busman ' s honeymoon ( film )
‎busman' s honeymoon (1940) directed by arthur b. woods • reviews, film + cast • letterboxd
that' s what i was thinking ,
said harriet .
a busman' s honeymoon. butchered to make a——
( 1986) is not a remake of this 1940 film of the same name
haunted honeymoon
( aka
busman' s honeymoon
). the two pictures were made and first released around forty - six years apart .
i do wish they’d had the chance to film * busman’s honeymoon, * though or that i’d been able to see it on stage, but i am grateful for what we do have .
with the headline: the screen;' haunted honeymoon,' a leisurely english mystery film, at loew' s criterion .
busman' s honeymoon is a tv movie starring peter gray, sarah lawson, and charles lloyd pack. lord peter wimsey persuades novelist harriet vane to marry him, but their honeymoon is interrupted by murder .
lord peter wimsey - busman' s honeymoon 1940 us import: urltoken robert montgomery, constance cummings, leslie banks, seymour hicks, arthur b. woods: dvd & blu - ray
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this mystery comedy with a husband and wife team solving a murder case is very much like the thin man series starring william powell and myrna loy but haunted honeymoon (1940) based on the play busman' s honeymoon written by dorothy l. sayers, never gets to that thin man level .
a decent work - a - day adaption of dorothy l sayers' final lord peter wimsey novel, titled busman' s honeymoon. this film, titled haunted honeymoon in the us, pops right along. the screenwriter excised all the psychological depth from the story and presents a surface that robert montgomery (lord peter) and constance cummings (harriet wimsey nee vane) glide over with aplomb .
there have been a number of adaptations of sayers' lord peter wimsey stories. a 1935 british film entitled
lord peter wimsey persuades novelist harriet vane to marry him, but their honeymoon is interrupted by murder .
oh, at last, an explanation for why “gaudy night” is the one film i can never quite bear re - watching. * glares at silly producer * it was a marvelous book, and the adaptation left such a bad taste in my mouth i was glad that “busman’s honeymoon” didn’t get made. (even though i really loved the other two films. )
arrived early, an enjoyable adaptation of the book. took me ages to find this film and i’m glad i did
. this was the fourth and final film made by m - g - m' s british studio prior to its closure during world war ii. acccording to the m - g - m story file on the film contained in the usc cinema - television library, l. a. g. strong provided additional dialogue for the film in april 1939, however, the extent of his work to appear in the completed film has not been determined. according to various entries in the story files and
peter' s glance crossed harriet' s over miss twitterton' s head .
that' s right; that' s the way he' s made his bit. he' s
lord byron !
cried mr. kirk, a little too promptly .
butchered to make a busman' s—no, that don' t seem right somehow .
after the magistrates' court they were free until the assizes. so they finished their honeymoon in spain, after all .
overtly, the classic gangster film and the hard - boiled detective story portrayed the downfall of an individual who had sought wealth and power by immoral means .
an occurrence that rarely happens but is always refreshingly different is when the original leads from a broadway production get offered the same roles in the film version. that' s precisely the case with
the lead, robert montgomery, is miscast, and the script isn' t quite witty enough to emulate a thin man film instead of the original sayers novel, which was clearly the intention. it would be a two & a half star film but for the supporting class, which rises it from the watchable to the somewhat enjoyable .
the inquest' s at eleven and i can' t turn up in a dressing - gown. what are you after? romance in high life? or mysterious death in honeymoon house ?
i sincerely hope not ,
said peter .
as a matter of fact, we came here with the idea of passing a peaceful honeymoon .
news items, the film began under richard thorpe' s direction on august 4, 1939, when thorpe traveled to various locations in devon, england, including dartmoor. maureen o' sullivan sailed to england on the
it' s beginning to convince me, peter. such a series of domestic accidents could only happen to married people. there' s none of that artificial honeymoon glitter that prevents people from discovering each other' s real characters. you stand the test of tribulation remarkably well. it' s very encouraging .
according to a contemporary notation contained in the ampas library file on the film, the production was cancelled by m - g - m on february 2, 1940. however, a
with what extreme of womanly patience you listened to the tale of busman' s honeymoon while it was being written, the lord he knoweth. i do not like to think how many times i tired the sun with talking—and if at any time they had told me you were dead, i should easily have believed that i had talked you into your graves. but you have strangely survived to receive these thanks .
agreement to purchase with immediate possession—present owner to be left there till after honeymoon, when peter will go down and see what they want done and send the workmen in .
i am more positive about the series when i am not talking about gaudy night! i did do the original sayers / byrne play of busman’s honeymoon with my wife emily richard as harriet – a sell out season at the lyric theatre, hammersmith. 87 or so. the play demonstrates that to write a really good novel does not qualify you to write a good play, although the piece has a delightful flawed charm .
stagey murder yarn with snooty newly - weds sussing a killer while on honeymoon. not quite the thin man, but close. fast - paced, snappy and worth a spin .
you' ll find lots of finger - prints on that. bunter' s and mine, and mrs. ruddle' s—possibly puffett' s and crutchley' s .
niece—widow' s a hateful word; so weedy—let' s stick to niece .
situates detective fiction on one level within the context of film, but on a larger level within the contexts of shifting conceptions of the family, of american values, and of the ideology of american individualism .
rather flat comical murder mystery enlivened only by montgomery' s deft, multifaceted star turn as a former detective on honeymoon doing all he can to not investigate a bizarre killing on the property of the secluded estate he and his celebrated author wife (the beautiful constance cummings) just so happened to have purchased. runs in circles for the majority of the film, the whole thing an all - too obvious
thin man
clone only without that film' s wit. but it is funny, and montgomery and cummings have terrific chemistry. on top of that, the finale is a good one, almost making up for the flat routine obviousness of the majority of the narrative mechanics that preceded it .
to appear opposite robert montgomery in the film, which was to be produced by victor saville. on september 18, 1939, about two weeks after the start of the war, montgomery arrived back in the united states, and on 19 september it was announced that the picture had been shelved because of the war and because the denham sound stage on which the film was to be shot was being used to store foodstuffs .
h' mph !
said the lady .
film - actors, by the look of yer. and
( with a withering glance at harriet' s furs )
no better than you should be, i' ll be bound .
news item on march 22, 1940, noted that the production began filming in denham on the sound stage that temporarily had been used for storage, and that the extensive backgrounds and location shots done in 1939 were to be included in the film. at that time, m - g - m british production chief ben goetz was in charge of the picture and constance cummings took over the role of
harriet vane
that was originally slated for o' sullivan. production charts and news items include gwen ffrangcon - davies in the cast; however, her participation in the released film has not been confirmed. an article on the film in
it' s a damned ugly story. it' s enough to make a man——
it' s all right ,
said harriet .
she' s gone .
no offence ,
said mr. puffett, evidently conceding something to the honeymoon spirit .
you' ll be his lordship, i take it. hope i sees you well .
as man to man, puffett ,
said the bridegroom ,
i thank you for those kind and sympathetic words. where, by the way, did you go for your honeymoon ?
it' s not ,
said harriet, running to the window .
it' s a vicar—he' s coming to call .
crutchley, thrusting him aside, burst in .
what' s happened? what' s ma ruddle shouting about? where' s—— ?
two hundred and four—seventeen shillings a bottle! oh, it' s impossible! it' s... it' s wicked !
however, he also suggests that the recent developments in the arts, film, literature, architecture, and criticism that we call postmodernism was beginning to pose an increasing challenge to
the canonized high / low dichotomy
.
we did want him, but i expect you can help us. this is my husband and we' ve bought talboys and we arranged with mr. noakes to come here for our honeymoon .
you were wrong, bunter. it' s not an individual—it' s a company .
that' s as you like, my lord. i' d be glad enough if you' d stay; you might give me a bit of help, seeing as you know the ropes, so to speak. not but what it' ll be a kind of busman' s holiday for you ,
he finished up, rather dubiously .
that' s all right, sir. if an alibi' s wanted for them times, you and him' s out of it .
well i have loved the book since 1987 and was sorely disapointed by the film. hard not to believe, since the author dorothy l sayers loathed it also, i think on its opening night she refused to go into the cinema to see it and waited in some nearby building. the film completely loses the passion between the two protagonists lord and lady peter wimsey. he has spent 5 years trying to get her to fall in love with him and when she does so it is passionately and completely. the film is utterly sterile and also does not reflect the age difference between lord peter and his bride he is supposed to be in his mid forties and she 13 years his junior, the actress looks far too old and stayed. but if you are a sayers fan you won' t let a bad review stop you. because i knew how bad this film was before i bought it and my curiosity just was killing me. oh and bunter was supposed to be lord peter' s aage they fought together in the great war and yet in the film he looks about 80. go on cheer yourself up and watch the bbc edward petherbridge version of sayers 3 previous books x: )
she tossed her head, setting some curious jet ornaments on her bonnet jingling, and followed her mistress to the car. sitting up in all that grandeur she would feel just like a film - star herself. reporters, indeed !
it' s too bad that the criterion theatre is not equipped with a huge open fireplace and carpet slippers for all the customers. for those familiar domestic comforts might add somewhat to the enjoyment of metro' s english - made
haunted honeymoon ,
which arrived yesterday... view full article in timesmachine »
that' s so, my lord. there' s a lot of truth in hamlet .
. the novel version appeared in 1937, one year after the play began its run. in 1939, director arthur b. woods began production on the screen version of the novel for mgm, at the company' s british studio. robert montgomery (who had gotten his acting start on broadway) and maureen o' sullivan were cast as the crime - fighting duo, but o' sullivan soon bowed out and returned to the united states. world war ii had begun, causing problems with film production abroad. first of all, woods was a royal air force pilot and was only able to work on the film when given official permission. to make matters worse, the germans threatened to bomb the studio because mgm had recently released an anti - nazi film ,
stated
seldom has there been a film so pleasantly conducive to browsing as this leisurely, bookish fable of murder... a glass of port, at least, should be taken along with it .
in a time of world crisis ,
. —they have fixed up with noakes to have honeymoon at talboys, nobody to know anything about it. apparently n. can clear out at short notice and lend all furniture, & c. i asked ,
what about
it' s no good ,
said wimsey .
it' s got to come out .
well ,
said crutchley again, with the philosophy we keep for other men' s misfortunes ,
he' s unlucky, that' s all .
yes, it' s very like him. who' s this one? he' s got a queer, visionary sort of face, rather nice .
two friends and i rushed to see “busman’s honeymoon” at the lyric after the television series, but of course you’re right – it really isn’t a very good play. dorothy l. sayers was confined to the limits of what ended up as not much more than a who - and - how done it, and it didn’t suit her. she made up for it by spreading herself in the book of the same title, and if the television people had had any sense they might have adapted that too, although if they’d butchered it we might have even more to moan about .
it' s that, right enough. helen' s going to make a grand cockadoodle over this .
for granted that there was now no more question of harriet' s going to sleep with a friend or driving to denver alone. after dinner, peter had merely said ,
it' s no good going down to the house yet ,
and they had turned into a news - cinema and seen a mickey mouse and an educational film about the iron and steel industry .
newlywed sleuths lord peter wimsey and harriet vane have their honeymoon interrupted by the discovery of a dead body, and set out to find the killer. robert montgomery and constance cummings star as the detective duo in arthur b woods' murder mystery .
little elsie' s bottom! now, see here, aggie, it' s time we got down to brass tacks. you and me getting spliced with the idea of coming into your uncle' s money—that was one thing, see! that' s business. but if there' s no money from you, it' s off. you get that ?
arthur and vivian are just married, but when the get to their honeymoon suite in washington d. c. , they find it occupied. arthur goes to meet slade, his new boss, and when he comes back, he... see full summary »
it' s a motive—i see it' s a motive. but you didn' t want to hear about motive .
doing first - rate, my lord, thank you. bill' s got his sergeant' s stripes last week .
no matter—it' s an occasion. let' s occupy this handsome seat and contemplate the landscape. the car' s well off the road if anybody wants to get up the lane .
thank you so much for your absolutely perfect lord peter. i only wish you could have also done busman’s honeymoon. i have long been a fan of dorothy sayers’ titled detective, but fell in love all over again when i watched you bring him to life in strong poison. i didn’t have a tv at the time, so i drove an hour to watch the show on my mother’s tv each week — it was well worth it. i now own the dvd set and watch it over and over. like beadtific above, i enjoy the subtle moments that so eloquently convey lord peter’s feelings. my personal favorite in gaudy night is the moment when harriet salvages a bad moment by asking peter to teach her to tango. the light - hearted bounce in his step, just as the camera cuts away, says it all .
here’s a very odd literary puzzle. apparently an 18th - century english farmer’s wife kept a diary, from sometime ear… urltoken 1 month ago
it' s all loaded and ready, sir ,
said mrs. ruddle, proudly conscious of her bert' s efficiency .
what' s that ?
said the superintendent .
that' s a new one on me.' garden of bright images,' eh? that' s pretty, that is .
there' s someone at the door. if that' s kirk, we' ll have to make up our minds .
i got the address from that chap williams over at hancock' s. seems she' s a good - looking young woman——
there' s that about it ,
admitted kirk .
but there' s circumstances in which you might rather it was you than somebody else, if you take my meaning. and there' s
mr. macbride' s men worked expertly. harriet, watching the swift disintegration of her honeymoon house into a dusty desert of straw and packing - cases, rolled - up curtains and spidery pictures spreading their loose wires like springes, wondered whether the whole of her married life would have the same kaleidoscopic quality. character is destiny: probably there was something in her and peter that doomed them never to carry any adventure to its close without preposterous interruptions and abrupt changes of fortune. she laughed, as she assisted matters by tying a bunch of fire - irons together, and remembered what a married friend had once confided to her about her own honeymoon .
you down a fool. nor was he the sort who said ,
i know what i' m doing and you must take my word for it .
( thank god for that, anyway !) he wanted you to agree with him intelligently or not at all. and her intelligence did agree with him. it was her own feelings that didn' t seem to be quite pulling in double harness with her intelligence. but whether it was her feeling for peter or her feeling for the deceased mr. noakes, butchered to make a busman' s honeymoon for them, or a merely selfish feeling that she didn' t want to be bothered at this moment with corpses and policemen, she was not sure .
towards crutchley, who recoiled with a gasp, broke from the vicar' s supporting hand and flung herself hysterically into harriet' s arms .
that' s not quite fair, macbride. anybody could have told that from bunter' s manner. i know i could .
and i could give piano - lessons again. i know i could get pupils. there' s the stationmaster' s little elsie——
who' s to say crutchley put them there? they may have been part of one of old noakes' s little games .
kirk cleared his throat. harriet, who was as a rule good at handkerchiefs, discovered to her annoyance that on this particular morning she had provided herself only with an elegant square of linen, suitable for receiving such rare and joyful drops as might be expected on one' s honeymoon. peter came to the rescue with what might have been a young flag of truce .
( 1940), the film features sayers' detective lord peter wimsey (robert montgomery) and crime novel writer harriet vale (constance cummings) as newlyweds who have pledged to temporarily give up their interest in crime while honeymooning at a remote cottage. lord wimsey and harriet discover that they may not be able to hold to this pledge when a body is found in the cellar of the by the house' s cleaning staff. scotland yard inspector kirk (leslie banks) is brought in to work on the case but he is not sly enough to determine the identity of the murderer. the newly married couple realize they must crack the case on their own before they can be allowed to enjoy their honeymoon .
mr. puffett' s little twinkling eyes looked into peter' s, which were like twin grey lakes of limpid clarity and wholly deceptive depth .
of course, as you say ,
agreed peter, with relish .
wednesday always is choir practice. quod semper, quod ubique, quod ab omnibus. nothing ever changes in the english countryside. harriet, your honeymoon house is a great success. i am feeling twenty years younger .
excellent. strictly speaking, i suppose, mr. macbride, it' s your client' s beer. but if you have no objection——
my dear, if he treats you like that he' s not superior at all. he' s not fit to clean your shoes .
i don' t care ,
retorted mr. solomons ,
if it' s been running as long as charley' s aunt !
wednesday morning, under our very eyes, while we all sat round and watched. that' s how, peter, that' s how !
i can—easily ,
said crutchley, in the sweep' s ear .
thank you, harriet. what' s your poison, padre ?
mostly gilbert, i fancy. it' s more likely, if crutchley
that' s what it very often does mean ,
said harriet .
just a minute. what' s all this about the wireless ?
now, joe sellon. what' s the meaning of this ?
yes, of course. by the way, you don' t insist on a husband' s right to read his wife' s letters ?
now let' s hear the case against crutchley and the vicar .
but every englishman loves a lord. that' s the idea .
and tidy myself into the cellar. that' s the idea .
it' s a whacking great motive, harriet. a middle - aged woman' s last bid for love—and the money to make the bid .
he stood staring down into the flames .
it' s abominable !
cried harriet, in a sort of consternation. her excitement broke against his rigidity like water against a stone .
it' s—it' s brutal .
oh! well, that' s very smelly and useless. i' m glad he' s gone. are we going to keep things ?
oh, thank you. i—you—everybody' s so good to me .
peter' s glance swept over her as though she had been a stranger .
really steady, but it' s too late to say that now .
well ,
replied kirk, cautiously ,
that' s neether here nor there. nine - thirty news. that' s on the national .
approach is somewhat reactionary, he nevertheless extends his thinking beyond the rigid formulations of ronald knox and s. s. van dine to consider the function of the detective storys formula, positing a much more sophisticated internal logic than anyone else had previously offered .
harriet' s glance had caught peter' s again, and he had nodded. the money for the house. but if he had told crutchley as much as that——
she said,' uncle' s dead and all the money' s gone!' just like that. then she had the jim - jams. nothing like £ s. d. for going straight to the heart, is there ?
( thank god! thought peter. not in my lady' s chamber. )
the constable' s hand paused in its note - taking. kirk said sharply :
yes ,
muttered sellon, dully ,
that' s right .
telling the truth. all the same—— he stopped abruptly at kirk' s side .
oh !
said mrs. ruddle .
not as there' s anything wrong in borrowin' a drop of paraffin, w' en it' s easy replaced. but them there pleecemen do twist a woman' s words so .
it' s only a theory, after all. we haven' t proved a word of it. that' s the worst of you mystery - mongers. anything' s a solution so long as it holds together. let' s make a theory about somebody else. whom shall we have? how about mrs. ruddle? she' s a tough old lady and not an altogether sympathetic character .
on a woman when she' s down. have some of this—i don' t know what it is—this thing bunter' s made. it looks absolutely marvellous .
oh, he' s married all right. tied up good and proper .
that' s a fact ,
he admitted .
he might .
it' s all right, darling. you were only quoting donne .
that' s it. the chain. we were all chained together .
but the vicar, not being peter' s wife, took the thing otherwise .
the remains of the cake. however, the dowager saw them and was quite nice to them, so they tooled off, fairly happy, but without any photographs or any information about the honeymoon. as a matter of fact, i don' t believe anybody, except the dowager, knows where the bride and bridegroom really have gone to .
hæmorrhage ?
suggested kirk, taking possession of the letter .
that' s it. hæmorrhagic effusion into the cortex. that' s a good one .
never mind that now ,
said the superintendent .
that' s gone west, that has, and it' s no use crying over spilt milk .
that' s rather a good idea. and can' t we take bunter? i don' t believe he' s had anything to eat for years .
his shoulders are disappointed ,
said peter aloud to his wife .
he has found a mare' s - nest, full of cockatrice' s eggs .
27 september. —peter came to me and said that if this went on they would both be driven mad. he and h. have decided to do the whole thing quietly, without telling anybody except their own personal friends. small wedding at oxford, reception here, honeymoon in some peaceful spot in the country. i have readily agreed to help them .
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i don' t believe it' s such a risk as all that .
he' s got to be there to let us in ,
said harriet .
perhaps ,
cried miss twitterton ,
that' s uncle coming now .
but he' s coming back, no doubt ,
said mr. goodacre .
it' s going to be a grand concert ,
said harriet, peering over her husband' s shoulder .
when is it? shall we be here ?
but, peter—need you investigate this? it' s rather rotten for you .
rid of, whatever one' s feelings might be. much better to accept the situation and do one' s best. superintendent kirk came in, followed by joe sellon .
kirk and sellon, from the window, had watched mr. macbride' s departure .
that' s right. he never troubled with the 6 o' clock .
peter' s face changed. he got up and walked slowly over to the fireplace .
the fact is ,
said harriet ,
he' s completely baffled .
it' s beautiful ,
said harriet, fervently .
all corners !
very well, then, i will ,
said the vicar' s lady .
and i' ve found the other vegetable - dish—only it' s broke .
bunter' s world reeled about him and he clutched at the corner of the settle .
the devil she did !
said peter. he caught harriet' s eye .
can this man give you any help? he' s the gardener here .
it' s all right ,
said peter .
the plant won' t fall out. it' s a dead tight fit—as you know. haul steady .
there' s the chain and the hook and the lead in the pot .
no, not a bit. just a touch of powder' s all you want. where' s my—oh! i left it in peter' s pocket. no, here it is on the what - not. that' s bunter. he always clears up after us. poor bunter and the port—it must have been a blow to him .
ah !
said mrs. ruddle, with a deep, sentimental sigh .
and w' ere' e' s' appy, she' s' appy. ah! it' s easy to see she worships the ground' e treads on .
it' s right now ,
said kirk, glancing at his watch. harriet' s wrist - watch confirmed this, and so did joe sellon' s. peter, after a blank gaze at his own watch, said ,
mine' s stopped ,
in a tone which might have suggested that newton' s apple had been observed to fly upward or a b. b. c. announcer heard to use a bawdy expression .
thanks to edward petherbridge and harriet walter for embodying lord peter’s unrequited love and harriet’s spirited resistance…. and then saving and acting the joyful key scene wherein she accepts his proposal at last .
simon goodacre and john jellyfield. he' s the doctor from pagford. it' s all in order. what did miss twitterton say when your man discovered the body ?
though, come to think of it, he' s tall enough. he' s taller nor what you are—pretty well as tall as mr. noakes was, i reckon .
that' s just it ,
he broke out, with unexpected passion .
that' s why i can' t leave it alone. it' s not picturesque. it' s not exciting. it' s no fun at all. just dirty, brutal bashing, like a butcher with a pole - axe. it makes me sick. but who the hell am i, to pick and choose what i' ll meddle in ?
speaking of the bbc adaptation. near the end of the film when peter is dining at the high table (or some such thing), he refers to a book on the scientific method. i think he calls it the quest. i did not catch the author or title for sure, but it sounded interesting. i could not find the reference in the novel. does anyone know the book being referred to ?
a delightful post and even more delightful poem and sketches. i have loved edward petherbridge’s wimsey .
and clement greenberg, ultimately culminating in dwight macdonalds 1960 essay ,
masscult and midcult
.
that was eight by the church clock and the sun' s simply blazing in .
yes, my lord; there' s one at the garridge where i work .
there' s the furniture ,
said harriet .
that belongs to him .
it' s her job ,
said peter .
she writes detective stories .
that' s right .
he tightened an imaginary noose about his own bull neck .
wring' em or string' em up—it' s the sharp jerk does it .
i seem to have married my only intelligent reader. that' s the way you construct it from the other end, of course. artistically, it' s absolutely right .
it' s all very well, peter—but the poor old thing was really killed .
frank! he' s a married man. how can you say such things ?
the door - knob moved under his hand. then her ladyship' s voice—warm and friendly :
i believe she' s shaken the bottle ,
she faltered .
oh !
like the cat that' s swallowed the canary. out with it—what have you discovered ?
broken ,
he said .
that' s what violence does. once it starts, there' s no stopping it. it catches us all, sooner or later .
thing has got to be done. by any means, so long as we get to the bottom of it. that' s your job, and it' s worth doing .
that' s right. well, going past there, i see a light, as
mine' s good advice, too; but it isn' t exactly cynical .
right you are, lady ,
said the head—jack' s, presumably—and disappeared whistling .
i noticed it too. that' s the thing i couldn' t remember .
i say, for god' s sake don' t wait up for me .
it' s this damned waiting about till they' ve finished... .
i knew it, i knew it !
shrieked miss twitterton, recklessly .
i knew something terrible had happened! uncle' s dead and all the money' s gone !
he broke off .
i don' t know why blue uniforms—it' s usually something to do with the war. and telling one' s dreams is the last word in egotism .
and there' s a sight o' things in the outhouse ,
said george .
jack' s out there; he' d be glad of a hand with them .
noted that director arthur b. woods, who was an raf pilot, had to take time off from his military duties to complete the film. the article noted that the cast and crew were threatened with bombing in a broadcast by
lord haw haw ,
the nazi propaganda broadcaster, but they were unharmed. it also noted that robert montgomery sailed to france when the production was halted and drove a red cross ambulance for three weeks .
your uncle' s business, miss ,
said mr. macbride, bluntly but not altogether unsympathetically ,
hasn' t got a leg to stand on. mortgage on the shop and not a hundred pounds' worth of stock in the place—and i don' t suppose that' s paid for. your uncle' s broke, that' s what it is. broke .
* a project gutenberg canada ebook * this ebook is made available at no cost and with very few restrictions. these restrictions apply only if (1) you make a change in the ebook (other than alteration for different display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of the ebook. if either of these conditions applies, please check urltoken before proceeding. this work is in the canadian public domain, but may be under copyright in some countries. if you live outside canada, check your country' s copyright laws. if the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this file. title: busman' s honeymoon. a love story with detective interruptions. author: sayers, dorothy leigh (1893 - 1957) date of first publication: 1937 edition used as base for this ebook: london: gollancz, 1937 (first edition) date first posted: 19 january 2010 date last updated: 19 january 2010 project gutenberg canada ebook # 460 this ebook was produced by: iona vaughan, woodie4, mark akrigg & the online distributed proofreading team at urltoken
no—and if i hadn' t refused helen' s ten villas on the riviera! ... hurray! somebody' s throttled the hound—that' s a step in the right direction... . cheer up! the night is yet young, and we may even find a goosefeather bed
but ,
said peter ,
that' s just the trouble. we haven' t
frank crutchley' s eyes wandered over the room as though seeking counsel from the dust - sheets, the aspidistras, the chimney, the bronze horsemen, mr. puffett' s bowler, the cactus and the radio cabinet, before at length coming to rest on peter' s in mute appeal .
the shadow of some powerful emotion passed over bunter' s face; but his training held good .
here !
said mr. puffett ,
let' s' ave a look .
sellon' s telephoned from the post - office and the super' s coming over from broxford with the police - surgeon. so i came up to put on a collar and tie .
so ,
said peter ,
galahad will sit down in merlin' s seat .
he' s going to say it !
said peter to harriet, in a whisper .
as usual, and—and that' s the—the last time i saw him. oh, dear !
well... that there note - case of mr. noakes' s—what he lost——
surely you could get a friend to see to bert' s dinner ,
suggested harriet .
aggie twitterton' s a - comin' down the' ill on' er bicycle .
hell' s bells !
said crutchley ,
they' re comin' in .
a loud yelp of anguish rent the air within. peter' s voice lifted to a wail :
you' ll get there in the end. it' s all right, peter .
distance. but perhaps in a cactus that' s merely the bloom of a healthy complexion .
bagatelles! we' ve only the vicar' s opinion about the metabolism of cacti .
now, don' t you pinch your sister again. it' s not cricket .
lord peter wimsey gets married and vows to drop all his detective work until a corpse appears in his honeymoon hideaway in deepest devon. based on the novel by dorothy l sayers, you can almost hear the stage boards creaking, though robert montgomery and constance cummings are delightful company as the lead couple and there' s a host of stalwarts like robert newton and googie withers to please fans of vintage british cinema. the clear camerawork is by freddie young, who later won oscars for lawrence of arabia and doctor zhivago .
that' s' er. you mind the little cottage down by the river, miss—mum, i should say—where old blunt useter live? well, that' s it, an' she' s got a key to the' ouse—comes over ter see ter things w' en' e' s away, though, come ter think of it, i ain' t seen' er this last week. maybe she' s poorly, because, come ter think of it, if' e knowed you was coming it' s aggie twitterton' e' d a - told about it .
jealous !
he looked at her and began to laugh. it was not a pleasant laugh, though it showed all his teeth .
that' s good! that' s rich, that is! what' s the idea? startin' to make eyes at his lordship now ?
crutchley' s times are all wrong. though he may have been an accomplice. if so, he' s got damned good reason for giving her the chuck now. in fact, it' s the best move he can possibly make, even if he only suspects she did it .
come, come ,
interposed mr. goodacre again .
it' s not miss twitterton' s fault. you must not fly into a passion. we must all try to think calmly——
miss twitterton, unexpectedly quick - witted, sprang to her feet .
he' s dead! uncle' s dead !
the mug rolled from her hands to crash on the hearth - stone .
yes ,
said peter .
that' s where it is. but don' t touch that cabinet, or i won' t answer for the consequences. i fancy that' s where that cactus was at 9. 5 p. m. last wednesday week, and that' s why sellon was able to see the clock. this is what' s called reconstructing the crime .
nothing like telling the exact official truth and no more. kirk must have coached him pretty thoroughly. i wonder if kirk—— no, dash it! i won' t wonder. i won' t be bothered with all these people. we seem curiously unable to get any time to ourselves this honeymoon. and that reminds me—the vicar wants us to go round to his place this evening for a sherry - party .
dorothy l. sayers had enjoyed some notoriety as a mystery writer in the 1920' s and 1930' s, especially with her novels featuring lord peter wimsey. in the 1930' s, her friend and fellow writer muriel st. clare byrne convinced her to bring lord wimsey to the london stage, resulting in
you must see what you can do with the bedroom fire ,
was harriet' s suggestion .
not much you miss, is there? and the lady' s as smart as the gentleman .
the quiet, incisive tone had its effect. a kind of illumination spread over crutchley' s features .
of course it was going. it' s an eight - day, i tell you. and it was right enough this morning when i wound it. what' s the odds, anyhow ?
very good ,
said the superintendent ,
that' s all i want to know .
it' s about the murder of a journalist—and the title is, curiosity killed the cat .
joe' s wife, o' course ,
said mrs. ruddle .
what' ave
' ere' s miss twitterton ,
said mrs. ruddle, unnecessarily, and banged out .
i' m sure it' s beautiful to see two people so devoted to one another .
with only a very light sediment. it seems to have travelled all right—it' s quite clear .
wants to know what he' s to do with some of that tinned and bottled stuff .
you know. most remarkable. it' s being so black and so fine, i suppose .
that' s their younger son, mortimer; he was as mad as a hatter and founded a new religion with himself as its only follower. that' s dr. gervase wimsey, dean of st. paul' s; he was a martyr under queen mary. this is his brother, henry—he raised the standard for queen mary in norfolk at her accession. our family' s always been very good at having a foot in both camps. that' s my father, like gerald, but much better looking... . that' s a sargent, which is about its only excuse for existence .
eh ?
said cousin matthew .
what' s that? somebody in the library ?
thank you ,
said peter. he whipped the roll of black line deftly from the sweep' s slow fingers .
yes. that' s it. that would hold a twenty - pound salmon. and i' ll bet you there' s a sinker at each end. i thought so—yes .
?
peter said, damn drains—no drains (to speak of) at the hall when he was a boy (well i remember it !). wedding (archbp' s licence) on the 8th october and let helen think what she likes till last moment—also newspapers. harriet very much relieved. peter adds, anyway, honeymoon in hotels disgusting—own roof (especially if elizabethan) much more suited to english gentleman. fierce bustle about wedding - dress—worth' s—period gown in stiff gold brocade, long sleeves, square neck, off - the - face head - dress, no jewels except my long ear - rings that belonged to great - aunt delagardie. (
they must have very little imagination. it' s not a plant—it' s a morbid growth—something lingering happening to your kidneys. besides, it makes me wonder whether i' ve shaved. have i ?
dunno about that ,
retorted the landlord .
we' ll' ave to close the' ouse till it' s over.' tis only decent. and mr. kirk' s particular .
he' s not been back home ,
said sergeant foster ,
and he' s neither rung up nor left a message. i shouldn' t be surprised if he' d made tracks .
the other that i remember so strongly is the joyful surprise that flits over peter’s face when he and harriet are piffling about over something or other and he thinks for a brief second that she’s accepted one of the proposals right as she’s bustling out of the room. the expression he has before he bolts after her is priceless .
no—but i' ve an idea there was an elderly labourer of that name in pagford parva who used to beat his wife or something. they weren' t dad' s patients. it' s funny, even if she' s ill, that she shouldn' t have sent mrs. ruddle a message .
that' s okay ,
agreed the baker .
he' s a builder by rights, is tom puffett, but he ain' t above obliging with a chimbley. you stopping here long? a month? then maybe you' d like me to book the bread. where' s old noakes ?
no—it' s the power he' s putting behind it. there' s corroded soot in the pot or something, which makes it very hard work... . peter, i do wish you could have seen the place before noakes filled it up with bronze horsemen and bamboo what - nots and aspidistras .
after which ,
said peter, when they had reversed through the gate and were once again headed for great pagford ,
bunter will proceed to make it quite plain to mrs. ruddle—in case she hasn' t grasped the idea—that lord and lady peter wimsey are my lord and lady. poor old bunter! never have his feelings been so harrowed. film - actors, by the look of you! no better than you should be! these commercial fellers will say anythink !
that' s right. we' ll check the payment at the bank, but it' s not really necessary. wonder what they thought of him taking it away in cash instead of paying it in. h' m. it' s a pity it ain' t the bank' s business to give us the office when people do things that look like bolting. but it wouldn' t do, naturally .
signing off now–and sorry for the elaborate explanation. it’s one of my favorite chapters in this beloved book! michelle
one' s own son... . but i needn' t have been so cross with paul .
it' s smoking, at any rate ,
said harriet ,
like nothing on earth .
he' s kept it awfully well ,
said harriet .
i thought it looked lovely .
my uncle' s business——
began miss twitterton .
oh, there must be some mistake .
i do wish he hadn' t to be worried like this! it' s too bad .
that' s what i wanted to know. you had better order enough coal for a month .
nor it ain' t' geranium' neither—leastways, there' s no tail to the g .
that' s right. along of their other chap, williams. he' ll tell you .
it' s quite clean ,
he said, cheerfully .
i always carry a spare .
that' s all very fine ,
observed mrs. ruddle ,
but' oo' s to give my bert' is dinner? twelve o' clock' s' is time, and i ain' t a - goin' to see my bert go' ungry, not for king george nor nobody .
you watch your step, polly. maybe' e' s married three times a' ready .
so he could. shall i run down and see whether it' s working now or not ?
wot it is to be the answer to the maiden' s prayer !
said mrs. ruddle .
ah, no, it' s not ,
he said quickly, taking courage from her fear .
you can' t take people' s trust and make it into a rope for their necks. peter——
oh, no, really. i must be getting home. it' s so good of you——
here' s the library ,
said peter .
yes, bates, what is it ?
that' s what i told her ,
said the duchess; and the conversation took another turn .
i was sorry i could not come to the reception—you seem to have diddled the press very neatly—but my asthma has been very bad lately. still, i must be thankful to have retained my faculties and my sense of humour so long. tell peter to bring his harriet to see me as soon as they return from this mysterious honeymoon of theirs, and believe me, dear honoria, always (in spite of my venomous old tongue) most affectionately yours ,
bricks saying she wasted five years of p.' s life and can' t forgive herself and it' s no good saying he' s over age because he has m. i. written all over his conscience and if he was seventy he might still be gassed or bombed in an air - raid. earnestly hope we shall
have keys to other folks' barns.' i didn' t say anything about the young lady in london, because that' s over and done with, but where there' s one there might be two .
there' s a little architect who would make a good job of that bathroom extension. his name' s thipps. he' s a common little blighter, but he has very real feeling for period stuff. he did the church at duke' s denver, and he and i got really friendly about thirteen years ago, when he was troubled with a corpse in his bathroom. i think i' ll send him a line.
busman 's honeymoon is a 1940 british detective film directed by arthur b. woods . an adaptation of the lord peter wimsey story busman 's honeymoon by dorothy l. sayers , busman 's honeymoon stars robert montgomery , constance cummings , leslie banks , googie withers , robert newton and seymour hicks as mervyn bunter . the plot revolves around newly married famous amateur detective lord peter wimsey ( montgomery ) and his wife , mystery writer harriet vane ( cummings ) , who are looking forward to a quiet honeymoon at their new country cottage when they are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a local murder . busman 's honeymoon premiered in london in july 1940 and was released in the u.s. as haunted honeymoon in september 1940 . 
busman's honeymoon is a 1940 british detective film directed by arthur b. woods. an adaptation of the lord peter wimsey story busman's honeymoon by dorothy l. sayers, busman's honeymoon stars robert montgomery, constance cummings, leslie banks, googie withers, robert newton and seymour hicks as mervyn bunter. the plot revolves around newly married famous amateur detective lord peter wimsey (montgomery) and his wife, mystery writer harriet vane (cummings), who are looking forward to a quiet honeymoon at their new country cottage when they are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a local murder. busman's honeymoon premiered in london in july 1940 and was released in the u.s. as haunted honeymoon in september 1940.
busman's honeymoon is a 1940 british detective film directed by arthur b. woods. an adaptation of the lord peter wimsey story busman's honeymoon by dorothy l. sayers, busman's honeymoon stars robert montgomery, constance cummings, leslie banks, googie withers, robert newton and seymour hicks as mervyn bunter. the plot revolves around newly married famous amateur detective lord peter wimsey (montgomery) and his wife, mystery writer harriet vane (cummings), who are looking forward to a quiet honeymoon at their new country cottage when they are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a local murder. busman's honeymoon premiered in london in july 1940 and was released in the u.s. as haunted honeymoon in september 1940.