''The Clicking of Cuthbert'' is a 1924 British silent

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

series of six 30-minute short films, all involving golf. The series, directed by

Andrew P. Wilson Andrew P. Wilson (born 1886), was a British director, playwright, teacher, and actor. He acted as General Manager for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in 1914-15. There, he produced his own play, ''The Slough,'' about Irish poor. He was also o ...

and starring Harry Beasley, was based on short stories by

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 ...

. These stories were originally published in various magazines; some of the stories had been featured in the collection ''

The Clicking of Cuthbert ''The Clicking of Cuthbert'' is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, all with a golfing theme. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 3 February 1922 by Herbert Jenkins Ltd of London. It was later published in the Unit ...

'' (1922), while others were later included in the collection ''

The Heart of a Goof ''The Heart of a Goof'' is a collection of nine short stories by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on April 15, 1926, by Herbert Jenkins, and in the United States on March 4, 1927, by George H. ...

'' (1926). The films were generally faithful to Wodehouse's original stories and used some of Wodehouse's language in the intertitles. However, some major new subplots and gags were added, including a mischievous caddie played by Harry Beasley. The framing device of The Oldest Member was removed, leaving Beasley as the only regular in the series. The films have been restored, and three have been made available together on video: ''Rodney Fails to Qualify'', ''Chester Forgets Himself'', and ''The Long Hole'' (retitled ''The Moving Hazard'').

Films

All six films featured Harry Beasley, credited as The Caddie.

''The Clicking of Cuthbert''

The first short film had the same title as the series. Based on the short story "

", collected in ''

''. Cast:

Peter Haddon Peter Haddon (31 March 1898 – 7 September 1962) was an English actor. Personal life Haddon was born Peter Haddon Tildsley in Rawtenstall, Lancashire. He was the son of Alfred and Mary Tildsley and he had a brother, Vincent Harvey (1894), an ...

as Cuthbert,

Helena Pickard Helena Pickard (13 October 1900 – 27 September 1959) was a British stage, film and television actress. Career Pickard was a prominent character actress in West End plays such as ''When We Are Married'' and ''Flare Path'' and also appea ...

as Adeline,

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he w ...

as Vladimir Brusiloff, and Peter Upcher as Raymond. Moore Marriott also appeared in two of the other short films in the series.

''Chester Forgets Himself''

Based on the short story " Chester Forgets Himself", later collected in ''

''. Cast:

Jameson Thomas Jameson Thomas (born Thomas Roland Jameson; 24 March 1888 – 10 January 1939) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1923 and 1939. He was born in St George Hanover Square, London. On the stage from his earl ...

as Chester Meredith, Ena Evans as Felicia Blakeney, Nelson Ramsey as the vicar, and

Nell Emerald Ellen Maud O'Shea (29 October 1882 – 21 June 1969), known professionally as Nell Emerald, was an English-born actress and film producer. Early life and education Emerald was born in London, England to Irish parents in 1882. All five of the O'She ...

as Mrs. Blackeney.

''The Long Hole''

Retitled ''The Moving Hazard'' in its reissue. Based on " The Long Hole", collected in ''The Clicking of Cuthbert''. Cast: Charles Courtneidge as Ralph Bingham, Roger Keyes as Arthur Jukes, Daphne Williams as Amanda Trivett, and Moore Marriott as the grocer.

''Ordeal by Golf''

Based on " Ordeal by Golf", collected in ''The Clicking of Cuthbert''. Cast: Edwin Underhill as Richard Dixon,

Jean Jay Charlotte Francis (birth name Charlotte Frances Jiggens born 1904) was an English actress best known for playing the lead role in the Australian film ''The Silence of Dean Maitland'' (1934) in which she appeared opposite her husband John Longden. ...

as Millicent Boyd, Moore Marriott as Reverend Heeza Jones, and Jack Rowell as Mitchell Holmes.

''Rodney Fails to Qualify''

Based on " Rodney Fails to Qualify", later collected in ''The Heart of a Goof''. Cast: Victor Robson as Rodney Spelvin,

Lionelle Howard Lionelle Howard (1886 – 13 September 1930) was a British actor of the silent era who was born as Francis Nathan Coxin in Cirencester, Gloucestershire and died in Uxbridge, Middlesex. He appeared in a number of productions made by Astra Films in ...

as William Bates, Phyllis Lytton as June Pickard, and

Dallas Cairns Dallas Cairns (1883-1941) was an Australian actor and director of the silent film era. His stage roles included in the original Broadway theatre, Broadway production of Bernard Shaw's ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' with Mrs Patrick Campbell, in ...

as Major Patmore.

''The Magic Plus Fours''

Based on " The Magic Plus Fours", later collected in ''The Heart of a Goof''.Taves (2006), pp. 154–155.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clicking of Cuthbert, The (film series) Film series introduced in 1924 1924 short films British silent short films British comedy short films 1924 comedy films Films based on works by P. G. Wodehouse British black-and-white films Stoll Pictures films Golf films Short film series Silent comedy films