Sunset at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse
Good)
3. The household is lunching out. When they return, heroine goes to welcome Gaily, who is a great pal of hers.
She tells him about meeting hero, whom she knew as a kid, and getting him the job. Plug that she thinks he is hard up.
She tells him she is engaged. Gally dubious?
Heroine not at lunch party . She was out when Gally arrived)
At lunch the party met rich American girl and fiancé realised she was good thing and told heroine he would have to be leaving. He breaks engt? (Then girl’s father loses his money)
Good)
When heroine catches hero breaking in & beans him, she has come down stairs to get a drink, having had shock of finding letter from fiancé, breaking engt. (Or does he tell her? Cd he tell her he has lost all his money on Stock Exch?)
Query: After dinner Dora tells Gally not to monopolize ‘fine’ woman, as she intends that Ld E shall marry her?
Good)
Plant Gally having known bodyguard’s father.
End Act One with heroine finding letter.
*
June 10/74
Ld E must not get onto Dora wanting him to marry the woman till later in the story.
Problem
Heroine can’t be in love with another man. It makes her seem too shallow if she abruptly switches to hero. See June 15.
I must get heroine in love with hero, and he in danger of being chucked out for some reason.
What then is heroine’s idea in pinching jewel? What does she gain if he stays on?
Hero’s threatened departure ought to be connected with Chancellor.
Am I wrong in making hero artist come to paint pig? No It looks as if the best plan would be to make heroine be Chancellor’s daughter (or trustee) . Hero and she quarrel. Why? Hero abuses Chan and heroine ticks him off and hero says he’s leaving. She knows that if they stay together, she can bring him round.
No Or cd Chan be trustee to hero? Or wd that be too like Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen?
Or cd Chancellor (who in this case wd be Labour man) want hero to go into his business? Finding that hero is painting pig, he delivers an ultimatum & hero rebels. Heroine ticks him off.
Then Heroine wd not be Dora’s daughter. Good)
This looks the best so far.
*
June 12/74
When heroine meets Gally in scenario of June 10, she could tell him hero has sent comic strip to America. (Then at end he reveals that it has been accepted) Who is heroine?
Good)
She cd be daughter of old friend of Gally’s. Cd she have been secty to Ld E?
CHARACTERS
1. Chancellor of Exchequer
2. His Sister
3. Ld Emsworth
4. Dora, his sister
5. Gally
6. Hero
7. Heroine
8. Beach
9. Chancellor’s bodyguard
Hero has done a caricature of Chancellor for a London paper. It is this that makes Ch so sore and insistant on hero chucking painting. It gets sold in USA because an American agent sees this drawing.
V. Good)
Before hero comes to castle Ch has scene with Dora in garden — plant earlier that they are old friends and is getting sentimental when he sees bodyguard.
‘Who is that man?’ ‘My bodyguard’
Have Gally go to engage painter. He has scene with hero. Dora has taken heroine to Bi ù in love with undesirable man.
Qr. It is Dora who bounces hero.
X)
*
June 13/74
It was of Galahad Threepwood that his niece X had said — quote abt his being so fit.
Sequence
1) Gally arrives at castle, expecting to find Ld E alone. Beach tells him Dora and daughter are there. Dora and heroine are lunching out.
2) Gally goes to sty. Ld E tells him heroine has fallen in love with undesirable man.
3) Gally meets heroine. She tells him hero is an artist. Gally says Ld E was talking of getting artist to paint pig. He will get hero the job.
4) Gally meets Dora. She says old flame of hers staying at lunch house.
5) Gally goes to see hero. (Son of old friend).
6) The fire. Dora is going to invite the ‘lunch’ people to stay. She says sister of Chancellor knew Ld E as young man & tells G. not to monopolize her, as she is going to try to marry her to Ld E. Ø Plant here that she used to know Chr well.
Gally goes to Ld E and warns him … No.
7) Scene in grounds. Chr and Dora. He is getting sentimental, when he sees bodyguard: ‘Who is that man?’ ‘My bodyguard!’
8) Cut to hero.
Ø Here should come a scene at sty, when the ‘fire house ‘woman calls the Empress revolting. It is after this that Gally warns Ld E. (Probably the scene when Dora tells Gally she is going to get Ld E married cd be better played off stage.
Query: Make the woman v. political — strong on people’s rights. She has never met Ld E and takes him for the pig man. She rebukes him for servility — intelligent man like you degrading yourself by acting as valet to a revolting pig.
Good)
Note: Shall I delay her arrival, so that this scene cd come nearer end?
*
June 14, 1974
Work on 6 of June 12 [?13]. The Ld E-Woman scene ought to lead to something.
Start with Dora telling Gally not to monopolize Ch’s sister, who is coming later. Note. The fire cd be at a house in next county, and sister have stopped on in London to see about insurance. (Dora reads the news in her paper).
Sister & Ld E. She says natives in Uganda are starving and you shovel food into this revolting pig. Ld E might have retorted that the n of U probably wd not enjoy the Emp’s menu which as evbod knows consists […?…] too much aghast to speak & she walks on.
Sister walks on, meets hero. She must know him. (How?) She goes back to house and meets Dora. She says she met hero. I’ve forgotten his name. Dora says X. No that wasn’t it. Ha yes, it was Y, mentioning hero’s real name, Dora appalled.
Dora tackles hero, kicks him out.
Hero tells heroine, who gets idea of stealing jewel.
Good)
Heroine steals jewel. Dora discovers loss.
Dora tells Chancellor.
Bodyguard appears from behind curtain.
Nobody must leave this house. Then Ld E takes hero to pig. Hero shut out climbs in and sister beans him.
Good)
Then ‘sister’ becomes ‘tec.
Sister & bodyguard. Sister suspects hero.
Meanwhile, Gally has given Ld E […?… …?…]
They decide to return it.
Gally caught by bodyguard. G. knew his father
*
June 14/74
I can’t get any further till I get the end of story, and it must be something clever that Gally does so as to force Dora to consent to hero & heroine marrying.
Cd he somehow work it that he makes it seem that Ld E is guilty of the theft? In that case, jewel shd be ‘sister’s’.
B
Try this. Heroine steals jewel in order to keep hero in house.
Gally hides it by putting it in Ld E’s study, (without Ld E’s knowledge) . He shows it to Dora and says Ld E has obviously added kleptomania to his eccentricities. If this is discovered, his name will be mud. Ld Chr won’t marry Dora. (He says Ld E told him he was v. attracted by her).
I want to make it plausible that he makes terms re hero & heroine for his silence.
Not right yet but work on it.
X)
A
Try this, to make it continuous. Chr tells Gally he wants to propose to Dora but can’t because of bodyguard. Gally puts bodyguard out of action in a comic scene. Dora comes to Gally and says she is engaged to Chr: Gally says At this joyful time you will want to spread happiness, give your consent to hero and heroine and persuade Chr to give hero his money. Dora says No (ought to have solid reason for di
No. Cut trustee idea. Dora says hero has no money. G says hero has comic strip in USA.)
Good)
End book with G & Beach chatting.
X)
*
June 22 1974
Ch. 1. Jno Robinson’s taxi, which meets all the trains at Market Blandings, drew up with a screeching of brakes at the great door of Bl Castle, Lord E’s seat in Shropshire, and a dapper little man of middle age alighted with the agile abandon of a cat on hot bricks. This, as any number the old brigade could have told you, was the Hon. Galahad Threepwood Ld E’s younger brother.
[all deleted]
2. Plant housemaid with whom bodyguard falls in love.
Murchison is sick of seeing Sir James
Their politics are opposite it is agony for him to have to listen to J’s speeches.
X)
Mechanism for Gally getting bodyguard out of the way. In Ch 1 Beach tells Gally housemaid (his niece?) is being wooed by bodyguard. He doesn’t approve?
Good)
So when Ld Ch tells him his story he goes to bodyguard and advises him to take housemaid by storm.
‘I wd die for one little rose from her hair.
‘Has she got roses in her hair?
‘Actually no.
Gally knew M’s father well.)
‘You leer at her!
‘How do you mean, leer?
‘Like this, then you spring at her and grab her’
‘Are you a rugby footballer […?…] X?
‘I play for the Metropolitan Police
‘Try to imagine that she is an opponent trying to wriggle through to your goal line.
I don’t want to hurt her.
You won’t. Girls like that sort of thing.
*
June 25/74
Φ ‘Sister’ arrives in her car, doesn’t go to house, stops car at gates and goes strolling.
The arrival of ‘sister’ must be delayed till much nearer the final sequence. Φ
She must have her scene with Ld E just after she arrives. Then comes the stuff on June 14, with her walking on and meeting hero, whom she has met before (How?). Then she meets Dora and tells her hero’s name and the action starts.
Good X)
Problem: How does she know hero?
Try this. Hero did a portrait of her Peke.
The Peke is with her and barks at Empress and Ld E curses Peke and ‘sister’ is v. angry. (Or Ld E is afraid Peke will attack Empress.
Why isn’t hero at sty, painting, when ‘sister ‘comes to sty?
What wd be fine wd be if his delay was due to a scene with heroine.
V. Good)
Try this. Heroine has fixed up all arrangements for eloping. Hero says he can’t because he can’t let Ld E down and must finish painting Empress before he can leave, and heroine is furious.
(Heroine plans to get out of the house after dinner, and Beach has brought the beverages, by telling Ld E she wants to see Empress by moonlight)
XX)
Sequence
1) The quarrel. Φ Heroine breaks engt.
Φ Hero about to go to sty)
2) Heroine meets Gally. He comments on her militant air. A girl looked just like that before she stabbed him in leg with a hat pin. She tells him of quarrel. He says it shows how good a heart hero has. Get in the stuff about telling stories of her husband. Heroine won over.
V. Good)
3) G. takes hero back to heroine. Reconciliation. Hero starts for sty.
4) Cut to ‘sister’ coming to sty. ‘Sister’ & Ld E
5) ‘Sister’ & hero.
*
June 25/74
I must get characters and names.
Hero :- Bill Yardley, Freddie Nicholas.
Sister:— Mrs Wentworth MP (Fay). A widow.
Ld Chancellor :— Sir Julius Corder.
Bodyguard :— Sergeant Murchison.
Heroine :— Surname, Garland. Jane Garland. Susan Garland.
Housemaid :— Marilynn.
Lady Garland (Dora). She is a widow.
Try not making hero a professional artist, but painting as a hobby. He should be a schoolmaster or something.
How about a vet? This wd explain his painting animals.
X)
No)
Heroine met him when her dog was ill.
Sir Julius genial. Likes hero.
*
June 26/74
When ‘sister’ meets Dora, she is v. severe about a shabby and insolent man she met who was looking after pig. Dora dismayed says ‘That was Clarence’. Any hope she had had of marrying Ld E to ‘sister’ died, and ‘sister’, though not an impressionable woman, had the feeling that her visit had not begun well. To change an unpleasant subject she said ‘I see you have Mr X staying here.’
Good)
‘He painted my Peke. Your Jane recommended him.’
Sequence
1. Gally and Beach.
2. Gally and Dora.
3. Gally and Heroine. G & Ld E. G. says Ld E must have pig painted.
4. Sir Julius and Dora. Bodyguard.
5. Gally and Hero
Here is a gap to be filled. It should take up 5 and a good deal onward.
7. Mrs Wentworth arrives. Scene at sty with Ld E.
8. Mrs W. meets hero.
9. Mrs W and Dora. She tells Dora hero’s real name.
7. The quarrel (See June 25)
8. Gally v heroine. He
[7, 8 and 9 are ringed; the 7 and 8 following are also ringed; and the whole sequence from 1 to the second 8 is then crossed out.]
6. Julius & sister in hotel. […?…] . Dora’s invitation has arrived. He tells sister he loves Dora.
7. Hero and Julius in Jno R’s taxi. Hero has met Sir J when he came to paint Peke.
1. Beach tells Gally that Dora & heroine are at castle and Sir J and sister expected. I understand that Sir J will arrive shortly before Mrs W.
X)
*
June 27/74
Ld E & Gaily. G. suggests painting pig. Ld E demurs. He reminds G. of the former artists. G says this chap is not like that.
Ld E & Hero. Ld E tells him of former artist who made pig look like drunken ping in Xmas number. Hero reassures him. Ld E criticizes portraits of ancestors. Says his sisters object, but he has got rid of all except Dora.
Good)
and she will be leaving soon. She has brought her daughter here is in love, but she’ll get over it soon.
Sequence
1. Sir Julius and sister. He says he loves Dora and is handicapped by bodyguard. He knows Gally. G. coming later.
2. Cut to hero. Gally meets him at station.
3. Ld E & hero.
4. This ought to be hero-heroine. Qy: He tells her he has sold strip in USA.
Sir J-sister.)
Sir Julius met Dora at country house, started to woo her but always bodyguard there. This time he is going to evade him.
*
SCENARIO, Jly 28.
1 to Five, with all the necessary alterations. This introduces Brenda, Sir James, Sergeant Murchison, Dora, Nicky, and mentions Florence. Also plants Lord Emsworth.
Chapter 7 ought to be Gally coming to see hero. Then that part of the story can rest while I get on with Sir James and Dora.
8 therefore, will be the scene between Dora and James in the garden. He has become very sentimental about the old days and is about to propose when Murchison comes up behind him and says it looks like rain and he ought to go indoors. (Here is how I might work the scene. Have TWO interruptions by Murchinson. First he comes to warn James about rain. Dora says ‘Who is that man? ‘My bodyguard’. Then later M comes with macintosh).