A youthful Gordon Wharmby.

onyx(John)

onyx(John)

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Was Wesley always an actor. I thought I read he was an architect at one time. He was such a goodactor I assumed he always acted.
 
In one of the books about LOSW (maybe the Andrew Vine one), it is mentioned that Gordon was actually an accomplished painter or carpenter before being discovered for his acting roles. I believe in his early years, when acting roles were few and far between, he supported himself by painting people's houses.
 
You can tell there his glasses from series 2 episode "Forked Lightning" so this shot must be from around that time
 
Dennisbn514 said:
In one of the books about LOSW (maybe the Andrew Vine one), it is mentioned that Gordon was actually an accomplished painter or carpenter before being discovered for his acting roles. I believe in his early years, when acting roles were few and far between, he supported himself by painting people's houses.
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Thanks Dennis! I have wondered if he worked outside alot because his first. "guest" appearance in "Car and Garter"he had a dark tan but since then (not sure what series Im in) it seems he lost that "rugged outdoor look" ha ha
8)
 
DJWCFC said:
Onyx (John) said:
DJWCFC said:
You can tell there his glasses from series 2 episode "Forked Lightning" so this shot must be from around that time
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Was he around back then Darren?? ???
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yes and no, Wesley wasn't in the show but Gordon Wharmby did appear as an extra on one of the buses in that episode, it has been mentioned on here before
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I was looking for that episode but PBS seems to give you only half of the episodes from a series and then move to the next series. One of my pet peeves.
>:(
 
Very belated reply, but I joined summerwine.net fairly recently, and just made time to look at the Photo Corner threads.

How interesting! Especially the autograph for the Marsden brothers, Joe and Johnny. They've shown me a lot of their Last of the Summer Wine memorabilia over the years that I've stayed at the Huddersfield Central Lodge, but I don't recall having seen that photo.

Marianna
 
DJWCFC said:
yes and no, Wesley wasn't in the show but Gordon Wharmby did appear as an extra on one of the buses in that episode, it has been mentioned on here before
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Oh, do you mean he was on one of the buses that they couldn't get on? That's fantastic. I want to know where he was. Which bus.
In further regard to Gordon W. it is said he was ever so nervous to co-star with Dame Thora. So much so, he was sick for a bit.
 
Elmc said:
Oh, do you mean he was on one of the buses that they couldn't get on? That's fantastic. I want to know where he was. Which bus.
In further regard to Gordon W. it is said he was ever so nervous to co-star with Dame Thora. So much so, he was sick for a bit.
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I read that far into the Bell book last night. During the shooting of "Uncle of the Bride" he was so anxious at working with such an iconic actress that he tried to self-medicate with alcohol, which he wasn't used to and couldn't handle. One evening he started jumping around on the bar at the White Horse and finally threw a pot plant through a window. He was carted away and locked up in a local mental institution. His character was critical to several scenes in which there was no way to convincingly use a double, so after several weeks Mr. Bell persuaded the hospital to release him for a couple of days to shoot those scenes. In the scene in the bedroom where Edie is brushing lint off Wesley's suit, she repeatedly blanked on one of her lines to the point that Mr. Bell had to help her out. From then on Mr. Wharmby apparently began to perceive her as human and the anxiety vanished, never to return.

Marianna
 
Wow, thank you for that Marianna. Who woulda thunk it? He seems so comfortable in the role. Strange that they would put him in an institution though. Unless it was all that was handy.
 
Elmc said:
Strange that they would put him in an institution though. Unless it was all that was handy.
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It seemed strange to me, too. Unless he didn't understand his own motivations well enough to verbalize them so he could be accurately diagnosed and appropriately medicated. There were highly effective meds for anxiety by then, in the mid-80s.

I can understand the anxiety. He had come from a successful career as a house painter and wallpaper hanger. Alan Bell spotted his acting ability in his one-line bit part as the man stranded on the roof in the episode "In the Service of Humanity" and auditioned him for the Wesley role. Wharmby went on working at what he probably perceived as his primary job for quite a while, so for all of that time he probably saw himself as a very lucky amateur actor, not up to working alongside the likes of Thora Hird.

By the way, that first career might explain the deeply tanned outdoorsy appearance in his first episode as Wesley that was commented on earlier in this thread.

Marianna
 
I SAW WESLEY on the bus. You have to slow it down to see him. The second time they try to put the bike on the bus. He is the first passenger in the window. You can see those big glasses and grin! Thanks for the info Darren. Glad I found!
 
brendalovescompo said:
I SAW WESLEY on the bus. You have to slow it down to see him. The second time they try to put the bike on the bus. He is the first passenger in the window. You can see those big glasses and grin! Thanks for the info Darren. Glad I found!
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I just got a chance to look for him. What a delight to see him looking so young and happy!

Marianna
 
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