Press for Time

The best analogy for American audiences for a Norman Wisdom film is Jerry Lewis. Like Mr. Lewis, Mr. Wisdom, at least in the films I've seen, have him playing bumbling, fish out of water, slightly dim characters. This film is no exception, as he plays Norman Shields, the grandson of the Prime Minister (also played by Wisdom), who gets sent to provincial seaside town Tinmouth in England to become a reporter. Things happen, mostly slapstick type mishaps, all because of him. There is political commentary here which is lost on me, bit it hardly matters. Its a silly comedy, but its a Norman wisdom comedy, so its hard to take seriously. For the uninitiated, try "Just My Luck" or "Trouble In Store" first. For those who know of Norman, add a notch to my vote and enjoy.

This is more of a social drama than a comedy, although it does have comedy in it, it is slightly different than the other Norman films in that.

It is more interesting than anything else to me, to see what it was like in a seaside town in the sixties, Teignmouth looked absolutely lovely, filmed in the summer of 1966 when England was on top of the world.

The comedy was fun, but not that funny, there was no instant laugh for me, but it was good acting, the girls were a bit of a side issue, it was more about politics. And there lies the problem, its difficult to make good comedy from politics (It has been done well since - Yes Minister), and even Norman could not pull it off, his accident stunts looked more embarrassing than funny, and the choosing the ugly girl to win the beauty contest was a bit cheesy.

However I give it a 6 because it was interesting.

To clarify matters a bit. It is only these comments entries on IMDb that have to be a minimum of ten lines. If you add some info on the other topics, such as goofs, it is handled in a different way.

This is my favourite Norman Wisdom film, simply because of the location shoots. And I really like the music too ! Well, I am getting a bit old now. Watched a TV programme last night about the man himself and sadly he is showing the signs of his great age. But he has the most wonderful family and is now happy being looked after in a carehome on his beloved Isle of Man.

Now I got to waffle a bit to make up the entry to enough lines.

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'Press For Time' is easily my favorite Norman Wisdom film; it has everything, plenty of humour, slapstick, a great cast, and a really catchy soundtrack.

Norman Wisdom plays three roles in this film, he plays the hero Norman Shields, his ex-suffragette mother, and his ancient grandfather (who also happens to be the Prime Minister of Great Britain!!!). It is a shame that the latter two only appear briefly during the first few minutes of the film.

Shields is a happy newspaper vendor in London, but a constant source of embarassment to his grandfather who, by pulling strings, gets him relocated to the West Country as a junior reporter. Once there Shields leaves a trail of havoc behind him in typical Norman Wisdom style.

As in most Wisdom films, the plot is superficial, and serves only as a vehicle for madcap humour. This film is certainly no exception. Memorable scenes include the council meeting, the house opening ceremony, the bus chase, and the beauty pageant. All are Wisdom at his very best!!

Not quite Norman's best film, but it has plenty of great comic moments. Stanley Unwin's contribution in his inimitable gibberish (you can in fact follow the meaning if you listen very carefully!) is brilliant as always. Frances White gives a lovely performance as Liz. She may not have been as 'attractive' as Norman's primary love-interest Eleanor, but she turns out a much more worthy character. The seaside locations are beautiful (I must visit Teignmouth one day). And the condemnation of tinpot local politicians is perfect, and should be seen more often. For me, though, the supreme glory of 'Press For Time' is Norman's stunt when he visits the Mayor's house. Liz's mother introducing him to her daughter, while he's hanging from the chandelier, is a truly unforgettable moment in British cinema.