A Brilliant Time at the Jeeves & Wooster Party

So, yesterday I was the Jeeves & Wooster Party up in the Los Angeles area. I unfortunately arrived late as I was *still sewing* my outfit until 1:30pm (after working non-stop on my new blouse & skirt for the past few days) and the party started at 12:30pm...but I did *eventually* make it to the party! And pretty much, that's really all that counts! That and the fact that I had a blast!

Ok, so I was pretty much a fly on the wall for the first 1/2 hour I was there, but I was soaking it all in, trying to figure out who was who and what was going on. Eventually I did get to interact with a few people and I even participated in the Turtle Roulette! I didn't win, but on the 2nd round I was pretty close. The turtle headed straight for the number *next* to mine (and Jenn Mulvey. Bully for her!).

When I arrived, many of the partygoers were in the midst of playing Find the Shoe. A hillarious game in which the players divide into teams, all the shoes are piled together in a center area (like on a blanket) on the lawn, and the teams are lined up a few feet away. The first person in each line has to race to the pile and find one of his/her shoes and race to put on one shoe (tied/laced) and run back into his/her line while tagging the next person in his/her line to go and find his/her shoe. Each team members goes through twice in order to find and put on both pairs of shoes. The first team to have both pairs of shoes on each team member (with the correct shoes, and actually laced on, not just sort-of on =) wins! It was hillarious watching the participants play *in character*.

=D

Included in this post is a picture of my completed outfit. I gave my camera to someone else so I could be sure to get one photo of me all dressed up on my camera. Chaz was taking tons of photos throughout the party, so I'm sure he has some great ones that he'll be posting to his website shortly.

To wrap up the party, one of the organizers held a recap session, to see which of the characters met their goals for the afternoon/party. While I missed a good deal of the party, it was certainly entertaining hearing about what happened during the recap!

Afterwards, I helped clean up and then went to dinner with some of the other participants, so I could get to know them. (Hey, I drove all the way out to this place dressed up, and I wanted to make the drive worth it since I was late and missed a good portion of the party! =). We went to dinner at Dinah's (or was it Dinnah's?) on Centinella not to far from the 405. I had to try the 'Special Recipe' Fried chicken that they're apparently famous for, and I gotta say, it wasn't too bad. I meant to take home my leftovers (I had a small amount) and forgot the container on the table. Doh!

Anyways - the conversation during the meal (and before and afterwards) was a riot! We laughed so much (and so loudly)! It was splendid! Good food and good company always is a great time! Eventually, we did have to all leave, as some of us still had some traveling to do (like me!) and all of us had work in the morning.

My "Jeeves & Wooster" Party Character

Hi All! I was finally inspired to write (or flesh out) my character for the Jeeves & Wooster party that's coming up (Sept 14th!!). I worked on it last night (especially on my drive home - itsn't it great how some things will just come to you while you're stuck in traffic) and I'm quite pleased with the final result. I've just emailed it off to the event organizers. Yea! Now to work on the actual outfit I'm wearing. (Got the pattern, need to go buy the fabric, make a mock-up, and the quickly sew the real thing! Whew!).

So, in the meantime, enjoy my character submission for the J&W party!
-=-Becky

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Mabel Agnes Jones

Original Submission:
My real name: Rebecca Thelin
My desired character name: Mabel A. (Agnes) Jones
Desired level of involvement: 2 (Background Plot)
At least two events that you would like to play: Croquet, Toss Across, Three-Legged Race, Cake Baking.
Anything else about your character that you think we should know: Single gal.



- - - - NEW STUFF - - - -

Mabel is a typist/secretary who works in London. She is 29 years old, single, and shares a flat with a fellow typist/secretary named Helen Smith. [Both Mabel and Helen despise her landlady’s pet cat and would keep a dog if they were allowed one in the flat…and if they could afford one]. On weekdays, both she & Helen take the train in together to the City, although they do not necessarily take the same train home again.

In her spare time, Mabel enjoys dancing and croquet, as well as a few more homely pursuits such as reading, baking, and gardening (when possible).

She is currently on holiday in the county parish, visiting her Aunt & Uncle, Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Hamblin, who run a local shop in the village. While she is on Holiday, Mabel hopes to have a splendid visit with her mother’s sister’s family, take in the country air (while briskly walking about the country lanes)…and hopefully meet an eligible (and potentially rich) beau.


Other Misc. details: Brown Hair, Blue Eyes, Fair complexion, & about 5’8” tall. (My own info, obviously! =).

"If I Had A Talking Picture Of You" Lyrics

Another song featured on the Jeeves & Wooster soundtrack.

=)

 

I'm not sure, but I think this song is originaly from 1930.

(Wikipedia lists it on its "1930 in Music" page as a 'Top Hit on Record' at least).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_in_music

 

Wikipedia says that Jack Hylton performs the song, but not if he wrote it.

 

And on the "Jeeves & Wooster at the Hat Sharpening Shop" site:

http://www.hatsharpening.com/j&w/songlist.php

    - The Period Song Reference section says that the composer is "DeSylva/Brown/Henderson". And this list is direct from Granada TV's music department (the tv production company that did the Jeeves & Wooster show), so I guess we can just go with that info.

 

=)

-=-Becky

 

 

"If I Had A Talking Picture Of You"

 

If I had a talking picture of you,
I would run it every time I felt blue,
I would sit there in the gloom,
Of my lonely little room,
And applaud each time you whispered:
'I love you, love you!'

On the screen the moment you came in view,
We would talk the whole thing over, we two,
I would give ten shows a day,
And a midnight matinee,
If I had a talking picture of you

"Blue Room" lyrics

I was just listening to the Jeeves & Wooster Soundtrack, and came across "Blue Room" (one of my dad's favorite songs on this soundtrack...and mine too). So I looked up the lyrics. Didn't realize it was an Ella Fitzgerald song, but it makes sense.
=)


We'll have a blue room
A new room for two room
Where ev'ry day's a holiday
Because you're married to me.

Not like a ballroom
A small room, A hall room
Where I can smoke my pipe away
With your wee head upon my knee.

We will thrive on, keep alive on
Just nothing but kisses
With Mister and Missus
On little blue chairs.

You sew your trousseau
And Robinson Crusoe
Is not so far from worldly cares
As our blue room far away upstairs!

"What Ho, Jeeves!" - A Romp in the Style of P.G. Wodehouse

So, for all those of you who love Jeeves & Wooster (P.G. Wodehouse's creation) like I do, here's news of a Jeeves & Woster themed party that's planned for Sunday, September 14, 2008!

http://www.shawnandcolleen.com/jeeves/

(The following article is transcripied/copied from Squeals, vol 23, no. 10 - June 2008 - the official newsletter of the Costumer's Guild West)


On Sunday, September 14, 2008, join Jeeves and Wooster and Britian's tweedy elite for an enchanting afternoon at a country fair.

Bertie Wooster is a classic British young man of means, blessed with a touch too generous a heart and a slightly deficit in the noggin department. Jeeves is his hilariously arch and resourcefull valte, a "gentleman's gentlemean" without equal who sees Bertie through the never-ending swirl of colorful friends, indomitable aunts, and romantic entanglements that comprise early 1930's society life.

"What ho, Jeeves!" is a live action role-playing game. Participants will arrive in the costume of the 1930's high-society Enlgish countryside. They will have "characters" to play, based on the Jeeves and Wooster stories and television series. The chracter can be as simple as "Joan Smith, a nearby resident who wants to come to the fair" with no goals but to have fun, or as complicated as "Madeline Bassett, a wealthy young woman" whose goals include finding a marriageable man, gambling on the sporting events without getting caught, and winning in the sack race.

The faire will include footraces; quilting, baking, and canning competitions; games of bingo; and a tea tent.

Tickets for the event will cost approximately $15 per person. Please go to http:www.shawnandcolleen.com/jeeves/ for more information and reservations.

* * * * * *

And here's a link to the list of games and competitions! Sounds like a lot of fun!
=)
http://www.shawnandcolleen.com/jeeves/competitions.html

Sports Day Competitions:

Baby Race: First baby across the finish line wins. Parents may encourage them however they see fit.

Bingo: Bingo will be ongoing in the tea tent.

Blinded Ball Retrieval: A basket of balls will be released in front of each team. Teams will call out directions to guide their blindfolded team mate in finding a ball. Each team member must retrieve at least one ball.

Cake Competition: Cakes of all description will be submitted by the home baker. The best items will win a blue ribbon.

Centipede Race: Two teams form a conga-line centipede and race around obstacles. A broken centipede will be disqualified.

Cookie Competition: Cookies of all description will be submitted by the home baker. The best items will win a blue ribbon.

Croquet: Croquet will be ongoing on the back lawn.

Find Your Shoe: All shoes are removed and placed in a giant pile. Teams line up and each player at the top of the line runs to the pile, finds one of his or her shoes, puts it on, laced and buckled and run back to their next team mate. This is repeated until every team member is wearing both of their own shoes.

Lawn Bowling: Lawn Bowling will be ongoing on the back lawn.

Orange Relay: Pass the orange from one teammate to the next from under the chin without using your hands.

Quilting Competition: Home made items will be displayed by the competitors. The best items will win a blue ribbon.

Sack Race: Racers will don a sack and hop gallantly across the finish line.

Three-Legged Race: Two racers will be bound together at the ankle or knee. First team across the line wins.

Toss Across: Players toss bean bags to knock down bottles.

Tug o' War: There will be two teams holding a long rope with a little bit of flag in the middle. Try to get the flag on your side of the line.

Turtle Roulette: Competitors choose a number from a grid. A turtle is placed at the center. Players shall coax the turtle to cross the number they have chosen.

Each player shall sign up for at least two competitions. Note that Turtle Roulette, Toss Across, Bingo, Quilting, Cake and Cookies may be played while seated.