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Vicar to Dad's Army: The Frank Williams Story by Chris Gidney (30-Sep-2003) Paperback
ALT ISBN 9781853114946From the back " "Really, Captain Mainwaring!" These words immediately conjure up a smile for millions of dedicated fans of one of television’s greatest comedy series, ‘Dad’s Army’. They were the cri de coeur of the long-suffering vicar of Walmington–on-Sea, played by Frank Williams, forever exasperated by the elderly platoon’s commandeering of his beloved church hall.“Vicar to Dad’s Army” tells the richly entertaining story of one of today’s most renowned character actors and his fifty remarkable years in the world of film, theatre and television. ”
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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June 23, 2015
Given the huge inter-generational success of the much loved British sit-com “Dad’s Army”; I looked forward to this book being a fun, probably not very demanding, filler-in, type of read.
I didn’t enjoy it.
The raw material of this book has, I sense, the capability of being interesting and entertaining; … just not in the written form here. It’s not often that I weigh-up and misjudge a book on a brief assessment; but I really got this one well & truly wrong.
An interminably lengthy sermon on the subject of a remarkably pedestrian life does not win-over hearts and minds. Or, at any rate, not mine. I stretched to reach page 55, where I read of the nation’s very deep sadness for the early death of King George VI, the greatly loved father of our present Queen. That bit was fine. What destroyed it for me was that just a page before, Williams’ had been fondly reminiscing over the acting parts of an ant and a snail! I gave up the will to read any further;
I don’t make a habit of abandoning books. But there’s only just so much that ought to be expected of any vivacious and reasonably intelligent bookworm. I had felt buttonholed via the pages of “Vicar to Dad’s Army” by an excessively young, earnest and unpleasantly persistently unsuccessful theological student who had recently himself been swallowed whole by a very, very bored whale; and the whale was now begging for a bottle of antacid tablets. All a bit like Williams’ character in ”Dad’s Army”, I suppose. Wet. And lacking empathy.
There’s little purpose in speculating on how much any of the above has to do with Mr Williams, and how much by Mr Gidney. According to Wikipedia, last time I looked, Mr Williams is still very much alive. So the book’s going out; whilst I return to the real thing: my twenty-seven DVDs of “Dads’ Army”, where I can be confident of find Mr Williams, in character, at his best.
I didn’t enjoy it.
The raw material of this book has, I sense, the capability of being interesting and entertaining; … just not in the written form here. It’s not often that I weigh-up and misjudge a book on a brief assessment; but I really got this one well & truly wrong.
An interminably lengthy sermon on the subject of a remarkably pedestrian life does not win-over hearts and minds. Or, at any rate, not mine. I stretched to reach page 55, where I read of the nation’s very deep sadness for the early death of King George VI, the greatly loved father of our present Queen. That bit was fine. What destroyed it for me was that just a page before, Williams’ had been fondly reminiscing over the acting parts of an ant and a snail! I gave up the will to read any further;
I don’t make a habit of abandoning books. But there’s only just so much that ought to be expected of any vivacious and reasonably intelligent bookworm. I had felt buttonholed via the pages of “Vicar to Dad’s Army” by an excessively young, earnest and unpleasantly persistently unsuccessful theological student who had recently himself been swallowed whole by a very, very bored whale; and the whale was now begging for a bottle of antacid tablets. All a bit like Williams’ character in ”Dad’s Army”, I suppose. Wet. And lacking empathy.
There’s little purpose in speculating on how much any of the above has to do with Mr Williams, and how much by Mr Gidney. According to Wikipedia, last time I looked, Mr Williams is still very much alive. So the book’s going out; whilst I return to the real thing: my twenty-seven DVDs of “Dads’ Army”, where I can be confident of find Mr Williams, in character, at his best.
Displaying 1 of 1 review