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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pertwee is more than just the Doctor.,
By
This review is from: Dr Who I Am the Doctor: Jon Pertwee's Final Memoir (Doctor Who) (Hardcover)
When I first flipped through this book at an Albuquerque bookstore in November 1996, I was shocked to learn that Jon Pertwee, my favorite Doctor Who, had died back in May, twelve days after he had finished his memoirs.I finally got the book a year later and it was a treasure trove. One learns a lot more about Jon Pertwee behind the role of the Time Lord. He's a man overflowing with anecdotes and he has at least one for every Doctor Who story he made. My favorite one is when director Lennie Mayne, a colourful Australian who constantly swore a blue streak, told him and the cast of The Curse Of Peladon to react with more feeling at a monster. Instead of "oohing and ahhing like a bunch of fairies," they were to say, "<Expletive> me, will you <expletive>ing well look at that?" Well, they did just that at a rehearsal. Unbeknownst to them, producer Barry Letts had invited a priest friend of his to watch, so needless to say... Another is his remembrance of working with The Time Warrior's director, Alan Bromly, in a play back in the 1930's. He sure knew a lot of people. Most of them liked him, there were a few who didn't care for him or his acting technique (e.g. Nina Thomas, Anthony Ainley), but even so, he never hated them back. He was fond of people. Many that he knew died young, such as directors Douglas Camfield and Lennie Mayne, actors Neil McCarthy and Duncan Lamont, and his good friend Roger Delgado (the Master). The rapport he had with Patrick Troughton was interesting, in particular the anecdote of how the two of them went places where they were given free gifts, much to Troughton's delight. He himself was shy, but so was Troughton, and he helped his predecessor overcome his shyness and enjoy public appearances. Given that Troughton died of a heart attack during a Who convention still in his Who costume, Pertwee's help was invaluable. What really made the Pertwee years work was the team and the rapport they had. There was Jon, of course, then the UNIT family of Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, and John Levene, and on and off, Roger Delgado. Producer Barry Letts and Script Editor Terrance Dicks rounded things off. The Daemons is a perfect example of that camaraderie. The end came when first Roger Delgado died and Katy Manning left. With the news that Letts and Dicks were moving on, it was a good time for Jon Pertwee to leave. He played the Doctor for five seasons, second to Tom Baker's record seven, so that wasn't bad. Other things: his hobby of nurgling, i.e. taking stuff from abandoned houses, which extended to props from Who, such as the polystyrene statue of Bok, made him quite a pack rat. His practice of giving his fellow actors notes on anything they felt they could improve during rehearsals, etc. all for the sake of improvement, is actually a useful idea. I thought that the melody of the lullaby he used in The Curse Of Peladon was familiar until I read that it was "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen." Well, duh! I should've known that! He liked the action that arose from the earthbound UNIT stories. Me too. Jon Pertwee's final memoir reveals an actor who enjoyed what he did, whether it was the Navy Lark, Doctor Who, or Worzel Gummidge. Heck, he enjoyed life itself. Like Troughton, he died as Doctor Who, in spirit if not in costume. The last sentence of his book is poignant: "I don't want to rust away. I want to fade away. Like the TARDIS. But not just yet." Below, he signs his name with "Who?" Under that is printed 7 July 1919-20 May 1996. Thanks for the memories and memoirs, Jon.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great companion for any Doctor Who fan.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dr Who I Am the Doctor: Jon Pertwee's Final Memoir (Doctor Who) (Hardcover)
I'm not sure what is better in this book. Jon Pertwee's rememberances or the photos that come along with them. Either way this is a must for any fan of Doctor Who or Jon Pertwee. Jon was a wonderful story teller and he lives up to that in this his final words on his years as the Doctor. Besides the great stories about his years in the show the book is full of many photos from it as well. Many I personally had never seen.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent memoir, from a very gifted entertainer.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dr Who I Am the Doctor: Jon Pertwee's Final Memoir (Doctor Who) (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful final memoir from the late, great, Jon Pertwee. This book shows his accounts of his Doctor Who days from his own memories and it does not disappoint. A good plus is that it reveals other parts of his long, storied career. But the main focus is, of course, Doctor Who. Its very exciting to read his memories behind each story of his time on the series. The best parts are the funny moments that he recalled. Other things are that we learn where the cool Whomobile came from. It was Jon's idea. Its very heartbreaking to know he died after shortly completing this book's manuscript. This book leaves behind an excellent memoir from a very gifted entertainer. This book also helped me learn more about him. I'm from Canada and the book really helps someone like me as I'm not familiar with his career beyond Doctor Who. This book accomplishes that. From the Navy Lark to Doctor Who to Worzel Gummidge, Jon Pertwee entertained us in every way. What a fitting tribute from this man, in his own final words.
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