Follow a Star (1959)

★ 6.1 1h 42m IMDb

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

Follow a Star

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Cast

Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom as Norman Truscott Died 2010 · Marylebone, London, England Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom,  OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norm...
June Laverick
June Laverick as Judy Age 94 · Redcar, England, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.                                          June Laverick (born 11 June 1931 Redcar, North Yorkshire, England) was an English film, television and stage actress....
Jerry Desmonde
Jerry Desmonde as Mr. Vernon Carew Died 1967 · Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jerry Desmonde (20 July 1908 - 11 February 1967) was an English stage musical, film, and television actor principally in comedies and drama. He is probably best...
Hattie Jacques
Hattie Jacques as Miss Dymphna Dobson Died 1980 · Sandgate, Kent, England, UK Josephine Edwina Jaques (7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques. Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio a...
Richard Wattis
Richard Wattis as Dr. W. Chatterway Died 1975 · Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK Richard Cameron Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor. After leaving the family business, Wattis became an actor. His debut was with Croydon Repertory Theatre, and he made...
John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier as Birkett Died 1983 · Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK John Le Mesurier (born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley) was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army..

Audience Reviews

John Chard 6.5/10 Aug 02, 2015
Norman's Singin' In The Rain.

Standard formula for a Norman Wisdom movie here. Norman becomes a put upon clown whilst bubbling under the surface is the fact he's a very talented guy (singer here), whilst he's in love with a wheelchair bound beauty. It's often the saccharine elements of Wisdom's films that puts people off, but to his fans (and I'm one), they are integral to letting Wisdom hit his comedic heights.

Follow a Star is not a great Norman Wisdom film, but it is a very safe and enjoyable one. Story finds Norman used by ageing crooner Jerry Desmonde, who upon finding he is no longer fashionable, plots to use Norman's amazing singing voice as his own. Cue Norman moving in with Desmonde as the house slave and chaos ensues. Meanwhile those closest to Norman smell a rat and try to bring down Desmonde the fraud.

As usual there are plenty of laughs and high energy acrobatics, with stand out sequences involving hypnosis and the bravura mania of the finale - where the dastards do all they can to get Norman off of the stage. Some super British comedy actors fill out the support slots, most notably Hattie Jacques and Richard Wattis, while Philip Green's musical contributions are most pleasing.

One for Wisdom fans only? For sure. Otherwise leave well alone. 6.5/10
CinemaSerf 6/10 Nov 17, 2024
"Truscott" (Norman Wisdom) spends much of his days at work in a laundry dreaming of a stardom that might just come his way when he encounters legendary crooner "Vernon Carew" (Jerry Desmonde). This man's star is very much on the wain until he hears his new friend sing and hits on the idea of "borrowing" his voice - without telling or paying him, of course. His career rejuvenated, it's only his vocal coach "Dymphna" (Hattie Jacques) who recognises the true owner of the voice but what to do. "Truscott" can only sing if his beloved "Judy" (June Lsverick) is there to encourage him and that's not possible right now. As "Carew" heads to the bright lights of the London Palladium, our plucky hero's friends have to think of a way of showing where the real talent lies. How, though? This is another decent showcase for Wisdom to show that he had quite a few strings to his bow. His semi-slapstick comedy timing is perfect but here he proves that he can also hold a tune, delivering a few of the numbers that fit entertainingly into the story. The story itself, though, is far too long. It could readily lose half and hour and not suffer. Indeed were it a tighter production with less meandering, it'd be quite a solid tale that could have better played to Wisdom's strengths, those of writer Jack Davis and the very Rutherford-esque efforts of an on-form Jacques. As it is, it struggles to stay engaging until perhaps the last ten minutes when life is breathed back into it and some laughs are to be had. It's still quite a fun vehicle for it's star and is a perfectly watchable example of his work.

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