British actor Peter Sallis, best known for the series Last of the Summer Wine and for his voice work on Wallace and Gromit died June 2, 2017 aged 96.
By chance, I happened upon two of Sallis' performances this past week (on The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes and The Persuaders) and thought he deserved a mention on this board.
Not Peter!! Lovely man. Knew him well. When i say knew him well, he and his wife sat next to me at the premier week of Alien in Leicester Square. We exchanged nods and a good evening.
Talentd bloke, Wallace and Summer Wine being his lasting contribution.
Considering the fact that Sallis had a wonderfully memorable speaking voice, it's a further testament to his ability as an actor that he was able to disappear into so many of his roles.
As Ron Updyke might say, "Peter Sallis was a consummate artist."
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a "programme" BBC Scotland--remember that I buy my shoes from Northern Ireland, so this is consistent behavior--and the "learned" panel the radio presenter had on were discussing the late Mr. Sallis. None of the guests could muster anything other than the odd, awkward remark about him.
I suppose Last of the Summer Wine wasn't "hip" or "edgy" enough for the radio "talking heads" to ever have watched it. The show aired often on PBS here in the USA over the decades, so I was always aware of it and young me was quite taken with the program's "Englishness", as I would have described it. It definitely had that "comforting" vibe down pat. The show's humor was perhaps too gentle or too old fashioned for the Millennial crowd or Gen Xers (Remember them? I don't). One wag begged off saying the series was before his time. Overrall, you could sense the trepidation among the panel. It was all pretty pathetic. To be fair, other Beeb radio shows did a much better job in their tributes to Peter Sallis.
Well, I've already forgotten those BBC Scotland panelists but I will no doubt run into yet another vintage Sallis performance that will remind me all over again what a treasure this man was as a performer.
"I was always aware of it and young me was quite taken with the program's "Englishness", as I would have described it. It definitely had that "comforting" vibe down pat" ------------------------- That's a perfect description of this show Jim..comforting. My dad used to watch it every Sunday evening with me mum and I would be like 'BO-RING and other too school for cool things, while it was on. BUT, there was something gently reassuring about it, from the slow, languid life-style of the characters and surroundings and the silly japes the OAP's got up to (never mind the rip-off JW/REIVERS main theme). It somehow made everything seem right with the world. I see it now and become aglow with safe and warm childhood and family nostalgia Anyway, RIP Cleggy. 96 is a good innings. Well Done Sir!
