I like fictional butlers/valets.

Cafe Society
1

Particularly I like the fictional highly intelligent, highly trained, hyper-polite, hyper-organised butler/valet of the misguided, self-important, bumbling (but likeable) toff.

For these reasons I adore Jeeves (of Jeeves and Wooster - P.G. Wodehouse) and also the one time butler of Frasier - Ferguson (I particularly liked his concern for Daphne, whom he seemed to consider an equal)

Maybe this Is why I like Asimov’s robots so much. They are every bit the valet, in all but biology. Despite their ultimate superiority to their masters (humans) they remain completely loyal.

2

Well, he isn’t a butler, but he is in service. Henry, the waiter to Asimov’s Black Widowers. Seems like Henry is always the one who comes up with the solutions to the mysteries presented.

3

This is the mandatory mention of Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce Wayne’s butler et al)
Tho I wouldn’t call Batman bumbling.

But who do you think gets him prepared?

Brian

4

My favorite portrayer of valets is Eric Blore, who played sidekick to Edward Everett Horton in several early Astaire-Rogers films. “Wh-ither thou goest, sir, th-ither I!”

5

Ooh–and all the butlers in the Agatha Christie books etc.

I like their aplomb.

6

My favorite butler was Jack Lemmon’s butler in How To Murder Your Wife, played by Terry-Thomas.

7

The fav must be Jeeves (three books on my bedside table, one in my bag, approx 150 in the book shelf and the whole box set of videos).

And that’s just the tip.

8

Blore was also a very funny butler in Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels (and was even funnier, but not a butler, in The Lady Eve).

But for my money, with apologies to Ruggles & Godfrey & Hobson, the greatest screen butler ever was the riotously hilarious Arthur Lowe as Tucker in The Ruling Class.

9

Yes I do realise that I may have a problem! :slight_smile:

10

Yes I do realise that I may have a problem!

11

and I have no idea why that sent twice

12

I’m rather fond of Roarke’s majordomo, the snide and nasty Summerset, in JD Robb*'s Eve Dallas mysteries.

(*Nora Roberts)

13

Some other great Butlers

Beeker from Robert Asprin’s Phule series

Wadsworth from Clue (played by Tim Curry)

and

Bensonmum from Muder By Death

14

Does “C-3PO, human-cyborg relations” count?

15

I like Dorothy L. Sayers’ Bunter, valet to Lord Peter Wimsey. Sidekick, valet, friend. When Peter came back from the Great War suffering from shellshock, only Bunter was able to get through to him. When Peter and Harriet Vane married, Bunter was worried how she’d treat Peter, and she worried that Bunter would be able to accept her.

StG

16

Putting in a vote for Lugg, manservant to Albert Campion.

17

Preserved Killick, steward to Captain Jno. Aubrey. Which he is already ‘ere, ain’t ‘e? An’ with the toasted cheese which we is almost out of cheese and you’ll probably be wantin’ the port next which we is almost out of it too.

18

Hellsings Walter (last name too freaking difficult to spell)

Butler extraorinare, cool guy with spectacle, weilder of the Killer Floss of Doom. :smiley:

(And he looked pretty hot back during the War, too fans self)

19

Isn’t anybody going to speak up for monkey butlers?

Okay how about Edmund (Blackadder III), Harold (A New Leaf), Hobson (Arthur), Hudson (Upstairs Downstairs), Jarvis (The Avengers), and the Admirable Crichton?

20

The thing I like best about Jeeves, and this is brought out very well in the Fry and Laurie films, is that Jeeves is not all that brilliant, he’s just smarter (and somewhat less drunk) than Bertie.