Michael Crawford, before playing in 'The Phantom of the Opera' and in 'Barnum', he was a well known household name appearing weekly on British Television playing the very funny character, Frank Spencer in the brilliant classic TV show "Some Mothers Do Ave Em" The popular show ran from 1973 to 1978 and is known as one of the most popular shows on BBC of all time. Michael Crawford was well known for doing all his own stunts in the show which were dangerous and entertaining at the same time, this before green screens and computer imagery.
The plot was pretty simple, Frank Spencer, whose trademark outfit of berry and trenchcoat known for being accident prone and bumbling husband to t his long suffering wife Betty. Each episode involved Franks attemps to find and hold down a job which always ended in disaster. One of the most popular episodes is the Roller Skate episode, the stunt is a classic which contributed to this show being voted Britains Best Comedy.
Norman Wisdom fondly known throughout England as one of the best comedic actors of his time, his movies are still enjoyed be the masses today.
Norman Wisdom was born in the London district of Marylebone in 1915. After living in a children’s home Norman ran away at the age of 11, after his return he worked as a grocery boy, he also after leaving school worked as a cabin boy in the Merchant Navy along with other various employments. Whilst in the British Army where he had enlisted as a drummer boy and posted to India, he gained an education certificate, was a flyweight boxing champion and also learned to play the trumpet and clarinet. It was during a comedy boxing routine that he participating in that he discovered he had a talent for entertainment and began to develop his talents as a musician.
When he left the Army in 1946 he entered the entertainment profession at the age of 31 and rose to the top extremely fast. He initially played the straight man opposite the magician David Nixon, it was in this first appearance that he wore his suit, tweed flat cap askew with the peak turned up and his suit rumpled and at least 2 sized too small that would become his trademark throughout his career Charlie Chaplin was quoted as saying Norman Wisdom was his ‘favorite clown’.
Norman went on to make some low budget comedy films for the Rank Organization which began with the favorable ‘Trouble in Store (1953), he earned a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Film in 1954.
His films were always funny, but never accepted very well by the critics even though his films out sold the James Bond films. His film roles were often the same, a barely competent loveable character in some sort of junior position opposite a a straight well to do fellow, often the loveable character ‘Mr Grimsdale’ played by Edward Chapman, usually with Norman getting himself into some mad cap situation.
Norman Wisdom has appeared in many TV, theater and film productions and worked up into his 90’s by announcing his retirement in 2005. Married twice with two children he know lives in a care home, it was reported that his memory is so bad now that he doesn’t even recognize himself in his own movies.
Norman Wisdom has provided the English people with countless hours of memorable comedy that has even been copied by comedians such as Lee Evans, his timeless characters and films still provide entertainment for generations to come.
Dame Margaret Rutherford, a hugely popular character actress who is often remembered for her sharp and witty spinster roles.
Margaret Rutherford was born on May 11th, 1892, before her birth her father had murdered her grandfather by battering him to death, as a result of this tragedy, Margaret took her mother’s maiden name, unfortunately her mother died when she was three years old. She was raised by her aunt; she attended Wimbledon High School and then RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) which is one of the most renowned drama schools in the world and one of the oldest schools in England.
Margaret worked as an elocution teacher and then went into acting later in life at the age of thirty three, with her slightly fuller shape, she was considered unconventional compared to many female stars of the same era, which caused her to be cast into roles such as spinsters and detectives. Margaret Rutherford along with film roles also enjoyed many theater appearances in London’s West End. She played both Madame Arcati and Miss Prism on stage before she went on to play these roles on the screen in Blithe Spirit (1945) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952).
Margaret Rutherford was quoted as saying that she ‘never intended to play for laughs and was always surprised that the audience thought her funny at all’.
She married actor Stringer Davis in 1945 who appeared in many of her films, most notably was the Agatha Christie movies where Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple in four films, Murder, she Said(1961) Murder at the Gallop (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964), and Murder Ahoy (1964). Her adaptation of the famous character wasn’t the traditional Miss Marple, Margaret brought spunk, sass and feistiness to the character and made her fun. Her husband, Stringer Davis funnily enough played her accomplice in solving the cases, Mr. Stringer. During the filming of these movies, Margaret Rutherford insisted on wearing her own clothes, some may remember the famous cloak she wore that she would famously sling around her front shoulders just before stomping off or making a point.
Margaret Rutherford won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe for her appearance in The V.I.P.s (1963), she played an absent minded Duchess of Brighton, and played opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Her work in Chimes at Midnight in 1966 was so well received that Queen Elizabeth II entitled her a noble lady. She was made Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961 and then was raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in 1967.
Towards the end of her life she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which caused her to cancel an engagement at the Haymarket Theater in The Rivals when it became clear that she would not be able to fulfill her contract. She passed away May 22nd, 1972. Margaret Rutherford was buried along with her husband Stringer Davis who died a year later in August 1973. They are buried in the graveyard of St James Church in Gerrads Cross, Buckinghamshire.
Most noted for his roles in popular Disney movies such as Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Love Bug.
David Tomlinson was born May 7th, 1917 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. After attending Tonbridge School he left home to join the Grenadier Guards. After working as a clerk for London’s Shell House he began his acting career by appearing in amateur stage productions up until his film debut in 1940 in ‘Quiet Wedding’. He did experience a break in his acting career during WWII, were he entered the service as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF. There is a story of his flying days continuing after the war had ended and he crashed a Tiger Moth plane very near to his backyard. Luckily his father, a prominent lawyer was able to defend him when he was put on trial for flying too low.
David Tomlinson's most famous role, known to generations of children is that of Mr. George Banks in Mary Poppins, he played the serious senior bank employee who has little time or patience for his children, after a run on the bank caused by his son he is forced to re-evaluate his priorities. The popularity of this movie at Disney enabled David Tomlinson to enjoy further roles in The Love Bug (1969) were he plays the devilishly evil Peter Thorndyke, who is bent on winning at any costs. David Tomlinson had the uncanny knack of playing an evil character that we all knew was the bad guy, but we couldn’t quite dislike him. He also went on to play another devilishly character in bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). David Tomlinson’s gift was in being able to play a character that may not have the most enduring qualities but he was able to bring lightheartedness to it that enabled you to enjoy and even root for his character.
David Tomlinson throughout his career never steered too far from comedies; he decided to retire from acting in 1979 in order to spend more time with his family. He was married for 47 years to Aubrey Freeman and they had four sons. David Tomlinson died peaceful in his sleep at the age of 83 years old on June 24th, 2000 after suffering a series of strokes.
He was interred at Home Grounds at Stratford Saye in Berkshire.
Garrison Follies (1940) • Name Rank and Number (1941)
• Pimpernel Smith (1941)
• Quiet Wedding (1941)
• My Wife's Family (1941)
• The Way to the Stars (1945)
• Journey Together (1946)
• I See a Dark Stranger (1946)
• School for Secrets (1946)
• Master of Bankdam (1947)
• Fame is the Spur (1947)
• Warning to Wantons (1948)
• Easy Money (1948)
• Miranda (1948)
• Broken Journey (1948)
• Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948)
• My Brother's Keeper (1948)
• Love in Waiting (1948)
• Here Come the Huggetts (1948)
• Vote for Huggett (1949)
• Marry Me (1949)
• Helter Skelter (1949)
• The Chiltern Hundreds (1949)
• Landfall (1949)
• So Long at the Fair (1950)
• The Wooden Horse (1950)
• Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951)
• Hotel Sahara (1951)
• The Magic Box (1951)
• Made in Heaven (1952)
• Castle in the Air (1952)
• Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1953)
• All for Mary (1955)
• Three Men in a Boat (1956)
• Carry on Admiral (1957) [note: not a Carry On film]
• Up the Creek (1958)
• Further up the Creek (1959)
• Follow That Horse! (1960)
• Tom Jones (1963)
• The Truth About Spring (1964)
• Mary Poppins (1964)
• The City Under the Sea (1965)
• The Liquidator (1965)
• The Love Bug (1968)
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
• Bons baisers de Hong Kong (From Hong Kong with Love) (1975)
• Wombling Free (1977)
• The Water Babies (1978)
• Dominuque (1978)
The well-known actor and film director Lionel Jeffries has died at the age of 83, his family has announced.
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Dame Margaret Rutherford, a hugely popular character actress who is often remembered for her sharp and witty spinster roles.
She married actor Stringer Davis in 1945 who appeared in many of her films, most notably was the Agatha Christie movies where Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple in four films, 
Most noted for his roles in popular Disney movies such as Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Love Bug..png)