Jimmy Perry (1923–2016)

It's many years since I saw 'Dad's Army' on TV, when broadcast and also some repeats. Very enjoyable to watch the six episodes of Series 1 and the remaining three of Series 2, plus an 'extra' which explains how these episodes, thought to be lost forever, were discovered.

It's bumbling humour, with unlikely stories and some backgrounds and props demonstrating the low budget that must have gone into these early episodes, which are black-and-white. But somehow it's very appealing; possibly because the characters of the Home Guard are so well-developed, albeit caricatured.

It's part of British culture, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a bit of classic humour.

Longer review here: https://suesdvdreviews.blogspot.com/2024/05/dads-army-series-1-and-2.html… (mehr)

I have read several biographies that are heavily illustrated and they tend to be coffee table books; interesting to browse, but not very informative. I therefore, picked up this tome with some trepidation but, to my surprise, and delight, this turned out to be the exception. The pictures are carefully chosen to add to the story of Jimmy Perry's life and save pages of description: a photograph of his family, friends or work colleagues rather than shovels full of flowery prose.
The autobiography is heavily slanted towards his writing. We get details of his life that lead to the various themes of his comedies, but little about his personal life.
for anybody who likes, Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, or Hi De Hi, there is a wealth of fascinating background information plus an insight in to what it was like to live through the second World War and into the ensuing peace.… (mehr)