Heavy Weather

Wodehouse's more eccentric characters are often notoriously difficult to render on screen, as witness David Niven's bland and lifeless Bertie Wooster. In Peter O'Toole and Richard Briers, however, we finally have the perfect renditions of the Earl of Emsworth and his younger brother, the Honourable Galahad Threepwood (respectively). It's clear that both actors spent a fair amount of time reading the Wodehouse stories to get their characters down, and it's paid off.

Wodehouse frequently describes the Earl as "dreamy," "lanky," "boneless" (in more ways than one), and, when visiting his prize pig, draping himself over the fence "like an old sock" or "an unused pair of overalls." He is also forgetful, placid, and inattentive. The Hon. Galahad, on the other hand, is small, dapper, quick witted, and inordinately fond of alcohol, bar maids, and chorus girls. If possible, the Hon. Galahad is even more difficult to render than the Earl. But in "Heavy Weather," O'Toole and Briers have brought them to life without making them either foolish or ridiculous. On first viewing it, I thought Briers was perfect but that O'Toole may have gone a bit overboard on the ninth Earl of Emsworth. So I re-read the Blandings Castle books and, no, O'Toole had it exactly right.

In short, "Heavy Weather" is a real gem that should be available on DVD and isn't. Petition the producers to release it and, in the meantime, try to catch it on your local PBS Masterpiece Theater. In the meantime, check out Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, another perfect pairing that is available on both VHS and DVD.