Posted: Mon 14 Apr 2008 08:01 am Post subject: Clive Dunn interviewed on "You have been Watching"
Some of the complete DVD's have special features, profiles of the actors called "You have been watching".
I'd have to say that Clive Dunn always comes across as rather curmudgeonly , does he have some unresolved issue with his time on Dad's Army ?
He also suggests, I think a little insensitively, that James Beck death was due to alcohol. That may be true but I have not read that anywhere else. They all played colourful characters and I'd be disappointed if they weren't the same in real life - I just wondered if he's just like that or if he was paid less or had some other issue . Perhaps injury from all those stunts ?
Yes, whenever I've seen Clive Dunn on TV he seems very grumpy and a bit bitter. I have heard since that some of the actors earn more in royalties now than they did in wages at the time. Perhaps he's just become old and cantankerous, like many old people?
I don't think his comment about Jimmy Beck's death due to booze is that far off the mark. Most TV and books I've read have suggested this as the cause of his death and by all accounts, most of the cast enjoyed a good drink, with drink also contributing to John Le Mesuriers demise.
It also occurred to me that perhaps Cpl Jones character is , a bit overlooked when the programme is re-examined. When I was a kid watching this in the mid 70's , I thought his slapstick was very funny, yet now , it all looks a bit "Last of the summer wine", and it's the aspect of the show I like least. That said, I think Jones's malapropisms and long rambling stories with unexpected punchlines are absolute gems
I also remember reading Clive Dunn's autobiography and being very surprised that he hardly mentioned Dad's Army in it at all! Understandably there was a lot about his early life and interesting parts about his time in the army in WW2 and as a POW, but little about DA. Dunn got an OBE in the 1970's for his services to entertainment, presumably largely on the back of his time in DA, so was he really bitter with DA? Perhaps somebody can enlighten us?
It's hard to say what he feels about Dad's Army. I met him a couple of years ago and he seemed a nice, quite sweet man. Perhaps, because he's old now he feels that all people remember him for is DA when he feels he's done plenty of other stuff that is also worth remembering.
When I met him, a friend I was with had some very nice things to say to him about another production Clive worked on, I have to say he looked delighted to receive praise for something other than DA.
It also occurred to me that perhaps Cpl Jones character is , a bit overlooked when the programme is re-examined. When I was a kid watching this in the mid 70's , I thought his slapstick was very funny, yet now , it all looks a bit "Last of the summer wine", and it's the aspect of the show I like least. That said, I think Jones's malapropisms and long rambling stories with unexpected punchlines are absolute gems
I've often wondered if Clive's seemingly ambivalent feelings about Dad's Army have anything to do with the fact that Jones seems to get criticized more than the other characters. I assume Clive would have based his portrayal on instructions from Perry and Croft as to what they wanted the characterization of Jonesy to add to the mix. So I sometimes wonder if, as an old man now (a) he senses an implication that Jones was the one flaw in an otherwise perfect gem and (b) he thinks he's getting all the blame for Jones being the way he was when a lot of it wasn't even his idea. A lot of resentment for real or imagined criticism could have built up by now, especially if he's actually nice enough that he doesn't want to point fingers at anyone else.
Has Clive ever been heard to make any negative comments about either Perry, Croft, or any of his fellow cast members? I've only seen maybe 4 or 5 Clive Dunn interviews, but I haven't heard anything of that kind from him.
I have heard his remark that it was just a shame James Beck's stomach couldn't take so many gin and tonics. However, I didn't read malicious undertones into that. Not after everything he'd just said about how talented Jimmy was, how well the two of them got on, and how much time they used to spend together away from DA. I interpreted the "gin and tonics" comment as Clive merely stating what he believed to be the plain truth and thought he sounded genuinely sorry it had cost him a friend and co-worker.
I completely agree with the previous posters comments regarding Clive's comment about James Beck's death.
Since coming on this forum it is news to me that Clive has become bitter/annoyed/angered by DA. I also haven't ever heard negative comments about Jones character. I love that character.
Even if Clive Dunn did feel resentment (not sure if thats the right word) towards Croft & Perry (which I don't think he would do) I don't think he would have the cheek to make any comments to that effect as the show they cast him in has given him a nice tidy living. Plus, I believe David Croft visits Clive as part of his trips to Portugal each year.
I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I wasn't trying to imply years of resentment building up specifically against Croft and/or Perry, but more against the world's critiques and under-appreciation of Jones. If there is any resentment (or whatever it should be called ... hard feelings??), I wonder if -- especially now that he's elderly -- he might have come to feel that he's been singled out for blame (real or imagined) concerning a role that wasn't entirely his own creation.
However, I think that AT MOST Clive has occasionally sounded a bit more ambivalent about DA than some of the other survivors we usually see interviewed. He's never impressed me as bitter. More that nowadays he just sounds rather weary with the weight of the years. And that comes across as a stark contrast to the energy and enthusiasm I remember him for when playing Jonesy.
Pleased to hear that Croft still pays him regular visits. I hope Clive and all the surviving DA people are still friends.
Is it just a general opinion that Jones is a less popular character than the others? or has somebody in the press/cast/crew actually said something about the character?
I certainly don't agree that Jones is the worst character-their are no bad characters which is a rare thing in a sitcom.
I obviously love all the characters but I can see that some/a lot of people may have found Jones's character a little grating after a while. Some of the slapstick was a bit wooden didn't work and was clearly stunted and over-acted.
That said, Dunn had made his name previously in films and comedies plus on the stage as a 'versatile' actor, with slapstick a main tenet of his acting. I think he called it 'the jimmy-jimmies' or something to that effect.
Still, DA wouldn't have been the same without him.
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