Norman Wisdom: Difference between revisions

| resting_place = Kirk Bride Churchyard, [[Bride (parish)|Bride]], Isle of Man

| spouse = {{plainlist|

* {{marriage|Freda Simpson|1947|1969|reason=divorced}}

}}

Norman Joseph Wisdom was born in the [[Marylebone]] district of London.<ref name=":0">{{cite ODNB|title=Wisdom, Sir Norman Joseph (1915–2010), comedian and actor|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-103354|access-date=16 February 2022|year=2014 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/103354|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |last1=Double |first1=Oliver }}</ref> His parents were Frederick, a [[chauffeur]], and Maud Wisdom (née Targett), a [[dressmaker]] who often worked for West End theatres, and had made a dress for [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]].<ref>Don't Laugh at Me, p. 1</ref> 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|date=December 2017}}

 

 

 

== Military service ==

 

He rode horses, became the [[flyweight]] boxing champion of the [[British Army]] in India<ref name="TelegraphObit" /> and taught himself to play the piano, trumpet, saxophone, flute, drums, bugle and clarinet.<ref name="MyTurn" />

 

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 where the theatre band constantly changed key and he could never keep up until pulling out his virtuosity and 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.".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Hastings and St Leonards Observer |journal=Hastings and St Leonards Observer |date=24 August 1946 |page=3}}</ref> His rise to the top was relatively fast. A very successful run at the London Casino in April 1948,<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=22 April 1948 |page=5}}</ref> led to a summer season in "Out of the Blue" in Scarborough. [[Magic (illusion)|Magician]] [[David Nixon (magician)|David 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.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=16 September 1948 |page=2}}</ref> Christmas 1948 saw him in the pantomime "Robinson Crusoe" at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Birmingham Daily Gazette |journal=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=17 January 1949 |page=2}}</ref> Wisdom had already adopted the costume that would remain his trademark: tweed [[flat 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. A [[West End theatre]] star within two years, he honed his act into a star turn mainly between theatres in London and [[Brighton]]:<ref name=GuardWordsWis />

 

Wisdom made his TV debut in 1948 and was soon commanding enormous audiences and had a small film role in ''[[A Date with a Dream]]'' released in the same year.

Wisdom's second film as star, ''[[One Good Turn (1955 film)|One Good Turn]]'' (1955), was the seventh most popular movie of 1955 in Britain.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dirk Bogarde favourite film actor|newspaper=The Irish Times|location=Dublin, Ireland|date=29 December 1955|page=9}}</ref> He made a cameo in ''[[As Long as They're Happy]]'' (1955), then returned in ''[[Man of the Moment (1955 film)|Man of the Moment]]'' (1955). He was the 6th most popular star of 1955.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Dam Busters |date=29 December 1955 |page=12}}</ref>

 

 

Wisdom was in ''[[The Girl on the Boat (film)|The Girl on the Boat]]'' (1961) from a novel by [[P. G. Wodehouse]], a second film away from the Rank formula. ''[[On the Beat (1962 film)|On the Beat]]'' (1962) as a car cleaner and ''[[A Stitch in Time (1963 film)|A 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 in ''[[The Sandwich Man (1966 film)|The Sandwich Man]]'' (1966), Wisdom starred in ''[[Press for Time]]'' (1966), the last film in this sequence of starring vehicles.<!-- & implicitly of films for Rank. --> Wisdom was still voted the 5th most popular star at the British box office.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Most popular star for third time |date=31 December 1966 |page=5}}</ref>

 

 

== Later career ==

== Retirement ==

[[File:Norman Wisdom Peel IoM 2005 -CCR27366-.jpg|thumb|Wisdom in [[Peel, Isle of Man]], in 2005]]

 

In 2007, Wisdom returned to acting in a short film directed by Kevin Powis, ''[[Expresso (film)|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 the [[Cannes Film Festival]] on 27 May 2007. It was later adopted by the UK charity [[Macmillan Cancer Support|Macmillan]] and released on DVD in aid of the charity.

 

== Health decline ==

 

Wisdom resided in the Abbotswood [[nursing home]] in [[Ballasalla]], where he had been resident from 12 July 2007 to 4 October 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news?articleid=3107897 |title=Comic legend needs time to settle in home, says son |date=12 August 2007 |work=Isle of Man Today |publisher=Johnston Press Digital Publishing |access-date=11 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309092127/http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news?articleid=3107897 |archive-date=9 March 2012 }}</ref>

On the release of ''Expresso'' to DVD in the same month, BBC News confirmed that Wisdom lived in a care home, because of his suffering from [[Multi-infarct dementia|vascular dementia]].<ref name="BBCEspres" /> It was also reported that he had granted his children [[power of attorney]] over his affairs and, having sold off his flat in [[Epsom]], [[Surrey]], they were now in the process of selling his Isle of Man home to raise money to fund his longer-term care.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1619398.mostviewed.comedy_legend_leaves_epsom_flat_for_good.php|title=Comedy legend leaves Epsom flat for good|date=18 August 2007|newspaper=[[Surrey Comet]] |publisher=Newsquest Media Group|access-date=11 October 2010}}</ref>

 

 

== Death ==

*A [[Wetherspoon]] pub in [[Deal, Kent]], where Wisdom ran away from the children's home, was named ''The Sir Norman Wisdom'' in his honour when it opened in March 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Sign-way-new-Wetherspoon-s-Deal/story-17929623-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505063037/http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Sign-way-new-Wetherspoon-s-Deal/story-17929623-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2013|title=Sign and name on way for new Wetherspoon's in Deal|date=22 January 2013|work=This is Kent|access-date=26 January 2013}}</ref>

*In 2015 ''[[Wisdom of a Fool]]'', a new one-man play based on the life of Norman Wisdom opened at [[The Capitol Theatre, Horsham]], in Wisdom's centenary year, on 17 September. A UK tour began at [[Guildford]]'s [[Yvonne Arnaud Theatre]] in 2016 and continues into 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisdomofafool.co.uk/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150426165448/http://www.wisdomofafool.co.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2015|title=Wisdom of a Fool|work=wisdomofafool.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/102437/world-premiere-of-new-norman-wisdom-play-wisdom-of-a-fool/|title=World premiere of new Norman Wisdom play 'Wisdom of a Fool' |work=London Theatre 1 for London Theatre Tickets|date=5 February 2015 }}</ref>

 

== Filmography ==

| 1958 || ''[[The Square Peg]]'' || Norman Pitkin / General Schreiber || [[John Paddy Carstairs]] ||

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| 1961 || ''[[The Girl on the Boat (film)|The Girl on the Boat]]'' || Sam Marlowe || [[Henry Kaplan]] ||

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| 1966 || ''[[The Sandwich Man (1966 film)|The Sandwich Man]]'' || Boxing Vicar || [[Robert Hartford-Davis]] ||

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| 1966 || ''[[Press for Time]]'' || Norman Shields / Emily, his mother / Wilfred, his grandfather

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| 1967 || ''[[Androcles and the Lion (USA 1967 film)|Androcles and the Lion]]'' || Androcles || || TV movie

| 2004 || ''[[Coronation Street]]'' || Ernie Crabbe || || TV series

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| 2007 || ''[[Expresso (film)|Expresso]]'' || The Vicar || Kevin Powis || Short; Buzz

[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]

[[Category:People from Deal, Kent]]

[[Category:Royal Corps of Signals soldiers]]

[[Category:Slapstick comedians]]

[[Category:King's Own Royal Regiment soldiers]]

[[Category:British Merchant Navy personnel]]

[[Category:English comedy musicians]]