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Blandings - the logo of www.blandings.org.uk, the Companion to the works of P G Wodehouse

Bring on the Girls:

The Improbable Story of Our Life in Musical Comedy with Pictures to Prove It

An autobiographical history by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse

This book is a sort of history of Guy's and PG's partnership in musical comedies from their initial meeting in 1915 up to their move to Hollywood in 1930. This was not the end of their partnership, as they continued writing together and remained lifelong friends, but covers what was by far the most successful period of their collaboration.

It is often forgotten today that this pair, with composer Jerome Kern, were responsible for a major shift in the style of musicals, on both sides of the Atlantic. British musicals were closer to light operettas. American musicals were more like revues, packed with speciality acts, huge sets and choruses, the music and plot, if any, being largely disconnected. The trio produced a number of small scale pieces which linked or interwove the songs with a strong plot. This paved the way for the now better known musicals of the thirties - fifties (although Hollywood kept the grand production number alive).

Bolton, with help from PG, wrote the libretti or books, Kern the music and Wodehouse the lyrics, the part he liked most. A few are reproduced in the book. At one time, as the book says, PG held the record for the most musicals running on Broadway (5) - a record which has not yet been broken.

When reading this book it is essential to remember that both of the authors wrote it to entertain. They have deviated from the truth throughout, happily making up stories or re-attributing them to make a better book.*

Publishing Information

UK:1954 Herbert Jenkins
US:1953 Simon and Schuster

Also published in the omnibus edition Wodehouse on Wodehouse by Hutchinson (1980) and Penguin (1981 - used here). The Penguin version does not have any pictures.

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* This sort of thing drives biographers and site authors crazy. One small example is the reference to The Second Century Show as the name of a show. It was in fact the second of two similar shows at the Century theatre and was really called Miss 1917. On the strength of this, some sites and books list the first or even both titles. However, the authors achieved their objective, this book is entertaining so these sins can be forgiven. You do not have to be a Wodehouse fanatic to enjoy this volume.