A Gentleman of Leisure with Gavin Bradbury episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 20, 2025 · 1H 21M

A Gentleman of Leisure with Gavin Bradbury

from Wodehousekeeping

Ian is joined by former teenage Wodehouse obsessive Gavin Bradbury to look at Plum's first country house novel, A Gentleman of Leisure AKA The Intrusion of Jimmy from 1910. The book is at once a light romantic story, an exposé of the corruption in the New York police force, a satire of "gentleman criminal" style stories, and a precurser to the Blandings novels. Ian is unable to be impartial about one of the first Wodehouse novels he ever read, whereas Gavin is more critical.We discuss the differences between the novel and the related novella "The Gem Collector", why this book was such a hit on stage and screen, changing mores in acceptable morality in early twentieth century entertainment, how Jimmy Pitt differs from our ideal Wodehouse leading man, and what's still missing from the later classic formula.Other Wodehouse books mentioned:The World of Mr MullinerThe Coming of BillSomething FreshThe Man UpstairsThe Heart of a GoofPsmith in the CityPsmith, JournalistThe Luck of the BodkinsAlso mentioned:Fawlty TowersThe Young OnesThe Kenny Everett ShowCoronation StreetA Sharp Intake of BreathThe Lennie and Jerry ShowTony HancockJames CagneyPhiladelphia StoryBringing Up BabyCary GrantWodehouse TV adaptationsJohn StapletonDouglas FairbanksJohn BarrymoreTim KeyE.W. Hornung, Raffles(The real) Spike MullinsTrading PlacesAlan BennettSteve CooganMiguel de Cervantes, Don QuixoteCharles Dickens, Pickwick PapersSir Walter Scott, "Marmion"The Seven Inches, "Stop Pestering Me" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian is joined by former teenage Wodehouse obsessive Gavin Bradbury to look at Plum's first country house novel, A Gentleman of Leisure AKA The Intrusion of Jimmy from 1910. The book is at once a light romantic story, an exposé of the corruption in the New York police force, a satire of "gentleman criminal" style stories, and a precurser to the Blandings novels. Ian is unable to be impartial about one of the first Wodehouse novels he ever read, whereas Gavin is more critical.We discuss the differences between the novel and the related novella "The Gem Collector", why this book was such a hit on stage and screen, changing mores in acceptable morality in early twentieth century entertainment, how Jimmy Pitt differs from our ideal Wodehouse leading man, and what's still missing from the later classic formula.Other Wodehouse books mentioned:The World of Mr MullinerThe Coming of BillSomething FreshThe Man UpstairsThe Heart of a GoofPsmith in the CityPsmith, JournalistThe Luck of the BodkinsAlso mentioned:Fawlty TowersThe Young OnesThe Kenny Everett ShowCoronation StreetA Sharp Intake of BreathThe Lennie and Jerry ShowTony HancockJames CagneyPhiladelphia StoryBringing Up BabyCary GrantWodehouse TV adaptationsJohn StapletonDouglas FairbanksJohn BarrymoreTim KeyE.W. Hornung, Raffles(The real) Spike MullinsTrading PlacesAlan BennettSteve CooganMiguel de Cervantes, Don QuixoteCharles Dickens, Pickwick PapersSir Walter Scott, "Marmion"The Seven Inches, "Stop Pestering Me" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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A Gentleman of Leisure with Gavin Bradbury

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This episode is 1 hour and 21 minutes long.

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This episode was published on January 20, 2025.

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Ian is joined by former teenage Wodehouse obsessive Gavin Bradbury to look at Plum's first country house novel, A Gentleman of Leisure AKA The Intrusion of Jimmy from 1910. The book is at once a light romantic story, an exposé of the corruption in...

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