Transcribe
Translate
Moonshine, v. 2, issue 1, Spring 1946
Page 5
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
MOONSHINE Page Five Concerning a, semi-fantasy book I have never seen mentioned in the fanzines... Anybody here read "LAUGHING GAS" by PG Wodehouse? (Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY. 1937. 303 pages) It's about a typical Wodehousean English Earl who, due to circumstances beyond his control, goes to Hollywood... and gets a toothache. So he goes to the dentist. In the adjoining dentist office is Joey Cooley, America's favorite child star. He too is having an extract!on... Both take "laughing gas" and somewhere in the fourth dimension (or whatever they call it, as Wodehouse put it) their souls (evidently temporary freed from their bodies while under the affects of the gas) get mixed up and the Earl's ego finds himself in the child star's body... the kid's ego finds himself in the Earl's body. Original idea, wot? (Ouch!) Well, anyhoo, it develops that lil Joey never wanted to be the Idol of American Motherhood but wants to go back to his Ohio home where he can be a juvenile delinquent or somethin' and he has a suppressed desire to do physical injury to the lady who manages his film career, his director and other people who insisted that he should be a child star. But now the desire is no longer suppressed for he now has the Earl's body and physically, the Earl Is a bit of a brute. The Earl, however, is not at all satisfied with his new, lil, scrawny body but don't dare reveal the 4th dimensional mix-up for fear of the nut-house. So he has to play along as America's beloved but badgered child star. So Wodehouse proceeds to push his unwilling characters through a series of humorous situations. Humorous to the reader only, but the human race Is always ready to laugh loud and long at the misfortunes of others. I read the book some time ago and re-read it recently to see If it was still as funny to me. For the most part, it is...when I'm in the mood for Wodehousenania. So if you like light humor and very light fantasy read LAUGHING GAS. You can prob'ly find It In your local library (public). I did. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T SEE IT there's an article by John W. Campbell, Jr. in May '46 issue of PIC (another of Street & Smith's pubs). It's entitled "Divided We Stand" and the plug says:"A scientist predicts that after an atomic attack, the United States would "break up into smaller nations." Tis interestin' and most fans would enjoy reading it, so........ Wonder if some stf author will latch onto the idea expressed in the article and write a tale for ASTOUNDING, using said idea... Mebbe Campbell will himself.. Hope so...... I keep hitting v for b turns out to be ve bv bv bv bv bvds INTO THE FUTURE: Next issue of Moonshine may contain a short-short tale, 'Where Dreamers Seek' by my good friend, the late Blaine R. Dunmire. Most of my collection of stf gear is still in Pa. waiting to be shipped westward. If It's out here by nextime I'll use Blaine Dunmire's story and some other stuff, including a humorous fantasy poem and Lord-only-knows what else ....... BEWARE! —ljm
Saving...
prev
next
MOONSHINE Page Five Concerning a, semi-fantasy book I have never seen mentioned in the fanzines... Anybody here read "LAUGHING GAS" by PG Wodehouse? (Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY. 1937. 303 pages) It's about a typical Wodehousean English Earl who, due to circumstances beyond his control, goes to Hollywood... and gets a toothache. So he goes to the dentist. In the adjoining dentist office is Joey Cooley, America's favorite child star. He too is having an extract!on... Both take "laughing gas" and somewhere in the fourth dimension (or whatever they call it, as Wodehouse put it) their souls (evidently temporary freed from their bodies while under the affects of the gas) get mixed up and the Earl's ego finds himself in the child star's body... the kid's ego finds himself in the Earl's body. Original idea, wot? (Ouch!) Well, anyhoo, it develops that lil Joey never wanted to be the Idol of American Motherhood but wants to go back to his Ohio home where he can be a juvenile delinquent or somethin' and he has a suppressed desire to do physical injury to the lady who manages his film career, his director and other people who insisted that he should be a child star. But now the desire is no longer suppressed for he now has the Earl's body and physically, the Earl Is a bit of a brute. The Earl, however, is not at all satisfied with his new, lil, scrawny body but don't dare reveal the 4th dimensional mix-up for fear of the nut-house. So he has to play along as America's beloved but badgered child star. So Wodehouse proceeds to push his unwilling characters through a series of humorous situations. Humorous to the reader only, but the human race Is always ready to laugh loud and long at the misfortunes of others. I read the book some time ago and re-read it recently to see If it was still as funny to me. For the most part, it is...when I'm in the mood for Wodehousenania. So if you like light humor and very light fantasy read LAUGHING GAS. You can prob'ly find It In your local library (public). I did. IN CASE YOU DIDN'T SEE IT there's an article by John W. Campbell, Jr. in May '46 issue of PIC (another of Street & Smith's pubs). It's entitled "Divided We Stand" and the plug says:"A scientist predicts that after an atomic attack, the United States would "break up into smaller nations." Tis interestin' and most fans would enjoy reading it, so........ Wonder if some stf author will latch onto the idea expressed in the article and write a tale for ASTOUNDING, using said idea... Mebbe Campbell will himself.. Hope so...... I keep hitting v for b turns out to be ve bv bv bv bv bvds INTO THE FUTURE: Next issue of Moonshine may contain a short-short tale, 'Where Dreamers Seek' by my good friend, the late Blaine R. Dunmire. Most of my collection of stf gear is still in Pa. waiting to be shipped westward. If It's out here by nextime I'll use Blaine Dunmire's story and some other stuff, including a humorous fantasy poem and Lord-only-knows what else ....... BEWARE! —ljm
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
