He may be one of the oldest incarnations, but he was the most childish and fun. Two was the same way. Three was when things began to mature up, but then of course four came along.
I was lucky enough to just remember dear old William Hartnell. The first story I ever saw was the Chase in 1965 I was only six but Bills Doctor hooked me on the show for life. RIP Mr Hartnell.
"It's possible that they may have been anti-radiation gloves............drugs." And the other actors' reaction to the wrong line. Gets me every time that 'Hartnell-ism'
The BOSS. Hartnell gave the world a perfectly flawed, unique character. Troughton took Bill’s portrayal and gave the world the Time Lord that became a household name. No one should ever underestimate how brilliant an actor Hartnell was… A real character.
I always thought his flubbing the lines were part of the doctors personality, even it it was just W.H., but it became a part of his character. Brilliant Doctor. I think the new new fans of the current show are so reluctant to go back and watch the oldies, they may have different pacing, different acting style, and SFX and budget quality was not the best in those days, but they're very cool imaginative stuff. You can see how Television has grown, how the culture has changed, the sets and special effects etc have gone light years ahead since 63. The show itself is a time machine of sorts, I dunno, maybe I have a dorky romantic way of looking at it, but it's really great from start to finish lost stories and all.
Modern audiences might look at those flubbed lines and wince, but back then it was actually helpful in establishing the Doctor's character. With how old and eccentric he was, an occasional flub in what he was saying didn't seem out of place. IIRC, they also didn't have the ability to do multiple "takes" for a scene back then - basically, they went the filming the episode straight through start to finish without stopping, so there was no way to "fix" those kind of mistakes.
Classic Who, especially the first Doctor, seems so much more real. Now special effects and frantic action take the place of good stories and good acting. Compare Sarah Jane's or Susan's departure to Amy Pond's. Without the over dramatic music, those classic departures feel much more real. That's how real life is. There isn't fan fare. There isn't music. There's just the events suddenly happening, and then the folks who were in your life are gone.
I just finished watching every Hartnell episode last night. I had always thought that his era was a tad slow, but after watching 134 episodes of him, I was really sad to see him go. He really did bring such a unique flavour to the character that we don't get nowadays. Still, onwards and upwards to Troughton, Pertwee, and all the way through the rest of the Classic Doctors.
LeonardMeltsner Right-o! Sorry, the last person who said he watched all Hartnell serials didn't know that some of them were missing and only existed in stills. Apologies, again!
@@danielpease641 He was referring to the Doctor not the actor. As the first he is younger than all the other Doctors regardless of appearance. Just as Matt Smith's Doctor is a lot older.
There was a time when I didn't care much about this grumpy old man....but over time I got to know him. I saw a character actor, a man that would never be know for anything special, a bit player in TV shows fading away. And then one day, a young woman with a mission gave him a shining little chance...and he created a legend 50 years later. The little actor became a giant those shadow we walk under today. Thank you, Bill.
If the BBC were smart they should erect somekind of statue, or monument to William Hartnell outside of their headquarters. After all, if it wasn't for his wonderful portrayal of the Doctor, the show and the character may not have lasted as long as they have. We have him to thank for creating the possibly the greatest science fiction hero ever to grace the small screen. Thank you Bill. Rest easy. Your legacy is in good hands.
We should thank Innes Lloyd and Gerry Davis to. Both of them came up with the idea of regeneration in 1966, so without their input, Doctor Who would of most likely ended with Hartnell.
What makes the Doctor so great is that it's an infinitely flexible role, henceforth every actor loves it(even grumpy old Eccleston said he's proud to have been the character) to bits and it shows.
If it wasn't for William Hartnell as the 1st Doctor there would not be any Doctor Who. He started the whole thing off. He loved the part because he was not playing another sergeant major. Personally I would love to have an Old Man play the Doctor again.
This seems old to people. I remember when TV first appeared - seemed like new, high technology at the time. Radio seemed the same when it appeared. Of course, I was blown away by the telegraph when it first appeared.
***** I know all that. That's why I said "just trolling". I was making a joke that for once he screwed with his lines intentionally. And he didn't have Alzheimer's, he had arteriosclerosis, which meant that he couldn't concentrate(it wasn't actual amnesia).
Oh, almost certainly. Most of his flubs are attributed to his arteriosclerosis, and while I'm sure that was part of it, I've never accepted that it explains everything. I think several of them are either legit adlibs, or were actually scripted in as character quirks. I'm sure Hartnell had legitimate problems remembering all his lines, due to the combination of his condition and the grueling shooting schedule, but it's pretty clear he played it up as part of the Doctor's character as well, with many of the most famous examples becoming almost too rehearsed in their own right to be any thing else (his constantly screwing up Ian Chesterton's last name, for instance).
Yes it is true that Bill Hartnell was the greatest Doctor of all time. He made the series what it became. But much kudos has to go to Verity Lambert for her artistic vision and foresight when she hired him for that role. Both to be remembered forever for their great work.
Thanks for the positive comments, guys. I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed it! I love Billy Hartnell's performance and wanted to redress the injustice of the first Doctor being labelled a grumpy old man. He had a wonderfully playful streak in him :)
Awwwwwwwwww. *sniffle* These are just great. Gallifreyan -- he was startlingly ruthless now and then, quite an erratic and unpredictable Doctor! But also whimsical or funny or random or...oh, just about everything.
To quote my favorite Doctor: WHO da Man? Mr. Hartnell was THE man. After all...you gotta start somewhere, and without a First Doctor, we wouldn't have the rest. RIP good sir, hope you're proud of the show you helped get going. Here's to you, Bad.Ass.Space.Grandpa
My father told me it was both his old age and that the villain was draining his life energy at the time. He's old enough to remember having seen it on tv, before it was lost.
"It's videos like this that remind me that Nine and Ten and Eleven are all the same person... and they all date back to this lovely old fellow here. :D Thank you, Babelcolour. I now have a nice big soft spot for the original." Nine, ten and eleven are shadows of the original. They run around shouting "I AM THE DOCTOR" too much. There's too much crescendo in their performance. When everything is a crescendo, crescendo loses its meaning.
Oh, no! Time's have changed! How dare audiences raised into the 21st century appreciate stuff aimed at their generation more than stuff aimed at the generation that raised their parents. How dare the makers of television go to new directions and try new things when everything could be older and classier. Oh no, bring back that black & white television, because this man's enjoyment of the newer media is too damn low. People must not enjoy new TV at ANY costs!
ok, just to bring the subject back to THIS VIDEO, William Hartnell's doctor set the highest standard for every doctor since. his timelord was what they all should have been: the wise old man of the universe. what a great tribute!
William Hartnell was great because 1) He introduced the Doctor to us and the Tardis 2)His Doctor was grumpy, cantankerous and mysterious 3) The stories included monsters like the Daleks and the Cybermen which will make history 4)His stories had some education in them and 5)His catchphrase from The Dalek Invasion of Earth was really good and meant something to us
"You may whistfully recall that Bejamin Disraeli said that life is too short to be small" (hence the shot of Hartnell being very small next to the plughole!
"What do you think it is? A space helmet for a cow?" Absolutely wonderful delivery.. my God William Hartenell may have flubbed some lines but he was an amazing doctor! He was the one that established the character.
Hartnell had a really endearing way of flubbing up his lines and correcting himself to keep on going--which totally worked for his absentminded Doctor character because his advanced age was one of the reasons that Barbara and Ian and Susan had to take care of him or help him get out of trouble a lot of the time. He was absolutely adorable and these clips showcase that perfectly. Actually, all of your videos are great, Babelcolour. I really like them. :)
Yep, I re-edited it slightly. The real opening is: "Many years from now when your grandchildren climb up on your knee, you may be quite astonished to see how many channels they can change on TV. When some old film in black and white comes on and there you are up on the screen, or is it someone just like someone you've been, looking not a day over 19. "Grandad..." the little ones are asking you "Why do you look so sad?", So you tell them all about the fun you had"
As I was watching this, I realized that the Doctor laughs like a crazy old man. I then realized a second later that this makes perfect sense. This is really cool, and thanks for adding my favorite 1st Doctor quote at the end! "What do you think it is? A space helmet for a cow?"
A friend and I decided to watch doctor who from the very start, she had not seen any, I being a lifelong fan. At first I dreaded revisiting the first doctor era due to the fact that he is so angry and grumpy, but I discovered that the cantankerous old man is not only lovable but very sweet, mysterious, strong willed, and quite the charmer. Hartnell infused so many qualities in the doctor, and the right ones together, and from nothing, this makes his performance no small achievement.
You find very interesting songs for these Doctor tribute vids. They are so much fun to watch. Love this tribute to the First. The quotes in there are great! ^_^ Cheers!
