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Boodle (The Saint)
Encyclopedia
Boodle is a collection of short stories
by Leslie Charteris
, first published in the United Kingdom
by Hodder and Stoughton in 1934. This was the thirteenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
, alias "The Saint", and the second short story collection featuring the character. The title is taken from the American slang term "boodle
" meaning bribery, stolen goods or loot (it is also a term frequently used by Templar). When first published in the United States
by The Crime Club
, the unfamiliar-sounding title was changed to The Saint Intervenes, and this title was later applied to future UK editions.
As with the earlier collection, The Brighter Buccaneer
, Boodle consists of stories written by Charteris under contract with the UK magazine Empire News
during 1933. One story, "The Man Who Liked Toys", was first published in The American Magazine as a non-Saint story featuring a lead character named Kestry; Charteris later revised the story to include the Saint.
during its second season, first airing on January 9, 1964. (The story itself was one of two that was not included in British editions of the book.)
Three stories were adapted for the programme's third season: "The Loving Brothers" (November 19, 1964), "The Impossible Crime" (November 26, 1964), and "The Damsel in Distress" (December 31, 1964).
"The Newdick Helicopter" was retitled "The Chequered Flag" and aired on July 1, 1965, as the first episode of the fourth season.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Hodder and Stoughton in 1934. This was the thirteenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, alias "The Saint", and the second short story collection featuring the character. The title is taken from the American slang term "boodle
Boodle
Boodle, or boodler, was a bar-room or street term for money or booty applied by the yellow press to members of the New York Board of Aldermen who were charged with accepting bribes in connection with the granting of a franchise for a street railroad on Broadway...
" meaning bribery, stolen goods or loot (it is also a term frequently used by Templar). When first published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by The Crime Club
The Crime Club
The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series.Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their first U.S. editions published via the Crime Club, including all 50 books of The Saint by Leslie Charteris...
, the unfamiliar-sounding title was changed to The Saint Intervenes, and this title was later applied to future UK editions.
As with the earlier collection, The Brighter Buccaneer
The Brighter Buccaneer
The Brighter Buccaneer is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1933. This was the eleventh book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint"...
, Boodle consists of stories written by Charteris under contract with the UK magazine Empire News
Empire News
The Empire News was a Sunday newspaper in the United Kingdom.The newspaper was founded in 1884 in Manchester as The Umpire. A penny newspaper, it was the first successful provincial Sunday newspaper in England. Owned by H. S. Jennings, the Umpire was subtitled "A Sporting, Athletic, Theatrical...
during 1933. One story, "The Man Who Liked Toys", was first published in The American Magazine as a non-Saint story featuring a lead character named Kestry; Charteris later revised the story to include the Saint.
Stories
The book consists of between 12 and 14 stories, depending upon the edition:- The Ingenuous Colonel - Two con men try to swindle a young man in a horse racing scam, never realizing their mark is Simon Templar. The story indicates that Templar has returned to Britain after an absence of some time, suggesting that it might take place around the time of "The Simon Templar Foundation", the lead story in the previous book, The Misfortunes of Mr. TealThe Misfortunes of Mr. TealThe Misfortunes of Mr. Teal is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in 1934 by Hodder and Stoughton and the United States by The Crime Club...
, which likewise takes place at a time when Templar is re-establishing himself. - The Unfortunate Financier - Templar's girlfriend, Patricia HolmPatricia HolmPatricia Holm is the name of a fictional character who appeared in the novels of Leslie Charteris from the 1920s to the 1940s. She was the on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint" and shared a number of his adventures....
, goes undercover as she plays secretary for a financier who is manipulating Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
oil stocks. - The Newdick Helicopter - When the Saint hears how his friend Monty Hayward (last seen in The Brighter BuccaneerThe Brighter BuccaneerThe Brighter Buccaneer is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1933. This was the eleventh book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint"...
) was swindled by a man with false claims of inventing a new form of helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, he sets out to turn the tables on the "inventor". Although the word helicopter appears in the title, in the story itself the flying machine is referred to as an autogyro. - The Prince of Cherkessia - When a foreign prince orders a jewelled crown to be made for him during his visit to London, it's up to Chief Inspector Claud Eustace TealClaud Eustace TealClaud Eustace Teal is a fictional character who made many appearances in a series of novels, novellas and short stories by Leslie Charteris entitled The Saint, starting in 1929...
to make sure the crown doesn't fall into the hands of The Saint. This story marks the return of Peter Quentin (last seen in "The Unusual Ending", the concluding story of The Brighter BuccaneerThe Brighter BuccaneerThe Brighter Buccaneer is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1933. This was the eleventh book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint"...
). - The Treasure of Turk's Lane - When a land developer tries some underhanded tactics in order to get a friend of Simon's to sell his ancestral home in order that an apartment block can be built on the site, Templar is determined to make sure the developer pays through the nose to get it. However the old house has one final surprise in store for both the developer and the Saint.
- The Sleepless Knight - Sir Melvin Flager's trucking company forces its drivers behind the wheel for hours on end with little sleep. After a cyclist is killed by one of Flager's sleep-deprived drivers, Templar decides to give Flager a bit of his own medicine.
- The Uncritical Publisher - When budding author Peter Quentin finds himself in the middle of a scam involving a crooked vanity publisher, the Saint intervenes. In this story, Charteris parodies himself and the British publishing industry.(This was not published in the 1st edition as Hodder and Stoughton were worried about the light it held publishers in. It This story is also included in a booklet in the DVD boxset of The Saint Colour Series)
- The Noble Sportsman - Templar and Teal find themselves investigating a murder at the home of a British politician, an event that leaves the Saint unusually remorseful.
- The Damsel in Distress - An Italian family hires Templar to assist in kidnapping a bond forger from his refuge in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and returning him to Britain for a shotgun wedding. Soon Templar finds himself in the middle of a blackmail scheme. - The Loving Brothers - Two squabbling businessmen, who happen to be brothers, fight over the last will and testament of their late father, with the Saint intervening.
- The Tall Timber - Templar impersonates a Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
inspector in order to bring down a small-time swindler selling a big-time scam involving tree-growing in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. - The Art Photographer - Templar impersonates an AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman with a taste for pornographyPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
in order to expose a blackmail scheme involving naughty photographs and scantily clad models. - The Man who Liked Toys - Teal and Templar investigate the apparent suicide of a man with a penchant for playing with toys.
- The Mixture as Before - The Saint turns the tables on a scam artist who claims he can make genuine diamonds in his bathtub. This is the second time Templar has matched wits with a would-be alchemistAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
; in "The Gold Standard", a novella in Once More the SaintOnce More the SaintOnce More the Saint is a collection of three interrelated mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1933. This was the tenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The first American edition, published the...
, he went up against a man who claimed he could create gold.
Variation
For reasons unknown, later British editions of this collection omit either one or both of the two stories "The Uncritical Publisher" and "The Noble Sportsman". "The Uncritical Publisher" has been released by the Saint Club and as a DVD extra.Television adaptations
"The Noble Sportsman" was adapted for the TV series The SaintThe Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
during its second season, first airing on January 9, 1964. (The story itself was one of two that was not included in British editions of the book.)
Three stories were adapted for the programme's third season: "The Loving Brothers" (November 19, 1964), "The Impossible Crime" (November 26, 1964), and "The Damsel in Distress" (December 31, 1964).
"The Newdick Helicopter" was retitled "The Chequered Flag" and aired on July 1, 1965, as the first episode of the fourth season.