Press for Time

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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Norman Wisdom comedies aren't to everyone's taste. Sometimes his slapstick can be childish and he can overdo the pathos of his 'little man' routine. Nevertheless this - the last major film Wisdom made in his traditional manner - is one of his best.

The comedy is well-paced and Wisdom's character is rather more mature than usual, capable of using some initiative rather than simply being a clumsy fool. The photography of the attractive seaside locations is excellent. Perhaps another reason I find this film particularly likeable is that it reminds me of the seaside town I grew up in at about the same time, the petty-politics and small-town journalism especially.

This is a pleasing comedy from a simpler, gentler age.

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.

Norman Shields is the Grandson of the Prime Minister of England. He was fathered by a drain inspector and has been shunned by his family. However the PM feels an obligation to look after him and sets him up as a journalist in a small town paper. Despite causing chaos wherever he goes, Norman gets involved with both Labour and Tory councillors and eventually teaches them a thing or two about what politics should mean.

This film was yet another in the long running series of Norman Wisdom comedies that relied on his talent to be a likeable, misunderstood, clumsy, common clown. Here the story has it's usual message for the working classes - here Norman shows up the toffs in local government as self-centred and disconnected. The love interest is even more interesting than usual, here she is a plain Jane type rather than a stunner who falls for Norman's charms. As a film it is interesting enough, but the comedy is not as fresh as in other Wisdom films.

It may be because he is a little older than other films, his character doesn't feel quite so innocent or wide-eyed as before and it makes his antics seem less acceptable. He also plays his own Mother and Grandfather, however they are quite empty characters and are only amusing because they are played by Wisdom.

Overall this is not quite up to Wisdom's usual standard but it has a good message, an interesting story and some genuinely amusing scenes.

Norman Wisdom plays three roles in "Press for Time," although two are very brief. He sells newspapers and is the grandson of the prime minister of England. His mom and granddad (in his other roles) want Norman Shields to do better. So, granddad leans on a political crony to get him a job on a newspaper the crony owns. It's located in Tinmouth (actual Teignmouth), along the English Coast.

Others have noted that in this late film in Wisdom's career, his character seems to have lost its innocence. He still has crazy antics, but they are missing the playfulness and humor of his earlier escapades. His humor with the mix of local politics doesn't come off as funny. But, there still are some laughs in this film. Stanley Unwin as the town clerk, Mr. Nottage, is very funny in his garbled talk.

This is one of the lesser Wisdom comedy films. Die-hard fans will enjoy it. Those not familiar with Wisdom would better watch another film to appreciate Wisdom's humor and energetic talent for comedy. "On the Beat," "A Stitch in Time," or "The Bulldog Breed," are all first-rate comedies.