Talk:Edmund Gwenn

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How hard is comedy?[edit]

It is popular (but presumably mistaken) to attribute to him

Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.

This may be based on the following, which would be easy to quote misleadingly: (I've fixed the formatting from where i found it at KCET "Life and Times" transcript, 6/30/03.)

Patt Morrison: Although there are contradictions sometimes, the most dramatic role may be something that's easy to get into, but you may have heard this. Edmund Kean, the English actor, on his deathbed, his relatives gathered around waiting for his last words, he said "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard". Do you find that to be the case?
Jack Lemmon: There's no question about it. Also that line was repeated by Edmund Gwenn, you know, "Miracle on 34th Street", who played Santa Claus.
Patt Morrison: Yes.
Jack Lemmon: He also repeated that to George Seaton who wrote and directed that film. George told me that personally. He was with him when he died at the actors' home.
Patt Morrison: I see. A transmission of --
Jack Lemmon: He remembered it. He said to George -- he had told George that he didn't like this at all. He didn't look forward to anything and that disturbed him. Maybe he now should have been within himself more religious or whatever, but anticipating at least some peace, something beyond, and it disturbed him. George said, well, I guess dying can be very hard, and he said, yes, but not as hard as comedy, and he died right then and there.

(His "Personal Quotes" on IMDb quotes him as Lemmon does, but says only that he "reportedly" told Seaton, so (despite Seaton having had 20 years to repeat the story elsewhere) Lemmon's 2nd hand version may be the best basis.)

Good that we don't so attribute, but if no one else does it, i'll work something about the confusion in sometime.
--Jerzy•t 23:34, 20 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yorkshire accent[edit]

I'm impressed. He's the only actor in Lassie Come Home to make a half decent stab at a Yorkshire accent. Not bad for a Londoner! -- Derek Ross | Talk 04:14, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nationality[edit]

The nationality was previously listed as 'English' - this makes perfect sense considering that he was born in London, and evidence has been given to support this. I have, however, noted that research suggests that his parents were Welsh (see the reference next to 'British' in main article), and therefore have changed his nationality to British, thus avoiding confusion either way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.11.209.229 (talk) 20:13, 9 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Actually there is no such nationality as English (or Scottish or Welsh, etc.), as the only internationally recognised nationality of those citizens of the United Kingdom is British so you are correct anyway. This also applied to Canadians until around 1928, and Australians until the late 1940s, as well as to other citizens of what was then the British Empire, who would all have been British Subjects prior to these counties gaining greater independence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.112.67.228 (talk) 20:42, 30 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Reliable sources[edit]

Wikipedia does not accept IMDb biographies as a reliable source (except for those supplied by the Writers Guild of America). The IMDb biography of Gwenn is plainly not reliable: it is damagingly and demonstrably inaccurate. It states that his marriage lasted a matter of hours, whereas contemporary press reports (cited in the WP article) show that he and his wife lived and worked together from 1901 until the marriage broke down during the First World War when Gwenn was serving in the army. It is not clear how many other statements are similarly inaccurate. – Tim riley talk 15:26, 28 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

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