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it's the acting that carries it, absolutely. And from only a very small number of members of the cast - Lowe and Le Mesurier, mainly. I'm not sure what happened with John Laurie - the story's always been that he resented being associated with the show, because he was a "proper actor", but there's almost as much gurning and pantomime from him as there is from Dunn.
If you break it down and look at the jokes, it's kind of terrible. You can fit virtually all of them into any of Perry & Croft's other sitcoms - I mean, Perry & Croft did that often enough themselves, so you might as well - and see them for the rubbish they are. The difference is that Dad's Army has heart, which is, again, thanks to the cast.
Also: James Beck. I always feel that he's unfairly overlooked when people praise the show. After Le Mesurier (who was only really playing himself, anyway), Beck's the character you find your eyes focusing on in the group scenes. His replacement as Walker in the radio shows is an embarrassment, as was the Welsh character they created to replace him in the show - the latter being far more suited to the rest of P&C's output/comedy shitness.
Stoats: if you start the thread on Reggie Perrin, I'll be there like a shot. Said it before on here, I firmly believe the first series to be the single greatest sitcom ever. |
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