On the Beat (1963)

Norman Wisdom's trademark comedy skill is showcased well in this 1962 film and reminds us how simple and effective comedy can be.Although the film is not the strongest that Wisdom produced during his long career there are still lots of moments to enjoy including lots of the physical comedy that Wisdom so enjoyed.No Mr Grimsdale or Jerry Desmonde cameo on this occasion but still lots of laughs as Pitkin stumbles and bumbles through numerous comedy mishaps.Wisdom's films are timeless and effortlessly funny so are well worth watching regardless of whether you are a fan or just someone discovering Wisdom's work after his death.

Because I'm laughing behind and the reason is this little fella, known as Mr Pitkin...Another hit by the maestro of comedy. I did not like it much when I saw it for the first time mostly due to the fact that I did not understand quite a lot, but later, as I watched it in my native language, I got amazed by Mr Norman Wisdom's genius again.It's damn funny with tons of funny episodes Check out the one with those two nosey neighbours behind the door (the old lady jerks her head and hits the chin of the man - it sounds simply outstanding and looks totally stupid).Great timing and performance... yes, 10 out of 10. No question.

It has become fashionable in recent years to belittle (sorry!) the talents of Norman Wisdom - and I can't think why. In his day, the slight talents of many "superstars" of today would have resulted in them being shown the door.Back then, a "star" was expected to be multi-talented. And Norman WAS. If you don't believe me, check out the kinescope of the mid-sixties primetime live "Sunday Night At The London Palladium" where Norman and Bruce Forsyth wrote and did THE ENTIRE TWO-HOUR SHOW BY THEMSELVES.Huh? Well, S.N.A.T.L.P. was HUGE then and because of a strike, it looked like it would be canceled - even though the strike had been settled, who could POSSIBLY put together a two-hour show in THREE DAYS? Brucie and Norman, that's who. They did songs, dance sequences, comedy sketches and various bits of business they had written and rehearsed in Bruce's HOUSE. The MILLIONS who watched said it was one of the BEST S.N.A.T.L.P.s EVER.M'point is, in those days, to be a success you needed to be able to sing, dance, play instruments, act (comedy or straight) and it helped if you wrote - ALL of which Norman Wisdom DID.And in "On The Beat", he demonstrated his talents to the full. It's a film of set-pieces - the opening, which satirises the British cop-shows of the time, the car-washing sequence, the "tube" sequence, him and Eric Barker as the Police Doctor (those eye-charts with the sharps and flats were put back into props and surfaced in other films of the time!) the "briefing" where he is "coached" in the mannerisms of "Julio Napolitani", the scenes with him AS the afore-mentioned Julio, the sequence where hundreds of coppers run round the streets of Herts - SURREAL! - and of course, the back-garden "steeplechase".In its day, "On The Beat" was a tour-de-force, but today it stands as a work of GENIUS the like of which is rarely seen anymore.

Norman Pitkin has dreams of being a police officer like his dear old dad. However he is too short to make the force and instead works as the parking attendant for the fleet. Despite repeating attempts hs can't make the force until it's noticed that he's the spitting image of a suspected criminal, Giulio Napolitani. Pitkin is recruited to infiltrate the gang and take evidence.I'm a big Wisdom fan – but not the extent that I can't see when he has a weak spell. This film is a rerun of a similar theme a few years before when Pitkin tried to join the army. However this is not as funny as that as it is mostly very basic clowning with only a couple of funny, clever routines. The plot relies on the old-lookalike chestnut but doesn't use it until the last 20 minutes or so. It's still funny but lacks energy and the wit of some of his better routines.Wisdom is as good as always and does his best whether the material is limited or not. He is impressive as two characters despite the fact that they aren't very funny. The problem is that he doesn't have a good support cast. Sure there's a few faces that you'll recognise from other more famous films but where's the regulars? Jerry Desmonde and Mr Grimsdale are both great actors/characters and they make a Wisdom film better. Here the support cast can't lift the film at all.Overall it's still enjoyable even if it is very basic clowning that will mainly please kids, but this is not one of Wisdom's best.