Sam the Sudden

Last updated

Sam the Sudden
SamInTheSuburbs.jpg
First edition (UK)
Author P. G. Wodehouse
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Comic novel
Publisher Methuen (UK)
George H. Doran (US)
Publication date
15 October 1925 (UK)
6 November 1925 (US)
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)

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. [1] The story had previously been serialised under that title in the Saturday Evening Post from 13 June to 18 July 1925. [2]

Contents

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 failed to please his uncle John B Pynsent in business, is sent to England to work for Lord Tilbury, who hopes to complete a business deal with Pynsent. To avoid being trapped in Tilbury's company, Sam opts to join his old pal "Hash" Todhunter, cook on a tramp steamer, for the trip over. On the way, he shows Hash a photo, found on a wall in a remote Canadian log cabin, of a woman with whom he has fallen in love without even knowing her name.

Arriving in England looking rather bedraggled after his trip, Sam finds Hash has borrowed all his cash to place a bet on a dog. It is the night of the Wrykyn Old Boys' dinner, and in town he runs into first Claude Bates, who, fearing Sam may be begging, flees, and later Willoughby Braddock, an old friend. Braddock is staying with Kay Derrick and her uncle Mr Wrenn while his house is decorated, and takes Sam back there, but wanders drunkenly off when they arrive; Sam is mistaken for a burglar by Claire Lippett, the maid, and ends up sleeping in the empty house next door. During the night, Sam is disturbed by someone in the hallway with a torch.

Next morning, the confusion having been sorted out, Lippett gives Sam breakfast. He sees a picture of Kay, the girl of his dreams, and finds her uncle also works for the Mammoth Publishing Company, as editor of Pyke's Home Companion. He visits Mr Cornelius, the local estate agent, and takes a lease on the empty house, "Mon Repos". He then sees Lord Tilbury, and gets himself employed on Mr Wrenn's paper.

Kay, having just quit her job with Claude Bates' aunt after he kissed her, is visiting her uncle's office when Sam arrives. Sam, overcome at having finally met her, kisses her also, upsetting her further. Lord Tilbury, worried by Sam's odd behaviour, including his sudden rental of Mon Repos, is advised by his sister Francie that there may be a romantic motivation in the form of a woman next door; but Tilbury is reassured to hear that Mr Wrenn has no children.

Sam hires Hash Toddhunter to be his cook, while "Chimp" Twist, "Soapy" and "Dolly" Molloy discuss the problem of recovering a large fortune stashed in Sam's new home by an old friend, Edward Finglass, famed for robbing the New Asiatic Bank of two million dollars in bonds. They send in Molloy, posing as a former resident of the house wishing to buy it. The scheme fails, as Sam needs to stay near Kay, and makes Hash suspicious; he buys a large dog named Amy to protect the place.

Sam's wooing of Kay begins to bear fruit, and he takes her out to lunch one day, where Lord Tilbury sees them. Having rejected Percy Pilbeam as a helper, he visits Chimp Twist's fake detective agency, and hires Twist to spy on Sam; he forces Sam to hire Twist as an odd job man, but Sam makes Twist remove his repulsive moustache. Hash and Claire become involved, but she is worried by his coolness (he is worried by her mother's nose). Following advice in the "Home Companion", she tries to make him jealous by flirting with Twist, whom Hash chases off in a fury.

The Molloys return to "Mon Repos" once more, tie up Hash and begin to search for the money, but Dolly is frightened off by Amy the dog, and Soapy, tired after fending off visitors, is caught napping by Sam, who takes away his trousers. Sam leaves him trapped while he releases Hash and takes him next door to be reunited with Claire. Heading back to his house, Sam meets Braddock, who informs him that Lord Tilbury is in there without his trousers. Sam provides him with some, but the deal between Tilbury and Sam's uncle has fallen through, and Tilbury reveals his dislike of Sam and his opinion that Sam will never be anything better than a moocher. He and Sam part angrily.

Braddock spots Twist sneaking back into the house. He follows him and captures him in the act of pulling up some floorboards. Sam, convinced by Twist's testimony that the money isn't in its supposed hiding place, lets Twist go. Sam and Kay, abandoning their hopes of a small fortune in reward money, discuss a loving but poor future. But when they hear from local historical expert Mr Cornelius that the two houses were once one, they realise that the money must be stashed in Kay's house.

Characters

Publication history

The 1925 serial of Sam in the Suburbs in the Saturday Evening Post (US) was published in six parts and illustrated by F. R. Gruger. The third part was published in the 27 June 1925 issue, in which another Wodehouse story, the short story "Without the Option", was also published. [2]

The story was serialised under the title Sam the Sudden in Sunny magazine (UK) from July 1925 to February 1926. [3]

The UK edition is dedicated: "To Edgar Wallace". [1] Edgar Wallace was an English writer.

The illustration on the first US edition dust jacket was drawn by May Wilson Preston. [1]

Adaptations

The story was adapted as a radio drama by Jack Inglis and aired on 24 July 1938. It was titled Semi-Detached. The cast included Jack Hobbs as Sam Shotter, Peter Madden as Mr Pynsent, Norman Shelley as Lord Tilbury, Carleton Hobbs as Mr Wrenn, Lyn Neilson as Kay Wrenn, Joan Young as Claire, Gordon McLeod as Hash Todhunter, Kenneth Kove as Willoughby Braddock, Malcolm Waring as Chimp Twist, Inez Gibbs as Dolly Molloy, and Michael Carr as Soapy Molloy. Produced by Peter Creswell, the radio drama aired simultaneously on BBC Regional Programme London, [4] BBC Regional Programme Scotland, [5] and BBC Regional Programme Northern Ireland. [6]

In 1977, Levente Málnay directed A váratlan utazás, a Hungarian television film adaptation. [7]

Related Research Articles

Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth, home to many of his family and the setting for numerous tales and adventures. The stories were written between 1915 and 1975.

<i>Lord Emsworth and Others</i> 1937 short story collection by P. G. Wodehouse

Lord Emsworth and Others is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 19 March 1937 by Herbert Jenkins, London; it was not published in the United States. The Crime Wave at Blandings, which was published on 25 June 1937 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, is a very different collection, sharing only three of its seven titles with the UK book. Penguin Books published a UK edition of The Crime Wave at Blandings in 1966. The stories in both books had all previously appeared in both British and American magazines.

<i>Summer Lightning</i> 1929 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Summer Lightning is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title Fish Preferred, and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Herbert Jenkins, London. It was serialised in The Pall Mall Magazine (UK) between March and August 1929 and in Collier's (US) from 6 April to 22 June 1929.

<i>Meet Mr Mulliner</i> 1927 short story collection by P. G. Wodehouse

Meet Mr. Mulliner is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. First published in the United Kingdom on 27 September 1927 by Herbert Jenkins, and in the United States on 2 March 1928 by Doubleday, Doran. The short stories were originally published in magazines, mainly The Strand Magazine in the UK and Liberty in the US.

<i>Heavy Weather</i> (Wodehouse novel) 1933 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Heavy Weather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 28 July 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on 10 August 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London. It had been serialised in The Saturday Evening Post from 27 May to 15 July 1933.

<i>Bill the Conqueror</i> 1924 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Bill the Conqueror is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 13 November 1924 by Methuen & Co., London, and in the United States on 20 February 1925 by George H. Doran, New York, the story having previously been serialised in The Saturday Evening Post from 24 May to 12 July 1924.

<i>Mulliner Nights</i> 1933 short story collection by P. G. Wodehouse

Mulliner Nights is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. First published in the United Kingdom on 17 January 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, and in the United States on 15 February 1933 by Doubleday, Doran. The stories in the collection were originally published in magazines in the UK and the US between 1930 and 1932.

<i>Money for Nothing</i> (novel) 1928 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Money for Nothing is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 27 July 1928 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 28 September 1928 by Doubleday, Doran, New York. Immediately prior to publication it appeared as a serial, in London Calling magazine (UK) from 3 March to 28 July 1928 and in Liberty magazine (US) between 16 June and 22 September 1928.

<i>Young Men in Spats</i> 1936 short story collection by P. G. Wodehouse

Young Men in Spats is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1936 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then in the United States with a slightly different selection of stories on 24 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.

<i>Money in the Bank</i> (novel) 1942 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Money in the Bank is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 9 January 1942 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 27 May 1946 by Herbert Jenkins, London. UK publication was delayed while Wodehouse was under suspicion of collaboration during the Second World War. The book was published in English in Germany in August 1949 by Tauchnitz.

<i>The Old Reliable</i> 1951 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

The Old Reliable is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 18 April 1951 by Herbert Jenkins, London and in the United States on 11 October 1951 by Doubleday & Co, New York. The novel was serialised in Collier's magazine from 24 June to 22 July 1950, under the title Phipps to the Rescue.

<i>Ice in the Bedroom</i> 1961 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Ice in the Bedroom is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published as a book in the United States on February 2, 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on October 15, 1961 by Herbert Jenkins, London.

<i>Service with a Smile</i> 1961 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Service with a Smile is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 15 October 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on 17 August 1962 by Herbert Jenkins, London. A condensed version of the story had previously been published in two parts in the Toronto Star Weekly, on 26 August and 2 September 1961.

<i>Frozen Assets</i> (novel) 1964 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

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.

<i>Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin</i> 1972 novel by P. G. Wodehouse

Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 12 October 1972 by Barrie & Jenkins, and in the United States on 6 August 1973 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. under the title The Plot That Thickened. Although written towards the end of the Wodehouse's life, and published 37 years after The Luck of the Bodkins (1935), the events of book follow on directly from those recounted in the earlier novel.

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).

The following is a list of recurring or notable fictional locations featured in the stories of P. G. Wodehouse, in alphabetical order by place name.

"Uncle Fred Flits By" is a short story by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, which was published in the United States in the July 1935 edition of Redbook, and in the United Kingdom in the December 1935 issue of the Strand. It was included in the collection Young Men in Spats (1936).

Good Morning, Bill is a comedic play by P. G. Wodehouse, adapted from the Hungarian play Doktor Juci Szabo by playwright Ladislaus Fodor. It premiered in London at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1927.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 McIlvaine (1990), pp. 49–50, A35.
  2. 1 2 McIlvaine (1990), p. 157, D59.68–73.
  3. ↑ Mordue, Terry (3 September 2019). "Wodehouse's Books: A Detailed Bibliography, with Notes". Madame Eulalie. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "'Semi-Detached'". BBC Genome. BBC. 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019. Regional Programme London, 24 July 1938.
  5. ↑ "'Semi-Detached'". BBC Genome. BBC. 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019. Regional Programme Scotland, 24 July 1938.
  6. ↑ "'Semi-Detached'". BBC Genome. BBC. 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019. Regional Programme Northern Ireland, 24 July 1938.
  7. ↑ "A váratlan utazás".
Sources
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.