From: kannan@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Kannan Subramanian)
Subject: Re: Masterpiece Theater on PBS
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 19:19:08 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Colorado State University
Keywords: Birmingham, Broadcast


In article <1993Jan22.175848.9929@cis.uab.edu>, 
shenai@amnese.eng.uab.edu (Aravind Shenai) writes:

|> His description of almost everything in this world in a light vein is really
|> unique. Like even when talking about the death of a hunter (Mr. Briggs?), 
                                                               ^^^^^^^^^^^

Oh no, no, no, no, no! You mean Captain Biggar, who habitually looks rhinoceri 
in their eye, while strolling through their backyard as it were, and makes them 
wilt. His inclinations to romance are often constrained by the "code" he is
duty-bound to follow - as laid down by his drinking buddy Subedar (who hangs out
somewhere in Malaysia). Mrs. Spottsworth, who he loves with a passion and adores
oh-so-wistfully, is a woman who is deeply into spiritual pursuits and often
cannot understand why he cannot (if you'll pardon an American expression)
"lighten up" and woo her openly. (for fuller details read, "Ring for Jeeves").
 
|> (Not Verbatim)
|>  "He had a slight misunderstanding with a Lion. He thought the Lion was dead,
|>   it thought it wasn't!"

Again, from "Ring for Jeeves" (exact quote of above appears somewhere
below). Incidentally, "Ring for Jeeves" happens to be the only full
length novel not narrated by Bertie. As usual, it is studded with gems. 

Here are two samples.  [begin quote]

(1) "I don't know if you would care to know, madam," he said, in a voice 
     that throbbed with emotion, "but Whistler's Mother won the Oaks."
     The woman looked up, regarding him with large, dark, soulful eyes as
     if he had been something recently assembled from ectoplasm. 
     "The what?"
     "The Oaks, madam."
     "And what are the Oaks?"

     It seemed incredible to the waiter that there should be anyone in 
     England who could ask such a question, but he had already gathered 
     that the lady was an American lady, and American ladies he knew, are
     often ignorant of the fundamental facts of life. (*) He had once met one
     who had wanted to know what a football pool was.


(2)  Widowed owing to Clifton Bessemer trying to drive his car one night
     through a truck instead of round it, and two years later meeting in
     Paris and marrying the millionaire sportsman and big-game hunter, 
     A.B Spottsworth, she was almost immediately widowed again. 

     It was a confusion of ideas between him and one of the lions he was
     hunting in Kenya that had caused A.B Spottsworth to make the obituary
     column. He thought the lion was dead, and the lion thought it wasn't.
     The result being that when he placed his foot on the animal's neck
     preparatory to being photographed by Captain Biggar, the White Hunter
     accompanying the expedition, a rather unpleasant brawl had ensued,
     and owing to Captain Biggar having to drop the camera and spend 
     several vital moments looking for his rifle, his bullet, though 
     unerring, had come too late to be of practical assistance. There was
     nothing to be done but pick up the pieces and transfer the millionaire
     sportsman's vast fortune to his widow, adding it to the sixteen
     million or so which she had inherited from Clifton Bessemer. 

       
		  [ end quote ]

In a word, style over substance. :-)

cheers, 
kannan

(*)
ps-  I hasten to add that the selection of these quotations had nothing 
     to do with any personal opinions of American ladies, who I daresay, 
     I have found to be more than adequately equipped with the facts of 
     life. (Fundamental or otherwise.)