Norman Wisdom
Also Known As: Норман Уисдом
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin. These films initially made more money than the James Bond film series, and secured Wisdom a celebrity status in lands as far apart as South America, Iran and many Eastern Bloc countries, particularly in Albania where his films were permitted by Enver Hoxha – Wisdom was the only Western actor to enjoy this privilege. Charlie Chaplin famously referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown". Wisdom later forged a career on Broadway and as a television actor, winning critical acclaim for his dramatic role of a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently in 1981. It was broadcast on 5 June that year. He toured Australia and South Africa. After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, a hospice was named in his honour. In 1995 he was given the Freedom of the City of London and of Tirana. The same year he received an OBE. Wisdom was knighted in 2000 and spent much of his later life on the Isle of Man. Some of his later appearances included roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Coronation Street, and he retired from acting at the age of 90 after his health declined. Description above from the Wikipedia article Norman Wisdom, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Marylebone, London, England
Birthday: February 04, 1915
Deathday: October 04, 2010
Adult: No
Gender: Male
Popularity:
Known For:
The Bulldog Breed
Overview: Norman Puckle, a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, can't seem to do anything right. After being rejected by Marlene, the love of his life, he attempts suicide, but can't even do that. He is saved from jumping off a cliff at 'Lover's Leap' by a Royal Navy petty officer. He persuades Puckle to join the Royal Navy, where he'll meet 'lots of girls'. Life in the Navy proves not to be as rosy as it's been described, and Puckle fails at every task during basic training. But despite this, he's regarded by the Admiral in charge of a rocket project to be a 'typical average British sailor', and chosen to be the first man to fly into outer space in an experimental rocket.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-12-13
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The Night They Raided Minsky's
Overview: Rachel arrives in New York from her Amish community intent on becoming a dancer. Unfortunately Billy Minsky's Burlesque is hardly the place for her Dances From The Bible. But the show's comedian Raymond sees a way of wrong-footing the local do-gooders by announcing the new Paris sensation "Mme Fifi" and putting on Rachel's performance as the place is raided. All too complicated, the more so since her father is scouring the town for her and both Raymond and his straight-man Chick are falling for Rachel.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1968-12-22
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What's Good for the Goose
Overview: Timothy Bartlett (Norman Wisdom) is a middle-aged banker who is sent to a seaside resort for a banker's convention. He fears the meetings will be frightfully dull, but things change when two amorous hippie girls take Timothy for a sail on the sea of love. Timothy goes middle-aged crazy, making a spectacle of himself in hippie clothes as he tries to fit into the swinging scene. Nude dips in the ocean are followed and preceded by wild parties as he tries to recapture the days of his flaming youth. After he feels remorse and embarrassment over his behavior, he calls on his wife to join him at the convention to rekindle their love in this lowbrow comedy. The British rock group The Pretty Things provides the music.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-03-21
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The Square Peg
Overview: Norman Pitkin and Mr Grimsdale are council workmen mending the road outside an Army base when they come into conflict with the military. Shortly afterwards, they get drafted and fall into the clutches of the Sergeant they have just bested. They are sent to France to repair roads in front of the Allied advance but get captured. Pitkin takes advantage of a useful similarity to impersonate General Schreiber and manages to return a hero
Genres: War Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-12-04
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A Stitch in Time
Overview: An accident in the butchers shop leads Norman Pitkin and Mr Grimsdale to the hospital where, after causing the normal ammount of chaos, Pitkin finds Lindy, a little girl who hasn't spoken or smiled since her parents were killed in an aeroplane accident. Pitkin decides to help.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1963-12-01
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Follow a Star
Overview: Norman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer whose star is fading. Vernon manages to get a recording of Norman singing and passes it off as himself.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-01-01
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Just My Luck
Overview: Norman works in a jewellers workshop and fantasises (in the nicest way) about meeting the window dresser across the road from his workshop. He wants to buy her a diamond pendant but calculates it will take him over 100 years to save up for it. He is talked into betting a pound on a six horse accumulator at the Goodwood races with a slightly shady bookmaker. When he has won on the first five races, the bookie owes him over 16,000 pounds and everyone begins to worry. Everyone's future depends on a single race ... what can be done ?
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-11-14
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Man of the Moment
Overview: Norman is a file clerk who accidentally becomes a British delegate to a diplomatic conference, befriends the queen of a remote island, and winds up a knight. Norman leaves rooms in shambles, tailors in shreds, and diplomats in bandages. Chased by gunmen and assassins of foreign powers, Norman finds himself running through active TV studio sets and interrupts various programs and performances in progress
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-01-01
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On the Beat
Overview: Norman Pitkin wants to be a policeman like his father was, but he fails the height test (amongst others). One day he gets out his father's old uniform and "walks the beat". This leads to a level of chaos that only Pitkin could cause
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-12-11
Popularity:
One Good Turn
Overview: Norman is the oldest orphan at Greenwood Children's Home and now acts as their caretaker. All the orphans are very happy and well cared for. The adventures start when a nasty property developer (boo hiss) who is also the chairman of the orphanage board wants to close the orphanage and build a factory on the site. The children are sent to Brighton for the day and Norman is very excited because he's "Never seen the Sea". When they get back they discover the plan to close the orphanage and have to decide what to do
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-01-04
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Press for Time
Overview: Norman is quite happy selling newspapers outside Westminster station but his Grandfather (the Prime Minister) wants to get him "a more responsible job". A few favours are called in and Norman becomes the newest reporter at the seaside town of Tinmouth. After causing chaos at a local council meeting and causing the demolition of a new house he tries to organise a beauty pageant. A slapstick tale of corruption in high and low places
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-01-01
Popularity:
The Early Bird
Overview: Norman Pitkin is the assistant helping to run a small, old fashioned dairy which is threatened by a larger, modern organisation. Pitkin does his best to save the dairy (and his horse) and the usual chaos ensues
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1965-11-30
Popularity:
Trouble in Store
Overview: Norman is working in the stock room of a large London department store, but he has ambition (doesn't he always !!), he wants to be a window dresser making up the public displays. Whilst trying to fulfill his ambition, he falls in love (doesn't he always !!), with one of the shopgirls. Together they discover a plot to rob the store and, somehow, manage to foil the robbers.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-12-14
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Up in the World
Overview: Norman is a window cleaner who has to clean a manor house with hundreds of windows. He is distracted by the son of the house who persuades him to go into town. When some villains try and kidnap the young heir Norman fights them off but the heir has banged his head and can't remember Norman's heroic stand
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-12-06
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The Girl on the Boat
Overview: Norman Wisdom does to P.G. Wodehouse in Girl on the Boat what Jerry Lewis did to Gore Vidal in Visit to a Small Planet. The zany Wisdom, put in charge of his aunt's cottage during an English summer in the roaring twenties, decides to invite several of his friends to his posh new digs. Among the invitees is the title character, played by the delightful comedienne Millicent Martin. All sorts of slapstick chaos ensues, but Wisdom manages to save the day before things get hopelessly out of hand. Like Jerry Lewis, Norman Wisdom is an acquired taste, but he's worth sampling at least once. ...The Girl on the Boat
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1962-08-05
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Norman Wisdom: His Story
Overview: The life story of Sir Norman Wisdom, who went from street urchin to become one of the UK's most bankable and loved film stars of the 1950-60s. The documentary pays tribute to his life, featuring family, friends and colleagues.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-10-14
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Norman Wisdom: Trouble On Tour
Overview: Norman's not getting much help from his band or straight-laced man Tony Fayne. In fact, it's nothing but Trouble On Tour for Norman. The inspiration for generations of British comics and one of this country's best-loved performers, Norman shows he is not just original - he is still the funniest.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-04-28
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As Long as They're Happy
Overview: The suburban peace of the Bentley household is shattered when John Bentley is informed by his wife Stella that their two married daughters, Pat and Corrine are in trouble and need funds to come home and bring their husbands, Peter, a penniless Parisian artist and Barnaby, a Texas cowboy, with them. And the youngest daughter, Gwen, has tricked an American singer, Bobby Denver, into visiting them on the pretext that it is the home of a noted British film magnate. When all the women in the household --- including the maid --- fall for the singer's charms, Bentley consults a crackpot psychiatrist, Dr. Schneider, who almost succeeds in ousting, not the singer, but Bentley's wife, with his advice to Bentley to make her jealous by living it up with Pearl, a showgirl recruited for the purpose.
Genres: Music Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-03-15
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Double X: The Name of the Game
Overview: Expert safecracker Arthur Clutten masterminds heists for a criminal syndicate he belongs to. But after witnessing the brutal methods of persuasion being meted out by gang leader, Ignatius Smith Clutten decides to quit. But he realizes the gang would sooner see him killed than quitting. After stealing some documents incriminating Smith and his boss, Edward Ross, Clutten then puts his family in hiding and goes on the run...but his daughter has been kidnapped by the gang and a hitman has been hired and is close to finding Clutten.
Genres: Thriller Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-06-05
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An Audience with Bruce Forsyth
Overview: Bruce Forsyth entertains a VIP audience as he stars in a spectacular one-man show.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1997-02-01
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The Golden Gong: The Story of Rank Films - British Cinema's Legendary Studio
Overview: Documentary - After starting his career producing religious film shorts, J. Arthur Rank went on to become Britain's first and only movie mogul with his establishment of the legendary Pinewood Studios. Narrated by Michael Caine, THE GOLDEN GONG chronicles Pinewood's rise to success. - Richard Attenborough, Dirk Bogarde, Betty E. Box
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1985-01-01
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Going Gently
Overview: Play about two elderly cancer patients suffering in hospital.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1981-06-05
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There Was a Crooked Man
Overview: When a law-abiding demolition expert is duped by a gang of criminals into helping them he is caught and jailed. When he is released he goes straight and then notices a leading citizen in his town is cheating his neighbours.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1960-08-31
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The Sandwich Man
Overview: A man with a sandwich-board (advert) wanders around London meeting many strange characters.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-07-01
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Androcles and the Lion
Overview: The story of Androcles, the simple-hearted Christian tailor whose friendship with a lion saves himself and his friends from martyrdom in the Roman Colosseum.
Genres: Music TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-11-15
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The Unforgettable Norman Wisdom
Overview: Family and friends pay tribute to the funnyman, who was one of Britain's best-loved stars of stage, TV and film for more than 50 years - and also became a cult figure in Albania, where his films were ruled to be acceptable entertainment during the country's long years of isolation during the Cold War. Including contributions by Norman's son Nick, singer Vera Lynn and actress Honor Blackman.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-11-08
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Where on Earth Is Katy Manning?
Overview: By her own admission, Katy Manning is ‘as blind as a bat’ and never knows where she’ll end up. When she suddenly arrived in the UK, Katy was probably as surprised as the rest of us! Determined to thank the legion of Doctor Who fans who had written and supported her during her years abroad, Katy embarked on a whirlwind tour of British conventions and shops before leaving (yet again) for Australia… Along the way bump into Nicholas Courtney, Richard Franklin, John Leeson, Sophie Aldred, Sylvester McCoy, Michael Sheard and other surprise guest stars!
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-01-01
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Date With a Dream
Overview: Four war-time performers known for their concert parties, have a reunion. They decide they are still good together and form a successful nightclub act.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-11-01
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The Legend of Harrow Woods
Overview: With the aim of investigating the disappearance of horror novelist George Carney, a group of students, encouraged by Gary, enter the forest Harrow Woods where he was last seen two years ago. Uncovering more than they had bargained for, the students soon find themselves in a battle for survival.
Genres: Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-02-12
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To See Such Fun
Overview: Compilation of classic British comedy moments
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1977-11-01
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The Secret Life of Norman Wisdom Aged 92¾
Overview: Norman Wisdom lives with his carer on the Isle of Man. But when she quits, his children are lost: should they force him to leave his beloved island?
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-01-16
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