Quote: Tim Walker @ October 6 2010, 4:23 PM BSTReading his obit in The Times. Quite a struggle he went through in the early days. Plus, I didn't realise that both of his wives had ended-up leaving him. Interesting.
But let's face it, if you were married to Norman Wisdom...
Sad though.
Hopefully his films will now be reavaluated and appreciated more than they were by most critics. That Quentin Letts article summed up why they should be reassessed again - our modern comedy has got too mean, too harsh, too cynical and far too cool, and many of the culprits cannot see it. Just look at the sulk they had when Mr Clean, Michael McIntyre, got all the popularity and then won the awards they thought were reserved for them. They have forgotten vast swathes of people who like more innocent, cleaner comedy and the above mentioned (don't get me to spell his name again) proved this. Norman Wisdom films should be shown again to remind people that comedy can be funny without being foulmouthed, mean, laddish, filthy and disgusting! Well done Norman.
RIP Sir Norman Wisdom.
Quote: Tim Azure @ October 10 2010, 1:23 PM BSTBut let's face it, if you were married to Norman Wisdom...
Sad though.
Bit harsh, he seemed like a decent man
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ October 10 2010, 3:40 PM BSTNorman Wisdom films should be shown again to remind people that comedy can be funny without being foulmouthed, mean, laddish, filthy and disgusting! Well done Norman.
Be fair, filth and meanness is much funnier. And swearing. That's cool.
On The Beat and Press For Time are on BBC Two tomorrow afternoon.
The ladies at the nursing home said often in the mornings they would go to wake him up and he would play dead!...that's dedication to his comedy...or something anyway!
From Private Eye: COVERING the death of the comedian and actor Norman Wisdom aged 95 last week, the Guardian, Independent and Mirror all fell into the Wikipedia trap. They reported how Wisdom (catchphrase: "Mr Grimsdale!") had "provided the lyrics for Dame Vera Lynn's greatest hit, "There'll Be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover".
This "fact" was of course complete nonsense and had been added to Sir Norman's Wikipedia entry on 24 August this year - something none of the papers spotted. The Indy did manage to discover the names of the song's genuine composers, Walter Kent and Nat Burton, but then spoiled everything by claiming they were Wisdom's co-writers.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ October 10 2010, 3:40 PM BSTHopefully his films will now be reavaluated and appreciated more than they were by most critics. That Quentin Letts article summed up why they should be reassessed again - our modern comedy has got too mean, too harsh, too cynical and far too cool, and many of the culprits cannot see it. Just look at the sulk they had when Mr Clean, Michael McIntyre, got all the popularity and then won the awards they thought were reserved for them. They have forgotten vast swathes of people who like more innocent, cleaner comedy and the above mentioned (don't get me to spell his name again) proved this. Norman Wisdom films should be shown again to remind people that comedy can be funny without being foulmouthed, mean, laddish, filthy and disgusting! Well done Norman.
I agree there's more room in comedy for gentler, less-sweary stuff, and I have a real soft spot for Norman Wisdom - I grew up with his comedy. Even stuff that I really like sometimes overdoes the cuss-quotient - The Inbetweeners for example.
Quentin Letts is a c**t though. For one thing, his ridiculous Norman Wisdom article relied heavily on provoking a nostalgic, emotional, biased response from an audience who were clearly still stinging from the loss of one of their comedy greats. Seemed to me that he used Norman's death to back-up his petty gripes about "modern comedy", and in the process absolutely failed to acknowledge the good, intelligent talent that's still around in British comedy today like Mitchell & Webb, Stephen Fry, Gervais & Merchant etc.
And for another thing he writes for the Mail and he's called Quentin.
Here's the article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1318085/British-comedy-Smug-scornful-obsessed-sex-flatulence.html
Quote: Lee Henman @ October 17 2010, 3:08 AM BSTQuentin Letts is a c**t though. For one thing, his ridiculous Norman Wisdom article relied heavily on provoking a nostalgic, emotional, biased response from an audience who were clearly still stinging from the loss of one of their comedy greats. Seemed to me that he used Norman's death to back-up his petty gripes about "modern comedy", and in the process absolutely failed to acknowledge the good, intelligent talent that's still around in British comedy today like Mitchell & Webb, Stephen Fry, Gervais & Merchant etc.
Absolutely. What a stupid article.
Quote: Kenneth @ October 17 2010, 2:16 AM BSTFrom Private Eye: COVERING the death of the comedian and actor Norman Wisdom aged 95 last week, the Guardian, Independent and Mirror all fell into the Wikipedia trap. They reported how Wisdom (catchphrase: "Mr Grimsdale!") had "provided the lyrics for Dame Vera Lynn's greatest hit, "There'll Be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover".
This "fact" was of course complete nonsense and had been added to Sir Norman's Wikipedia entry on 24 August this year - something none of the papers spotted. The Indy did manage to discover the names of the song's genuine composers, Walter Kent and Nat Burton, but then spoiled everything by claiming they were Wisdom's co-writers.
That is shameful. I could not have named Kent and Burton, but it is reasonably common knowledge that the writers were American (bluebirds would be unlikely symbolism for an English songwriter); in any case you would have thought that in the course of writing the articles the improbability might have occurred to them, given that Norman's career in entertainment did not begin until after the war.
Quote: Lee Henman @ October 17 2010, 3:08 AM BSTAnd for another thing he writes for the Mail and he's called Quentin.
Here's the article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1318085/British-comedy-Smug-scornful-obsessed-sex-flatulence.html
Columnists aren't what they used to be.
Quote: peter gazzard @ October 12 2010, 9:22 PM BSTBit harsh, he seemed like a decent man
Very much so, but I do get the impression that he was always 'on'. You can see how it might be wearying.
Quote: sidecar jon @ October 15 2010, 7:03 PM BSTThe ladies at the nursing home said often in the mornings they would go to wake him up and he would play dead!...that's dedication to his comedy...or something anyway!
Yeah brilliant, I didn't know till that tribute prog what a wind up merchant he was, fantastic to see that kind of dedication to one's craft. And what a natural, even the stuntman couldn't do what he did without breaking his arm. Norman stepped in and did it first take. Watched those films yesterday, superb, just about to stick on The Early Bird once more now, what a hugely gifted and woefully under rated performer he was. And apparently he choreographed a lot of his own routines. That puts him up with Stan Laurel surely. What a class act!
And the constant theme of the underdog, the trampled on little man made a great franchise. I hope the comedy snobs who dismissed his huge talent to focus on others who made a fraction of his impact are hanging their heads in shame now, they certainly should be 
RIP Norman - although I was never a fan. I couldn't quite see what was funny about falling over all the time.
(Awaits backlash!)
Erm, I think it has something to do with finding humour from man's physicality not being his own best servant. We are programmed to be physically masterful in order to survive and progress from any situation. To see someone then being 'tripped up' by his own ungainliness or physical incompetence then reminds us that we are all mortal however fit and physically astute and graceful many of us become, in turn this creates a warm self knowing response we call humour. Does this help?
RIP Norman. Your clownish slapstick comedy may have fallen out of fashion in modern times, but at least you had the consolation of knowing that you were (if rumour is to be believed) hung like a donkey. 
EDIT: Oh wait, that was Charlie Chaplin. Apologies. 