Norman Wisdom

[mikeart]

Having just read his book at the weekend, I now hear of his death, as a kid growing up in Souf London, he was our hero, sad loss and a nice bloke to boot, yes I met him once and a perfect gentleman he was, with no illusions of grandeur sad day for me and i expect thousands of others. oh and a hello from me the newbie

[SepticTone]

Welcome to the forum, mike.

Yes, it was sad to hear of his death. You actually met him?

Still, at 95 he did have quite a good innings.

[PeterSF]

Oh, Mr. Grimsdale!

[davec]

Welcome aboard, mikeart.

Yes, I caught his obit the other day and felt quite a twinge I'd entirely missed him, being adrift over here across the puddle as it were. Sounds like so much I've missed, and so much Britain misses these days. I intend to go looking for his stuff when work slows down and I have a little time.

I understand he retired from television because he felt it had gotten too smutty. Well, no doubt this is not a moral stance, just that smut and Chubby Brown-style humour aren't very enlightening or very funny, depending on boring kneejerk formulas for their punch. In the US, the Hayes code for film and television was formulated for much the same reason--not that four letter words are wrong, they're just boring when used as the main vehicle for drama and humour. Wisdom was a true humorist who depended on keeping you on your toes a bit to make the joke, not dumping it on your doorstep with a bin lorry. That's the real stuff, always has been and always will be.

[PeterSF]

If anyone's interested, here's a pretty good representation of his humour.
A film clip where he and Mr. Grimsdale are called up in WWII, and instead of basic training they get on the wrong lorry to go straight to the war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L610k_e1yU

RIP Norman Wisdom

[davec]

Great clip. I like his style. Looks like Hugh Laurie studied him in great detail, eh?

Of course, there's always the reality behind the humour. As the war dragged on, Britain was drafting practically anybody with a pulse and rushing them through a very deficient basic training. A lot of men found themselves in the trenches barely able to take the safety off their rifle. With that as backdrop, the humour bites a lot deeper.

[SepticTone]

As the war dragged on, Britain was drafting practically anybody with a pulse and rushing them through a very deficient basic training. A lot of men found themselves in the trenches barely able to take the safety off their rifle.

I think that's a bit unfair, dave, & unlike your normally ascerbic yet reasoned & considered tone.

Trenches? That was WW1, I believe. The N. Wisdom clip I suspect related to WW2.

You'll be saying Americans 'saved our English asses in WW2' next, & I think my dad (God rest his soul), who served for 6 years in WW2 & was very highly skilled & trained soldier, might have had something to say about that. As indeed he did, whilst he was alive.

[davec]

I may stand misinformed, but I have read that things got awfully rough during WWII. No aspersion cast at all. Quite the opposite. Many Americans admire Britain for the way it soldiered on with all that was going on. 90% of the buildings in Hull received bomb damage in WWII. Americans have no idea at all what it's like to be invaded on any scale, let alone that, as it hasn't happened since 1812. The Revolutionary War is little closer to me than the War of the Roses--just history book stuff.

And of course America didn't really 'save everyone' unless you figure that protecting our interests, reluctantly, whilst wishing we could remain isolationist dammit, was saving your bacon as well. Don't necessarily figure that. No, we lost a lot of soldiers, but almost everybody got it worse than us, which was in fact part of my point.

And plenty of mistakes were made on both sides. My old man got drafted, rushed through boot camp in half time, and shipped off to Africa as a Technical Sergeant because he showed talent in electronics and was needed to work with early radar. I don't think he was all that well prepared for what he experienced. He still needed to be a soldier sometimes, after all.

Almost everybody got it worse in WWI as well, all American ballyhooing of its military sacrifices aside. If we're getting it worse in Iraq, it's because it's our war, we started it, we pseudo-justified it, so of course we carry the big end of the log for once. Shouldn't be carrying it at all, though. Not saving anybody there.

[mikeart]

Thanks for the welcome, and your comments were interesting, I used to work for Coutts bank in the Strand, and in my lowly position I met many famous and some notorious people, more on that later after i check with me lawyer bloke when i met him he was filming near Trafalgar square, no idea what it was about, I just said to him," I used to watch your films as a kid, you were a bit of a hero to me, his reply, " I have done OK playing the underdog, thank you for your kind words" with that he was off to do what ever he was doing, now you will excuse me I have man flu, and only another man will understand how much I am suffering

[davec]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery --I know that balmy Southern climate will help!

I'm currently battling a man gum infection, but mustn't grumble--first dental problem in my life! It is a nuisance, though. Maybe they'll just lop my head off and that'll be a twofer solution at least.