User reviews

Not quite Norman's best film, but it has plenty of great comic moments. Stanley Unwin's contribution in his inimitable gibberish (you can in fact follow the meaning if you listen very carefully!) is brilliant as always. Frances White gives a lovely performance as Liz. She may not have been as 'attractive' as Norman's primary love-interest Eleanor, but she turns out a much more worthy character. The seaside locations are beautiful (I must visit Teignmouth one day). And the condemnation of tinpot local politicians is perfect, and should be seen more often. For me, though, the supreme glory of 'Press For Time' is Norman's stunt when he visits the Mayor's house. Liz's mother introducing him to her daughter, while he's hanging from the chandelier, is a truly unforgettable moment in British cinema.

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!

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.

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.

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.

My family took me on holiday to Teignmouth in Devon in 1966 - I was a child. It was very nostalgic to see this film because the town looked lovely. Norman Wisdom had a lot of charm (I always thought so when he was younger) and it's a gentle 1960s comedy - so worth watching for many reasons, in my case. There are some genuinely funny scenes - there was a bus chase which shows the seaside scenery to good effect, and a great moment involving a rowing boat. Norman Wisdom is joined by a cast of familiar faces in British comedy films of that period. One is Stanley Unwin, a character actor who specialised in his own unique language "Unwinese" - it's hilarious.

They don't make films like this any more and the tradition of British film comedy is one to treasure. The late Norman Wisdom will be sadly missed.

The last film Norman Wisdom headlined for Rank, and sadly it's nowhere near his best.

The 'Norman in multi-roles' idea falls a bit flat, and the story never really amounts to much, with much of innocence associated to the characters played by Wisdom lacking here.

It's not without good moments, but it isn't a film I'd rush to see again.

This is more of a social drama than a comedy, although it does have comedy in it, it is slightly different than the other Norman films in that.

It is more interesting than anything else to me, to see what it was like in a seaside town in the sixties, Teignmouth looked absolutely lovely, filmed in the summer of 1966 when England was on top of the world.

The comedy was fun, but not that funny, there was no instant laugh for me, but it was good acting, the girls were a bit of a side issue, it was more about politics. And there lies the problem, its difficult to make good comedy from politics (It has been done well since - Yes Minister), and even Norman could not pull it off, his accident stunts looked more embarrassing than funny, and the choosing the ugly girl to win the beauty contest was a bit cheesy.

However I give it a 6 because it was interesting.

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 a quaint, delightful little Norman Wisdom film. It showcases - as usual - his mime and comedy routines, brilliant little facial nuances and so forth, but is combined with a charming visit to the English seaside (actually, Teignmouth in South/East Devon, not the 'Tinmouth' of the film).

Also, for any train enthusiasts out there, some interesting pictures of the old British Rail, stations, rolling stock, etc. (all about 1966 vintage).

For some reason, there are many little changes in spelling in this film when referring to real people, towns, etc. For instance, why does Teignmouth become 'Tinmouth'? (would the townsfolk find it offensive to be in such a film?). Why is the new edge-of-town housing estate called 'Kier Hardy' estate, when it should be 'Keir Hardie' (the famous, founding member of the Labour Party)?

'Press For Time' is easily my favorite Norman Wisdom film; it has everything, plenty of humour, slapstick, a great cast, and a really catchy soundtrack.

Norman Wisdom plays three roles in this film, he plays the hero Norman Shields, his ex-suffragette mother, and his ancient grandfather (who also happens to be the Prime Minister of Great Britain!!!). It is a shame that the latter two only appear briefly during the first few minutes of the film.

Shields is a happy newspaper vendor in London, but a constant source of embarassment to his grandfather who, by pulling strings, gets him relocated to the West Country as a junior reporter. Once there Shields leaves a trail of havoc behind him in typical Norman Wisdom style.

As in most Wisdom films, the plot is superficial, and serves only as a vehicle for madcap humour. This film is certainly no exception. Memorable scenes include the council meeting, the house opening ceremony, the bus chase, and the beauty pageant. All are Wisdom at his very best!!

I have to say I really like Norman Wisdom, I love his wide-eyed innocence the most. Press for Time is not my absolute favourite of his comedy films, but I still really enjoyed it. Wisdom while very funny and charming, like the film itself, doesn't always have the innocence that makes him so endearing here, however some of his antics are very, very funny. I also have to mention Stanley Unwin, he was hilarious here and almost gave Wisdom a run for his money. The script and sight gags are well above average and genuinely amusing, and Press for Time bounces along nicely. It also has lovely locations, nice music, an interesting story and a sweet message. Overall, Press for Time isn't a favourite but I did enjoy it very much. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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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