Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4873 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-09-13
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 270 minutes

Synopsis
Classic TV comedy from the Home Guards at Walmington-On-Sea who are both bumbling and ineffectual as well as incompetent which makes life chaotic for all around. Contains all of the first series followed by the remaining episodes of the second series. The other three instalments are missing and presumed lost forever. Episodes from Series 1 are: 'The Man And The Hour' in which the men get together to form the Home Guard following a radio broadcast, 'Museum Piece' finds Capt Mainwaring looking for guns for his men in the local museum, 'Command Decision' finds a Capt offering guns if he can take command of the platoon, 'Enemy Within The Gates' sees Capt Mainwaring giving a lecture on the recognition of enemy agents when he learns there is a reward for every Nazi captured, 'The Showing Up Of Cpl Jones' finds the platoon finally getting their uniforms and CPl Jones attempting an assault course and 'Shooting Pains' finds a shooting contest arranged to see who will form the honour guard when the Prime Minister pays a visit. Series 2 episodes are: 'Operation Kilt' which finds the platoon being attacked by the Highland Regiment, 'The Battle Of Godfrey's Cottage' Finds the platoon leaping into action and taking Godfrey's cottage to set up a machine post and 'Sergeant Wilson's Little Secret' finds Sergeant Wilson overhearing a conversation which implies that he might be the father of an expected child but, as usual, he gets the wrong end of the stick.

Customer Reviews

where it all began
This DVD includes the whole first series, and the three episodes from the second series which survive (two recently rediscovered). The set is rounded out by radio adaptations of the other missing episodes; and the documentary Missing Believed Wiped on the missing BBC programmes from the golden era of television.

The early episodes, black and white, and largely scene-setting, are not as sharp or as funny as the later series, but they stand up fairly well. Dad's Army was one of the great British comedy series which works well for any generation, dated as it was when it first started. And the players are a joy - Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Jimmy Beck, Arnold Ridley, John Laurie, Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn ... all wonderful.

Dads Army series on DVD At last!
After what seems like ages Dads Army has finally come to DVD in episode order. Has it been worth the wait? You bet! This DVD has 2 discs showing the complete 1st series and the 3 available episodes from series 2, but what makes it so good is the BBC have been kind enough to include the 3 missing episodes from series 2 in audio format as well as the documentary 'Missing presumed wiped' which tells the story of the discovery of the episodes 'The battle of Godfreys cottage' and 'Operation kilt'. So really what you get is 12 episodes and a documentary, which I think is great value. It has been very frustrating seeing the BBC bring many other inferior comedies to DVD before Dads Army, but lets hope the intention is to bring all the DADS ARMY series out in order. What a collection that would be!

truly Timeless... 6 stars out of 5
Surely no introduction to this DVD is required? The major strength of DAD'S ARMY was that it employed genuine actors for it's many roles and not just the comedians who were popular at the time. The talent on display in this series is staggering and such a great ensemble has NEVER been seen since. Another strength of the series was that Jimmy Perry went to great lengths to actually develop the characters instead of parading the same comedy ciphers each week and with such quality performers reading his scripts, the success was guarenteed. Later colour episodes like "MUM'S ARMY" may not be the funniest, but they contain heartbreaking scenes of Capt. Mainwaring losing his chance of true happiness in life, and the final scenes of the final episode "NEVER TOO OLD", where the cast pay tribute to the real Home Guard (and the spirit of war-time Britain in general) moved me to tears.
To those viewers only familiar with the colour series, these earlier black and white episodes will perhaps seem odd, but they will never the less enjoy them a lot! PIKE is perhaps a little too childish early on, but the blueprints of all the characters we love so dearly is laid out here. Surely ARTHUR LOWE was one of Britain's best ever actors, and Capt. Mainwaring has passed into television legend. This jumped-up "bank clerk" was probably one of the most arrogant, pompous and deluded characters ever committed to film, yet there's no way on earth any viewer can hate him as portrayed by Arthur Lowe. This disc is pure happiness committed to film: Not nostalgia for the sake of it, but because it's so wonderful to begin with.