About the mustasche : Bertie - " I only kept the bally thing on to show who's master." Jeeves - " Oh I trust there was never any doubt about THAT , Sir" Briliant!
Jeeves looks /so/ happy when Bertie asks him to get the razor. Like actually relieved. Gosh Stephen Fry had the face and expression and voice for a role like Jeeves, just as Laurie had it all for Bertie.
At first they were going to play the opposite roles. But then someone suggested they swap over, and Jeeves and Wooster fell into place. Now, it's impossible to imagine them the other way round. In Dad's Army, the same thing happened with the Captain and Sergeant roles. Sometimes things just need a minor adjustment to make it work. Casting the right person in the right role is vital. I'm sure many shows failed because it wasn't cast correctly. And the other way round.
Jeeves reaction to the american outfit that Bertie bought without adult supervision !!! Priceless. Thx so much for uploading these, they're absolutely delicious.
Total bliss, hadn’t seen this one before, the sets and settings are incomparable and a great change from the usual London/Home Counties plots. So inventive and as always Jeeves gets his way at the end!
I admit that I was expecting Jeeves to step out on stage as the real butler, and save the show (or rather, steal it) before our petrified Bertie had a chance to say his line. Thank you for uploading this series: a pure delight.
Yeah, my brother always wondered why Jeeves didn't go out onstage instead! Great episode! Btw, I think that song, "Ask Dad," was actually written by P.G. Wodehouse himself.
When I used to watch this when I was younger I always wondered why Jeeves would want to stay with Bertie when he could do so much with his life and his many talents. Now as an adult I realise that Bertie is actually very kind, generous and loyal.
You're right. It's a great symbiotic relationship. Jeeves acts as Bertie's brain & valet and Bertie give Jeeves access to travel & a higher social caste.
Have you ever heard of the fan theory that Jeeves is Merlin from T.H. White's Once and Future King. In that book Merlin is a 2000 year old wizard that experiences time backwards and ages very slowly, so that from the perspective of everyone else he gets younger and younger as time passes. The theory posits that Bertie Wooster is the 1920s descendant of King Arthur and the rightful king of the Britons or perhaps even the original Arthur's reincarnation. Merlin was said to be fatherless or sired by a demon and was raised by his human mother. Jeeves is a Norman French metronymic deriving from the mother, meaning son of Genevieve. Reginald is a Germanic name that literally translates to "counselor of rulers" which is a very apt description of Merlin. Finally, Jeeves' abilities and talents are also very much in line with that of Merlin. His abilities to concoct miracle hangover cures seems rather like potions created by a wizard, he is endlessly wise and knowledgeable, he spends much of his time studying and improving his mind, and he possesses the ability to appear and disappear at will, a talent he shares with Merlin in White's book. Henry VII, the first Tudor king was of Welsh descent like King Arthur and claimed to be a direct descendant of Arthur, even naming his first born son after him. When Prince Arthur died before he could ascend to the throne, he was buried at Worcester Cathedral (with Worcester pronounced Wooster). Prince Arthur never fathered a legitimate heir but suppose he had a bastard who adopted the name Worcester which over time became corrupted into Wooster. So it is Bertie Wooster's destiny to eventually fulfill the prophecy of King Arthur's return and save Britain during a time of need. The Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse are set before the right time for Bertie to learn of his destiny has arrived, before the pulling the sword in the stone moment. Jeeves/Merlin's task during this period is to not alter history by making sure Bertie/Arthur doesn't get married to the wrong person and to keep him out of trouble so that history can unfold as he already witnessed it (because he experiences time backwards). Perhaps Jeeves/Merlin wants to make sure Bertie/Arthur doesn't repeat his mistake with Guinevere which lead to his downfall the first time round. It's not my theory, but as far as wild theories go, this one holds up to scrutiny fairly well.
Absolutely! I watched this first when I was very young and didn't understand what a kind, witty and generous person Bertie really was. At first it was as if Jeeves was taking over his life but over time it becomes symbiotic. Can't wait to read the books!
Hilarious episode, with a nested great broadway piece, and the hoot of a "still life with eggplant" ! Thanks for reviving these series, which we in France knew nothing about.
Did anyone else feel a glimmer of hope for the young thwarted lover artist once Aunt Agatha insisted on having his painting for the museum... and the fact that it sold for a good chunk. It made me feel some warm fuzzies and lots of hope for the character after he had been rejected so much.
@@DeirdreMcNamara HEHE. well it is true, his emotions would not allow him to do a good job. Wrong person for the job while he was having a mental breakdown for sure.
At 23:15 Jeeves taking the cowboy hat with an "I think not" look and handing it directly to the elevator operator. And the operator taking it and putting it on with a "Yeah, I saw this coming" look. And Bertie never said a word about it, since he probably knew that it wouldn't be allowed by Jeeves.
@@richardjacobson3634 Bertie does not realize the hat is gone! Jeeves presumably is confident he will fix it so that he is rewarded by being told to get rid of it before Bertie finds out he already has. That happens in the books, too. Bertie says something like ” For helping me with the rummy problem of old Stiffy, just burn that check coat, will you?” “ I did so this morning, sir. A quiet twill is much more suitable. Thank you, sir.”
He inherited Bertie’s white hat in episode 1 as well. I love that they kept some of the peripheral characters throughout the NY episodes. A big part of the fun of J&W for me is seeing the recurring secondary characters.
"Blasted tricky business what they call hunting in these parts; they do it without horses. Managed to wing a forest ranger the other day however." He's so proud of it. It's like the Mitch Hedberg joke about golf: "I never got a hole-in-one but I did hit a guy, and that was way more satisfying."
Dickens always wants me want to die.................the horrible cruelty of life for the underclass (aka "human garbage").........please, sir, can I have some more? But of course he was a great genius, as were Samuel Clemens and Wodehouse! Congrats on your longevity! Like to know your other secrets......cheers
I understand this so well. For me, it's Wodehouse, Bach and Erich Kaestner - I greatly recommend this wonderful, witty and funny German writer from the same era and with similar sensitivity
"Mustaches are the leading cause of divorce" except Jeeves has spent three seasons making sure Bertie didn't get married so who is he expecting to divorce Bertie over a mustache? -stares real hard at Jeeves-
There is little by way of consistency to be found. Just about every episode Jeeves prefaces the explanation of his saving the day with, "I took the liberty..." But in two episodes, the idea that Jeeves would dare take a liberty is an abhorrence.
Got this through the YT algorithm after looking at episodes of the first series. Wonderful. Masters of comedy at work. And what smooth, extensive production values! Thank you for posting.
The ocean liner pictured at about 11:00 is the SS America, which was actually built while Britain was already at war. It was designed by William GIbbs, who went on to design the SS United States in the 1950s, the fastest ocean liner ever built, and larger than Titanic. The America looked like a smaller version, with the same winged funnels.
I can just imagine Jeeves with a cup of tea, enjoying the quiet, reading Wooster's post cards and being both amused and vaguely concerned at the mention of additions to his wardrobe.
Don't forget the MARVELOUS film in the 1980s, Peter' Friends, in which Laurie, Fry, Emma Thompson, Branaugh and others played old friends who USED to sing and play in a uni musical revue. Laurie had become an ad jingle writer: all his piano work is quite real. Fry sang most effectively. Wonderful.
@@emilygilbeyful It was made in 1992. I thought Rita Rudner was perfect, even though that's not a popular opinion. Ditto Alphonsia Emmanuel, who was never heard from again after this film. It's one of my favorite Emma Thompson performances.
I love the "moustaches are a leading cause of divorce" line, which, if memory serves, is not in the written story. All props for Clive Exton, who seems to have been a right genius and rad sort of writer. (And a arrow straight to the bally heart for that excrescence Sebastian bloody Faulks and his dashed beazel plot. I mean really!)
I must say I do love reading your comments under each episode, insightful and witty. any other series you regard as equal to J&W on the tube I can find, i race through these episodes!
In the books, the moustache belongs in the previous episode with the Duke of Chiswick, but you are correct to state that there is no mention of divorce.
No, no, must object! Jeeves is not sadistic. As a 1920's valet, any faux pas in his employer's appearance is directly blamed on him, he loses face. He has internalised the rules, including the very strict fashion code. Bertie, being a privileged toff, doesn't feel any such strictures, and doesn't want to follow rules. He knows what will piss off Jeeves and sometimes does it just for the hell of it, like the moustache. Their fashion skirmishes are definitely hilarious and kinky-feeling.
Gohot229 Were there another 228 Gohots's when you applied your user name? Luckily, no one had thought of Mysterious Squirrel, which I find hard to believe. First thing I thought of.
What's that you you dastardly ruffian, go forth and multiply ones self what!! My gentlemens gentleman is the personification of Jeeves what o ole son,, Gosh I say gracious me,, bally good show old chap!!
one of the best episodes so far. one gathers that many commenters are unfamiliar with wodehouse's books, however. the mulliner stories are to be recommended, too.
Sending someone to New York to help them avoid theatrical company is like sending your child to Antarctica to break them of their crippling snowman addiction
Love this show, but any railfan will notice that Bertie apparently crosses the US on an assortment of British, European and African trains in addition to (very few) American examples. They must have really cleaned out their stock footage collection for this one.
They should do one more Jeeves & Bertie before Hugh Laurie & Stephen Fry are gone. The two of them still together, a couple of old bachelors, but with Bertie taking care of Jeeves, who has become too old & feeble to work.
But impossible to believe Jeeves would ever be old and weak. If you want a late life scenario, perhaps Wooster goes broke, wiped out in the Great Depression but relies upon the generosity of Jeeves, who being the shrewder investor and having so many hidden connections, still has "ample" resources to support Bertie in continuance of his luxurious lifestyle.
'Freddie Flowerdew', alias Dad, was played by John Boulter, who had been one of the three solo singers in the BBC's notorious 'Black and White Minstrel Show'. J&W was one of his few TV appearances in whiteface.
The roles were first cast the other way round. It's impossible to think of Jeeves and Wooster with Hugh Laurie as Jeeves, and Stephen Fry as Wooster. I'm glad it never got past basic rehearsals. The same thing happened with the Captain and Sergeant roles in Dad's Army. Jim Broadbent who played the Police man Slater was the original choice for Del Boy. Then someone changed it to David Jason. Getting the casting right is essential. I'm sure many shows failed because of getting it wrong. Or were successful, when they got it right.
