Rating: 
Summary: From the Books to the Screen
Review: Readers who have seen my Amazon review of PGW's French Leave know I am an incurable fan of the Master. Here I will merely make some notes on the DVDs of the Jeeves and Wooster series, since other readers have already reviewed them so well. Since the TV episodes do not have titles, the shows appeared on video under various names, which made for mix-ups, and you could easily have bought the same show twice. This was particularly the case in the transition from the Masterpiece Theatre/PBS editions to the A&E sets. To make matters worse, A&E also retitled the sets variously, so you never knew what you were buying.The DVDs are at least grouped by seasons. In the first season on VHS, the five shows,"Jeeves Arrival," "Golf Tournament," The Gambling Event," "Hunger Strike" and "The Matchmaker," also appeared as: "Jeeves Takes Charge," "The Purity of the Turf," "Tuppy and the Terrier," "The Hunger Strike," and "Brinkley Manor." The A&E boxed VHS set is called "The Very First Jeeves and Wooster." The Second Season in VHS consisted of "Jeeves Saves the Cow Creamer," "A Plan for Gussie," "Pearls Mean Tears," "Kidnapped," and "Jeeves the Matchmaker." The Third Season on VHS was called "More Jeeves and Wooster," and included "Bertie Sets Sail," "The Full House," Introduction on Broadway," "Hot Off the Press," "Comrade Bingo," and "Right Ho Jeeves." Fourth Season titles are: "Return to New York," "The Once and Future Ex," "Bridegroom Wanted," The Delayed Arrival," "Trouble at Totleigh Towers," and "The Ties That Bind." I find the first three seasons eminently watchable, although they go slowly downhill from the excellent first season on. The fourth season departs too far from PGW's style to please longtime Wodehousians, but some viewers unfamiliar with Plum's books might like the faster pace better. This retitling problem occurs with P.G.Wodehouse's books also, since the American editions were often renamed from the British versions, different short story collections were variously titled, etc. etc. In his book, P.G.Wodehouse, in the Thames and Hudson Literary Lives series, Joseph Connolly gives a listing of duplicate books with different titles. I also have a review of that book in the PGW section on Amazon.com for any interested readers.
Rating:
Summary: Terrifically funny.
Review: Sure, Jeeves & Wooster didn't really hit its stride until the final two episodes of the first season. But that doesn't detract from the other three episodes included here. The spirit of P.G. Wodehouse has been perfectly captured--the utter madness, the complexities of the relationships, and the dry, almost sardonic humor, have all been recreated here. Even the accents that the actors have adopted are perfect for the characters. There are no extra features here, which is unfortunate, but the episodes are what really matter. Besides, if you have bought this or are thinking of buying it, it's the episodes that you are after. The talent included here is incredible. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, one of the greatest comic duos of our time, have never been better, and they play off each other quite well here. Bottom line? It's worth buying. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: Terrifically funny.
Review: Sure, Jeeves & Wooster didn't really hit its stride until the final two episodes of the first season. But that doesn't detract from the other three episodes included here. The spirit of P.G. Wodehouse has been perfectly captured--the utter madness, the complexities of the relationships, and the dry, almost sardonic humor, have all been recreated here. Even the accents that the actors have adopted are perfect for the characters. There are no extra features here, which is unfortunate, but the episodes are what really matter. Besides, if you have bought this or are thinking of buying it, it's the episodes that you are after. The talent included here is incredible. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, one of the greatest comic duos of our time, have never been better, and they play off each other quite well here. Bottom line? It's worth buying. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: Best in british humor (and thus the best all-around)
Review: The 5 episodes of this set appeared previously under different titles: "Jeeves' Arrival", "Golf Tournament", "The Gambling Event", "Hunger Strike" and "The Matchmaker". Two memorable characters are introduced: the ever-amiable, charming and foppish gentleman of the '30s, Bertie Wooster, and his stately, cultured and dignified valet, Jeeves. Bertie (and his helpless friends) finds himself in trouble all the time, and only the priceless Jeeves can extricate him and make things run smoothly again, until the next imbroglio comes up. Their creator is P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975). If you already met him, then no more talk is necessary. If he hasn't crossed your path yet, your happiness is even greater; you will be able to discover his sunny world starting afresh. What wouldn't I give to be able to read his short stories and novels again without knowing the way they end (always happily) beforehand! Bertie Wooster is played by Hugh Laurie and Jeeves by Stephen Fry. They are simply brilliant and I laughed myself into stitches watching the series. Usually TV adaptations are disappointing, but in this case, none of the original flavor is lost! I've seen all four seasons, and the one thing I found confusing is that sometimes secondary characters are played by different actors. Plot lines are not followed exactly sometimes and separate novels and short stories are combined together in one episode to make the whole thing livelier, but the final result is, somehow, exactly right.
Rating:
Summary: Best in british humor (and thus the best all-around)
Review: The 5 episodes of this set appeared previously under different titles: "Jeeves' Arrival", "Golf Tournament", "The Gambling Event", "Hunger Strike" and "The Matchmaker". Two memorable characters are introduced: the ever-amiable, charming and foppish gentleman of the '30s, Bertie Wooster, and his stately, cultured and dignified valet, Jeeves. Bertie (and his helpless friends) finds himself in trouble all the time, and only the priceless Jeeves can extricate him and make things run smoothly again, until the next imbroglio comes up. Their creator is P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975). If you already met him, then no more talk is necessary. If he hasn't crossed your path yet, your happiness is even greater; you will be able to discover his sunny world starting afresh. What wouldn't I give to be able to read his short stories and novels again without knowing the way they end (always happily) beforehand! Bertie Wooster is played by Hugh Laurie and Jeeves by Stephen Fry. They are simply brilliant and I laughed myself into stitches watching the series. Usually TV adaptations are disappointing, but in this case, none of the original flavor is lost! I've seen all four seasons, and the one thing I found confusing is that sometimes secondary characters are played by different actors. Plot lines are not followed exactly sometimes and separate novels and short stories are combined together in one episode to make the whole thing livelier, but the final result is, somehow, exactly right.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Stuff
Review: The comments of the other reviewers are very good. The actors do a great job bringing these stories to life. The stories are faithful to the original stories of P.G. Wodehouse and are truly entertaining. If you like Wodehouse, or understated humor, you will enjoy these shows again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Stuff
Review: The comments of the other reviewers are very good. The actors do a great job bringing these stories to life. The stories are faithful to the original stories of P.G. Wodehouse and are truly entertaining. If you like Wodehouse, or understated humor, you will enjoy these shows again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully funny, british comedy at its best
Review: The quality of the sound is much better than in the VHS version I've seen (Dolby digital 2.0 on DVD). However there aren't any special features except scene selection. The titles of the episodes listed are the following: "Jeeves takes charge", "Tuppy and the terrier", "The purity of the turf", "The hunger strike" and "Brinkley Manor". The 5 episodes of this set appeared previously (VHS) under different titles: "Jeeves' Arrival", "Golf Tournament", "The Gambling Event", "Hunger Strike" and "The Matchmaker". Two memorable characters are introduced: the ever-amiable, charming and foppish gentleman of the '30s, Bertie Wooster, and his stately, cultured and dignified valet, Jeeves. Bertie (and his helpless friends) finds himself in trouble all the time, and only the priceless Jeeves can extricate him and make things run smoothly again, until the next imbroglio comes up. Their creator is P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975). If you already met him, then no more talk is necessary. If he hasn't crossed your path yet, you're even luckier; you will be able to discover his sunny world starting afresh. Bertie Wooster is played by Hugh Laurie and Jeeves by Stephen Fry. They are simply brilliant and I laughed myself into stitches watching the series. Usually TV adaptations are disappointing, but in this case, none of the original flavor is lost! Plot lines are not followed exactly sometimes and separate novels and short stories are combined together in one episode to make the whole thing livelier, but the final result is, somehow, exactly right.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive
Review: You can't just have one. Get them all. Fry gives a perfect performance and he's not hard to look at either. The other characters are too much fun too.
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