Mum's Army? Panic!!

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TALKS are under way for a Dad’s Army movie starring a FEMALE Captain Mainwaring.

Jimmy Perry, who wrote the original BBC sitcom with the late David Croft, says the script is at an early stage and he has negotiated film rights.

The news follows the death last week of Dad’s Army star Clive Dunn — famed as bumbling Lance-Corporal Jack Jones for his phrase: “Don’t panic!”

But now die-hards are doing just that over the Mainwaring bombshell. A spokesman for the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society revealed there had been “groans” from members.

With most of the TV cast now dead, fans fear the film cannot ring true to the telly version, which ended in 1977.

But Dad’s Army expert David Brooks reckons the film could be a box office hit if it is “loyal to the genre of the original”.

Women were allowed into the Home Guard four years after the start of the Second World War. But Midge Gillies, author of WW2 book Waiting For Hitler, said: “A female captain sounds pretty unlikely.”

A 1971 film of Dad’s Army featured the TV cast. But Ralph Montagu, who oversaw the remastering for DVD, said: “The film started very well but couldn’t maintain the pace of the TV episodes.”


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4643015/Mums-army-Panic.html#ixzz2CBDOJdMC
 
I read that and even though I'm a woman who will play bloody murder if I see or here anyone say a woman can't do a mans job, but even I know this is not right! Yes there were woman in the home guard BUT not in this home guard!

If they want to try and rewrite Dad's Army then at least do it within the bounds of the old one, if they can not do that then write something completely differant and do a woman's version!
 
Susan said:
I read that and even though I'm a woman who will play bloody murder if I see or here anyone say a woman can't do a mans job, but even I know this is not right! Yes there were woman in the home guard BUT not in this home guard!

If they want to try and rewrite Dad's Army then at least do it within the bounds of the old one, if they can not do that then write something completely differant and do a woman's version!
Click to expand...

I agree completely. Either remake it so it is at least similar or create a whole new character and series based in the same time period.
 
I think a lot of sense has been posted here...i think if you are a summer wine fan you will also appreciate dads army...my two favourite programmes...if there is to be any attempt to resurrect dads army then it has to reflect history and a woman as captain just wouldnt work...however if it was made in a different way and not linked to ww2 then it has a good chance of success :)
 
Dads Army is unique. The brilliance of it is that Mainwaring was a self important snob, but utterly, touchingly devoted to his country. Wilson, Jones, Frazier and Godfrey were so like people I recognise, they could have easily been in any of the L.D.V. platoons I heard of, and as for Walker, yes, the spiv with connections to the black market and Pike, the hapless lad, and even the power mad ARP warden! The whole thing was rooted in reality. To re-write it now would sully it somehow. If the B.B.C. must produce something along those lines I hope they do it with no connection to Dads Army.
 
gremlin said:
I think a lot of sense has been posted here...i think if you are a summer wine fan you will also appreciate dads army...my two favourite programmes...if there is to be any attempt to resurrect dads army then it has to reflect history and a woman as captain just wouldnt work...however if it was made in a different way and not linked to ww2 then it has a good chance of success :)
Click to expand...

I agree with you, expect for the last bit, I think a series with woman in the home guard in WW2 would reflect the era very well but it should have no connection to the original Dad's Army. You can't mess about with a old show like that its disrespectful. :)
 
I agree with both you and Rhi. I do not like sequels of a show or film. You just cannot beat the original. They should not be messed with. If a remake has to be made of Dad's Army well then it should be a completely new series and story. It could be of the children of the old army and maybe a grandson or so. But don't mess with the original chaacters. It is a sin. The series ended and that's it.

Same as LOTSW. You can't mess with that. Sadly none of the men had kids except for Compo. But a new series can be made with the same idea but completely different characters. We musn't be reminded of the original LOTSW.
 
Susan said:
I agree with you, expect for the last bit, I think a series with woman in the home guard in WW2 would reflect the era very well but it should have no connection to the original Dad's Army. You can't mess about with a old show like that its disrespectful. :)
Click to expand...

I am not sure what you mean, Susan, by "women in the Home Guard in WW2" refelcting the era. Here is what Wikipedia says:

"The Home Guard also served as one of a number of covers for the Auxiliary Units, an extremely secretive force of more highly trained volunteer resistance troops that would function as guerrilla units if the UK was invaded.

The Home Guard did not, initially, admit women to its ranks. Some women formed their own groups like the Amazon Defence Corps. Later a more organised but still unofficial Women's Home Defence (WHD) formed with many groups across the country. Limited female involvement was permitted later on the understanding that these would be in traditional female support roles and not in any way seen as combatants. Auxiliary Units however may have had female members in both support and combat roles, although records are scarce."

Strikes me that what is being proposed would be inrealistic and that was one of the joys of "Dad's Army", its realism.
 
I thought a wee extract from Ken Follet's "Winter of the World" set in WW2 might be interesting and relevant. It is talking about ARP and Ambulance driving during the blitz:

Follett, Ken (2012-09-18). Winter of the World (Century Trilogy 2) (Kindle Locations 7540-7543). Macmillan Publishers UK. Kindle Edition.

"Now she bantered with the post warden, Nobby Clarke, a retired policeman. ‘The Chief Warden is a man,’ she said. ‘The District Warden is a man. You’re a man.’ ‘I hope so,’ Nobby said, and the others chuckled. ‘There are plenty of women in ARP,’ Naomi went on. ‘How come none of them are officials?’ The men laughed. A bald man with a big nose called Gorgeous George said: ‘Here we go, women’s rights again.’ He had a misogynist streak. Daisy joined in. ‘You don’t really think all you men are smarter than all of us women, do you?’ Nobby said: ‘Matter of fact, there are some women senior wardens.’ ‘I’ve never met one,’ said Naomi. ‘It’s tradition, isn’t it,’ Nobby said. ‘Women have always been home-makers.’ ‘Like Catherine the Great of Russia,’ Daisy said sarcastically. Naomi put in: ‘Or Queen Elizabeth of England.’ ‘Amelia Earhart.’ ‘Jane Austen.’ ‘Marie Curie, the only scientist ever to win the Nobel Prize twice.’
‘Catherine the Great?’ said Gorgeous George. ‘Isn’t there a story about her and her horse?’ ‘Now, now, ladies present,’ said Nobby in a tone of reproof. ‘Anyway, I can answer Daisy’s question,’ he went on. Daisy, willing to be his foil, said: ‘Go on, then.’
‘I grant you that some women may be just as clever as a man,’ he said with the air of one who makes a remarkably generous concession. ‘But there is one very good reason why almost all ARP officials are men, nevertheless.’ ‘And what would that reason be, Nobby?’ ‘It’s very simple. Men won’t take orders from a woman.’ He sat back with a triumphant expression, confident that he had won the argument."

That was very much the attitude of the time.
 
As said, the only way this project will work is if it has absolutely no connection with Dad's Army.

Jimmy Perry of course served with the Home Gaurd. He likened himself to Private Pike. With all his experiences this new project may be good - but it musn't be a continuation of Dad's Army - it needs to be an original piece of work. Besides, if it was to be in the same style of Dad's Army, it would need the late David Croft directing/producing.

I suppose if Jimmy Perry was to resurrect one of his old programmes, a brief return of Hi-De-Hi! may prove interesting. It would need to be set around 1980 this time, in a different camp. This series has enough surviving cast members.

Then again, it doesn't really work bringing back old programmes after such a gap.

Because it just wouldn't be the same.
 
We have pretty much all the Dad's Army from downloads and
from amazon.co.uk. Watch about one a week.

Do not think I would watch a remake, female Captain
or no. Most of the BBC remakes I have seen (Forsyte
Saga comes to mind) are pretty poor copies.

chuck
 
After a bit of research, it appears Jimmy Perry isn't even going to write it, so I can't see many comparisons.
 
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