Swedish Exercises
judith west
adaptations of Bertie and Jeeves novels, beginning again with "Right Ho,
Jeeves." As self-appointed dramaturg for the production (also as the
actress playing Aunt Dahlia), I'm hunting something quick and
informative about the ubiquitous "Swedish exercises" that figure in
several of the book's insults and descriptions.
Anybody?
Thanks,
Judith West
Anne Cotton
referred to the habit some people had of doing deep knee bends,
toe-touches (I haven't seen my own toes for years, and do try not
to stay on close speaking terms with them), and arm-swings -- the
sort of thing I think Basic Training emphasizes. Done in groups
mostly nowadays; they were the kind of thing eager young men
were urged to spring from bed and engage in at dawn, to keep fit.
Or something. I much prefer the elbow-bend myself, preferably
with g.and t. firmly in the hand attached to said elbow...
Lady Bassett
Sailesh Krishnamurthy
>
> City Lit Theater in Chicago is this year reprising their series of five
> adaptations of Bertie and Jeeves novels, beginning again with "Right Ho,
> Jeeves." As self-appointed dramaturg for the production (also as the
> actress playing Aunt Dahlia), I'm hunting something quick and
> informative about the ubiquitous "Swedish exercises" that figure in
> several of the book's insults and descriptions.
I have always kind of thought that the "Swedish exercises" are nothing but
the "Larsen exercises" Ashe Marson used to perform in the side street in
London -watched by the props of Hotel Maris and the other one, 23 children,
a cat and assorted beggars.
Used to induce lots of laughter in the sorroundings .. and they were
created by a Swedish armyman called Larsen, according to Plum anyways !
--
Cheers
Sailesh (http://www.meer.net/~sailesh)
Ph: (408) 257-7314 (H)
(408) 463-3176 (W)
FRAJM
>I rather suspect that the "Swedish exercises" mentioned in that era
>referred to the habit some people had of doing deep knee bends,
>toe-touches (I haven't seen my own toes for years, and do try not
>to stay on close speaking terms with them), and arm-swings -- the
>sort of thing I think Basic Training emphasizes. Done in groups
>mostly nowadays; they were the kind of thing eager young men
>were urged to spring from bed and engage in at dawn, to keep fit.
>Or something. I much prefer the elbow-bend myself, preferably
>with g.and t. firmly in the hand attached to said elbow...
>
> Lady Bassett
>
G. and t. first thing in the morning? Gosh, you Bassetts do live high.
Mortimer Rackstraw, the Great Boloni
******************************
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
http://members.aol.com/frajm/
"All over the room throats were being strained and minds broadened."
-- P. G. Wodehouse, Piccadilly Jim
Soapy Molloy
What ho all.
I'm not saying dear old Plum was wrong or anything, but I have never
myself heard of a bloke named Larsen in connection with swedish
exercises. Mr P H Ling (1776-1839) on the other hand does ring a bell.
Mr Ling is known as The Founder of the Swedish Exercise.
1804 he became a fencing master, and in 1813 he founded a private
school of gymnastics. In 1835 he became a member of the Swedish
Academy (you know the blokes who gives away the Nobel Prizes).
He was also the author of several books and plays about such caracters
as Thor and Odin and all the other nordic heathen Gods.
Of course, this is not what you wanted to know, miss West, but now you
do. Of the actual performance of the exercises I believe Lady Bassett
have already adequately informed you.
George Cyril Wellbeloved (Pig Man)
I say, old chap!
That's quite a bit about this Ling bloke that you know. Went to school
with him, have known him since he was this high, that sort of thing?
Though that would make you quite the old chap, don't you know !
Now what this Ling chap have to do with exercises called the Larsen
Exercise still boggles the mind. Maybe an alternate identity he assumed,
with beard and all, in order to avoid the Silver Ring bookies, after he
lost his little all on "Whistler's Mother"?
Now I'm not exactly well-versed with these chaps that look like Norse
Gods (these blighters seem to charm away every girl I've fancied), but
wasn't Thor muscularly well endowed? Must have been the Swedish
exercises, and therein lies the connection between this Ling chappie's
interests.
--
Cheerio,
George Cyril Wellbeloved (Pig Man)
http://people.netscape.com/rajesh
"What you see is all you get"
- Brian Kernighan
Soapy Molloy
Man)" <raj...@netscape.com> wrote:
>>Soapy wrote:
>> I'm not saying dear old Plum was wrong or anything, but I have never
>> myself heard of a bloke named Larsen in connection with swedish
>> exercises. Mr P H Ling (1776-1839) on the other hand does ring a bell.
>>
>> Mr Ling is known as The Founder of the Swedish Exercise.
>> 1804 he became a fencing master, and in 1813 he founded a private
>> school of gymnastics. In 1835 he became a member of the Swedish
>> Academy (you know the blokes who gives away the Nobel Prizes).
>> He was also the author of several books and plays about such caracters
>> as Thor and Odin and all the other nordic heathen Gods.
>>
>> Of course, this is not what you wanted to know, miss West, but now you
>> do. Of the actual performance of the exercises I believe Lady Bassett
>> have already adequately informed you.
>
>I say, old chap!
>
> That's quite a bit about this Ling bloke that you know. Went to school
>with him, have known him since he was this high, that sort of thing?
>Though that would make you quite the old chap, don't you know !
[Once again the fine, handsome, man with the Shakespearian brow,
enters the room in spite of the lingering whiff of pig]
Greetings and Salutations, my dear G. C.
I know many useless things, don't you know.
I can't say Mr Ling ever was a close friend or anything.
My Shakespearian brow have a genetical basis rather than being caused
by old age.
> Now what this Ling chap have to do with exercises called the Larsen
>Exercise still boggles the mind. Maybe an alternate identity he assumed,
>with beard and all, in order to avoid the Silver Ring bookies, after he
>lost his little all on "Whistler's Mother"?
Well, you might be close to the truth there for all I know. My theory
is rather that there never has been a bloke named "Larsen" at all. I
suppose dear old Plum just didn't want to use the name of a real live
person in his novel, so therefore invented "Larsen".
>
> Now I'm not exactly well-versed with these chaps that look like Norse
>Gods (these blighters seem to charm away every girl I've fancied), but
>wasn't Thor muscularly well endowed? Must have been the Swedish
>exercises, and therein lies the connection between this Ling chappie's
>interests.
>
Well, G.C., the blighters didn't just look like Norse God's - they
WERE Norse/Viking God's! And Thor was one of the greatest of the lot,
something of a mythologic Battling Billson, don't you know. Physically
impressive but mentally negligible. He was the ThunderGod, using a
stone-hammer causing havoc in the surroundings. Riding his chariot
across the skies causing thunder and his hammer (Mjoelner) hitting his
enimies causing bolts of lightning! We still remember Thor once every
week since his name is the orígin for "thursday"!
Thor wasn't the only one wrecking havoc in those days. The vikings
made quite an impression in the british isles. A great number of
people in the UK today has viking ancestors and much of the language
has viking origin, words like "window" and "knife" to mention but
two. Personally I believe words like "hangover" and "bar-brawl" just
might have a viking origin as well.
Now if that mysterious Larsen bloke lost his little all on "Whistler's
Mother" in the 3 o'clock at Goodwood, it just might have happened
because the most prominent viking God, ODIN, had entered his horse
"Sleipner" in the race - the animal had no less than eight legs!
Next time at the paddock, forget about any omen about pimples or
strange whistling noices you might have perceived - just count the
horse's legs!
Soapy
"Slice him where you like, a hellhound is always a hellhound"
Merolchazzar, King of Oom
George Cyril Wellbeloved (Pig Man) <raj...@netscape.com> wrote in article
<35DB5CDC...@netscape.com>...
>
> Now I'm not exactly well-versed with these chaps that look like Norse
> Gods (these blighters seem to charm away every girl I've fancied),
Talking of Norse gods I am reminded of a very funny line from a stand-up
routine by Buddy Hacket describing his experiences on a skiing trip. Here
is
Hacket's description of the typical swiss ski instructor.
"Little tiny waists, big wide shoulders, brown skin, blond hair, freaks!
You dont want to look at that s*** before breakfast."
Merolchazzar
cbi...@scruznet.com
> City Lit Theater in Chicago is this year reprising their series of five
> adaptations of Bertie and Jeeves novels, beginning again with "Right Ho,
> Jeeves." As self-appointed dramaturg for the production (also as the
> actress playing Aunt Dahlia), I'm hunting something quick and
> informative about the ubiquitous "Swedish exercises" that figure in
> several of the book's insults and descriptions.
> Anybody?
> Thanks,
> Judith West
If you can contact Tony Ring, over in GB he may be able to help you.[1}
The Wodehouse Society over 'cross the pond puts out a newsletter and in
one of the most recent issues, there was an article on the excercises that
Plum used-Rather late in life-his 30's or 40's-he ran across an article in
an american magazine-Look?, Colliers? that detailed a series of
excercises. Plum took to them, doing them every day for the rest of his
life.
I think this is where the reference to excercises in his writing comes from.
Charles, do the people who help get comp seats?, Bishop
[1] I don't have the current membership list to hand or I could look it up
for you. Or someone over here who receives the newsletter may chime in.
Alan Follett
We have a very tangled skein here, it would seem. Plum's knowledge, and
likely perpetration, of Scandinavian exercise regimens goes back to at
least 1914; they are referred to in the first chapter of _Something
Fresh_; but their originator was expressly described as Danish rather
than Swedish. How Larsen exercises relate to Swedish ditto, or Larsen
to Ling, remains shrouded in m. In any event, here's Plum's description
of this program:
'A gentleman named Lieutenant Larsen, of the Danish Army, as a
result of much study of the human anatomy, some time ago evolved a
series of Exercises. All over the world at the present moment his
apostles are twisting themselves into knots in accordance with the
dotted lines in the illustrative plates of his admirable book. From
Peebles to Baffin's Bay arms and legs are being swung in daily thousands
from Point A to Point B, and flaccid muscles are gaining the consistency
of india-rubber. Larsen's Exercises are the last word in exercises.
They bring into play every sinew of the body. They promote a brisk
circulation. They enable you, if you persevere, to fell oxen, if
desired, with a single blow.
'But they are not dignified. Indeed, to one seeing them suddenly
and without warning for the first time, they are markedly humourous.
The only reason why King Henry of England, whose son sank with the White
Ship, never smiled again, was because Lieutenant Larsen had not then
invented his admirable Exercises.'
Not an appealing picture to one as resolutely unathletic as myself;
still, as Plum managed to hang about into his ninety-third year, there
may have been something to these Exercises!
Ta!
Le Vicomte de Blissac