Uncle Fred

Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in comedic short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse between 1935 and 1961. An energetic and mischievous old chap, his talent for trouble is the bane of his nephew Pongo Twistleton's life.

Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, 5th Earl of Ickenham, commonly known as Uncle Fred, is a fictional character who appears in comedic short stories and novels written by P. G. Wodehouse between 1935 and 1961. An energetic and mischievous old chap, his talent for trouble is the bane of his nephew Pongo Twistleton's life.

Adaptations

Television

The novel Uncle Dynamite was adapted for television as part of the NBC anthology series The Philco Television Playhouse. In the episode, which aired on 29 January 1950, Arthur Treacher portrayed Uncle Fred. In the episode "Uncle Fred Flits By", adapted from the short story for the American television series Hollywood Opening Night, David Niven portrayed Uncle Fred, and Robert Nichols portrayed Pongo. The episode aired on 15 March 1953. Niven and Nichols again portrayed Uncle Fred and Pongo in an episode of the CBS anthology series Four Star Playhouse that adapted "Uncle Fred Flits By". The episode was originally broadcast on 5 May 1955. "Uncle Fred Flits By" was dramatised for television as an episode of the BBC television series Comedy Playhouse. In the episode, Wilfrid Hyde-White portrayed Uncle Fred and Jonathan Cecil portrayed Pongo. It first aired on 16 June 1967. He was portrayed by Ballard Berkeley in the 1981 BBC television film Thank You, P. G. Wodehouse. Scenes from Uncle Fred in the Springtime were adapted into an episode of the Blandings television series, "Throwing Eggs". While the episode does not feature Uncle Fred, Pongo does appear in the episode, portrayed by Mathew Baynton. The episode first aired on 16 February 2014. Uncle Fred is mentioned by his title, Lord Ickenham, in the third episode of the first season of Jeeves and Wooster starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.

Radio

A radio drama based on "Uncle Fred Flits By" was broadcast on the BBC Home Service on 14 October 1939. The radio drama starred Cecil Trouncer as Uncle Fred and Philip Cunningham as Pongo. "Uncle Fred Flits By" was adapted as a radio drama in 1955, broadcast on the BBC Home Service, with D. A. Clarke-Smith as Uncle Fred and Derek Hart as Pongo. The novel Uncle Dynamite was dramatised as a serial in six half-hour episodes for BBC Radio 4 in 1994, starring Richard Briers as Uncle Fred and Hugh Grant as Pongo. Uncle Fred in the Springtime was adapted as a radio drama in two parts in 2012 for BBC Radio 4, with Alfred Molina as Uncle Fred, and Matthew Wolf as Pongo Twistleton.

Theatre

Actor John Lithgow has performed a one-man show "Stories by Heart" which includes a dramatic reading of the short story which first introduces Lord Ickenham, "Uncle Fred Flits By". The show was performed in New York at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2008. It was also performed at the American Airlines Theatre in 2018.

References

Notes Bibliography

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1361644361 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.