Shark Bytes

A classic seies, the finale where Sgt Wilson was revealed to have been a Captain in WW1 was a nice touch, and entirely in keeping with his character.
While the death of Jimmy Beck was tragic, the strength of the other characters was more than enough to keep it going.

I was working extra at a theatre in London in '61-'62 and met most of the Dad's Army guys, as the theatre was the best wateringhole in town, actors need to be seen if they want work and the tea and cake was for free too! Jim Perry was there often, sussing out actors for his characters. It was suggested to Charles Laughton, the great actor, that he might like to try the role of Mainwaring. He was amused, but had never done any TV and said he would mull it over, but Laughton died a year or two later? Arthur Lowe was making a good living as 'dry old dusty little me' and turning work away and thus wasn't really that interested at the time. I don't recall Jeff Beck and barely recall Arthur Ridley. But I do recall both he and John Laurie needed the money as their pensions were very low. Perry also met Ian Lavender at this time, down in town to see the lights, as was a very young Sue Pollard, Jeff Holland and his mum (the ballroomdancer in Hi-Di-Hi) and Billy Speight (Paul Shane). Perry obviously was very impressed at what he saw and recalled them all when the time came to cast the sitcoms.

Seen in today's light those Perry/Croft sitcoms might seem a bit blase, but when they were shown they were the best sitcoms anybody had ever seen. And the reruns prove that they still are!

Unquestionably the show took a hit with James Beck/Private Walker's departure and death. The show lost a key character and with it some of its internal 'balance' of relationships. Walker was a consummate spiv (and not at all 'army') but even Cpt. Mainwaring relied on him. Also, the subsequent over-reliance on Jones and his whacky scrapes (a bit like Compo in 'Last Of The Summer Wine') got a little wearisome. Fortunately there was Arthur Lowe's Mainwaring and his dealings with the genteel Sgt. Wilson. Quintessential Wilson moment:
Wilson, escorting prisoners into Mainwaring's office: 'Would you kindly step this way, please?
Mainwaring: 'Couldn't you be a bit more forceful, Wilson?'
Wilson, to prisoners: 'Would you you kindly step this way, please!'

The show never jumped and was funny from start to finish. It's just a shame that the BBC never show the early black and white episodes, as they are the funniest ones. I guess they think people are now too stupid to appreciate comedy that isn't in colour.

Several earlier posters have made fundamental errors as to the reasons for James Beck's (Walker's) departure. James Beck became ill on Saturday July 14th 1973 whilst opening a fete, having recorded a couple of Dad's Army radio episodes for the BBC the evening before. He was taken into hospital with a perforated pancreas from which he never recovered. He died 3 weeks later on August 6th 1973 aged just 44. He didn't leave Dad's Army. In my opinion, Dad's Army was never the same again and in hindsight, should have finished after James Beck's departure. Incidentally, Dad's Army is a British programme and therefore was made in SERIES - not SEASONS.

This was one of the best comedies ever made, but towards the end Corporal Jones (who was good in small doses) was given more and more of the dialogue and plotlines. Unfortunately, this character had a tendency to repeat himself over and over again in long rambling speeches, and this soon became boring and irritating.

When James Beck died. It was never the same without him. Dad's Army without Walker the crafty black marketer didn't enthrall me nearly so much.

Someone asked if this would have worked in America. They did make one episode, I believe it was called 'The Home Front'. The characters were changed about a bit, I think Jones and Godfrey were combined. The plot they chose was 'The Deadly Attachment' (Home Guard captures U-Boat crew). Most of the core lines were retained, including the classic "Don't tell him Pike" (here re-done as "Don't tell him Broslowski" or something similar). The end result was one of the least funny things EVER. It's painful. So I guess the answer is that no, it wouldn't work in America.

Dad's Army was a great show that totally jumped when James Beck (Private Beck) died. With Sgt Wilson, the savvy Walker grounded the ineffectual antics of the rest of the platoon members, and also had many great lines of his own. After his death the writers constantly resorted to pantomime farce situations, with Jones and co yelling and waving their arms about way too much.

When James Beck died. The character of Walker the spiv was integral to the show and James Beck, the actor, was irreplaceable so the writers didn't even try.It was said that he went into the hospital with a complaint of stomach ulcers and died shortly after. I haven't been able to dig up any further information on this, but suspect that the stomach ulcer complaint may have been stomach cancer in reality, or possibly a cover for some other ailment that simply wasn't spoken of in those days. It is a real shame. He was only 44 and had a role on a popular show as well as a show of his own and was seemingly at the top of his game. Things don't always work out fairly, I guess.

Never really jumped. Still to my mind the best ever sitcom. However...some of the later episodes were a bit wobbly. Mainwaring always seemed to be involved in some kind of pantomime stunt. James Beck had died, and had never really been properly replaced. Ian Lavender was in his 30s and still playing a teenager. John LeMesurier was starting to look very ill, plus he and Clive Dunn had suspiciously long hair for men in the army - they had more of a 'seventies old guy' type style. Overall none of this matters though because the show was still brilliant. They were wise to quit when they did, however. I've listened to episodes of the little known (radio) sequel to Dad's Army 'It Sticks Out Half a Mile' and it was truly terrible!

A brilliant show: exceptionally well-written, and beautifully acted. It is a little known fact that John Le Mesurier and Arthur Lowe (who played Sgt Wilson and Captain Mainwaring, respectively) were originally cast in the opposite roles. Whoever the genius was who decided, at the last minute, to swap them deserves a pension for life from the world TV industry!. Never ever jumped. Not even with the death of James Beck (which was a setback.)

I can't ever remember a bad episode, which is no mean feat as there were well over 70. However the ones where Captain Square appeared were exceptionally funny, I can’t recall the name of the actor, but he played the upper-class British officer to a T. I saw the one the other week where Captain Mainwaring was made a cardinal, and I nearly cracked a rib laughing.

This is one of the most beautifully written programmes ever. You care for every character. The episode were Private Godfrey wants to leave the platoon because he couldn't kill a mouse he found in his larder, let alone another human being is the best episode ever. The other platoon members turn his back on him, and yet on a maneuvers exercise he risks his life to save Captain Mainwaring. Its only when they visit him at home while he's recuperating do they find out he was a hero in WWI when he saved his platoon in the trenches. A subtle and touching episode in human emotions.

This show is one of the greats of British comedy. I loved it as a kid and my 11 year old son now loves it. Never quite as good after James Beck's death it still pushes all the buttons.