Sam the Sudden
Encyclopedia
Sam the Sudden is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse
, first published in the United Kingdom
on 15 October 1925 by Methuen, London
, and in the United States
on 6 November 1925 by George H. Doran, New York
, under the title Sam in the Suburbs. The story had previously been serialised under that title in the Saturday Evening Post
from 13 June to 18 July 1925.
The cast includes the recurring character Lord Tilbury
, publishing magnate and founder of the Mammoth Publishing Company, who had appeared in Wodehouse's novel of the previous year, Bill the Conqueror
, and who would later visit Blandings Castle
in Heavy Weather
(1933). It also introduced the criminals Alexander "Chimp" Twist, Dora "Dolly" Molloy and Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, who reappeared in Money for Nothing
(1928) and Money in the Bank
(1946).
of Wrykyn school. Sent to England by his uncle to work for the Mammoth Publishing Company, he finds a girl he has long adored, despite only knowing her from a photograph. He woos the girl, and his man woos her maid, while a syndicate of crooks circle their suburb, seeking hidden treasure...
, who hopes to complete a business deal with Pynsent. Avoiding being trapped in Tilbury's company, Sam opts to join his old pal "Hash" Todhunter, cook on a tramp steamer
, for the trip over. On the way, he shows Hash a photo of a girl, found on a wall in a remote Canadian
log cabin
, whom he has fallen in love with.
Arriving in England looking rather bedraggled after his trip, Sam finds Hash has borrowed all his cash to put on a dog. Fortunately, it is the night of the Wrykyn Old Boys' dinner, and in town he runs into first Claude Bates, who, fearing Sam may be begging, flees, and later Willoughby Braddock, an old friend. Braddock is staying with Kay Derrick and her uncle Mr Wrenn while his house is decorated, and takes Sam back there, but wanders drunkenly off when they arrive; Sam is mistaken for a burglar by Lippett, the maid, and ends up sleeping in the empty house next door. During the night, Sam is disturbed by someone in the hallway with a torch.
Next morning, the confusion having been sorted out, Lippett gives Sam breakfast. He sees a picture of Kay, the girl of his dreams, and finds her uncle also works for the Mammoth Publishing Company, as editor of "Pyke's Home Companion". He visits Mr Cornelius, the local estate agent, and takes a lease on the empty house, "Mon Repos". He then sees Lord Tilbury, and gets himself employed on Mr Wrenn's paper.
Kay, having just quit her job with Claude Bates' aunt after he kissed her, is visiting her uncle's office when Sam arrives. Sam, overcome at having finally met her, kisses her also, upsetting her further. Lord Tilbury, worried by Sam's odd behaviour, is warned by his sister Francie that there may be a girl involved, but is reassured to hear Mr Wrenn has no children.
Sam hires Hash Toddhunter to be his cook, while "Chimp" Twist, "Soapy" and "Dolly" Molloy discuss the problem of recovering a large fortune stashed in Sam's new home by an old friend, Edward Finglass, famed for robbing the New Asiatic Bank of two million dollars in bonds. They send in Molloy, posing as a former resident of the house wishing to buy it. The scheme fails, as Sam needs to stay near Kay, and makes Hash suspicious; he buys a large dog named Amy to protect the place.
Sam's wooing of Kay begins to bear fruit, and he takes her out to lunch one day, where Lord Tilbury sees them. Having rejected Percy Pilbeam
as a helper, he visits Chimp Twist's fake detective agency, and hires Twist to spy on Sam; he forces Sam to hire Twist as an odd job man, but Sam makes Twist remove his repulsive moustache
. Hash and Claire become involved, but she is worried by his coolness (he is worried by her mother's nose). Following advice in the "Home Companion", she tries to make him jealous by flirting with Twist, whom Hash chases off in a fury.
The Molloys return to "Mon Repos" once more, tie up Hash and begin to search for the money, but Dolly is frightened off by Amy the dog, and Soapy, tired after fending off visitors, is caught napping by Sam, who takes away his trousers. Sam leaves him trapped while he releases Hash and takes him next door to be reunited with Claire. Heading back to his house, Sam meets Braddock, who informs him that Lord Tilbury is in there without his trousers. Sam provides him with some, but the deal between Tilbury and Sam's uncle has fallen through, and Tilbury reveals his dislike of Sam and his opinion that Sam will never be anything better than a moocher. He and Sam part angrily.
While Sam and Kay discuss a loving but poor future, Braddock spots Twist sneaking back into the house. He follows him and captures him in the act of pulling up some floorboards. Sam, believing the money cannot be in the house, lets Twist go, but when they hear from local historical expert Mr Cornelius that the two houses were once one, they realise that the money must be stashed in Kay's house. Sam and Kay plan to marry and move to the country on the reward money.
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...
, 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...
on 15 October 1925 by Methuen, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 6 November 1925 by George H. Doran, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, under the title Sam in the Suburbs. The story had previously been serialised under that title in the Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
from 13 June to 18 July 1925.
The cast includes the recurring character Lord Tilbury
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury is a recurring fictional character in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. Pyke is a publishing magnate, the founder and owner of the Mammoth Publishing Company. Outside his business, he has a passion for pigs and is the owner of a prize pig...
, publishing magnate and founder of the Mammoth Publishing Company, who had appeared in Wodehouse's novel of the previous year, Bill the Conqueror
Bill the Conqueror
Bill the Conqueror is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on November 14, 1924 by Methuen & Co., London, and in the United States on February 20, 1925 by George H. Doran, New York, the story having previously been serialised in the Saturday Evening Post from May 24 to...
, and who would later visit 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 Heavy Weather
Heavy Weather (novel)
Heavy Weather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on July 28, 1933 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, and in the United Kingdom on August 10, 1933 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
(1933). It also introduced the criminals Alexander "Chimp" Twist, Dora "Dolly" Molloy and Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, who reappeared in Money for Nothing
Money For Nothing (novel)
Money for Nothing is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 27 July 1928 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 28 September 1928 by Doubleday, Doran, New York...
(1928) and Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank (novel)
Money in the Bank is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 19 January 1942 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 27 May 1946 by Herbert Jenkins, London...
(1946).
Plot introduction
The story is a romantic comedy, the hero of which is Sam Shotter, an old boyOld boy
Old boy may refer to:* Any male former pupil of schools in Britain, some schools in Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean .* A cadet who has attended St...
of Wrykyn school. Sent to England by his uncle to work for the Mammoth Publishing Company, he finds a girl he has long adored, despite only knowing her from a photograph. He woos the girl, and his man woos her maid, while a syndicate of crooks circle their suburb, seeking hidden treasure...
Plot summary
Sam Shotter, having failed to please his uncle John B. Pynsent in business, is sent to England to work for Lord TilburyGeorge Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury is a recurring fictional character in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. Pyke is a publishing magnate, the founder and owner of the Mammoth Publishing Company. Outside his business, he has a passion for pigs and is the owner of a prize pig...
, who hopes to complete a business deal with Pynsent. Avoiding being trapped in Tilbury's company, Sam opts to join his old pal "Hash" Todhunter, cook on a tramp steamer
Tramp steamer
A ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. As opposed to freight liners, tramp ships trade on the spot market with no fixed schedule or itinerary/ports-of-call...
, for the trip over. On the way, he shows Hash a photo of a girl, found on a wall in a remote Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
, whom he has fallen in love with.
Arriving in England looking rather bedraggled after his trip, Sam finds Hash has borrowed all his cash to put on a dog. Fortunately, it is the night of the Wrykyn Old Boys' dinner, and in town he runs into first Claude Bates, who, fearing Sam may be begging, flees, and later Willoughby Braddock, an old friend. Braddock is staying with Kay Derrick and her uncle Mr Wrenn while his house is decorated, and takes Sam back there, but wanders drunkenly off when they arrive; Sam is mistaken for a burglar by Lippett, the maid, and ends up sleeping in the empty house next door. During the night, Sam is disturbed by someone in the hallway with a torch.
Next morning, the confusion having been sorted out, Lippett gives Sam breakfast. He sees a picture of Kay, the girl of his dreams, and finds her uncle also works for the Mammoth Publishing Company, as editor of "Pyke's Home Companion". He visits Mr Cornelius, the local estate agent, and takes a lease on the empty house, "Mon Repos". He then sees Lord Tilbury, and gets himself employed on Mr Wrenn's paper.
Kay, having just quit her job with Claude Bates' aunt after he kissed her, is visiting her uncle's office when Sam arrives. Sam, overcome at having finally met her, kisses her also, upsetting her further. Lord Tilbury, worried by Sam's odd behaviour, is warned by his sister Francie that there may be a girl involved, but is reassured to hear Mr Wrenn has no children.
Sam hires Hash Toddhunter to be his cook, while "Chimp" Twist, "Soapy" and "Dolly" Molloy discuss the problem of recovering a large fortune stashed in Sam's new home by an old friend, Edward Finglass, famed for robbing the New Asiatic Bank of two million dollars in bonds. They send in Molloy, posing as a former resident of the house wishing to buy it. The scheme fails, as Sam needs to stay near Kay, and makes Hash suspicious; he buys a large dog named Amy to protect the place.
Sam's wooing of Kay begins to bear fruit, and he takes her out to lunch one day, where Lord Tilbury sees them. Having rejected Percy Pilbeam
Percy Frobisher Pilbeam
Percy Frobisher Pilbeam is a fictional character in the works of P. G. Wodehouse. A journalist turned detective, he is a rather weak and unpleasant man, generally disliked by all...
as a helper, he visits Chimp Twist's fake detective agency, and hires Twist to spy on Sam; he forces Sam to hire Twist as an odd job man, but Sam makes Twist remove his repulsive moustache
Moustache
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:...
. Hash and Claire become involved, but she is worried by his coolness (he is worried by her mother's nose). Following advice in the "Home Companion", she tries to make him jealous by flirting with Twist, whom Hash chases off in a fury.
The Molloys return to "Mon Repos" once more, tie up Hash and begin to search for the money, but Dolly is frightened off by Amy the dog, and Soapy, tired after fending off visitors, is caught napping by Sam, who takes away his trousers. Sam leaves him trapped while he releases Hash and takes him next door to be reunited with Claire. Heading back to his house, Sam meets Braddock, who informs him that Lord Tilbury is in there without his trousers. Sam provides him with some, but the deal between Tilbury and Sam's uncle has fallen through, and Tilbury reveals his dislike of Sam and his opinion that Sam will never be anything better than a moocher. He and Sam part angrily.
While Sam and Kay discuss a loving but poor future, Braddock spots Twist sneaking back into the house. He follows him and captures him in the act of pulling up some floorboards. Sam, believing the money cannot be in the house, lets Twist go, but when they hear from local historical expert Mr Cornelius that the two houses were once one, they realise that the money must be stashed in Kay's house. Sam and Kay plan to marry and move to the country on the reward money.
Characters in "Sam the Sudden"
- Sam Shotter, a somewhat eccentric American youth
- Mr John B. Pynsent, American Export-Import millionaire, Sam's uncle
- Clarence "Hash" Todhunter, an old seafaring pal of Sam's, who becomes his cook
- Kay Derrick, a pretty young girl, whose photograph Sam falls in love with
- Mr Matthew Wrenn, Kay's uncle and guardian
- Claire Lippett, their maid
- Mr Matthew Wrenn, Kay's uncle and guardian
- Willoughby Braddock, a school friend of Sam and an old neighbour of Kay
- Mrs Martha Lippett, Claire's mother, housekeeper to Braddock
- Claude Winnington-Bates, an unpleasant Wrykyn old boy
- Mrs Winnington-Bates, mother of Claude, Kay's demanding employer
- Lord TilburyGeorge Alexander Pyke, Lord TilburyGeorge Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury is a recurring fictional character in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. Pyke is a publishing magnate, the founder and owner of the Mammoth Publishing Company. Outside his business, he has a passion for pigs and is the owner of a prize pig...
, media mogul, who employs Sam and Mr Wrenn - Alexander "Chimp" Twist, a crook employed by Tilbury
- Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, an old comrade of Twist, a conman
- Dora "Dolly" Molloy, Molloy's wife, a fainter
- The late Edward "Finky" Finglass, a bank robber, once a resident of Valley Fields
- Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, an old comrade of Twist, a conman
- Mr Cornelius, a white-bearded estate agent and amateur historian, a friend of Mr Wrenn
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with photos of book covers and a list of characters
- Fantastic Fiction's page, with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies
- Detailed annotations, plus a synopsis, character and setting lists, and selected quotes