Product Description

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 03/27/2001 Run time: 250 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8072 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2001-03-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 300 minutes

Amazon.com
P.G. Wodehouse's much-loved stories about Bertie Wooster and his brilliantly clever valet, Jeeves, were brought faithfully to life in Jeeves and Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as master and servant. The scripts of this perfectly cast production retain all the sparkling wit of Wodehouse's prose, and it's hard to see how any future adaptation of his work could surpass this wonderfully funny series.

This boxed set contains the entire first season of Jeeves and Wooster. In "Jeeves Takes Charge," young man-about-town Bertie Wooster employs a new valet called Jeeves, and not a moment too soon. Thanks to his Aunt Agatha, Bertie faces the terrible prospect of marriage to the statuesque Honoria Glossop, and only Jeeves can save the day. "Tuppy and the Terrier" finds Bertie in trouble again when he loses Aunt Agatha's dog. Further aunt-related complications arise when Bertie's chum Tuppy falls for our hero's cousin Angela. Aunt Dahlia is not amused. An uncle in love with a waitress, a trip to the country, a speedy choirboy, and a secret betting syndicate all lead to trouble in "The Purity of the Turf." Jeeves, of course, is the only one who can put things right.

Jeeves and Wooster really hits its stride in the final episodes of the first series, "The Hunger Strike" and "Brinkley Manor." When Bertie visits Aunt Dahlia, he is called upon to solve the romantic problems of his friends Tuppy Glossop (in love with cousin Angela) and the delightful Gussy Fink-Nottle (in love with Madeleine Basset, a young lady who believes the stars to be God's daisy chain.) Unwisely, Bertie decides to cook up his own plan and before long disaster strikes. Aunt Dahlia's superb chef Anatole gives his notice, and Bertram is to blame. Thank goodness for Jeeves. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully funny, british comedy at its best
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.

CAREFUL-- YOU MAY HAVE THIS SET ALREADY. IF NOT, GET IT.
For some reason, A&E has released the first series of Jeeves & Wooster under different episode names. The original first series was available from PBS branded as Mobil Masterpiece Theatre, which is how this wonderful series first ran in the States.

I made the mistake of purchasing the first set offered by A&E thinking these were episodes I did not already have. Don't you do the same if you already have the original set from PBS.

...more on the confusing titles
Great videos, these. And thanks to Ian for the tip regarding duplicate tapes. After further research I believe I can clear up the issue. I think "The Very First..." and "The Collector's Set" contain the same episodes, despite the fact they sport different titles (see Ian's review below). Both of these sets were released in 1991. The upshot: there are essentially 3 J&W box sets: the two mentioned above which are really the same; the "More J&W" box set; and the "A Tad More J&W" box set. Happy hunting!