We're 21 Today, Foggy! Part Five FINAL PART

W

wstol

Dedicated Member
Neither of them watches much comedy on television. "I used to watch Porridge," says Sallis, "but I got so upset by Brian's billing that I couldn't watch it any more."

"Of course," he adds, warming to his subject, "I enjoy watching me, but that's just vanity. I'm not one of those shy people who can't bear watching themselves. I love watching me. I think I'm terribly good." There is nothing in his unmoving features to suggest how much, if any, he means of this.

Why is Last of the Summer Wine so successful? Bill Owen thinks that Roy Clarke, the writer, may have actually pre-empted changing attitudes to age. Peter Sallis believes the programme makes people feel comfortable. "Although Holmfirth is one of the ugliest places I have seen, it does have character, and when they see us walking down those streets, they feel safe."

Owen enjoys filming rather more than Sallis. He likes coming to Yorkshire and sits on various local commitees. Sallis finds it a strain, although he would much rather be doing it than not be doing it. It is, he says, nice to have some money at the tail end of your life.

Owen is even more explicit. "If this hadn't come along, I'd probably be an old, miserable, unemployed actor. There isn't much work for old actors, with the market being taken up entirely by Sir John Gielgud." "And by Maurice Denham," chips in Sallis.

Yes, yes, yes, but the question remains: will there be another series of Last of the Summer Wine? The rumour is that the writer is happy to do it. The producer says that he has already booked his accomodation. Bill Owen is keen, Peter Sallis is keen and...

Like a mute Marx Brother, Brian Wilde just looks ahead and blinks. Oh go on. If we say we're sorry? RT
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much for sharing this, it seem 's that Brian Wilde could be a very awkward person to get along with, yet when you see him on TV he appear 's so different.
 
gill said:
Thank you so much for sharing this, it seem 's that Brian Wilde could be a very awkward person to get along with, yet when you see him on TV he appear 's so different.
Click to expand...
Did you ever read the Alan Bell From the Directors Chair book gill,it's a real eye opener as to how difficult Brian could be to work with,on several occasions,yet on screen he always appears so gentle and affable.
 
Hi Pete glad to have you back . Yes I have read the book and I am so surprised that he was like that, as on screen the trio seemed to work so well together
 
Thank you so much for publishing this article WSTOL fascinating insight but:-


"Although Holmfirth is one of the ugliest places I have seen"

Wow what a revelation ! Quite an inflammatory comment considering Bill opted to be buried in the area . Whilst this is a single interview comment I personally find this unnerving given if you asked anyone what Holmfirth is best known for LOTSW would achieve the highest score but I imagine Compo would not be far behind . I wonder when filming in Jackson Bridge and Marsden Bill had a similar opinion . When he made this comment the Radio Times was probably be the biggest selling TV Magazine and I wonder if the comment drew any reaction from people locally? I suppose after a days filming in bleak weather you could maybe expect such a comment from one of them but it still comes as a shock to me.
 
That was a nice read, Thank You for taking the effort to type that out for us. :)

From what I have read I can see Brian Wilde behaving so. Seems as if he wanted more pay and recognition than the others. If so then I prefer his on screen persona and will chose to remember him that way.

Maybe the Holmfirth being an ugly place comment was said in jest and the sentiment did not carry over well from text. I feel the charm of Holmfirth did win him over eventually. As was written he was active in community functions and was eventually buried there.

Cheers,
Rick
 
captain clutterbuck said:
"Although Holmfirth is one of the ugliest places I have seen"
Click to expand...

At the start of filming, Holmfirth was a dying, nearly dead, mill town. Every outdoor surface would have been coated with soot from the smokestacks, hence Nora's daily brushing the yard and scouring threshold in an attempt to prevent it from being tracked into the house. The river ran various colors depending on which color the dyeing plant was using at the time. Many of the residents had not yet been able to afford to have plumbing for their outdoor water closets installed in the house, so they were still in outbuildings dating from the installation of municipal water and sewer lines.

The camera doesn't show any of that except for the outside WC in the Battys' and Compo's shared yard, probably also shared with the cottage across from the top of Compo's entrance steps. We see the town through the flattering veil of Roy Clarke's imagination, further enhanced by the skill of the director and cameraman, so it looks picturesque to us.

Marsden and Jackson Bridge probably weren't very different from Holmfirth, as they were both mill towns so they were losing their industrial economic base with nothing in the offing to replace it.
 
RickAns said:
As was written he was active in community functions and was eventually buried there.
Click to expand...

Bill Own was a social activist, born and bred, and he became involved in the local movement to rescue and improve Holmfirth through his friendship with the couple whose cottage he rented during location filming.
 
As others have said, thanks for the article.

Regarding Brian Wilde, I don't think he ever got over the "off the record" stuff a tabloid published that got him in trouble during his first run with the show. So his relationship with the press was always bad, something that wasn't helped by not having an agent to advance his image. Ultimately it's too bad Brian never wrote his memoirs so we could at least get his perspective on things.

As for Peter Sallis remark about Holmfirth, that is a surprise. But then again Bill Owen told Bell late in his life that he had no intent of actually being buried in Holmfirth despite promising that for years. What I'm suggesting is that a comment may reflect a moment in time but not 35 years worth of experience. We all have bad days when we say something we don't really mean.
 
Marianna

I think you have made some good points. Many northern towns have grand pasts but the local industries are not what they were and tourism does not make up for all the engineering and textiles that have gone. Actually there us stil a lot of high quality weaving but it requires few people and the weaving sheds are a lot smaller than the mills they replaced even though they produce just as much cloth, the looms are very sophisticated. We do not see a lot of this cloth as it can go for hunreds aof pounds a metre and mostly destined to be made up for export suits. The sort that start at £1000 and up.

Talking about the toilets, etc, the house I live in only had an inside toilet installed in 1977 when a bathroom was also provided - up until then the bath was in front of the fire downstairs. It hasd been in the same family since it was built in 1903 and only became owner occupied in 1977 when the place was modernised.

That would have been very much reflected right across much of the area and Holmfirth exactly the same.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top