Uncle Fred
Encyclopedia
Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character
who appears in short stories
and novel
s written by P. G. Wodehouse
between 1935 and 1961. An energetic and mischievous old chap, his talent for trouble is the bane of his nephew Pongo Twistleton
's life.
:
, and an "alert and enterprising eye". As a child he gambolled at Mitching Hill, his Uncle Willoughby's estate just outside London, which later became the suburb of Valley Fields; it was there that he shot the gardener in the trousers seat with his bow and arrow, and threw up after his first cigar. He was a younger son, and therefore not expected to inherit his present title; he spent much time in America, working variously as a cowboy
, a soda jerk
, a newspaper reporter and a prospector
in the Mojave Desert
, before a number of deaths in the family left him heir to the Earldom. While in America, he was friends with James Schoonmaker, and his daughter Myra.
In later youth, he became a member of the riotous Pelican Club, and a good friend of Galahad Threepwood
, in whose stead he is occasionally called to Blandings
, to help Gally's brother Lord Emsworth
out of a jam. He was also close to Claude "Mustard" Pott, the prominent bookie
, and was favourite uncle to Pott's daughter Polly, who sported on the lawns of Ickenham Hall as a child.
His home is in Hampshire
, where he lives quietly with his sponge Joyeuse and his wife Jane, who at first permits him the occasional day or two in town, but later takes control of the family finances, leaving him only enough for "golf balls, self-respect and tobacco", and insists he stay in the country. This injunction comes as a relief to his nephew Pongo
, who considers him a troublemaker and dreads his trips to London.
", we learn that on the previous visit, in June the year before, he dragged Pongo to the Dog Races
, and was arrested within ten minutes of arriving. On this occasion, he involves Pongo in a complex situation involving someone else's house and parrot
.
His main talent is impersonation: by the end of this first outing, we hear of his having impersonated George Robinson, of 14 Nasturtium Road, East Dulwich (on the occasion of the trip to the Dog Races); a veterinarian
come to clip the claws of a parrot at The Cedars, Mafeking Road, Mitching Hill; Mr Roddis, the resident of the same address; and Mr. J. B. Bulstrode, a neighbour of the same. He claims he would have impersonated the parrot as well, on broad impressionistic terms.
In Uncle Fred in the Springtime
, when we next meet him, he cons
slow-minded Lord Bosham of his wallet just for the sake of it, and heads merrily down to Blandings Castle
in the guise of Sir Roderick Glossop, with Pongo taking the role of his nephew and secretary, Basil. While there, he wraps up the affairs of Polly and her man, and Pongo's money worries, with a panache only Gally himself could rival; he even avoids his wife finding out he has left home while she was away (tending her sick mother in the South of France
), despite the wrath of his niece Valerie.
He has also masqueraded as Major Brabazon-Plank
, the famed explorer, and as his older brother, a mining engineer. (In the argot of the English public school, the miner is Brabazon-Plank Major and the major is Brabazon-Plank Minor.)
His other exploits include shooting an old classmate's hat off with a Brazil nut and the precision of an Amazonian hunter, and happily breaking up an engagement between his nephew Pongo
and the ghastly Hermione Bostock. All of them have rendered said nephew in constant fear of his uncle, and permanently convinced him of his elder's lunacy.
as Uncle Fred.
The BBC
also adapted the story for television, as part of their Comedy Playhouse in 1967; it starred Wilfrid Hyde-White
as Uncle Fred.
was adapted as a serial
in six half-hour episodes for BBC Radio 4
, starring Richard Briers
as Uncle Fred and Hugh Grant
as Pongo, with narration by Paul Eddington
.
performed a one-man show in which he recited, and discussed, the short story which first introduces Lord Ickenham, "Uncle Fred Flits By".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who appears in short stories
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...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s written by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
between 1935 and 1961. An energetic and mischievous old chap, his talent for trouble is the bane of his nephew Pongo Twistleton
Pongo Twistleton
Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...
's life.
Appearances
The Uncle Fred stories comprise one short and four novels, two of which are set at Blandings CastleBlandings Castle
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 setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...
:
- "Uncle Fred Flits ByUncle Fred Flits By"Uncle Fred Flits By" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the July 1935 edition of Redbook, and in the United Kingdom in the December 1935 issue of the Strand...
" (1935) - included in the collection Young Men in SpatsYoung Men in SpatsYoung 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 23 July 1936 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.The collection, recounting...
, (1936) - Uncle Fred in the SpringtimeUncle Fred in the SpringtimeUncle Fred in the Springtime is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on August 18, 1939 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on August 25, 1939 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
(1939) - a Blandings story - Uncle DynamiteUncle DynamiteUncle Dynamite is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1948 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 3, 1948 by Didier & Co., New York...
(1948) - Cocktail TimeCocktail Timethumb|1st UK editionCocktail Time is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on June 20, 1958 by Herbert Jenkins, London and in the United States on July 24, 1958 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York...
(1958) - Service with a SmileService With a SmileService with a Smile is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on October 15, 1961 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, and in the United Kingdom on August 17, 1962 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
(1961) - a Blandings story
Background and character
Uncle Fred is a tall, slim, distinguished-looking man, with a jaunty moustacheMoustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
, and an "alert and enterprising eye". As a child he gambolled at Mitching Hill, his Uncle Willoughby's estate just outside London, which later became the suburb of Valley Fields; it was there that he shot the gardener in the trousers seat with his bow and arrow, and threw up after his first cigar. He was a younger son, and therefore not expected to inherit his present title; he spent much time in America, working variously as a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
, a soda jerk
Soda jerk
A soda jerk was a person — typically a youth — who operated the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice...
, a newspaper reporter and a prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, before a number of deaths in the family left him heir to the Earldom. While in America, he was friends with James Schoonmaker, and his daughter Myra.
In later youth, he became a member of the riotous Pelican Club, and a good friend of Galahad Threepwood
Galahad Threepwood
The Honourable Galahad "Gally" Threepwood is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. Lord Emsworth's younger brother, a lifelong bachelor, Gally was, according to Beach, the Blandings butler, "somewhat wild as a young man"...
, in whose stead he is occasionally called to Blandings
Blandings Castle
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 setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...
, to help Gally's brother Lord Emsworth
Lord Emsworth
Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, or Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. He is the amiable and somewhat absent-minded head of the large Threepwood family...
out of a jam. He was also close to Claude "Mustard" Pott, the prominent bookie
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
, and was favourite uncle to Pott's daughter Polly, who sported on the lawns of Ickenham Hall as a child.
His home is in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where he lives quietly with his sponge Joyeuse and his wife Jane, who at first permits him the occasional day or two in town, but later takes control of the family finances, leaving him only enough for "golf balls, self-respect and tobacco", and insists he stay in the country. This injunction comes as a relief to his nephew Pongo
Pongo Twistleton
Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...
, who considers him a troublemaker and dreads his trips to London.
Adventures
In "Uncle Fred Flits ByUncle Fred Flits By
"Uncle Fred Flits By" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the July 1935 edition of Redbook, and in the United Kingdom in the December 1935 issue of the Strand...
", we learn that on the previous visit, in June the year before, he dragged Pongo to the Dog Races
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
, and was arrested within ten minutes of arriving. On this occasion, he involves Pongo in a complex situation involving someone else's house and parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
.
His main talent is impersonation: by the end of this first outing, we hear of his having impersonated George Robinson, of 14 Nasturtium Road, East Dulwich (on the occasion of the trip to the Dog Races); a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
come to clip the claws of a parrot at The Cedars, Mafeking Road, Mitching Hill; Mr Roddis, the resident of the same address; and Mr. J. B. Bulstrode, a neighbour of the same. He claims he would have impersonated the parrot as well, on broad impressionistic terms.
In Uncle Fred in the Springtime
Uncle Fred in the Springtime
Uncle Fred in the Springtime is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on August 18, 1939 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on August 25, 1939 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
, when we next meet him, he cons
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
slow-minded Lord Bosham of his wallet just for the sake of it, and heads merrily down to Blandings Castle
Blandings Castle
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 setting for numerous tales and adventures, written between 1915 and 1975.The series of stories which take place at the castle,...
in the guise of Sir Roderick Glossop, with Pongo taking the role of his nephew and secretary, Basil. While there, he wraps up the affairs of Polly and her man, and Pongo's money worries, with a panache only Gally himself could rival; he even avoids his wife finding out he has left home while she was away (tending her sick mother in the South of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), despite the wrath of his niece Valerie.
He has also masqueraded as Major Brabazon-Plank
Major Brabazon-Plank
Major Brabazon-Plank, later Major Plank, is a recurring fictional character from the Uncle Fred and Jeeves stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a famed explorer who led an expedition up the Amazon but is afraid of babies.-Overview:...
, the famed explorer, and as his older brother, a mining engineer. (In the argot of the English public school, the miner is Brabazon-Plank Major and the major is Brabazon-Plank Minor.)
His other exploits include shooting an old classmate's hat off with a Brazil nut and the precision of an Amazonian hunter, and happily breaking up an engagement between his nephew Pongo
Pongo Twistleton
Reginald "Pongo" Twistleton is a character in the Uncle Fred books by P. G. Wodehouse. A member of the Drones Club in London, he's a nervous young man described by Sally Painter, the woman who loves him, as a "baa-lamb"...
and the ghastly Hermione Bostock. All of them have rendered said nephew in constant fear of his uncle, and permanently convinced him of his elder's lunacy.
Television
The short story "Uncle Fred Flits By" was made into an episode of "Four Star Playhouse" in 1955; with David NivenDavid Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
as Uncle Fred.
The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
also adapted the story for television, as part of their Comedy Playhouse in 1967; it starred Wilfrid Hyde-White
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Wilfrid Hyde-White was an English character actor.-Early life and career:Wilfrid Hyde White was born at the rectory in Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire, the son of William Edward White, canon of Gloucester Cathedral, and his wife, Ethel Adelaide Drought...
as Uncle Fred.
Radio
The novel Uncle DynamiteUncle Dynamite
Uncle Dynamite is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1948 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 3, 1948 by Didier & Co., New York...
was adapted as a serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
in six half-hour episodes for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, starring Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
as Uncle Fred and Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
as Pongo, with narration by Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
.
Theatre
Movie-actor John LithgowJohn Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
performed a one-man show in which he recited, and discussed, the short story which first introduces Lord Ickenham, "Uncle Fred Flits By".
External links
- A page on Uncle Fred, from the worldofwodehouse.com website
- Another Uncle Fred page, at houseofplum.com
- Details of the BBC adaptation from the BBC Comedy guide