of six episodes in the 1956

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

radio series of Ukridge stories, which starred

Michael Shepley Arthur Michael Shepley-Smith (29 September 1907 – 28 September 1961), known professionally as Michael Shepley, was a British actor, appearing in theatre, film and some television between 1929 and 1961. He was born in Plymouth, Devon. Shepl ...

as Ukridge and

Hubert Gregg Hubert Robert Harry Gregg (19 July 1914 – 29 March 2004) was a British broadcaster, writer and actor. In his later years, he was known for the BBC Radio 2 "oldies" shows ''A Square Deal'' and ''Thanks for the Memory''. He was also a novelist, ...

as Corcoran. The cast also included Martin Lewis as Bowles, Margot Lister as Aunt Julia,

Belle Chrystall Belle Chrystall (25 April 19107 June 2003) was a British actress who appeared in a number of leading roles in British films during the 1930s. She was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1910. She came to London and after appearing on stage was given a ...

as Miss Watterson,

Brewster Mason Brewster Mason (30 August 192214 August 1987) was an English stage actor who also appeared in films and on television. He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appear ...

as Tupper, Charles Hodgson as Bertram Fox, Rolf Lefebvre as Robert Dunhill, Manning Wilson as Victor Beamish, and Geoffrey Hodson as Freddie Lunt.

References

;Notes ;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:First Aid For Dora Short stories by P. G. Wodehouse 1923 short stories Works originally published in Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Plot

Characters

Publication history

Adaptations

See also

References