Uncle Fred Flits By

Based on a story by P. G. Wodehouse. A prolific English humourist but who spent many years living in America. Mainly because he did some propaganda radio broadcasts for the Nazis after they invaded France where he was living in 1940.

Every year Uncle Fred descends from his stately home and go down to London to attend to his business affairs. This year Uncle Fred takes his nephew Pongo up to some random suburban house.

While there he encounters a young man who is looking for his lover that he hopes to marry. The parents of the young woman that the man wants to marry arrive later.

They disapprove of the young man and think he is not suitable for their daughter They are visiting the estranged family members who own the house but encounter Uncle Fred. He likes the young man and seems to know some skeletons about the young woman's family.

Pongo meanwhile is exasperated by all the goings on. He has to pretend to be a deaf and dumb vet.

It is silly and chaotic. The first scenes are with David Niven wearing a funny pair of false teeth. He is delightful as the naughty uncle.

"Uncle Fred Flits By" was written by P.G. Wodehouse--the same guy responsible for the Jeeves & Wooster tales. I have never read any or saw the British series, but after seeing this episode of "Four Star Playhouse", I am inclined to give them a try.

Uncle Fred (David Niven) is in town to see his nephew, Pongo. Apparently EVERY time he visits, chaos rears its ugly head. This is because unlike normal people, Fred just does whatever pops into his crazy head...regardless of the consequences or if it might just get him arrested! You see this early on when Fred walks up to an old house and lets himself in...pretending to be from the vet's office! With the homeowners gone, he just makes himself at home...and seems completely unmoved by Pongo's complaints. Soon a young man arrives to see the man of the house. Apparently, he wants to marry into the family and is trying to get the approval of the girl's extended family. Without even listening to more, Fred declares that he is the man the young guy is looking for and he then does everything he can to help the man battle the girl's snobbish parents...who soon arrive! It gets a lot crazier, believe me! This is a charming and silly program and it made me laugh several times. Funny, well written and fun.

By the way, IMDb doesn't mention who the narrator is. Could it be Hugh Beaumont?

A sedate young Englishmam's life is thrown into turmoil when his uncle visits.

This is one of Wodehouse's most delightful short stories, dtamatized for Four Star Playhouse. David Niven was one of the four stars and he turns in an excellent performance as Uncle Fred.

The rest of the cast is stiff and the show has limited movement, but most of that is due to the limitations of the medium back then.

As usual, Wodehouse's world is topsy turvey. It's his young people who are staid and stodgy and insist on propriety and their elders who are wild. Somehow, what's on his pages never seem quite as funny when acted out; but it's nice to see an honest try, where they show respect for the material (after a rocky, un-Wodehouse start).