The Army Game | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Sid Colin |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 4 |
No. of episodes | 156 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company | Granada Television |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 19 June 1957 20 June 1961 | –
The Army Game is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of soldiers and their National Service conscription into the British Army during the post war years.
The original cast consisted of William Hartnell, Michael Medwin, Geoffrey Sumner, Alfie Bass, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Bresslaw and Norman Rossington. The cast would change over the years with actors such as Bill Fraser, Ted Lune, Frank Williams, Harry Fowler and Dick Emery appearing in subsequent series.
The popularity of the series inspired a film spin-off, I Only Arsked! (1958), and a top ten hit. It also produced the successful sitcom Bootsie and Snudge starring the popular characters played by Bass and Fraser.
The creator, Sid Colin, was inspired by a 1956 film, Private's Progress, that starred Ian Carmichael, Richard Attenborough and Terry-Thomas.[1][2] William Hartnell had a supporting role similar to that of Sergeant-Major Bullimore in The Army Game.[3]
Writers included Sid Colin, Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire, Lew Schwarz, John Jowett, John Antrobus, John Foley, Marty Feldman, Barry Took, David Climie, David Cumming, Derek Collyer, Brad Ashton, John Junkin, Talbot Rothwell, Sidney Nelson, Stan Mars, Bob Perkins and Alan MacKinnon. At least three episodes are uncredited.
Character | Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maj. Upshot-Bagley | Geoffrey Sumner | Geoffrey Sumner | ||
Sgt. Maj. Percy Bullimore | William Hartnell | William Hartnell | ||
Cpl. Springer | Michael Medwin | |||
Pte. Montague "Excused Boots" Bisley | Alfie Bass | |||
Pte. "Cupcake" Cook | Norman Rossington Keith Banks (some episodes) |
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Pte. "Professor" Hatchett | Charles Hawtrey Keith Smith (some episodes) |
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Pte. "Popeye" Popplewell | Bernard Bresslaw | |||
Sgt. Maj. Claude Snudge | Bill Fraser | |||
Capt. Pilsworthy | Bernard Hunter | |||
Maj. "Fishy" Upshot-Bagley | Jack Allen | |||
Pte. Leonard Bone | Ted Lune | |||
Cpl. "Flogger" Hoskins | Harry Fowler | |||
Capt. T. R. Pocket | Frank Williams | |||
Maj. Geoffrey Gervais Duckworth | C.B. Poultney | |||
L/Cpl. Ernest "Moosh" Merryweather | Mario Fabrizi | |||
Pte. Dooley | Harry Towb | |||
Pte. Billy "Noddy" Baker | Robert Desmond | |||
Pte. "Chubby" Catchpole | Dick Emery |
The show centres on a group of conscripts assigned to the Surplus Ordnance Department at Nether Hopping, Staffordshire. Billeted in Hut 29, the men are determined to work little and have fun.[4]
Geoffrey Sumner played Major 'Piggy' Upshot-Bagley, the commanding officer, with William Hartnell as Company Sgt Major (CSM) Percy Bullimore, the bane of Hut 29's army life. Michael Medwin was the spiv-like Cpl Springer in charge of Hut 29, with the original conscripts consisting of Bernard Bresslaw's IQ deficient Pte Popplewell, Alfie Bass's Pte 'Excused Boots' Bisley, Charles Hawtrey's Pte 'Professor' Hatchett and Norman Rossington's Pte 'Cupcake' Cook.[5]
Later series saw Frank Williams as Capt T. R. Pockett take over the running of the camp, with Bill Fraser's Sgt Claude Snudge replacing Bullimore; although Sumner and Hartnell would return for the final series. Other popular characters included Harry Fowler's Cpl 'Flogger' Hoskins (a replacement for Medwin's Springer) and Ted Lune's Pte Leonard Bone, a sort of northern England variation on Bresslaw's Popplewell.
Arguably the break-out character of the series was Bresslaw's Popplewell who would go on to be the lead of the film version, I Only Arsked! (1958), which used his catch-phrase as its title.[6] On the back of the series Bresslaw became a star of the late fifties and would also use the Popplewell characteristics for other roles of the period, such as the 1959 films Too Many Crooks and The Ugly Duckling. After Bresslaw left, Bass and Fraser's Bootsie and Snudge would become the most popular characters, and would get their own spin-off series, Bootsie and Snudge, after The Army Game finished.[7]
A film based on the series, I Only Arsked!, appeared in 1958, made by Hammer Film Productions.[8] The plot concentrated on Bernard Bresslaw's character and included Michael Medwin, Alfie Bass, Geoffrey Sumner, Charles Hawtrey and Norman Rossington playing their characters.[9] "I Only Arsked" became Bresslaw's catchphrase.[10]
A record was released sung by Michael Medwin, Bernard Bresslaw, Alfie Bass and Leslie Fyson.[11] In June 1958, it reached number five in the UK Singles Chart.[12] Bresslaw's song "Mad Passionate Love", sung in the style of Private Popplewell, also did well in the charts.[13]
A paperback was produced, and Granada brought out a board game in 1959.[14]
Alfie Bass and Bill Fraser's characters turned up in a spin-off, Bootsie and Snudge, between 1960 and 1963 and in 1974.[7] Bootsie and Snudge also appeared in the 1964 sitcom Foreign Affairs.[15]
A year after the series debuted saw the first Carry On film, the very similar Carry On Sergeant (1958), which also featured Hartnell, Hawtrey and Rossington.[16]
In June 1959, Michael Medwin, Alfie Bass, Norman Rossington, Bill Fraser and Ted Lune performed a short The Army Game scene at the Royal Variety Performance in front of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.[17] This was the last Royal Variety Performance not to be televised, although highlights were broadcast on BBC radio on 29 June 1959.
Of the 156 episodes made, 50 are thought to survive. On 6 June 2005, Network released the first 26 episodes from series 3 on DVD under the title The Army Game – Volume 1. On 14 August 2006, the remaining twenty-four episodes (including three surviving episodes from the first series) were released under the title The Army Game – Volume 2. An episode of Bootsie and Snudge was included. The Army Game Collection, containing every surviving episode, was released on 13 August 2008.