"Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey" 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 ...

by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the 9 July 1927 issue of ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'', and in the United Kingdom in the August 1927 '' Strand''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it features the absent-minded peer Lord Emsworth, and was included in the collection ''

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 Septembe ...

'' (1935), although the story takes place sometime between the events of '' Leave It to Psmith'' (1923) and '' Summer Lightning'' (1929).

Plot summary

Lord Emsworth, keen that his fat pig, the Empress of Blandings, should win the 87th annual

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

Agricultural Show, is distraught when his pigman, Wellbeloved, is sent to prison for fourteen days for being drunk and disorderly in a Market Blandings

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

. The pig immediately goes off her feed, and with the vet baffled, Emsworth is in no state to listen to his sister Connie's bleatings about his niece Angela breaking off her engagement from Lord Heacham in favour of the quite unsuitable James Belford, who Emsworth himself always liked, being a friend of the lad's father, a local

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

. Emsworth, still distracted about his pig, is sent to London to have stern words with Belford; dining with him at the Senior Conservative Club, conversation turns to pigs, and Belford, having spent two years on a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

farm, proceeds to impress Emsworth with his knowledge of pig-calls of all states. He teaches Emsworth the master call, the "pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" to which all pigs will respond, and Emsworth heads home happily. Falling asleep on the train, Emsworth forgets the call, but while talking to Angela in the castle grounds, is reminded of it by the sound of Mrs Twemlow's gramophone. He,

Beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

and Angela all try the call on the Empress, but to no avail; just when all looks black, Belford arrives, shows them how the call should really sound, and to everyone's delight the Empress tucks heartily into her food. She goes on, of course, to win the contest.

Publication history

The story was illustrated by

Wallace Morgan Wallace Morgan (1875 – April 24, 1948) was a war artist for the United States Army during World War I. Biography Morgan was born in 1875, and he grew up in Albany, New York, where his family had moved shortly after his birth. Upon graduation fr ...

in ''Liberty'', and 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''. It was printed in the ''Family Herald and Weekly Star'' (Montreal) on 5 June 1935 and in the ''

Star Weekly The ''Star Weekly'' magazine was a Canadian periodical published from 1910 until 1973. The publication was read widely in rural Canada where delivery of daily newspapers was infrequent. History Formation The newspaper was founded as the ''Toronto ...

'' (Toronto) on 8 June 1935, both with illustrations by James H. Hammon. The story was included in the 1939 collection ''The Week-End Wodehouse'' (US edition), published by Doubleday, Doran & Co., New York. It was included in the 1960 collection ''The Most of P. G. Wodehouse'', published by Simon and Schuster, New York. The 1978 collection ''Vintage Wodehouse'', edited by

Richard Usborne Richard Alexander Usborne (16 May 1910 – 21 March 2006) was a journalist, advertising executive, schoolmaster and author. After the publication of his book ''Wodehouse at Work'' in 1961 he became regarded as the leading authority on the works ...

and published by Barrie & Jenkins, included the story. It was included in the 1983 book ''Short Stories'', a collection of Wodehouse stories selected and with an introduction by Christopher Falkus, published by the Folio Society, London, with illustrations by

George Adamson George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and author. He and his wife, Joy, were depicted in the film ''B ...

. The 1985 collection ''A Wodehouse Bestiary'', edited by D. R. Bensen and published by Ticknor & Fields, New York, featured the story. It was included in the 1940 anthology ''New Frontiers'', edited by Thomas Henry Briggs and others, published by Houghton, New York. The story was also included in the 1962 anthology ''The Harrap Book of Humorous Prose'', edited by Michael Davis and published by Harrap, London.

Adaptations

Radio

*The story was adapted into a radio drama by Anne Pendleton and John Cheatle, first broadcast by 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 ...

on 7 September 1940. It featured Frederick Lloyd as Lord Emsworth, Gladys Young as Lady Constance,

Edana Romney Edana Romney (15 March 1919 – 17 December 2002) was a South African actress, writer, and television presenter, based in London and later in Southern California. Early life and career Born as Edna Rubenstein in Johannesburg, Edana Romney was of ...

as Angela, Ralph Truman as Beach, Ronald Simpson as Lord Heacham, and Ivan Samson as James Belford. *In 1985, the story was adapted as an episode of the radio series ''

Blandings Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth (Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth), home to many of his family and the setting for numerous tal ...

''.

Television

*The story was adapted as a play for television by

Rex Tucker Rex Tucker (20 February 1913 – 10 August 1996) was a British television director in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in March in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Tucker joined the BBC in 1937 to work in radio where he remained for several ...

, broadcast by

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

in 1954, with John Miller as Lord Emsworth, Joan Sanderson as Lady Constance, Daphne Grey as Angela, Felix Felton as Beach, and Derek Aylward as James Belford. The play was also televised in 1956, with Miller, Sanderson, and Aylward reprising their roles. Brenda Dean portrayed Angela and Raymond Rollett portrayed Beach. *A second adaptation for television (under the title "Pig Hoo-oo-ey!") was broadcast by the BBC in the series ''Blandings Castle'', the first series of '' The World of Wodehouse''. *The BBC adapted "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" for television again in 2013, as the first episode of ''

''.

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

Full text of "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey!" at HathiTrust Digital Library
* {{Blandings Castle 1927 short stories Short stories by P. G. Wodehouse Works originally published in Liberty (general interest magazine) Pigs in literature