Mr. Mulliner


Mr. Mulliner is a fictional character from the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. Mr. Mulliner is a loquacious pub raconteur who, no matter what the topic of conversation, can find an appropriate story about a member of his family to match it.
Like much of Wodehouse's work, the Mr. Mulliner stories were originally written for magazine publication. Thirty-seven of the 41 overall Mulliner stories were originally published between 1926 and 1937. The final four stories appeared much later, being published between 1958 and 1972.

Overview

Like his fellow Wodehouse character, the Oldest Member, the raconteur Mr. Mulliner can turn any conversation into a "recollection", or funny story. A habitué of the Angler's Rest pub, his fellow drinkers are identified only by their beverages. Wodehouse revealed in an introduction that he devised Mr. Mulliner after collecting notebooks full of ideas that could not be used because they were too outlandish, until he had the happy notion of a fisherman whose veracity could be doubted.
The tales of Mulliner all involve one of his relations: there are dozens upon dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews. These include stories about loves lost, found and rekindled; fortunes made and lost; and opportunities grasped or missed. They take place across the globe: Los Angeles's Hollywood and the English Country House are the settings for many.
Two Mulliner stores are not primarily about one of Mr. Mulliner's relatives. However, in these two cases, Mr. Mulliner states that the stories were told to him by relatives; he is therefore reporting a story told to him by a relation, rather than a story about a relation.

Stories

The Mulliner stories all employ an unusual structure. At the beginning of each story, an unnamed first-person narrator sets the scene at the Angler's Rest pub, describing the conversation at the bar-parlour. This will lead to Mr. Mulliner entering the conversation, generally elaborating on the conversational theme, and remarking that it reminds him of a story involving a relative. Then, no more than a page or two into the story, Mr. Mulliner effectively takes over the narration of the tale, describing the events that befell the relative in question. In the earlier stories, the unnamed first-person narrator returns very briefly to close out the tale back at the Angler's Rest—in later stories, the story ends when Mr. Mulliner has concluded it.
Mr. Mulliner himself is rarely a character in the tales he tells. An exception is the story "George and Alfred", in which Mr. Mulliner tries to help out one of his nephews who has been accused of a crime. In this story, we learn that Mr. Mulliner is a friend of Hollywood studio head Jacob Z. Schnellenhamer, and that he has stayed on Schnellenhamer's yacht while it was cruising the Mediterranean. We also learn that Mr. Mulliner's first name, whatever it may be, is not George.
Little else is revealed of Mulliner's character beyond his large family, his choice of beverage, and his hobby of fishing. Nevertheless, Mulliner narrates forty short stories. Many are collected in the three books, containing nine stories each, which bear his name:
The remaining fourteen stories are scattered in other volumes:
The World of Mr Mulliner is an omnibus containing all 41 stories narrated by Mr. Mulliner. It also includes one other story which has a tangential connection to the series: "From a Detective's Notebook" is narrated by the detective Adrian Mulliner, who had previously been established as one of Mr. Mulliner's innumerable nephews. Strictly speaking, despite its appearance in the Mr. Mulliner omnibus, this tale cannot be considered a Mr. Mulliner story, as Mr. Mulliner does not narrate it, appear in it, and is not actually referenced in it in any way.
Another story tangentially connected to the series is the very short Mulliner story entitled "Shock Dogs", which was not published in any story collection. The story was published in the 14 February 1940 issue of the British satirical magazine Punch and is not more than two pages long. It is signed with initials only but the Articles and Verse listing in the bound volume Punch volume CXCVIIJ Jan-June 1940 attributes the story to Wodehouse, P. G. It mentions by name Hitler, Brauchitsch, and Goebbels, which is very unusual for an author who so seldom allowed politics to impinge on his novels and stories.
Also note that a handful of what were to become "Mr. Mulliner stories" were originally published in magazines without the framework of Mr. Mulliner telling the story in question. When revised for book publication, Wodehouse added the Mulliner openings and narration — and it is these revised versions which appear in all Mulliner and Wodehouse anthologies to this day. These revised stories can often be distinguished by Mulliner identifying the prime character of the story as a "distant cousin" whose surname is not Mulliner.

Known relatives

Forebears:
Grandmother:
Uncles:
Aunts:
Brothers:
Sisters-in-law:
First cousins:
Cousins by marriage:
First cousins, once removed:
First cousin, once removed, by marriage:
Distant cousins:
Distant cousins by marriage:
Nephews:
Note that Mr. Mulliner has three nephews named George, all different people.
Nephews by marriage:
Nieces:
Nieces by marriage:
Nature of relationship uncertain:
  1. "The Truth about George"
  2. * U.K.: Strand, July 1926
  3. * U.S.: Liberty, 3 July 1926
  4. "A Slice of Life"
  5. * U.K.: Strand, August 1926
  6. * U.S.: Liberty, 7 August 1926
  7. "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo"
  8. * U.K.: Strand, November 1926
  9. * U.S.: Liberty, 4 September 1926
  10. "The Romance of a Bulb-Squeezer"
  11. * U.K.: Strand, March 1927
  12. * U.S.: Liberty, 12 March 1927
  13. "The Story of William"
  14. * U.K.: Strand, May 1927
  15. * U.S.: Liberty, 9 April 1927
  16. "Those in Peril on the Tee"
  17. * UK: Strand, June 1927
  18. * US: Liberty, 21 May 1927
  19. **Original UK version is narrated by the Oldest Member, not Mr. Mulliner.
  20. "Came the Dawn"
  21. * U.K.: Strand, July 1927
  22. * U.S.: Liberty, 11 June 1927
  23. "The Bishop's Move"
  24. * U.K.: Strand, September 1927
  25. * U.S.: Liberty, 20 August 1927
  26. "Portrait of a Disciplinarian"
  27. * U.K.: Strand, October 1927
  28. * U.S.: Liberty, 24 September 1927
  29. "Honeysuckle Cottage"
  30. *Initially published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  31. ** U.K.: Strand, February 1925
  32. ** U.S.: Saturday Evening Post, 24 January 1925
  33. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in Meet Mr. Mulliner, September 1927
  34. "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald"
  35. * UK: Strand, August 1928
  36. * US: Cosmopolitan, September 1928
  37. "The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner"
  38. * UK: Strand, December 1928
  39. * US: Liberty, 24 November 1928
  40. "Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court"
  41. * UK: Strand, February 1929
  42. * US: Liberty, 2 February 1929
  43. "The Man Who Gave Up Smoking"
  44. * UK: Strand, March 1929
  45. * US: Liberty, 23 March 1929
  46. "The Story of Cedric"
  47. * UK: Strand, May 1929
  48. * US: Liberty, 11 May 1929
  49. "Something Squishy"
  50. *Initially published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  51. ** UK: Strand, January 1925
  52. ** US: Saturday Evening Post, 20 December 1924
  53. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in Mr. Mulliner Speaking, April 1929
  54. "The Awful Gladness of the Mater"
  55. *Initially published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  56. ** UK: Strand, May 1925
  57. ** US: Saturday Evening Post, 21 March 1925
  58. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in Mr. Mulliner Speaking, April 1929
  59. "The Passing of Ambrose"
  60. *Initially published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  61. ** UK: Strand, July 1928
  62. ** US: Cosmopolitan, August 1928
  63. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in Mr. Mulliner Speaking, April 1929
  64. "Gala Night"
  65. * UK: Strand, June 1930
  66. * US: Cosmopolitan, May 1930
  67. "Best Seller"
  68. *Early version published without Mr. Mulliner framework as "Parted Ways"
  69. ** UK: Strand, December 1914
  70. ** US: Pictorial Review, June 1915
  71. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story:
  72. ** UK: Strand, July 1930
  73. ** US: Cosmopolitan, June 1930
  74. "The Knightly Quest of Mervyn"
  75. * UK: Strand, July 1931
  76. * US: Cosmopolitan, April 1931
  77. "The Voice from the Past"
  78. * UK: Strand, December 1931
  79. * US: American, November 1931
  80. "The Smile that Wins"
  81. * UK: Strand, February 1932
  82. * US: American, October 1931
  83. "Strychnine in the Soup"
  84. * UK: Strand, March 1932
  85. * US: American, December 1931
  86. "The Story of Webster"
  87. * UK: Strand, May 1932
  88. * US: American, February 1932
  89. "Cats will be Cats"
  90. * UK: Strand, June 1932
  91. * US: American, March 1932
  92. "Open House"
  93. * UK: Strand, April 1932
  94. * US: American, April 1932
  95. "Monkey Business"
  96. * UK: Strand, December 1932
  97. * US: American Magazine, December 1932
  98. "The Nodder"
  99. * UK: Strand, January 1933
  100. * US: American Magazine, January 1933
  101. "The Juice of an Orange"
  102. * UK: Strand, February 1933
  103. * US: American Magazine, February 1933
  104. "The Rise of Minna Nordstrom"
  105. * UK: Strand, April 1933
  106. * US: American Magazine, March 1933
  107. "The Castaways"
  108. * UK: Strand, June 1933
  109. "The Fiery Wooing of Mordred"
  110. * US: Cosmopolitan, December 1934
  111. * UK: Strand, February 1935
  112. "Archibald and the Masses"
  113. * US: Cosmopolitan, August 1935
  114. * UK: Strand, February 1936
  115. "The Code of the Mulliners"
  116. * US: Cosmopolitan, February 1935
  117. * UK: Strand, April 1935
  118. "Buried Treasure"
  119. * UK: Strand, September 1936
  120. * US: This Week, 27 September 1936
  121. "Anselm Gets His Chance"
  122. * US: Saturday Evening Post, 3 July 1937
  123. * UK: Strand, July 1937
  124. "The Right Approach"
  125. *Early version published without Mr. Mulliner framework as "Joy Bells For Barmy"
  126. ** US: Cosmopolitan, October 1947
  127. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story:
  128. ** UK: Lilliput, September 1958
  129. ** US: Playboy, January 1959
  130. "Big Business"
  131. *Early version published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  132. ** US: Collier's, 13 December 1952
  133. ** UK: Lilliput, March/April 1953
  134. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in the 1959 book A Few Quick Ones
  135. "George and Alfred"
  136. *Early version published without Mr. Mulliner framework as "Rallying Round Old George"
  137. **UK: Strand Magazine, December 1912
  138. **US: Collier's Weekly, 27 September 1913
  139. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story:
  140. ** US: Playboy, January 1967
  141. "Another Christmas Carol"
  142. *Early version published without Mr. Mulliner framework
  143. ** US: Playboy, December 1970
  144. *Subsequently, rewritten. First appearance as a Mr. Mulliner story in the 1972 book The World of Mr. Mulliner

    Adaptations

Fourteen Mulliner stories were adapted for television as part of the 1974–1978 television series Wodehouse Playhouse, though Mr Mulliner himself only appeared in the pilot episode. In the episode, "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald", Mr Mulliner was portrayed by William Mervyn.
Richard Griffiths starred as Mr Mulliner in a series of radio adaptations of the stories, including six episodes in 2002 under the title Meet Mr Mulliner and four episodes in 2004 under the title More Mr Mulliner. The series aired on BBC Radio 4.