The Debut of Battling Billson
"The Debut of Battling Billson" | |
---|---|
Short story by P. G. Wodehouse | |
![]() 1923 Strand illustration by Reginald Cleaver | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Comedy |
Publication | |
Publisher | Cosmopolitan (US) Strand (UK) |
Media type | Print (Magazine) |
Publication date | June 1923 (US) July 1923 (UK) |
"The Debut of Battling Billson" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the June 1923 issue of Cosmopolitan and in the United Kingdom in the July 1923 Strand.[1] It features the irrepressible Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, and was included in the collection Ukridge, published in 1924.[2]
Plot
Ukridge, observing the wealth displayed by a prominent boxing manager, resolves to get in on the game himself, and thus make his fortune. By good fortune, an old acquaintance of his from his world-roaming days, an enormous and powerful sailor named Billson, famed for his ability to mop up stevedores by the dozen in bar fights, has landed in England and is looking for shore work, having fallen for a barmaid named Flossie. Ukridge scoops him up, and the two visit James Corcoran prior to heading to the training ground.
Arriving at his first fight, Billson (now dubbed "Battling Billson") meets his opponent, and is touched by the man's life story. In the ring, this sentimentality affects his performance, until a few strong blows enrage him; he is, however, hesitant, and is knocked out when distracted.
Ukridge hears that the champion, Tod Bingham, is offering substantial prizes to anyone who can go two rounds with him; he puts his man forward. To ensure Billson's fighting instinct is not weakened by the man's reputation for kindness to his mother, Ukridge persuades Ukridge's girl Flossie to write a letter claiming she has been wooed away from him by the other fighter. This entails taking the girl out for dinner, on their friend George Tupper, who is mortified by the girl's plebeian dress and manners.
When the day of the prize bout arrives, Corky and Ukridge stand in the crowd, excitedly awaiting Billson's fight. However, the compere announces that the champ has been hit by a truck and will be unable to fight, to the disgust of all. Outside the hall, they encounter a bystander, who describes the "truck" that hit Bingham as an enormous, red-headed man in full rage - if only he'd thought to save his fighting for the ring, says the man, he could have made a tidy sum.
Billson would return in several other Ukridge stories.
Main characters
- Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, the irrepressible entrepreneur
- James Corcoran, Ukridge's writer friend
- Bowles, Corky's landlord, an ex-butler
- George Tupper, an old schoolfriend of Ukridge and Corcoran
- "Battling" Billson, an enormous sailor, friend of Ukridge
- Flossie, Bilson's girl, a barmaid
- Tod Bingham, middle-weight boxing champion
Publication history
The story was illustrated by T. D. Skidmore in Cosmopolitan,[3] and by Reginald Cleaver in The Strand Magazine.[4]
It was included in The World of Ukridge, a collection of Ukridge stories published in October 1975 by Barrie & Jenkins.[5]
Adaptations
The story was adapted for radio in 1940 and broadcast on the BBC Home Service, with Malcolm Graeme as Ukridge, Noel Dryden as Corky, William Trent as Bowles, Charles Mason as George Tupper, Philip Wade as Wilberforce Billson, Vivienne Chatterton as Florence Burns, and Geoffrey Wincott as Professor Devine.[6]
It was adapted for television in 1968 as the third episode of the second series of The World of Wodehouse.[7]
The second episode of The Adventures of Ukridge (1992–93), a radio series that first aired on BBC Radio 4, was based on the story. The stories were adapted by Julian Dutton. The cast of "The Debut of Battling Billson" included Griff Rhys Jones as Ukridge, Robert Bathurst as Corky, Adam Godley as Tupper, Simon Godley as Beamish, Dougal Lee as Bowles and Billson, Rebecca Front as Millie and Flossie, and Julian Dutton as Professor Devine.[8]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Midkiff, Neil (3 July 2019). "The Wodehouse short stories". Madame Eulalie. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ McIlvaine (1990), pp. 45–46, A32.
- ^ McIlvaine (1990), p. 148, D17.28.
- ^ McIlvaine (1990), p. 184, D133.99.
- ^ McIlvaine (1990), p. 123, B16.
- ^ "'Ukridge'". BBC Genome. BBC. 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Series 1, Episode 3 - The Debut Of Battling Billson". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Series 1, Episode 2 - The Debut Of Battling Bilson". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- Sources
- McIlvaine, Eileen; Sherby, Louise S.; Heineman, James H. (1990). P. G. Wodehouse: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Checklist. New York: James H. Heineman Inc. ISBN 978-0-87008-125-5.
- v
- t
- e
- Jeeves
- Blandings Castle
- Psmith
- Uncle Fred
- Mr. Mulliner
- Oldest Member
- Drones Club
- Ukridge
- School stories
- The Pothunters
- A Prefect's Uncle
- The Gold Bat
- William Tell Told Again
- The Head of Kay's
- Love Among the Chickens
- The White Feather
- Not George Washington
- The Swoop!
- Mike
- A Gentleman of Leisure
- Psmith in the City
- The Prince and Betty
- The Little Nugget
- Psmith, Journalist
- Something Fresh
- Uneasy Money
- Piccadilly Jim
- A Damsel in Distress
- The Coming of Bill
- Jill the Reckless
- The Girl on the Boat
- The Adventures of Sally
- Leave It to Psmith
- Bill the Conqueror
- Sam the Sudden
- The Small Bachelor
- Money for Nothing
- Summer Lightning
- Big Money
- If I Were You
- Doctor Sally
- Hot Water
- Heavy Weather
- Thank You, Jeeves
- Right Ho, Jeeves
- The Luck of the Bodkins
- Laughing Gas
- Summer Moonshine
- The Code of the Woosters
- Uncle Fred in the Springtime
- Quick Service
- Money in the Bank
- Joy in the Morning
- Full Moon
- Spring Fever
- Uncle Dynamite
- The Mating Season
- The Old Reliable
- Barmy in Wonderland
- Pigs Have Wings
- Ring for Jeeves
- Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit
- French Leave
- Something Fishy
- Cocktail Time
- Jeeves in the Offing
- Ice in the Bedroom
- Service with a Smile
- Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves
- Frozen Assets
- Galahad at Blandings
- Company for Henry
- Do Butlers Burgle Banks?
- A Pelican at Blandings
- The Girl in Blue
- Much Obliged, Jeeves
- Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin
- Bachelors Anonymous
- Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
collections
- Tales of St. Austin's
- The Man Upstairs
- The Man with Two Left Feet
- My Man Jeeves
- Indiscretions of Archie
- The Clicking of Cuthbert
- The Inimitable Jeeves
- Ukridge
- Carry On, Jeeves
- The Heart of a Goof
- Meet Mr Mulliner
- Mr Mulliner Speaking
- Very Good, Jeeves
- Mulliner Nights
- Blandings Castle and Elsewhere
- Young Men in Spats
- Lord Emsworth and Others
- Eggs, Beans and Crumpets
- Nothing Serious
- A Few Quick Ones
- Plum Pie
published books
- The Beauty of Bath
- Nuts and Wine
- Oh, Boy!
- Leave It to Jane
- The Riviera Girl
- Miss 1917
- Oh, Lady! Lady!!
- The Girl Behind the Gun
- Kissing Time
- Oh, My Dear!
- Sally
- The Cabaret Girl
- The Beauty Prize
- Oh, Kay!
- Show Boat
- Rosalie
- The Three Musketeers
- Anything Goes
- The Play's the Thing
- Good Morning, Bill
- Leave It to Psmith
- Come On, Jeeves
Film |
|
---|---|
Television |
|
Radio |
|
Stage |
|