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Keep Young and Beautiful (Dad's Army)

2022-07-19T18:36:33Z

2A00:23C7:1307:9A01:E17E:C20E:ED51:EB1E:

{{no footnotes|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Dad's Army]]
| image =
| caption =
| series_no = 5
| episode = 2
| director = [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]
| story = [[Jimmy Perry]] and David Croft
| producer = David Croft
| airdate = {{Start date|1972|10|13|df=y}}
| length = 30 minutes
| guests =
| prev = [[Asleep in the Deep (Dad's Army)|Asleep in the Deep]]
| next = [[A Soldier's Farewell]]
}}

"'''Keep Young and Beautiful'''" is the second episode of the fifth series of the British comedy series ''[[Dad's Army]]''. It was originally transmitted on 13 October 1972.

== Synopsis ==
The government has called for an injection of youth into the [[Home Guard]], along with a syphoning off of the more elderly of its current members into the [[Air Raid Precautions|ARP]]. When an exchange of personnel is mooted, the platoon decides to take drastic action: some [[Hair dye|dye]] their hair, others enrich their skin, Sergeant Wilson dons a [[corset]] and Captain Mainwaring a [[toupée]].

== Plot ==
A [[field training exercise]] of each [[platoon]] tackling an [[obstacle course]] carrying a pole ends in disaster as Jones' section, consisting of Walker, Frazer, Pike and Godfrey, end up falling in the water. Captain Mainwaring later discusses with Sergeant Wilson how he would prefer to have much younger men in his platoon. At that moment, Wilson presents Mainwaring with a letter from the [[War Office|war office]] which states that the oldest members of the Home Guard will be transferred to ARP and the younger, more fitter ARP Wardens will be transferred into the Home Guard. Mainwaring is appalled at the idea of losing his men and having members of 'Hodges' rabble' in his platoon, but Wilson points out everyone is at risk.

Mainwaring worries that he too might be transferred into the ARP, so he buys himself a [[wig]], while Sergeant Wilson has acquired a corset (or "gentleman's abdominal support", as he calls it). They both try to hide it, but Mainwaring quickly figures out Wilson, who admits he's doing it not for vanity, but to stay with the unit. Mainwaring then shows off his wig, only for Wilson to start laughing uncontrollably. Members of the platoon start to notice odd things about Mainwaring, so when Mainwaring catches Pike trying to look under his hat, he reveals his wig to the entire platoon, and also tells them of the upcoming parade where the [[Commander|Area Commander]] will decide who will be transferred.

Upon learning of this, Corporal Jones and Private Godfrey visit Private Frazer's [[Funeral parlor|funeral parlour]] late one night and tell him that "If any of the platoon are going to be put in the ARP, it'll be us three cause we're the oldest." Frazer then agrees to perform a makeover on Jones and Godfrey, as well as himself, in order to make them look younger. In the meantime, Chief Warden Hodges is also worried of being put into the Home Guard so he purchases some grey 'hair dye' courtesy of Private Walker, which is actually white ceiling [[paint]] mixed with [[gum arabic]]. Hodges later showboats this to the platoon, although Walker subtly laughs "Wait till he tries to get it off."

When Mainwaring learns of the drastic measures that Frazer, Jones and Godfrey have gone through in order to stay in the platoon, he does not approve, but states that "it's too late to do anything about it now." After the inspection, in which none of the Home Guard members were selected to join the ARP, Mainwaring is stunned when Colonel Pritchard quietly congratulates Mainwaring for once again demonstrating initiative in a crisis, adding that [[Turning a blind eye|he didn't see anything]]. Moments later it begins to rain heavily, causing the make-up on the three soldiers' faces to run.

==Notes==
*The title is a reference to [[Keep Young and Beautiful|the 1930s showtune of the same name]].
*During the scene where Walker vigorously shakes a bottle to mix some 'grey hair dye' for Hodges, he sings "[[I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)]]" – a song performed by [[Carmen Miranda]] in the film ''[[That Night in Rio]]'' (1941).
*Later screenings of this episode have heavily re-edited the scene where Pike, Frazer, Walker and Godfrey try to pick a volunteer to go into the office to have a look at Captain Mainwaring's new wig, and Pike recites a version of "[[Eeny, meeny, miny, moe]]" which includes the racial slur "[[nigger]]" in the second line, with Walker getting the 'moe'; Walker then continues the rhyme, "O-U-T spells out, you must go", so Pike ends up being 'it' instead. In the revised version, only the rhyme's opening line is spoken by Pike before he points to Walker and says "It's you, go on." The scene appears intact on the DVD release.

==Cast==
*[[Arthur Lowe]] as [[Captain Mainwaring]]
*[[John Le Mesurier]] as [[Sergeant Wilson]]
*[[Clive Dunn]] as [[Lance Corporal Jones]]
*[[John Laurie]] as [[Private Frazer]]
*[[James Beck]] as [[Private Walker]]
*[[Arnold Ridley]] as [[Private Godfrey]]
*[[Ian Lavender]] as [[Private Pike]]
*[[Bill Pertwee]] as [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|ARP Warden Hodges]]
*[[Derek Bond]] as the Minister
*[[Robert Raglan]] as Colonel Pritchard
*[[James Ottaway]] as the 1st Member of Parliament
*[[Tom Mennard]] as Mess Orderly
*[[Charles Morgan (actor)|Charles Morgan]] as 2nd Member of Parliament

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last1=Croft|first1=David|last2=Perry|first2=Jimmy|last3=Webber|first3=Richard|title=The Complete A-Z of Dad’s Army|year=2000|publisher=Orion|isbn=0-7528-4637-X}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb episode|0552294|Keep Young and Beautiful}}

{{Dad's Army}}

[[Category:Dad's Army (series 5) episodes]]
[[Category:1972 British television episodes]]

Asleep in the Deep (Dad's Army)

2022-07-19T18:22:02Z

2A00:23C7:1307:9A01:E17E:C20E:ED51:EB1E:

{{no footnotes|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Dad's Army]]
| image =
| caption =
| series_no = 5
| episode = 1
| director = [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]
| story = [[Jimmy Perry]] and David Croft
| producer = David Croft
| airdate = {{Start date|1972|10|06|df=y}}
| length = 30 minutes
| guests =
| prev = [[Battle of the Giants!]]
| next = [[Keep Young and Beautiful (Dad's Army)|Keep Young and Beautiful]]
}}
"'''Asleep in the Deep'''" is the first episode of the sixth series of the British [[television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Dad's Army]]''. It was originally transmitted on 6 October 1972. The title may have come from the song, ''[[Asleep in the Deep (song)|Asleep in the Deep]]'' that is referenced by Private Walker in the episode.

==Synopsis==
A bomb falls on the local [[pumping station]], where Walker and Godfrey are on patrol. Efforts at freeing them result in the rest of the platoon becoming trapped with them, and a pipe bursting, filling the room rapidly with water...

==Plot==
The episode opens with the [[Walmington-on-Sea]] [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] unit in an air raid shelter during a raid. Jones and his section arrive, Frazer complaining that the "[[Shrapnel shell|shrapnel]] was coming down like [[hail]]". Pike makes a fool of himself by explaining why he acquires [[sprinkles|hundreds and thousands]] as his sweet ration to Mainwaring, but to Pike's dismay his sweets all go on the floor when a bomb falls nearby. They are joined by [[Air Raid Precautions|ARP]] Warden Hodges, who mentions that a bomb has fallen on the local pumping station. Godfrey and Walker are on duty there, so some of the platoon, with Hodges, go to rescue them.

When they arrive, Walker and Godfrey are unhurt but Godfrey is asleep in an inner room and Walker cannot wake him up. Bomb damage has made the corridor very dangerous, so Mainwaring puts two dots on pieces of paper to determine who goes at the head of a human chain with a frightened Hodges picking the first of the two dots. Mainwaring pulls a blank piece but lies to stop the young Pike of having any chance of being at the front. They quickly shift the rubble to gain access to the trapped men, with Mainwaring at the front, then Hodges, Wilson, Frazer, Pike, and Jones at the back. Once inside, they wake up Godfrey, who had taken [[Hypnotic|soporific tablets]] to help him sleep (since he has had trouble sleeping lately), explaining why Walker couldn't wake him. Mainwaring asks Wilson to tell Jones to close his door, but Jones slams the door, thus bringing the roof down in the corridor and trapping everyone (except Jones, who is left outside) in the inner room. When Jones goes for help he breaks the handle on the outside door, leaving him trapped as well.

Mainwaring enlists Wilson's help to cheer the men up by singing "[[Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree]]" but whilst doing this a pipe bursts and the inner room starts to flood, Pike being soaked first by the jet of water. Jones tries to shut off the water from his side with the [[stopcock]], but only increases it and leaving Pike's jacket, which he was using to try and wrap up the pipe, completely drenched.

Later, the inner room is now waist high in water, with Pike standing in the flood, pleading with everyone to do something otherwise he will drown, Hodges floating in a tank, and the rest of the men crammed onto the bunks.

Much later, the water is neck high. Pike is still pleading, and the rest assure him that they are thinking about how to get out. Eventually, Godfrey discovers a [[manhole]] that can be opened to allow them all to escape. The spanner needed to unbolt it is hanging high on the wall, and when Hodges tries to reach it, he falls out of his tank and into the water, dropping the spanner. Pike dives under the water and retrieves it, leaving him more wet than ever, but at least the men can get out. After opening the manhole, they crawl through it to the outside of the pumping house, then run round to rescue Jones, who has managed to open another inspection hatch into the flooded chamber.

But before they can all leave, Godfrey shuts the outside door ("there's a nasty draught and you're all wet. I didn't want you to catch cold"), thus trapping them all in the outer room again and leaving Wilson having to go around again through the water filled chamber to open the door from the other side.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
*[[Arthur Lowe]] as [[Captain Mainwaring]]
*[[John Le Mesurier]] as [[Sergeant Wilson]]
*[[Clive Dunn]] as [[Lance Corporal Jones]]
*[[John Laurie]] as [[Private Frazer]]
*[[James Beck]] as [[Private Walker]]
*[[Arnold Ridley]] as [[Private Godfrey]]
*[[Ian Lavender]] as [[Private Pike]]
*[[Bill Pertwee]] as [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|ARP Warden Hodges]]
*[[Colin Bean]] as Private Sponge
{{div col end}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=The Complete A-Z of Dad’s Army|last1=Croft|first1=David|last2=Perry|first2=Jimmy|last3=Webber|first3=Richard|date=2000|publisher=Orion|isbn=0-7528-4637-X}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb episode|0552276|Asleep in the Deep}}

{{Dad's Army}}

[[Category:Dad's Army (series 5) episodes]]
[[Category:1972 British television episodes]]