Googie Withers!!!!

I'll name that film in.....erm, just a moment...

Hello and a very belated Happy New Year! Apologies for the distanct lack of blogs over the last few months. I've been very remiss in my posting -and there's been loads of news too! Hopefully I'll get through most of it over the coming weeks. First though, onto a fantastic piece that one our listeners has written; a certain Mr James White-Aldworth. Now many months ago, James listened to Tony and I talk about the many references to old films that Messrs Perry and Croft make throughout Dad's Army. Somehow, we managed to inspire Mr White-Aldworth to begin a task that he had been mulling around in his mind - to document every film mention throughout the entire run of Dad's Army! So here it is, with a introduction from James - a spreadsheet that chronicles every film reference made by Pike, Wilson and all the others! You can view or download the spreadsheet by clicking on the image below but first, here's an intro from James himself.

Welcome my name is James White-Aldworth and I have been a Dad’s Army fan for roughly 25 years. Having, as many of us were, been inducted into the world of Walmington on Sea by my Grandfather Godfrey ‘Dan’ Brown I became a fully fledged addict myself.

I have been listening to James’ Dad’s Army Podcast and was inspired by something he and his colleague Tony discussed a couple of years ago. Whilst watching an early episode of Dad’s Army the two wondered if the many references made to films by the cast were in fact real films that the characters really could have been watching at the time. Coincidently this was a thought that had passed through my mind. As a big film fan myself I too had often wondered whether the real population of Great Britain had watched these films escaping the dark nights of the war and pre-war years. Also these references are often my favourite moments in the episodes as two or three characters drift off into recollection and discussion of a film as Captain Mainwaring becomes more and more frustrated and finally snaps.

So I set myself to work watching every episode and of course the Movie noting down the films referred to and by whom. Then I began to investigate. I discovered that in only a couple of cases I couldn’t find a film of the same name in the correct period that conclusively was the film in question.

So behold my friends and I hope you too find similar interest in discovering a little more detail in the tapestry of Dad’s Army and perhaps even venture out and seek out these films for yourself.

Dad's Army Film References