Follow a Star

1959
1h 33m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Jerry Desmonde and Norman Wisdom in Follow a Star (1959)

Norman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer who's star is fading. Vernon manages to get a recording of Norman singing and passes it off as himself.Norman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer who's star is fading. Vernon manages to get a recording of Norman singing and passes it off as himself.Norman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer who's star is fading. Vernon manages to get a recording of Norman singing and passes it off as himself.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

640

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trivia
Fenella Fielding strongly disliked star Norman Wisdom, and was one of the few actresses to dare to speak about it. "Not a very pleasant man," she said. "Hand up your skirt first thing in the morning. Not exactly a lovely way to start a day's filming."

Goofs
Norman is talking to the hypnotist at 1:10:00 his lips do not match what the voice over is saying about "like I depend on..."

Connections
Featured in Norman Wisdom: His Story (2010)

Soundtracks
Follow a Star
by Norman Wisdom

User reviews19

Review

Featured review

6/10

FOLLOW A STAR (Robert Asher, 1959) **1/2

Being one of the infrequent Norman Wisdom vehicles covered in "Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide" - which he rates a lowly *1/2 - I was wary of this title but, actually, it was quite pleasant if, in no way, a classic!

The very first scene is an inspired one: we see Norman's sweaty face in an atmosphere of overbearing heat (the film was shot by Jack Asher, a talented cameraman best known for his work for Hammer but who also happens to be the brother of the director!) meticulously going about his business thinking he works in a steamship or something, but eventually discovering that what he's doing is simply pressing a pair of pants (a sophisticated style of gag which has been utilized as early as Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST [1923]). The plot - a fading crooner 'borrowing' the voice of a naïve newcomer - is simple enough and has been partly lifted from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952).

While the love interest is more sentimental than usual, since Norman's sweetheart is wheelchair-bound and he wants to make it as a singer mainly so as to have the money for her operation, the film provides plenty of amusing situations highlighting the ageing performer (Jerry Desmonde at his most despicable), ebullient elocutionist Hattie Jacques and long-suffering maitre d' John Le Mesurier; a party sequence halfway through the film also features a surprise early appearance by a dark-haired Charles Gray!