Clive Dunn interviewed on "You have been Watching"

jives11 · 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 ?

Oz

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.

jives11

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

Oz

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? Confused

canarytap

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.

straycat

canarytap

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.

straycat

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.

canarytap

Ok, I see what you mean.

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.

Oz

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.

Fundy

Jonesy may have been a bit over the top, but I loved that character. And the three sayings from DA that everyone seems to know are

"You stupid boy, Pike"
"They don't like it up 'em"
and
"Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring, Don't panic"

and obviously two of those are from Jonesy, so without a Jonesy in the platoon then maybe the general public would have remembered DA less.

Fundy

chandler

I've just discovered this forum so I aplogise for taking up this relatively old thread.

There is some documentary or other - possibly the "We Are The Boys" series - where Clive Dunn speaks of his great fondness and admiration for both the talent and character of Jimmy Beck, and of his sadness at his death. The fact is that it's no secret that Beck's passing was induced by his lifestyle, and I don't think Clive Dunn was being insensitive - its been discussed many times, including in Graeme McCann's very fine book.

And the character of Jones may have been responsible for some of the less subtle moments on the programme, but was also portrayed with great resonance and sweetness by Dunn. A very touching character, I find.

Anyway, I'm pleased to have discovered this forum.

Mr. Blew Itt

I think most of us are aware of the fact that Clive at first resented the line "They don't like it up 'em!", and in a way, he still feels ambivalent towards it now. It's true that a line like that isn't in keeping with most of the rest of the show's writing, which relied more on the relationships between the characters.

But, as Clive rightly pointed out, Jones was an old soldier who had been in the army for an innumerable number of years, and then became a butcher, so he would be inclined to have an obsession with knives and bajonets. Not to forget that the Jones character was based on an officer Jimmy Perry knew when he himself was in the Home Guard, and he would say exactly that: "Give 'em the cold steel! They don't like it up 'em!" So there you have it.

I don't think Clive feels bitter about DA, after all, he was again present at the latest 40th anniversary reunion, while he could have easily stayed in Portugal. I think that shows his commitment.

But I think he does have the notion that 99% of the public knows him only from DA; since it was and is so hugely popular, it easily eclipses anything he had done before and has done afterwards. The same goes for most of the other actors: Arthur Lowe was previously a household name as Mr. Swindley in 'Coronation Street', and he had some good parts after DA: 'Bless Me, Father' and the classic silent 'The Plank' come to mind. And Bill Pertwee has done some very nice things as well. But think of Arnold Ridley and John Laurie: both of them had a very long stage and screen career, but they only found lasting fame in their twilight years. John Laurie was especially aware of this 'rubbish' as he would call it, but I don't think any of them were bitter about it. After all, it is better to be remember for one very good thing than not to be remembered at all.

The same goes for lots of actors and comedians. Everybody knows Andrew Sachs as Manuel from 'Fawlty Towers', but this was only a 12-episode series in a lifetime of entertainment. Mollie Sugden has become a household name as Mrs. Slocombe in 'Are You Being Served?'. I've seen a couple of other shows she was in, but they don't compare to AYBS, which is in the public's collective mind. John Inman, same thing: if it hadn't been for Mr. Humphries ("I'm free!"), hardly anyone would remember him now. And I could go on and on with other examples. All these people were and are great at what they do, and had the good fortune of finding themselves in a show that went on to become a classic. A great many actors never find fame, so you can thank your lucky stars if you do, even if it's for one thing you've done in your whole career.

The downside of this is that some of these actors had a great deal of trouble finding work different from the role that made them famous, even if they were perfect for the part. And that's still true today. One of the most poignant examples is Bob Grant, a very talented actor and scriptwriter who was catapulted to stardom by his role as Jack Harper in 'On the Buses', then found himself virtually out of work after the show ended, which ultimately drove him to depression and suicide years later. Very sad and a great waste.

Getting back to DA, I for one love old Jonesy for his enthousiasm and clumsiness, which do indeed make him stand out from the rest of the platoon. I'm sure the character was meant to be this way to contrast with the rest, and Clive portrayed him brilliantly. When I watched the show as a young boy, I never realized that he wasn't really as old as the others - I just thought he was an extremely agile old gent, and wondered how on earth he could do some of the physical stuff. But it never struck me as being out of place in DA.[/url]

Oz

I think the word you're looking for is 'TYPECAST' Cool

straycat

spoken20

All i can say is amazing and all are doing great I mean not only geat but very very great.They actually done right and i didn't see some bad about their movie and also the good thing about it is that its goes to flow which make people amaze Razz

Oz

hodders

I think someone is trying to get promoted quickly?

pault

The Midnight Special

For what it's worth, I find everything Jonesy says and does in DA, very funny. Nearly all my 'belly-laugh out loud' moments are from what Jonesy says and does. It would be easy for people to say Jonesy was an over the top character who relied on slapstick and "catchprases" for laughs. But that would be a shallow view. It needed superb character acting ability and comic timing (and mis-timing in the drill scenes!) to carry off the part, which I guess few people could manage. Just contrast Clive Dunn's accomplished slapstick with Arthur Lowe's (falling over, glasses awry) efforts . Lowe's are nowhere near on the same level in my opinion.