Si spogli... infermiera

This one is above average, not Norman's best, but still good.

The scenes at the butchers are good, my wife could not stop laughing, , it was worth seeing it just for that.

This one has Jerry Desmonde and Herbert Chapman both supporting Norman and Jeanette Sterke is the pretty girl, Jeanette is one of the few from Norman's films who is still with us, now aged 87, she retired in 1986.

Lookout for Patsy Rowlands, Frank Williams (he did a few of Norman's films), Cyril Chamberlain and Pat Coombs.

The ending was a bit dramatic, but not too cheesy, it turned from a comedy to a social drama.

A Stitch in Time is directed by Robert Asher and collectively written by Jack Davies, Norman Wisdom, Henry Blyth and Eddie Leslie. It stars Norman Wisdom, Edward Chapman, Jeanette Sterke and Jerry Desmonde. Music is by Philip Green and cinematography by Jack Asher.

Although not prime Wisdom, A Stitch in Time holds the secrets as to what made the diminutive star so popular. Obviously his style of slapstick and malarkey for laughs isn't for everyone, but Wisdom's career blossomed because the feel good factor in his movies was always so high. While there was nearly always a sweet thread in his movies, where the harsh critics would cite schmaltz or sappiness, others rightly point to the honest escapism factor, a chance to forget the world and its troubles for a brief moment in time.

A Stitch in Time sees Wisdom as Norman Pitkin, the young assistant to Mr. Grimsdale (Chapman) at the town butchers. When Grimsdale is hospitalised, Pitkin is determined to help wherever possible, which unfortunately means chaos will follow. This set-up allows Wisdom to indulge in a number of high spirited sequences involving motorised beds, teeth extractions, stretcher bearing, ambulance surfing, marching band chaos and even dressing up in drag. The "tender" sub-plot involves an orphan girl who after losing her parents in a plane crash, refuses to talk or smile, but Norman is on that case with the message being the innocence of unprejudiced kindness. That's that, really, all wrapped up in just under an hour and half of film.

Harmless and innocent fun for those who want to escape their blues. 7.5/10

Once again, Norman Wisdom plays lovable klutz Norman Pitkin, raising Cain wherever he goes. In this case, he works for Mr. Grimsdale (Edward Chapman) in a meat store, when the place gets robbed. After a small snafu, Grimsdale gets sent to the hospital, and Pitkin accompanies him. In the hospital, Pitkin befriends orphan Lindy, but gets kicked out of the hospital.

Anyway, the whole movie has Pitkin getting himself into a series of loony situations, all the while getting on everyone's nerves. He's the very manifestation of the triumph of the underdog, how he inadvertently trashes the snobbish rich people's mores. In this case, he has a drag race on Grimsdale's bed, and later has to dress up as a nurse after a sticky situation (which was probably inserted to appeal to teenage boys). The movie culminates in a musical performance unlike any that you've ever seen.

All in all, it's something that you're sure to like. And some of those nurses were really hot!

This film really does highlight Norman Wisdom at his best and features all the elements that made him such a fantastic screen clown.

Ably supported by Jerry Desmonde and Edward Chapman the film manages to feature all of the humour and the sentiment that make Wisdom's films so special. This one is particular shows him at his best because the sentiment is kept in check and there's none of the silly business of Norman playing multiple roles that perhaps bogged down his later outings.

Although it feels like a combination of sketches at times (Norman as a ST John's ambulance member, Norman as a nurse) they are brilliant ones, and there is enough of a plot to hold them all together. The scenes with Lindy are especially well written and it is perhaps this element that makes 'A Stitch in Time' my favourite of Norman's films.

Even if the story is pretty standard and some parts get a little sentimental, A Stitch in Time is still a charming and funny slapstick comedy. A Stitch in Time is very well made, with nice cinematography and the film overall looks beautiful. The music by Phillip Green is beautiful as well, while there are some nice and funny touches in the screenplay. Not only that the set pieces are efficiently done and just add to the fun, with the slapstick very well timed. The pacing is just fine, the direction is good and the length I had no problem with either. And the acting is little to gripe about; Norman Wisdom is very winning in the title role, very innocent and likable, while Edward Chapman and Jerry Desmonde almost come close to stealing the film and Jeanette Sterke is really beautiful. Overall, classic slapstick comedy, that is very nice to watch while being funny as well. 8/10 Bethany Cox