A Tribute to Jon Pertwee

I was standing in the recreation room of the nursing home in which I was working at the time, on the 20th May 1996. The television was on, and the afternoon news has just started. As I passed the tea and coffee around to the residents, news broke that Jon Pertwee had, sadly, passed away at the age of 76.

(This post has since been updated, to include the thoughts of Katy Manning, who was generous enough to write a short comment for inclusion. If you’ve already read this piece, you can skip directly to Katy’s comments HERE).

Some three years earlier, I was privileged enough to see him perform his autobiographical stage show, in which he recounted tales of his life, from his time at school, including Sherborne School, which is not too far from my home town, to his time in the Royal Navy. He talked extensively about his acting career, from his much acclaimed radio show “The Navy Lark” to television appearances, most notably Worzel Gummidge (complete with voices!) and of course his time as Doctor Who’s eponymous Time Lord, The Doctor, a role he played from 1970 to 1974.

Jon Pertwee was born on July 7th 1919 in Chelsea, London, England, the son of the famous playwright and actor Roland Pertwee, and stage Actress Avice Scholtz. His parents separated when he was young and he was raised by his paternal grandmother. Jon’s elder brother Michael Pertwee became a film and stage writer,

Jon Pertwee was the first cousin of Bill Pertwee (who also became an actor); the actor Henry Ainley was a close friend of Jon’s father Roland and was also Jon Pertwee's godfather and Ainley's son Anthony appeared alongside Pertwee in the 1983 Doctor Who anniversary story The Five Doctors playing the role of the Master.

Jon Pertwee was married twice, he married his first wife actress Jean Marsh in 1955 (Marsh would later go on to make two guest appearances in Doctor Who), they divorced in 1960. He married his second wife Ingeborg Rhoesa, to whom he remained married until his death in 1996. The marriage produced two children together, Sean and Dariel (both of whom followed their father in to the acting profession). Aside from his most notable performances in Doctor Who and Worzel Gummidge, Pertwee also appeared in many other TV programmes including Ivanhoe, The Jon Pertwee Show, The Avengers, Beggar My Neighbour, Blue Peter, Whose Baby?, 3-2-1 and Noel's House Party, Jon Pertwee was also a storyteller on 10 episodes of Jackanory (1966-67) and presented the murder mystery game show Whodunnit? from 1974-1978.

Jon Pertwee also appeared in numerous films including Murder At The Windmill (1949), Nearly A Nasty Accident (1961), Carry On Cleo (1964), Runaway Railway (1965), Carry On Cowboy (1965), Carry On Screaming (1966), Up In The Air (1969), The House That Dripped Blood (1971), One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975), The Boys In Blue (1983) and Carry On Columbus (1992).

Jon Pertwee auditioned for and was accepted by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1936, although he was later expelled after refusing to play a Greek wind during one of the lessons, believing it to be a waste of both his time and his father's hard earned money.

Jon Pertwee was an officer in the Royal Navy during the Second World War as a crew member of HMS Hood and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk by the Bismarck, among various postings Pertwee worked briefly in Naval Intelligence at Westminster alongside future Prime Minister Jim Callaghan, it was during his time in the Navy that Jon woke up one morning after a drunken night out while in port to find a tattoo on his right arm, which was occasionally seen during his time in Doctor Who.

Jon Pertwee acted on Radio for many years, from 1959 to 1977. He had a long running role as the conniving Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark, with his wartime experiences serving him well when he joined BBC armed forces Radio Comedy Mediterranean Merry-Go-Round in December 1945, Navy spin-off Waterlogged Spa followed in 1948 - among the many characters Pertwee played was the Postman, who earned his own Radio series Puffney Post Office in 1950, The Navy Lark was arguably Pertwee's greatest Radio success,

In the 1990's Pertwee reprised the role of the Doctor with two Doctor Who audio productions for BBC Radio; The Paradise of Death (1993) and The Ghosts of N-Space (1996).

Jon Pertwee was also a successful stage performer and appeared in many productions including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and There's a Girl in My Soup, Jon Pertwee also played Worzel Gummidge and Doctor Who (in Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure in 1989) on stage.

Jon Pertwee made several singles and LP's, in 1972. Whilst in the role of the Doctor, he released a vocal version of the Doctor Who theme music entitled Who is the Doctor. In 1976 he recorded a promotional flexi-disc for Heinz called The Noodle Doodle Man, and in 1980 he released the single Worzel's Song which reached No 33 in the UK charts, Jon Pertwee also made other Worzel Gummidge singles and an album entitled Worzel Gummidge Sings. A further album was also released in 1981 featuring 14 tracks which appeared in the musical stage production of Worzel Gummidge, with the songs performed in character by original cast members - Jon Pertwee, Una Stubbs and Geoffrey Bayldon, Jon Pertwee also contributed to and appeared on several other LP's.

Whilst I grew up with Tom Baker as “my Doctor”, my earliest memory of Doctor Who was Pertwee, and I distinctly recall the much loved Sarah Jane Smith with a giant spider on her back! It is, therefore, perhaps understandable, that his era is my personal favourite. Much as I adore Tom Baker, there is something about the Pertwee era. Confining the Doctor to earth for a significant portion of his tenure was always going to be a risk, however a stellar cast made it succeed, and excel. It gave us, all too briefly, the wonderful Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, saw the return of UNIT, and especially the irrepressible Nicholas Courtney.

His era gave us the wonderful, slightly ditzy, and incredibly likeable companion, Jo Grant, and introduced one of the greatest arch nemesis’ the Doctor would ever face, played to absolute perfection by Roger Delgado. The combination of Pertwee, UNIT, The Master and Jo proved to be hugely popular, and has become the most viewed of my Doctor Who DVD collection.

Whilst most commonly associated with the Fourth Doctor, it is also worth remembering that The Third Doctor introduced us to the irreplaceable Sarah Jane Smith. Her pairing with Pertwee while short, was nothing short of superb.

The Pertwee era produced some exceptional stories; Ambassadors of Death is a personal favourite, closely followed by Invasion of the Dinosaurs. After all, who couldn’t love a story with Sarah, dinosaurs, a corrupt UNIT officer and a fake spaceship. Not to mention the Doctor attacking a Pterodactyl with a broom! The Green Death saw the Doctor donning numerous disguises, and afforded Pertwee the opportunity to use that wonderful, distinctive voice to great effect, both as a milkman and a maid.

As mentioned before, I saw Mr Pertwee perform his wonderful stage show, however, the highlight was the “meet and greet” afterward, at which I was fortunate, and privileged enough to have met him and to get an autographed photograph. It hangs on my wall to this day, and is one of my most treasured possessions.

I asked his companion and friend, Katy Manning, if she would do me the honour of sharing her thoughts on Jon. She very graciously did so, and I'm thrilled and humbled to add her thoughts to this post, with my deepest thanks to Katy, who has doubtless been overwhelmed with messages, tweets and requests. That she took the time to send her thoughts to me personally is something I shall forever treasure.

“Jon Pertwee was not only my leading man he was also my friend & mentor . He taught me so much about our shared passion of acting past & present . I shall keep those memories of our laughter friendship & adventure together forever with a big smile in my heart xxx”

Katy Manning (24-05-2016)

Jon was unique. A wonderful character actor, a superb Doctor, and an intensely likeable man. He will be remembered with fondness and affection, not only by me, but by the countless lives he touched. On this, the 20th anniversary of his death, I dedicate this post to him. For the smiles, the laughs, the adventures; I thank you. We all thank you. And above all, we love and miss you. Our Doctor. Our scarecrow. Our Jon…

John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996)
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A Load of Bollocks!

It’s the 18th February 2016. Not a particularly notable date for most people. For me, however, it is one of some considerable significance. It is a day I celebrate, and with good reason. Today marks three years CANCER FREE (and also a bollock short, but that's neither here nor there!)

The NHS gets criticised heavily, from people within the UK, to our glorious politicians, who continually tell us everything that’s wrong with it, and then promptly do nothing to fix said issues. Similarly, it comes under considerable attack from right-wing Americans, who use it to point out all the flaws of Universal healthcare, and how much better off they are paying ten years earnings to fix their ingrowing toenail.

Well, for me, the NHS has been nothing short of bloody brilliant. I was diagnosed, referred to the hospital, and under the knife, within the space of THREE WEEKS. Alongside the self examination which detected the tumour, there is absolutely no doubt that the NHS saved me a whole barrage of treatment. No chemotherapy. No radiation. One operation (and a hell of a lot of follow ups, but who gives a shit about that!). My oncologist is one phone call away, if I have any concerns, and when, last year, I did find some swelling in the lonely testicle, swinging down below, all on it’s Todd, I had an ultrasound within around ten days.

In short, I owe my life to the NHS. For fifteen years, it was a privilege to work for them as a nurse. I have needed their care on numerous occasions; none more so than in the wake of a cancer diagnosis. And they have never let me down. Not once.

It is entirely due to the care and kindness of the surgeons, oncologists, nursing staff and doctors that I am still here, being a belligerent old fart..

I have another two years before I can declare myself “cured”. I am technically “in remission”, To me, those are just words. I pay much more attention to blood tests, and have become intimately acquainted with terms like AFP, HCG and LFP (tumour makers). And as long as they stay within the desired parameters, the cancer remains GONE.

With every passing anniversary, the likelihood of it returning lessens considerably. That said, I will still remain vigilant, keeping an eye on ol’ lonely-ball.

Alongside the incredible support from the NHS (and of course, family and friends), the support I have received from people on Twitter has been beyond measure. Extraordinary kindness from people whom I have never met. You know who you are. And I am more grateful for your support and continued friendship than you could possibly imagine.

I was bloody lucky. I had no great battle to contend with. I am equally, acutely aware of the difficulties and hardships others have faced, and continue to face on a daily basis. My cancer pales into insignificance, by comparison. And I hope, where I can, that I can offer the same support that has so kindly been afforded me.

But today. Just this one day. This one’s mine. It belongs to me. And I’m grabbing it with both hands!

For Ollie

The 7th August 1957. A date which is tattooed on my shoulder. Why? Today marks the 58th anniversary of the passing of my (nick)namesake, Oliver Norvell Hardy.

 

Better known to family and friends as simply “Babe”, Hardy was born in Harlem, Georgia, on 18th January 1892. Named Norvell by his parents, it wasn't until much later that he adopted the name Oliver, in tribute to his father, who passed away a year after Babe was born.

 

As a child, Babe had little interest in education, and ran away to join a theatrical group. Recognising his vocal talents, Hardy’s mother sent him Atlanta to study music. Again, Babe was less than compliant, and elected to sing in a vaudeville house.

 

 

In 1910 Ollie became the manager of a theatre, and soon became convinced he could do a better job than the actors he watched on his screen. On the suggestion of a close friend, he moved to Jacksonville, where, in 1913, where he worked as a cabaret and vaudeville singer at night, and at the Lubin film studio during the day. It was at this time that he met and married his first wife, Madelyn Saloshin. The following year he made his first movie, "Outwitting Dad", for the Lubin studio. He was billed as O. N. Hardy, taking his father's name as a memorial. He was known as Oliver Hardy for the remainder of his career. In his personal life, he was known as "Babe" Hardy instead, a nickname coined  by an Italian barber.

 

By 1915, he had made 50 short films at the Lubin studio. He later moved to New York and made films for the Pathe, Casino and Edison studios. He then returned to Jacksonville and made films for the Vim and King Bee studios. He worked with Charlie Chaplin imitator Billy West during this time. In 1917, Oliver Hardy moved to Los Angeles, working freelance for several Hollywood studios. The following year, he appeared in the movie "Lucky Dog", produced by "Bronco Billy" Anderson and starring a young English comedian named Stan Laurel. Hardy played the part of a robber, attempting to Stan's character. They did not work together again for several years, eventually forming the famous team of Laurel and Hardy.

 

Between 1918 and 1923 Oliver Hardy made more than 40 films for Vitagraph, playing the "heavy" for Larry Semon, another Charlie Chaplin imitator. In 1919, he separated from his wife, ending with a divorce in 1920, due to Babe's infidelity. The very next year, Babe married again, to Myrtle Reeves. This marriage was also unhappy, with Myrtle eventually becoming an alcoholic.

 

In 1924, Oliver Hardy began working at Roach Studios, where he made some of his best films, working with the Our Gang films and Charley Chase. In 1925, he was in a film "Yes, Yes, Nanette!" starring James Finlayson, who, of course, became a regular returning actor in many Laurel and Hardy films.

 

 

In 1926, a hot leg of lamb changed the future of both Laurel and Hardy. Oliver Hardy was scheduled to appear in "Get 'Em Young" but was unexpectedly hospitalised after being burned by a hot leg of lamb. Stan Laurel, who had been working as a gag man and director at Roach Studios, was recruited to fill in. Stan kept appearing in front of the camera rather than behind it, and later that appeared in the same movie as Oliver, "45 Minutes From Hollywood", although they didn't share any scenes together.

 

In 1927, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy began sharing screen time together in "Slipping Wives", "Duck Soup" (no relation to the Marx Brothers film of the same name) and "With Love and Hisses". Roach Studios' supervising director Leo McCarey had realised the audience reaction to the two, and had begun intentionally teaming them together, leading to the start of the "Laurel and Hardy" series later  that year.

 

Laurel and Hardy made the transition to talking films with "Unaccustomed as We Are" in 1929, a feat that many of their contemporaries stumbled over. Their comic bond was even stronger with sound, and they used sound to comedic effect, never more so than in the Academy Award winning film "The Music Box", in 1932.

 

In 1939, Laurel refused to renew his contract with Roach Studios. Roach had kept each of them on separate contracts, with each set to expire at different times. Roach felt that this gave him maximum control over the very popular team of Laurel and Hardy, but Stan had finally had enough. While awaiting a resolution, Hardy made the film "Zenobia" with Harry Langdon, a surprisingly funny film. Eventually, Stan got his way, and the boys were both signed to new contracts, and the team was loaned out to General Services Studio to make "Flying Deuces"  one of Laurel and Hardy's best known films.

 

 

While on the lot, Babe fell in love with Virginia Lucille Jones, a script girl, whom he married the next year. Laurel and Hardy also began performing for the USO, supporting the Allied troops during World War II. They also made "A Chump at Oxford (1940)" (a classic, where Stanley "recovers" his memory and becomes a genius professor, with some humorous role reversals in Laurel and Hardy's relationship) and "Saps at Sea (1940)." 

 

Beginning in 1941, Laurel and Hardy were beginning a decline in their professional careers. They left Roach Studios and began making films for 20th Century Fox, and later MGM. Although they were financially better off, they had very little artistic control at the large studios, and the films they made reflected that.

 

In 1947, Laurel and Hardy left Hollywood to begin a six week tour of the English Music Halls. It enabled Stan to visit his home country, as well as serving to prove to Laurel and Hardy that they hadn't lost their touch over the last six years of less than successful comedy films. In answer to that question, their six week tour was extended to nearly a year, and grew to include engagements in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, as well as a Royal Command Performance for King George and Queen Elizabeth.

 

 

In 1949, Oliver Hardy's friend, John Wayne, asked him to play a supporting role in Wayne's latest film, "The Fighting Kentuckian." Oliver had previously worked with John Wayne and John Ford in a charity production of the play "What Price Glory" while Stan began treatment for his diabetes a few years previously. Oliver initially refused, due to his loyalty to his partner, Stan Laurel. Stan however insisted that Oliver take the role, which he did, and did quite well. In the same way, Frank Capra invited Oliver to play a cameo role in "Riding High" with Bing Crosby in 1950.

 

In 1951, Laurel and Hardy made their final film, and, arguably, their weakest. "Atoll K" was a simple concept; Stan inherits a boat, and the boys set out to sea, where they discover and claim a brand new island, rich in uranium, making them powerful and wealthy. However, it was produced by a consortium of European interests, with an international cast and crew that couldn't speak to each other. In addition, the script needed to be rewritten by Stan to make it fit the comedy team's style, and both Oliver and Stan suffered serious physical problems during the filming.

 

In 1954, Oliver Hardy and Stan embarked on a third European tour, which again was a major success both financially and artistically for them.

 

 

In 1955, it looked as though the new medium of television would provide an avenue for Laurel and Hardy to return to their former glories. The boys had contracted with Hal Roach Jr. to produce a series of TV shows based on the Mother Goose fables. However, this was never to be. Stan first suffered a stroke, which required a lengthy convalescence. Next, Oliver Hardy suffered a heart attack and stroke later that year. Oliver never physically recovered.

 

Hardy was, for me, a childhood hero. One who has remained with me throughout my life. With a simple twiddle of tie, a straightening of his trademark bowler or a withering look, usually at Stan's idiocy, he could reduce me to tears of laughter. Laurel and Hardy were, and still are, the ultimate comedy duo. Often imitated, never bettered. Whilst Stan's onscreen persona was very much that of the clown, Ollie was the pompous straight man, always trying, and usually failing, to maintain some sense of dignity. His presence brought light to every scene! He was wonderful actor and comedian, with an angelic voice and a larger than life personality. The joy he, and his lifelong partner, Stan, have brought, to myself and millions of people is unparalleled.

 

Oliver Hardy, "Babe" to his friends, "Ollie" to people around the world, passed away on August 7, 1957, at the age of 65, following a series of strokes. His ashes were interred in the Masonic Garden of Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.

 

Oliver Norvell Hardy

18th January 1892 - 7th August 1957

 

 

For Babe

With love and gratitude.