Dad's Army

Yet another favorite British sit-com of mine. Dad's Army takes place in WW2 and centers around a bunch of misfit soliders with problems which would ordinarly keep someone out of the military. One of the soliders is a dim-witted Momma's boy (Ian Lavender), and he's also my favorite character in this show! Just like any other British sit-com I've seen, the characters and storylines are very provacative and outstanding! Also, one of the actors in this was in that movie "Invasion Quartet". Can't remember his name, though. Though I wonder what Ian Lavender is doing nowadays.

My favorite episode was the one where they decided to take the day off to play Cricket. Dad's Army will keep you laughing from beginning to end! This show also pops up on PBS periodically. Catch it if you can! The downside is that my friends from work haven't even heard of these British sit-coms that I like. I'm the only one who's a fan. Unfortunatly, they're all into Malcolm in the Middle, That 70's Show, and Titus. But comparing those shows to British sit-coms would be like comparing The French Connection and Casablanca to American Pie and 10 Things I Hate About You.

I've seen lots of episodes of Dad's Army and it has to be the best comedy series of all time, even though I wasn't born when it started and too young to remember it when it finished.

It is about the Home Guard of the fictional Southern coastal town of Walmington-on-Sea and what they got up to, often falling out with Warden Hodges.

The cast: Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Seargent Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corperal Jones ("Don't Panic"), Ian Lavender as Pike (Stupid Boy), John Laurie as Frasor ("Doomed"), Arnold Ridley as Godfrey, James Beck as Walker, Bill Pertwee as Warden Hodges ("You ruddy hooligans"), Frank Williams as the Vicar (Timothy Farthing) and Edward Sinclair as the Verger, Mr Yateman.

Only a few of the cast are still alive today: Ian Lavender who is currently in EastEnders but is about to leave, Bill Pertwee, Clive Dunn and Frank Williams. James Beck died young of a heart attack before Dad's Army finished completely.

My favourite episode has to be The Deadly Attachment.

Dad's Army is still occasionally repeated on BBC1 and BBC2 and is always a pleasure to see it again. They certainly don't make 'em like this anymore.

Capt. Mainwaring would frequently utter the above phrase, and then immediately do something much more stupid than young Private Pike could ever accomplish. This is one of the reasons why this colorful program is one of my favorites (pardon my American English spelling).

The scripts are good, but what really make this show brilliant are the great characters and the wonderful actors. It must have been very difficult to get elderly actors to do zany slapstick comedy, but the directors managed to do it beautifully.

The contrast of young and old, and middle class and working class people in perpetual conflict is really great fun to watch. More egos are deflated in this series than ever before, and with hilarious results.

Instead of watching the horrible news accounts of the Iraq War, watch a video tape of Dad's Army. This a very funny remembrance of a much better era.

I was a youngster during WW II living in America but I was made well aware of the courage and resolve of the British people. Dad's Army, in addition to being the best comedy show ever, shows us this courage. Unlike so many sit coms, it is not mean or vicious but is gentle yet over the top funny. Despite their bumbling and odd approach to things, their love of country, their braveness, and their willingness to die for England if they have to, always shows through.

I own over 50 episodes on either VHS or DVD and am constantly searching for the ones I do not have. In addition I have both volumes of the complete scripts. I never get tired of watching or reading them. I can't watch the final episode (Never Too Old wherein Jonesy gets married and they drink a toast to the Home Guard every where)without feeling some tears welling up in my eyes. In fact, I'm starting to choke up a bit right now just thinking about it.

I have acquaintances (notice I don't say friends) who have watched it with me and just don't get it. They prefer the smart Alex stuff which passes for humor today. I do feel sorry for them.

As I read through the comments, I was not surprised at how many were British but at how few were American. I was surprised at one comment that, while rating the show very high, also commented that the humor was not "laugh out loud" humor. I found this show to be hilarious! Jimmy Kroft and Mathew Perry were pure geniuses. Writing and working with so many hilarious episodes was a feat in itself. But coming up with such equally hilarious titles like "Be Young and Beautiful", "Knights of Madness" and "The King is in his Counting House" was pure genius, plain and simple.

Two of the funniest episodes are "Keep Young and Beautiful" and "My British Buddy". In "Be Young and Beautiful", the home guard, to look their best before the inspectors, used make-up. The results were hilarious. In "My British Buddy", the Americans arrive to join the Allies and it's a big event, so journalists and photographers show up to report the event, which doesn't quite turn out the way it was intended.

The humor is clearly British. And unlike classic British sitcoms like "In Sickness and in Health" and "Man About the House" which were recycled, given the American treatment and released as "All in the Family" and "Three's Company", there is no American equivalent to "Dad's Army". This show stands alone in more ways than one.

Though it would be downright criminal to classify this show along with "Monty Python" just because both happen to be British comedies, the two programs (note the American spelling!) have one thing in common. Either you'll love this show, or you won't. (I, for one, love this program, which has left me laughing out loud.) This show could never be classified as merely "OK".