Joey Cooley is a golden-curled child film star, the idol of American motherhood. Reginald, third Earl of Havershot, is a boxing blue on a mission to save his wayward cousin from the fleshpots of Hollywood. Both are under anesthesia at the dentist's office when something strange happens and their identities are swapped.Suddenly, Joey can use his six-foot frame to get his own back on his Hollywood persecutors. But Reggie has to endure everything Joey had to put up with in the horrible life of a child star—including kidnap.
Laughing Gas is a Wodehouse's brilliantly funny take on the "if I were you" theme—a wry look at the dangers of getting what you wish for in the movie business and beyond.
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"What I learned from this book: that even middlin'-to-lesser Wodehouses are funnier and better crafted than most other comic writing. This one is essentially one of those Bertie-esque-characters-without-a-tempering-Jeeves numbers, and I'd love to see Pixar's version of this for some reason. " — Greg (4 out of 5 stars)
"What I learned from this book: that even middlin'-to-lesser Wodehouses are funnier and better crafted than most other comic writing. This one is essentially one of those Bertie-esque-characters-without-a-tempering-Jeeves numbers, and I'd love to see Pixar's version of this for some reason. "
“A brilliantly funny writer—perhaps the most consistently funny the English language has yet produced.”
" Hilarious. I picked this book up from the library based on a recommendation by one of the librarians. I am very happy that I did. There will certainly be more P.G. Wodehouse in my future as a result of this humorous, quirky, and odd read. "
" Most possibly the funniest non-Jeeves PGW book. "
" A light-hearted tale where Hollywood and English aristocracy collide written in the timeless Wodehouse style. "
" I love Wodehouse so I enjoyed reading Laughing Gas but it wasn't my favourite. I found the premise weird and the plot a bit predictable - it didn't have the fun, the sense of mayhem, and the endearing characters of so many of his books. If you want to try a Wodehouse, any of the Jeeves series, such as "Aunts Aren't Gentlemen" or the Blandings series are excellent. "
" Earlyish, and showing signs of genius. Don't read it just before going to see Me and My Girl "
" This is prime Wodehouse, a masterpiece of plotting and pratfalls. I was rolling on the floor from the get-go. "
" Bit slow goin for a Wodehouse and the famous one liners are relatively sporadic to begin with but it picks up a decent pace and PG gets in the swing of it so that by the end the reader isnt disappointed. "
" So enjoyable - great, fun, silly book. Has turned me on to Wodehouse, and I'm now reading one of the Jeeves books. "
" I began this book and shortly put it down. I was having trouble with the volcabulary of an upperclass, educated Englishman at the beginning of the last century. A week later I tried again and this time adapted and laughed in all the right places. "
" Was expecting it to be more funny .. but it was a good timepass .. not very gripping though .. loved the writing style .. "
" Hahahahaha! I loved it. This was my first exposure to P.G. Wodehouse. Brilliant, fast paced, about Hollywood and very funny. "
" What can you say? The story unfolds before you like a vista of rolling hills on a sun drenched day. Effortless to read with a cast of over the top characters. Wodehouse on fine form. "
" Another Wodehouse oddity - a body swap comedy in which the hero trade places with an obnoxious Hollywood child star of the 30s. All a bit obvious but a jolly read. More child kidnapping but this time in comic vein. "
" This is a fun little Wodehouse book; a humorous look at 1930's Hollywood, and a body-switching incident that is absolutely plausable when told by the inimitable Wodehouse. "
" A somewhat odd premise for Wodehouse. "
" Funny tale of an Earl and a Child Star who change souls... "
" Hilarious premise. Enjoyed it thoroughly. "
" My grandfather used to love PG Wodehouse. Silly fun read. "
" A touch of the supernatural in this one, as a young English Earl swaps bodies with an even younger Hollywood child while they're both under the laughing gas at the dentists. Plenty of unusual situations here, and all the more enjoyable for it. "
" Being a Wodehouse, this book was of course, very funny. But in comparison to some of the others I have read, it was not as great. This only means it did not have mean rolling on the floor laughing. I was merely chuckling. "
" I was disappointed not to enjoy this book more, but it still hasn't put me off reading more Wodehouse in the future. "
" A dim-witted English lord switching bodies with a juvenile Hollywood star, with the requisite Wodehouse silliness ensuing. "
" This was fun and entertaining. "
" Nice book.....Wodehouse is always the perfect "
" A case of interchanged identities. "
" Published in 1936, and it's still a scream!! A ripping fun read. "
" Thought I'd try a Wodehouse as so many folk I respect recommend his humour. This one was just plain silly. I'll try one more. "
" Wodehouse's prose is, as ever, a pleasure -- sparkling and effortless. However, without a strong personality to anchor the book, a Psmith or a Bertie, the joy is short-lived. Diverting, but not among Wodehouse's best. "
" Not quite a Jeeves novel, but still amusing "
" Rather contrived body-swap story with some interesting passages and descriptions. "
" What I learned from this book: that even middlin'-to-lesser Wodehouses are funnier and better crafted than most other comic writing. This one is essentially one of those Bertie-esque-characters-without-a-tempering-Jeeves numbers, and I'd love to see Pixar's version of this for some reason. "
" A "Freaky Friday" premise--long before "Freaky Friday" was written--with the usual, hilarious Wodehouse treatment. I think I would enjoy the opportunity to be in the body of a burly English peer and deliver "a poke in the snoot" to a few deserving people. "
" Funny! OK, predictable, yes, but hey I'll take it if it cracks me up! "
" so smart and so silly. "
" This book is hilarious. Wodehouse is a master wordsmith consistantly bringing out the humor in the ordinary conversations and situations of life. "
" Not nearly as entertaining or humorous as the Wooster and Jeeves series. The plot is a little ridiculous as well. "
" Good. Read it for the first time in July of 1980, and just finished it again now. Always fun. "
" I don't know what I'll do when I've read all the Wodehouse. It's like watching "Friends" when there's a Ken Burns doc on the other channel. "
" Is Wodehouse the first to use the "switching bodies" plot that became so popular in Hollywood in recent decades? Either way, he does it better and much much funnier than Freaky Friday or Big or any of those other ones. "
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881–1975) was an English humorist who wrote novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He was highly popular throughout a career that lasted more than seventy years, and his many writings continue to be widely read. He is best known for his novels and short stories of Bertie Wooster and his manservant Jeeves and for his settings of English upper-class society of the pre– and post–World War I era. He lived in several countries before settling in the United States after World War II. During the 1920s, he collaborated with Broadway legends like Cole Porter and George Gershwin on musicals and, in the 1930s, expanded his repertoire by writing for motion pictures. He was honored with a knighthood in 1975.
Jonathan Cecil (1939–2011) was a vastly experienced actor, appearing at Shakespeare’s Globe as well as in such West End productions as The Importance of Being Earnest, The Seagull, and The Bed before Yesterday. He toured in The Incomparable Max, Twelfth Night, and An Ideal Husband, while among his considerable television and film appearances were The Rector’s Wife, Just William, Murder Most Horrid, and As You Like It.
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