THE STORY: To Mademoiselle Barbizon (formerly Barschberger), people run a poor second to poodles and in her manor-like Versailles Kennels she has spared no expense in seeing to it that her prize charges are given the best of everything. They are also watched over by their zealous guardian even after being sold to those chosen few who qualify as poodle owners and, as the play begins, Miss Barbizon is icily rejecting the demands of an irate customer whose poodle has been summarily repossessed. As the rebuffed owner storms off to obtain a search warrant, Mademoiselle prepares for the arrival of the prize-winning Linville, whose owner, Allegra de Graffe, wishes to board him for two weeks while she goes off yachting with her rich suitor. But Linville, when he arrives, is not happy about staying and Mademoiselle, after reading his “vibrations” (she can talk to poodles), announces that he wants to go on the cruise too. The crisis is resolved by the appearance of Christine and Beverly, (two youngsters selling Girl Scout cookies, to whom Linville responds immediately. They are engaged to play with him each day—which works well until Miss Barbizon discovers that the girls really don’t like dogs at all. She decides to teach them a lesson, but in the wild escapades that follow she is the one who ends up learning the most, not only about poodles but about people as well.
A wonderfully whimsical excursion into the world of poodle fanciers, written with the special charm and tongue-in-cheek humor which have made this author’s plays so beloved.
