The Purity of the Turf (short story)

"The Purity of the Turf"
"The Purity of the Turf"
Short story by P. G. Wodehouse
	1922 Cosmopolitan illustration by T. D. Skidmore
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Comedy
Publication
Publisher	The Strand Magazine (UK); Cosmopolitan (US)
Media type	Print (Magazine)
Publication date	July 1922
Chronology
Series	Jeeves
; The Great Sermon Handicap	; The Metropolitan Touch

Last updated July 05, 2024

"The Purity of the Turf" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in July 1922, and in Cosmopolitan in New York that same month. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves .^[1]

Plot

A school treat is to be held on the grounds at Twing Hall. Steggles, who organized the Sermon Handicap, is offering bets on victors for contests at the fair. Bertie funds bets for a syndicate of himself, Bingo Little, and Jeeves. Bingo suggests betting on Mrs. Penworthy for the Mother's Sack Race. Jeeves recommends they place a bet on Harold, an underestimated contestant, for the Choir-Boys' Hundred Yards Handicap. They place their bets and train Harold for the event.

"In that case," he said, "those bets, you know – I'm afraid you lose your money, dear old boy. It's a pity you didn't put it on S.P. I always think S.P.'s the only safe way."
I gave him one look. Not a bit of good, of course.
"And they talk about the Purity of the Turf!" I said. And I meant it to sting, by Jove!

— Steggles taunts Bertie^[2]

Steggles discovers Harold's skill, and they realize Steggles might try to prevent Harold from racing. Bertie attends service at church, where Harold is in the choir, to watch over the boy. Steggles is also in the choir. Suddenly, Harold cries out, disrupting the sermon. Harold complains that somebody put a beetle down his back. The parson, Heppenstall, doubts Harold, and dismisses him from the choir, disqualifying him from the race. Steggles smugly tells Bertie he has lost his money, since Bertie did not bet on starting price but instead placed an ante-post bet, meaning Bertie forfeits his wager if Harold cannot race.

To make up for their loss over Harold, Jeeves tells Bingo to bet on Prudence Baxter for the Girls' Egg and Spoon Race. Bertie meets Prudence and doubts she will win.

Mrs. Penworthy loses her race because Steggles gives her too much food. Prudence also loses her race. Just as Bertie starts to mourns his losses, Heppenstall announces that a servant—implied to be Jeeves—has confessed to paying several participants in the Girls' Egg and Spoon Race to finish. The four girls who finished ahead of Prudence are disqualified. Prudence is declared the winner.

Publication history

This story was illustrated by A. Wallis Mills in the Strand, and by T. D. Skidmore in Cosmopolitan.^[3]

"The Purity of the Turf" was included in the 1932 collection Nothing But Wodehouse and in the 1960 collection The Most of P. G. Wodehouse.^[4] The 1981 collection of crime-related Wodehouse stories, Wodehouse on Crime, and the 1984 collection of clergy-related Wodehouse stories, The World of Wodehouse Clergy, featured this story.^[5]

The story was included in the anthology Georgian Stories, published by Chapman and Hall in the UK and Putnam's in the US in 1924.^[6]

Adaptations

Television

The television series The World of Wooster adapted the story. The episode–entitled "Jeeves and the Purity of the Turf"–was the fifth episode of the second series and was originally broadcast on 1 February 1966.^[7]

This story was also adapted for the Jeeves and Wooster television series. "The Purity of the Turf" was broadcast as the third episode of the first series, first airing in the UK on 6 May 1990.^[8] The story featured Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as, respectively, Wooster and Jeeves.

Some differences in plot occur, including:

Lord Wickhammersely, the owner of Twing Hall, is featured in the television episode; he is only mentioned in the original story. Lady Wickhammersley, never mentioned in the original story, plays a prominent role in the television episode: she attempts to ban gambling at Twing Hall.
Bingo falls in love with a girl named Myrtle and then later with another girl named Beryl, neither of whom appears in the original story.
Cynthia Wickhammersley and Freddie Widgeon, who do not appear in the original story, join the syndicate.
In the original story, it is Bingo's fault that Harold's athletic skill is discovered because he has Harold caddy for him. In the television episode, it is not Bingo's fault because Harold works as a caddy anyway.
In the episode, Bertie attempts to win money by entering Bingo in the Eighty Yards' Dash for Mature Gentlemen, an event not mentioned in the original story.
In the television episode, no mention of Prudence Baxter or her race occurs. Instead, Jeeves makes money for the syndicate by rigging Bingo's event against him.

Radio

This story, along with the rest of The Inimitable Jeeves, was adapted into a radio drama in 1973 as part of the series What Ho! Jeeves starring Michael Hordern as Jeeves and Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster.^[9]

Related Research Articles

Richard P. "Bingo" Little is a recurring fictional character in the comedic Jeeves and Drones Club stories of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a member of the Drones Club.

<i>The Inimitable Jeeves</i> 1923 short story collection by P. G. Wodehouse

The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse was the first of the Jeeves novels, although not originally conceived as a single narrative, being assembled from a number of short stories featuring the same characters. The book was first published in the United Kingdom by Herbert Jenkins, London, on 17 May 1923 and in the United States by George H. Doran, New York, on 28 September 1923, under the title Jeeves.

"Jeeves in the Springtime" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in December 1921 in London, and in Cosmopolitan in New York that same month. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate chapters, "Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum" and "No Wedding Bells for Bingo".

"The Great Sermon Handicap" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in June 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York that same month. The story was also included in the collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate stories.

"Comrade Bingo" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in May 1922, and in Cosmopolitan in New York that same month. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate chapters, "Comrade Bingo" and "Bingo Has a Bad Goodwood".

"The Purity of the Turf" is the third episode of the first series of the 1990s British comedy television series Jeeves and Wooster. It is also called "The Village Sports Day at Twing" or "The Gambling Event". It first aired in the UK on 6 May 1990 on ITV. The episode aired in the US on 25 November 1990 on Masterpiece Theatre.

"Aunt Agatha Takes the Count" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in April 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York in October 1922. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate chapters, "Aunt Agatha Speaks Her Mind" and "Pearls Mean Tears".

"Scoring off Jeeves" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, that features a young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in February 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York in March 1922. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate chapters, "The Pride of the Woosters Is Wounded" and "The Hero's Reward".

"Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in March 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York in April 1922. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate chapters, "Introducing Claude and Eustace" and "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch".

"The Metropolitan Touch" is a short story by English writer P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in September 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York that same month. The story was also included in the 1923 collection The Inimitable Jeeves.

"Bingo and the Little Woman" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in London in November 1922, and then in Cosmopolitan in New York in December 1922. The story was also included in the collection The Inimitable Jeeves as two separate stories, "Bingo and the Little Woman" and "All's Well".

"The Artistic Career of Corky" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in the Saturday Evening Post in the United States in February 1916, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in June 1916, as "Leave it to Jeeves". The story was also included in the 1925 collection Carry On, Jeeves.

"The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in the Saturday Evening Post in the United States in September 1924, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in October 1924. The story was also included in the 1925 collection Carry On, Jeeves.

"Clustering Round Young Bingo" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in the Saturday Evening Post in the United States in February 1925, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in April 1925. The story was also included in the 1925 collection Carry On, Jeeves.

"Jeeves and the Impending Doom" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in December 1926, and in Liberty in the United States in January 1927. The story was also included as the first story in the 1930 collection Very Good, Jeeves.

"Jeeves and the Song of Songs" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in September 1929, and in Cosmopolitan in the United States that same month. The story was also included as the fourth story in the 1930 collection Very Good, Jeeves.

"Jeeves and the Old School Chum" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in February 1930, and in Cosmopolitan in the United States that same month. The story was also included as the ninth story in the 1930 collection Very Good, Jeeves.

"Indian Summer of an Uncle" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in March 1930, and in Cosmopolitan in the United States that same month. The story was also included as the tenth story in the 1930 collection Very Good, Jeeves.

<i>What Ho! Jeeves</i> BBC radio drama series, 1973–1981

What Ho! Jeeves is a series of radio dramas based on some of the Jeeves short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse, starring Michael Hordern as the titular Jeeves and Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster.

References

Notes

↑ Cawthorne (2013), p. 57.
↑ Wodehouse (2008) [1923], chapter 14, p. 174.
↑ McIlvaine (1990), p. 147, D17.20, and p. 184, D133.89.
↑ McIlvaine (1990), pp. 113-114, B2a, and p. 120, B12a.
↑ McIlvaine (1990), pp. 125-126, B23a, and pp. 128-129, B31a.
↑ McIlvaine (1990), p. 195, E47.
↑ Taves, Brian (2006). P. G. Wodehouse and Hollywood: Screenwriting, Satires and Adaptations. McFarland & Company. p. 178. ISBN 978-0786422883.
↑ "Jeeves and Wooster Series 1, Episode 3". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
↑ "What Ho, Jeeves!: 7: The Purity of the Turf". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

Sources

Cawthorne, Nigel (2013). A Brief Guide to Jeeves and Wooster. London: Constable & Robinson. ISBN 978-1-78033-824-8.
McIlvaine, Eileen; Sherby, Louise S.; Heineman, James H. (1990). P. G. Wodehouse: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Checklist. New York: James H. Heineman Inc. ISBN 978-0-87008-125-5.
Wodehouse, P. G. (2008) [1923]. The Inimitable Jeeves (Reprinted ed.). London: Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0099513681.

External links

The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with numerous book covers and lists of characters

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] Cawthorne (2013), p. 57.

[2] Wodehouse (2008) [1923], chapter 14, p. 174.

[3] McIlvaine (1990), p. 147, D17.20, and p. 184, D133.89.

[4] McIlvaine (1990), pp. 113-114, B2a, and p. 120, B12a.

[5] McIlvaine (1990), pp. 125-126, B23a, and pp. 128-129, B31a.

[6] McIlvaine (1990), p. 195, E47.

[7] Taves, Brian (2006). P. G. Wodehouse and Hollywood: Screenwriting, Satires and Adaptations. McFarland & Company. p. 178. ISBN 978-0786422883.

[8] "Jeeves and Wooster Series 1, Episode 3". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 November 2017.

[9] "What Ho, Jeeves!: 7: The Purity of the Turf". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

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v t e The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
"Jeeves in the Springtime" "Aunt Agatha Takes the Count" "Scoring off Jeeves" "Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch" "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril" "Comrade Bingo" "The Great Sermon Handicap" "The Purity of the Turf" "The Metropolitan Touch" "The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace" "Bingo and the Little Woman"
The Inimitable Jeeves Carry On, Jeeves Very Good, Jeeves Thank You, Jeeves Right Ho, Jeeves The Code of the Woosters Joy in the Morning The Mating Season Ring for Jeeves Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit Jeeves in the Offing Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves Much Obliged, Jeeves Aunts Aren't Gentlemen