Oofy Prosser
| Oofy Prosser | |
|---|---|
| Drones Club character | |
| First appearance | "The Knightly Quest of Mervyn" (1931) |
| Last appearance | Ice in the Bedroom (1961) |
| Created by | P. G. Wodehouse |
| Portrayed by | Richard Dixon |
| Information | |
| Full name | Alexander Charles Prosser |
| Nickname(s) | Oofy |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | British |
Alexander Charles "Oofy" Prosser is a recurring fictional character from the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the millionaire member of the Drones Club. He is also a friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster. The most wealthy and envied member of the Club, he has the nickname "Oofy", which is British slang for "wealthy" or "made of money".[1]
Overview
Because Oofy is both constantly being asked for £5 or £10 and a miser for loans, "a man in whose wallet moths nest and raise large families", he is considered ugly on both the inside and the outside – the pimples on his face being quite famous.
Bertie compares him with Reginald "Kipper" Herring in Jeeves in the Offing; "Kipper" (with his cauliflower ear) would have been an unsafe entrant to have backed in a beauty contest, even if the only other competitors had been Boris Karloff, King Kong and Oofy Prosser ....
However, Oofy can be a big spender (serving strawberries in winter, at a cost of around a pound sterling each), or a fierce gambler (in a casino, or on bets).
Appearances
Oofy is featured in:
- Collected in Mulliner Nights (1933)
- "The Knightly Quest of Mervyn" (1931) – Mr Mulliner with Oofy stand-in "Alexander C. Prosser", rewrite of Drone Freddie Widgeon story "Quest"
- Collected in Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940)
- "All's Well with Bingo" (1937) – Drone Bingo Little
- "Sonny Boy" (1939) – Drone Bingo Little
- Uncle Fred in the Springtime (1939) – Uncle Fred and Blandings novel, action started by Pongo, Horace, and Oofy at the club
- Collected in A Few Quick Ones (1959)
- "The Word in Season" (1940) – Drone Bingo Little
- "Oofy, Freddie and the Beef Trust" (1949) – Drone Freddie Widgeon with Oofy Prosser
- "Leave it to Algy" (1954) – Drone Bingo Little with Oofy Prosser
- "The Fat of the Land" (1958) – Drone Freddie Widgeon
- Collected in Nothing Serious (1950)
- "The Shadow Passes" (1950) – Drone Bingo Little
- Ice in the Bedroom (1961) – novel about Drone Freddie Widgeon with Oofy Prosser
Oofy is mentioned in several stories, including:
- Collected in Young Men in Spats (1936)
- "The Luck of the Stiffhams" (1933) – Drone Stiffy Stiffham
- Jeeves in the Offing (1960) – Jeeves novel (chap. III)
- Galahad at Blandings (1964) – Blandings novel
- Collected in Plum Pie (1966)
- "Stylish Stouts" (1965) – Drone Bingo Little, also recycled as "The Great Fat Uncle Contest"
Adaptations
Oofy Prosser was featured in 8 episodes (out of 23) of the 1990–1993 British TV series Jeeves and Wooster (in seasons 1–2 and 4, aired 1990–1991 and 1993 in the UK), played by Richard Dixon.
See also
References
- Sources consulted
- Reggie (2007-03-16). "Wodehouse Who's Who: Oofy Prosser". Blandings, a Companion to the Works of P. G. Wodehouse. Archived from the original on 2007-07-22.
- Endnotes
- ↑ "Prosser" was also late 19th century British slang, meaning a "beggar", one who cadges loans, and thus his surname puns on standard English beggar and beggar, slang for a "bloke" or "chap"; the entire name thus meaning "wealthy bloke".
"oofy". CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
oof, n, Slang: money (C19: from Yiddish ooftisch, from German auf dem Tische on the table (referring to gambling stakes))
– [Adjective "oofy" being slang for "wealthy" or "loaded", literally "monied" or "made of money".]
External links
- Hutchinson, Kyle (2006-05-11). "Wodehouse Characters: Oofy Prosser". The P. G. Wodehouse Story Index [database].