Norman Wisdom BBC Tribute

I only ever seem to read very poor reviews for Press For Time.

It wouldn't be my pick of his best films but I think it's nice to watch. It's a fun little story and the scenery in full colour looks great.
 
I always liked Norman Wisdom i remember reading his biography of his childhood like Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin they had to grow pretty fast at a young age. I admired him for it. I seen the Wonderland documentary yesterday and was quite saddened by it, the daughter i felt obviously had issues and seem to care more for her dog and the son well he was not so bad, but as someone else pointed out the daughter in law was more caring. I have the boxset of his films and and CD of his music and i have to admit Press for time is one of my favourites despite what people think, I for one was sad to hear of his death i hope the young generation discover him and what a genius he was. PS In i think Trouble in store (i could be wrong about this) there is a scene where he is chasing a bus on rollerskates very similar to a scene in Some mothers do ave em. Makes you think what a loss it was he didn't play Frank Spencer.:)
 
Great to see more posts in praise of Press for Time. I also forgot in my earlier posts to mention the excellent, wistful score of the film, composed by Mike Vickers of Manfred Mann.

Re Wonderland comments above. I also had rservations about some of the things they said (re the dog and how they so vehemently hated being referred to as the son and daughter of Norman). However, I agree with what you've said about how well Kim (daughter-in-law) came across - when she spoke, she always seemed to be putting Norman first.
 
I can see why they looked at Norman for the role of Frank, and I think he would have been as great as always in Some Mothers.......but Michael Crawford was still an inspired choice. He made the part his own, in the same way you couldn't imagine anyone other than David Jason playing Del Boy, even though he too was not the producers' first choice.
 
The C4 Heroes of Comedy documentary even intercuts the Trouble In Store clip with the Some Mothers sequence.




It's a shame Norman turned down Some Mothers for being too lavatorial as the ITV shows he did instead are not that well remembered and it seems that none even exist in the archives anymore
 
That was interesting. The Albanian record with the man who did Stutter Rap was quite surreal. The footage of him playing the terminally ill man in 1981 was harrowing and showed a hidden depth to him.
 
Press for time? The film where he's a journalist and he covers the opening of a showhome, causes chaos, people crowd into the house and it falls down? Not a good film.

Didn't he do an film in the 70s where he played an adulterer? I think it was called 'What sauce for the goose'. I haven't see it but I believe it was panned at the time. I'm not a fan of NW's act (although he seemed a very endearing character) but I'm surprised that 'The Early Bird' (where NW is a milkman with Mr Grimsdale) isn't being shown. That's one of the more popular films, I would have thought.

Wonder if his portrayal of a terminally ill man will pop up on either BBC2 or BBC4? SounRAB intriguing.
 
Fate works in mysterious ways. Michael Crawford was Frank Spencer and spawned a million impressions, so much so that its virtually impossible to think of the character any other way. Crawford played Spencer as a child man, no-one else would have done that. And yet it worked for twenty million people at its very peak. It wouldnt work in the same way today though-perhaps rather sadly Britain isnt as innocent as it was.
 
I had hoped they would be showing 'The Early Bird'. I loved the opening sequence of that film and the lawnmower scene but the best of all was NW's relationship with Nellie.
 
I found it very moving hearing about his start in life - What a complete and utter B******D his father was. How could anyone turn their own son away in such a curt cold manner. I literally wept for him.

It's amazing how he managed to turn his life around and make something of himself. Loved the way he couldn't resist the little trip up after he'd been knighted. What a sweetheart. Lived to make other people laugh. God bless him :)
 
His children seemed very fond of their dad. Unlike the image they portrayed in the documentary about him ... I seem to remember it was his daughter in law who seemed to think more of him.

Lovely man, may he sleep well.
 
I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work now as Crawford played him.
Wouldn't be the as long running or as well remembered I'd guess.
There's still a market for slapstick and odd off the wall characters, the Mr Bean franchise is still running isn't it?
The Days of 20 million viewing anything are gone and it's not down to 'quality' it's just viewing habits have changed.

Norman doing Frank Spencer seems quite a dull prospect now compared to Crawford's interpretation.
 
If they want to show a tribute to MW, then could have done better by showing the two hander
Sunday Night at the London Palladium, with MW and Bruce Forsythe
 
I suppose Norman had to go with what he felt was right.

As it was, Some Mothers tuned out to be hugely successful, but that could be credited to Michael Crawford's central performance as Frank Spencer. You couldn't imagine anybody else playing that role now!!
 
I dont know couple of good bits IIRC, when Norman attenRAB new house opening, which featured Stanley Unwin as a mayor, and when he gets his bike caught up in a light fitting
 
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