Press for Time

Press for time, where to begin? It's a somewhat madcap comedy, I'm not sure why, but I get glimpses of some of the earlier Carry on Films, it has that vibe, no smut, good clean humour. It takes its time to get going, but the scenes involving The Mayoress are hilarious, particularly in the debating chamber and at the 1000th house.

The Beauty Contest scene was perhaps a little deeper than you would perhaps think, there are several messages in it, the first being that beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder, and secondly, how refreshing to see women with curves!

Stanley Unwin is great to watch, delivering his gobbledegook lines in his own unique style. Frances White is lovely as Norman's eventual live interest, but the one that stole the show for me was Noel Dyson, who played The Mayoress.

Not a classic, but enough madcap moments, and if course shows us that the eternal battle between Labour and Conservatives has gone on for a very long time. 6/10.

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.

This is the last film in Carlton's 12-Disc "The Norman Wisdom Collection" (and his last official starring vehicle), also made in color and featuring the star in no less than three roles - a young ne'er-do-well, his ex-suffragette mother and the spastic British Prime Minister (who'd rather not get involved with his lowly relatives). It's not bad and the star - who's beginning to show his age - is in good form, with the best scenes being his disruption of a Council meeting and the sustained set-piece in which he contrives to destroy the stage during the inauguration of a new housing block (followed shortly by the edifice itself). Bafflingly, the only film of Wisdom's not to have made it to DVD as yet is the well-regarded caper THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN (1960) as, in fact, even the atypical THE GIRL ON THE BOAT (1962) has been given a budget release!

In any case, PRESS FOR TIME is also notable for the presence of Stanley Unwin (as the Town Clerk), an eccentric British comic best-known today perhaps for providing the "gibberish" narration to The Small Faces' song suite on Side Two of their classic psychedelic album, "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" (1968). The film's lively score, then, was the first for the cinema by ex-Manfred Mann band member, Mike Vickers, who would go on to score a number of rather dismal British fantasy flicks. Curiously enough, PRESS FOR TIME was produced by Robert Hartford-Davis and Peter Newbrook (serving also as cinematographer) who are best-known as directors for their own dabblings in the Horror genre like THE FIEND (1971) and THE ASPHYX (1973) respectively!

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.

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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