Sir Norman Wisdom dies, aged 95

[Bumpa STIKKA]

Sir Norman Wisdom

Just a few short days after Tony Curtis bites it another of my favorites (Charlie Chaplin's "favourite clown") pegs it, too.  

Newspaper article

If you aren't English (or maybe Albanian) you won't have heard of him but as well as being a hugely popular movie star in the 50s and 60s playing an onscreen clown he also had a pretty passable singing voice.

His movies haven't aged terribly well but the sound of Norman Pitkin yelling "Mr Grimsdale!" will always be permanently tattooed on my chortle chart.

RIP, Norman...

[Ivor Biggun]

I think he was the only famous thing about the Isle of Man!!
Edit: forgot to say he did a HUGE amount of charity work as well.

[guydesavoy]

He certainly played a bit part in the background of my life. One of those passing characters one fondly remembers

Vale Norman

Nice touch on the Albanian factor too. Who knew

[harley quinn]

Anyone who enjoyed the films and slapstick humour - and I once (aged 8) wet myself laughing so much at him - should try and dig out his autobiography. The bits about his youth as a porter in a club for refined ladies in London's Pall Mall are hilarious, in particular the story of him and a couple of mates who had drilled "spy holes" throughout the building to observe the ladies as they undressed.

Unlike most "star" biographies he clearly wrote this himself and you can discern a wry humour throughout the prose. A great read for a long flight.

[Bumpa STIKKA]

I confess I also wet myself watching Norman... and I can even remember the exact scene, too.

He was playing the part of a laborer digging a hole on an army base.

When the sergeant major was out of sight Norman was barking out the marching orders from his hole in the road where he was digging causing mischief and mayhem on the parade square!

I even remember where it was... me and my dad were watching it at home in Cromer in Norfolk at our house on Vicarage Road... I must have been about 9 at the time.

I literally pissed myself laughing!  

[TTChang]

I met him one day he was appearing on stage in Bristol ... even in his 80's.  I was wandering around in the City Centre, and so was he. There was a lot of pointing and whispering going on in the street, so I thought I would go up to him and have a conversation. Which he seemed delighted to do, instead of just being gawped at!

What a totally charming man he was too. And a great sense of fun.  

I have had a pic of him pinned up for many years, as an example of what old farts should be like ....  

RIP Sir Norman