| Sir Norman Wisdom OBE | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wisdom in 1965 | |
| Birth name | Norman Joseph Wisdom[1] |
| Born | (1915-02-04)4 February 1915 Marylebone, London, England |
| Died | 4 October 2010(2010-10-04) (aged 95) Ballasalla,Isle of Man |
| Resting place | Kirk Bride Churchyard,Bride, Isle of Man |
| Medium |
|
| Years active | 1946–2008 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingNicholas Wisdom |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service | Merchant Navy British Army |
| Years of service | 1930–1946 |
| Unit | 10th Royal Hussars Royal Corps of Signals |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom,[1]OBE[2] (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer, best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless character called Norman Pitkin.[3] He was awarded the 1953BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles following the release ofTrouble in Store, his first film in a lead role.
Wisdom gained celebrity status in lands as far apart as South America,Iran and manyEastern Bloc countries, particularly inAlbania where his films were the only ones with Western actors permitted to be shown by dictatorEnver Hoxha.[4]Charlie Chaplin once referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown".[5]
Wisdom later forged a career onBroadway in New York City alongside stars such asMandy Patinkin, and as a television actor, winning critical acclaim for his dramatic role of a dying cancer patient in the television playGoing Gently in 1981. He toured Australia and South Africa.[3] After the 1986Chernobyl disaster, a hospice was named in his honour.[4] In 1995, he was given theFreedom of the City of London and ofTirana.[4] The same year, he was appointedOBE and was knighted five years later.[4]
Norman Joseph Wisdom was born in theMarylebone district of London.[6] His parents were Frederick, achauffeur, and Maud Wisdom (née Targett), adressmaker, who often worked for West End theatres and had made a dress forQueen Mary.[7] The couple married in Marylebone on 15 July 1912. Wisdom had an elder brother, Frederick Thomas "Fred" Wisdom (13 December 1912 – 1 July 1971).[citation needed]
The family lived at 91 Fernhead Road,Maida Vale, London W9, where they slept in one room.[8] He and his brother were brought up in extreme poverty and were frequently hit by their alcoholic father, who would pick them up and throw them across the room.[9][4] After his parents' separation, Wisdom and his brother were "farmed out to paid guardians",[4] but his father did not pay so they were both turned out. Having been kicked out of his home by his father he became homeless and slept rough in London.
After unsuccessful fostering elsewhere he was generously taken in by a couple. Wisdom got work as anerrand boy in agrocer's shop despite initially not knowing how to ride a bicycle.[9] At age 13 he worked long shifts in a hotel. A fellow boy worker convinced him to walk to Cardiff and become a miner, but the boy’s family would not house him, after which he became acabin boy in theMerchant Navy. He sailed toArgentina, learning to box on board. In Argentina he survived three rounds of boxing for prize money but was badly beaten and had to fight off some sexual advances by a fellow sailor. On his return to Cardiff he had no job and returned to London, where he was advised to join the British Army, which took band recruits from age 14. Though knowing no music he turned on the tears to the recruiting officer and was successful.
In 1930, he was posted toLucknow, in theUnited Provinces of British India,[4] as a band boy.[10] He rode horses, became theflyweight boxing champion of theBritish Army in India[4] and taught himself to play the piano, trumpet, saxophone, flute, drums, bugle and clarinet.[8]
At the outbreak of theSecond World War, Wisdom was sent to work at a communications centre in a command bunker in London, where he connected telephone calls from war leaders to theprime minister. He metWinston Churchill on several occasions when asked for updates on incoming calls.[8] Wisdom then joined theRoyal Corps of Signals, and performed a similar military function at the unit headquarters inCheltenham,Gloucestershire.
Whilst performing ashadow boxing routine in an army gym, Wisdom discovered he had a talent for entertainment,[11] and began to develop his skills as a musician andstage entertainer.[5] In 1940 aged 25, at aNAAFI entertainment night, during a dance routine, Wisdom stepped down from his position in theorchestra pit, and started shadow boxing. Hearing his colleagues and officers giggling, he broke into a duck waddle, followed by a series of comic facial expressions. He later described the reaction: "They were in hysterics. All the officers were falling about laughing."[12]
Wisdom later said that was where he first patented his persona as "The Successful Failure".[12] Over the next few years, until he was demobilised in 1945, his routine included his characteristic singing and the trip-up-and-stumble. After Wisdom appeared at a charity concert atCheltenham Town Hall on 31 August 1944,[13] actorRex Harrison came backstage and urged him to become a professional entertainer.[14]
After being demobilised, Wisdom worked as aprivate hire car driver. Having improved his diction in the army, he also took a job as a nighttelephone operator.[8]
Wisdom made his debut as a professional entertainer at the age of 31, still calling himself "The Successful Failure". In the anonymity of small suburban music halls he built an act out of his shyness, his ability to fall and his multi-instrumental music skills and singing talent. The theatre band constantly changed key and he could never keep up until he demonstrated his virtuosity by beating them at their own game. One outstanding review in August 1946 read: "An unusual and most versatile comedian, Norman Wisdom, contributes two remarkable turns. He is an accomplished pianist, a pleasing singer, a talented instrumentalist, a clever mimer, and withal, a true humourist.".[15]
His rise to the top was relatively fast. A very successful run at the London Casino in April 1948,[16] led to a summer season in "Out of the Blue" in Scarborough.MagicianDavid Nixon was also part of the cast and the two worked together so well that they went on to continue the act on other variety stages starting at the London Casino in September 1948.[17] Christmas 1948 saw him in the pantomimeRobinson Crusoe at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.[18] Wisdom had already adopted the costume that would remain his trademark: tweedflat cap askew, with peak turned up; a suit at least two sizes too tight; a crumpled collar and a mangled tie. The character that went with this costume — known as the Gump — was to dominate Wisdom's film career. AWest End theatre star within two years, he honed his act into a star turn mainly between theatres in London andBrighton:[12]
I spent virtually all of those years on the road. You could keep incredibly busy just performing in pantomimes and revues. There was a whole generation of performers who learned everything on the stage.
Wisdom made his TV debut in 1948 and was soon commanding enormous audiences and had a small film role inA Date with a Dream released in the same year.
Wisdom made a series of low-budget star-vehicle comedies for theRank Organisation, beginning withTrouble in Store (1953).[19] This film earned him aBAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Film in 1954.[20] It was the second most popular film at the British box-office in 1954 and exhibitors voted him the tenth biggest star at the British box office the same year.[21]
His films' cheerful, unpretentious appeal make them the direct descendants of those made a generation earlier byGeorge Formby.[22] Never highly thought of by the critics, they were very popular with domestic audiences and Wisdom's films were among Britain's biggest box-office successes of their day. They were also successful in some unlikely overseas markets, helping Rank stay afloat financially when their more expensive film projects were unsuccessful.[citation needed]
The films usually involved the Gump character, usually called Norman, in a manual occupation in which he is barely competent and in a junior position to a straight man, often played byEdward Chapman (as Mr Grimsdale) orJerry Desmonde. They benefited from Wisdom's capacity for physicalslapstick comedy and his skill at creating a sense of the character's helplessness. The series often contained a romantic subplot; the Gump's inevitable awkwardness with women is a characteristic shared with the earlier Formby vehicles. His innocent incompetence still made him endearing to the heroine.
Wisdom's second film as star,One Good Turn (1955), was the seventh most popular movie of 1955 in Britain.[23] He made a cameo inAs Long as They're Happy (1955), then returned inMan of the Moment (1955). He was the 6th most popular star of 1955.[24]
Wisdom was a window cleaner inUp in the World (1956) and worked in a jewellery store inJust My Luck (1957). The box office receipts of these last few films had declined from previous Wisdom films butThe Square Peg (1959), an army comedy, reversed the trend and was one of the year's biggest hits. The film was the 7th most popular movie at the British box office in 1959.[25] Less successful wasFollow a Star (1959).There Was a Crooked Man (1960) was an attempt to change Wisdom's image away from Rank Organisation.The Bulldog Breed (1960) was more conventional. The film also starred a youngMichael Caine who later recalled he did not enjoy working with Wisdom because he "wasn't very nice to support-part actors".[26] Wisdom remained the 10th biggest star at the British box office.
Wisdom was inThe Girl on the Boat (1961) from a novel byP. G. Wodehouse, a second film away from the Rank formula.On the Beat (1962) as a car cleaner andA Stitch in Time (1963), in which he was cast as an apprentice butcher, returned him to the regular format.
The Early Bird (1965), his first colour film, had Wisdom as a milkman. After a cameo inThe Sandwich Man (1966), Wisdom starred inPress for Time (1966), the last film in this sequence of starring vehicles. Wisdom was still voted the 5th most popular star at the British box office.[27]
Wisdom's stage performances often involved musical numbers, although he wrote only a few of them. He has seven songs attributed to him in theASCAP database, which are: "Beware", "Don't Laugh at Me ('cause I'm a Fool)", "Falling in Love", "Follow a Star", "I Love You", "Please Opportunity", and "Up in the World".[28]
.jpg)
In 1966, Wisdom spent a short period in the United States to star in the Broadway production of theJimmy Van Heusen andSammy Cahnmusical comedyWalking Happy based on the playHobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse. His performance asWill Mosop was nominated for aTony Award.
This led to Wisdom's being cast in his first Hollywood film,The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and in the US Television musical ofGeorge Bernard Shaw'sAndrocles and The Lion (1967) with songs byRichard Rodgers and co-starringNoël Coward.
After a typical performance onThe Ed Sullivan Show,[4] further US opportunities were denied him when he had to return to London after his second wife left him. His subsequent career was largely confined to television, and he toured the world with a successful cabaret act. He won critical acclaim in 1981 for his dramatic role of a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently.
Wisdom was one of several actors initially considered for the role of Frank Spencer inSome Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. However, he turned the role down and it eventually went toMichael Crawford. The creator of the seriesRaymond Allen later stated "Norman Wisdom was offered the role but turned it down because he didn't find it funny".[29]
On 31 December 1976, Wisdom performed his theme song "Don't Laugh at Me ('cause I'm a Fool)" onBBC1'sA Jubilee of Music, celebrating British pop music forQueen Elizabeth II's impendingSilver Jubilee.[30] Wisdom had performed in front of the Queen at many Royal Command Performances, the first being in 1952.[31]
After touring South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia with some success, his appearances in Britain became more infrequent. He spent much of the 1980s in seclusion on the Isle of Man.[32]
Wisdom's career revived in the 1990s, helped by the young comedianLee Evans, whose act was often compared to Wisdom's work.[33] The high point of this new popularity was theknighthood he was awarded, for services to entertainment, in the 2000 New Year's honours list.[34] During the ceremony, once he had received his knighthood, he walked away and again performed his trademark trip, at which the Queen smiled and laughed.[35]
From 1995 until 2004 he appeared in the recurring role of Billy Ingleton in the long-runningBBC comedyLast of the Summer Wine.
In 1996, he received a Special Achievement Award from theLondon Film Critics.[36]
Wisdom was a guest on aThis Is Your Life special in 2000 for actor and directorTodd Carty. He appeared as a half-time guest at the England vsAlbania 2002 World Cup qualifier atSt James' Park,Newcastle upon Tyne, and scored a penalty at the Leazes End.[37]
In 2002 Wisdom filmed a cameo role as a butler in a low-budget horror film. In 2004, he made an appearance onCoronation Street, playing fitness fanatic pensioner Ernie Crabbe. In 2007 he came out of retirement to take a role in a short film calledExpresso.[38]
Wisdom became a cultural icon inAlbania, where he was one of the few Western actors whose films were allowed in the country underEnver Hoxha. According to Hoxha'sdialectical materialist viewpoint, proletarian Norman's ultimately victorious struggles against capitalism, personified by Mr Grimsdale and the effete aristocratic characters played by Jerry Desmonde, were a Communist parable on the class war. He was known as Mr Pitkin after the character from his films. In 1995, he visited the post-Stalinist country where, to his surprise, he was greeted by many appreciative fans, including the then President,Sali Berisha. During this trip, Wisdom was filmed byNewsnight as he visited a children's project funded by ChildHope UK.[39]
On a visit in 2001, which coincided with theEngland football team playingAlbania in the city ofTirana,[40] his appearance at the training ground overshadowed that ofDavid Beckham. He appeared on the pitch before the start of the Albania v England match wearing a half-Albanian and half-English football shirt. He was well received by the crowd, especially when he performed one of his trademark trips on his way out to the centre circle.[41] In 1995 Wisdom was made an honorary citizen of Tirana.[42]
In his book and TV seriesOne Hit Wonderland,Tony Hawks united with Wisdom and, along withTim Rice, released a single, "Big in Albania", in an attempt to enter the Albanian pop charts. It reached number 18 on the Top Albania Radio chart.[43]
In October 2004, Wisdom announced he would retire from the entertainment industry on his 90th birthday (4 February 2005). He announced he intended to spend more time with his family, playing golf and driving around the Isle of Man, where he was living.[44]
In 2007, Wisdom returned to acting in a short film directed by Kevin Powis,Expresso. The film, which Wisdom later announced (reported BBC/ITV News) was to be officially his last film role, is set during one day in a coffee shop and was funded by the UK Film Council and ScreenWM. Shot in January, it premièred at theCannes Film Festival on 27 May 2007. It was later adopted by the UK charityMacmillan and released on DVD in aid of the charity.
In the film, Wisdom plays a vicar plagued by a fly in a café. Producer Nigel Martin Davey gave him only a visual role so that he would not have to remember any lines, but on the day, Wisdom was alert and had his performance changed to add more laughs.[45]
Wisdom was married twice. His first wife was Doreen Brett, whom he married in 1941. By 1944 they had separated when Doreen gave birth to a son, Michael (born 1944), fathered by Albert Gerald Hardwick, a telephone engineer.[citation needed] The marriage was dissolved in 1946.[citation needed]
He married his second wife, Freda Isobel Simpson, in 1947;[4] they had two children:Nicholas (born 1953, who later playedfirst-class cricket forSussex)[46] and Jacqueline (born 1954).[47] The couple divorced in 1969,[4] with Wisdom granted full custody of the children.[6] Freda Wisdom died inBrighton in 1992.[citation needed]
Popular in the Isle of Man, he lived for 27 years in a house inAndreas named Ballalough (Manx for "lake farm", also a humorous corruption of the English "belly laugh"). He supported various charities and charitable works, including orphanages in Albania.[48] In 2005, Wisdom starred in a video for theManx girl group Twisted Angels, for their single "LA", in support of the local charity Project 21.[49]
During the 1960s, he was involved in a famous legal case (Wisdom v Chamberlain, 1968) in which he was pursued by theInland Revenue for tax on profits made from the sale of silver bullion he had bought when concerned about the further devaluation ofsterling. He contended that it was an investment, but the court held that it had been a trading venture and was duly chargeable toincome tax.[50]
Wisdom was a lifelong supporter and a former board member of football teamBrighton & Hove Albion. He also likedEverton andNewcastle United.[51] He enjoyedgolf,[44] and was a member of theGrand Order of Water Rats.[52] He was an honorary member of theWinkle Club, a charity inHastings,East Sussex.[53]
A lover of cars, his collection included a 1956Bentley S1 Continental R Type fastback, which he first bought in 1961, and then again in the late 1980s.[54] In 1969, he purchased, after the divorce from Freda Simpson, aShelby Cobra 427, CSX3206, in New York, which he kept until 1986, when it was sold to another car enthusiast in Brighton, UK. Until his age and declining mental health meant he failed aDepartment of Transport fitness-to-drive test, he owned and drove a 1987Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and aJaguar S-Type, which were sold in September 2005.[citation needed]
In 1963, he bought a new motor yacht. The 94 feet (29 m) long hull and superstructure were built in Spain for £80,000, before being towed toShoreham-by-Sea,West Sussex, for fitting out. After three years of extensive works and sea trials, she was named M/YConquest and valued at £1.25 million by insurers. It was available for charter at £6,000 a month but Wisdom later sold it, saying that he was "no sailor".[12]
In mid-2006, after he suffered an irregular heart rhythm, Wisdom was flown by helicopter to hospital inLiverpool and was fitted with aheart pacemaker.[55]
Wisdom resided in the Abbotswoodnursing home inBallasalla, where he had been resident from 12 July 2007 to 4 October 2010.[56]
On the release ofExpresso to DVD in the same month, BBC News confirmed that Wisdom lived in a care home, because of his suffering fromvascular dementia.[45] It was also reported that he had granted his childrenpower of attorney over his affairs and, having sold off his flat inEpsom,Surrey, they were now in the process of selling his Isle of Man home to raise money to fund his longer-term care.[57]
On 16 January 2008,[58]BBC2 airedWonderland: The Secret Life Of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 and 3/4.[59] The documentary highlighted the dilemma of coping with an ageing parent. His family stated Wisdom's memory loss had become so severe he no longer recognised himself in his films.
In the six months prior to his death, Wisdom suffered a series of strokes, causing a decline in his physical and mental health. He died on 4 October 2010 at Abbotswood nursing home on the Isle of Man at the age of 95.[60]
His funeral took place on 22 October 2010 inDouglas, Isle of Man, and all of the island were invited.[61][62] His trademark cloth cap was placed on the coffin in the church.[62] The funeral was attended by a large number of showbusiness personalities and, at Wisdom's request,Moira Anderson sang "Who Can I Turn To",[62] which was specially arranged for the occasion byGordon Cree.[63] Wisdom's body was buried at Kirk Bride Churchyard,Bride, Isle of Man.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-1950 | Wit and Wisdom | |||
| 1967 | Androclese and the Lion | Androclese | TV movie | |
| 1970 | Norman | Norman Wilkins | Alan Tarrant | |
| Music Hall | ||||
| 1973 | Nobody Is Norman Wisdom | Nobody | ||
| 1974 | A Little Bit of Wisdom | Norman | ||
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Bernard Flood | Episode:Going Gently. BAFTA Best Single Play, 1982 | |
| 1983 | Bergerac | Vincent | Episode: "Almost Like a Holiday" | |
| 1988 | The 1950s: Music, Memories & Milestones | |||
| 1995-2004 | Last of the Summer Wine | Billy Ingleton | 7 episodes | |
| 1998 | Casualty | Mr. Cole | Episode: "She Loved the Rain" | |
| 2002 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Bernie Marks | Episode: "Mens Sana" | |
| 2003 | The Last Detective | Lofty Brock | Episode: "Lofty" | |
| Between the Sheets | Maurice Hardy | Miniseries | ||
| 2004 | Coronation Street | Ernie Crabbe | 1 episode | |
| 2008 | Wonderland: The Secret Life Of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 and 3/4 |
For a number of years British exhibitors voted Wisdom one of the most popular stars in the country.
I saw his films as a kid. It surprises me because if you watch my act it's nothing like his really.
