in a famous essay he write about charles dickens and george orwell point out that many reader always regret that dickens never continue write like he do in pickwick paper represent that be and he do not stick to write funny episodic novel for the rest of his career . this would not have be too difficult for dickens . his contemporary robert surtees do precisely that and only concentrate on the misadventure of the fox hunting set ( mr. fancy romfords hound be a title of one of his novel ) . among hunter and horse lover surtees still have a following but most people find his novel unreadable . dickens be determine to show he be more than a funny man ( and do not forget and his first book and sketch by boz and be also a funny book ) . so dickens third book be oliver twist ( which get pretty grim at point ) . orwell say that for any author to grow they have to change the style of their book . dickens would definitely ( and successfully ) have agree to that . but orwell overlook the genre writer who transcend his fellow . surtees and a i say and be a genre writer concentrate on hunt but not everyone be interested in hunt . but p. g. wodehouse saw himself a an entertainer and poke fun at the upper reach of the british social system . his earl of emsworth be prouder of raise the fine pig in england than be . well earl of emsworth . his psmith be always prepare to counterattack when he be suppose to be submissive to an unfair superior . his stanley uckridge will always have a perfect scheme that should net a huge profit ( but always manage to come apart at the end ) . and best of all and his jeeves will always put his brilliant brain to work rescue the inept bertie wooster and his bos . since wodehouse have a limited view of his mission a a writer he be there to do cartoon figure of fun for the entertainment of the world his book never lose their glow . they serve ( and still serve ) their purpose . in fact and compare wodehouse with his far more serious contemporary evelyn waugh and who also write funny book and but of a more intellectual type . the best of waugh remain among the high point of 20th century british literature represent brideshead revisit and decline and fall and and the rest . but in his determination to make his point and if his point fail to interest the reader the book frequently collapse . for every vile body there be some failure late in his career like the ordeal of gilbert pinfold . while wodehouse could do less hack work too and his fall do not go as far a waugh do . wodehouse also be a gifted lyricist ( when you hear bill in the score of showboat and it be not kern and hammerstein tune and but kern and wodehouse tune transpose from oh lady and lady a dozen year earlier ) . he be a handy dramatist too . so it be please to see that he take his novel a damsel in distress and turn it into the screenplay here . it have the normal wodehouse touch . that perfect butler keggs ( reginald gardiner in a wonderful performance ) be a scoundrel in rig a friendly gambling game of chance among the staff of the stately home he head . he be also unable to refrain and occasionally and from sing italian opera despite constance collier attempt to control his impulse . this be typical wodehouse characterization . so be the way the love affair between lady alyce and jerry keep go well and go down due to the antic of keggs and young albert and both of whom want to win that game of chance pot of cash . wodehouse always do that type of plot switch and with antagonist switch their point of view depend on their present state of interest . wodehouse be also lucky here to have burn and allan to work with . it be generally consider that of all the film they make a support actor together ( such a six of a kind and be not dress ) george and gracie do their best support with fred astaire . the fun house sequence and which include the song stiff upper lip and be wonderful and as be an early sequence where the three do a whisk broom dance ( that astaire learn from burn ) . but gracie marvelous illogical logic be use by wodehouse in scene with gardiner ( see how she manage to confuse him into give her more money than her change deserve to be only albert happens to notice keggs or gardiner mistake and and look at gardiner a though he either stupid or mad ) . her dialog with lady caroline ( collier ) son reggie ( ray noble and the british band leader ) lead him to imagine that he will marry her and but say goodbye to gracie a she drive off with george to get marry be wonderful too . the film supposedly fail at the box office because of the lack of ginger rogers in it and and the weakness of joan fontaine . fontaine be not do a remarkable job in the role and but the flaw be really wodehouse he do not make the character very interesting . but the film can stand without that and give the other performer and their character and gershwin music and and wodehouse marvelous sense of fun .