Do You Think That's Wise: The Life of John Le Mesurier

by Graham McCann

Best known for starring in Dad's Army, where his Sergeant Wilson was the languid, rakish, distracted foil to Arthur Lowe's pompous, chippy Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier is a beloved character actor. "Do you think that's wise, sir?" and "Would you mind awfully . . . ?" are two of Sergeant Wilson's expressions that sum up his unorthodox, unruffled approach to service life. But occasionally, life mirrors art and there was much of Sergeant Wilson in "Le Mez," as he was known to friends and family. Just as Wilson appeared to enjoy a close—but unmarried—acquaintance with Mavis Pike, so Le Mesurier had three unconventional marriages, including with the comic actress Hattie Jacques. A phone call from Le Mez was often to suggest, "Playtime?"—always delivered in his irresistible drawl. This biography is fully authorised by his family.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

492 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2010

Reviews

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grahame McCann, well we know it's going to be a good book, some of the best biographies have come from this author.

John Le Mesurier for sure is a great read, well researched, full of great stories, a biography that will shock you, sadden you and surprise you.

Best known for Dad s Army, in which his Sergeant Wilson played the languid, rakish foil to Arthur Lowe s pompous, chippy Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier was one of Britain s favourite and most recognisable character actors.

The epitome of insouciance and languor on screen, in real life this charming, quietly-spoken bon viveur was plagued by private turmoil and heartbreak. Married three times, he saw his first wife succumb to alcoholism, his second the comedy diva Hattie Jacques move her lover into the family home, and his third enjoy a passionate dalliance with troubled comic Tony Hancock.

As Graham McCann reveals in this fully authorised and moving biography, as an actor John Le Mesurier was a key ingredient in the success of Britain s greatest sitcom, but as a man he was far more courageous than Sergeant Wilson was ever meant to be.

A life filled with great sadness, and his lifelong enjoyment of drinking and smoking caught up with him in later years, a great read, and such a sad read as well.

Full of great stories. Four stars.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always adored John Le Mesurier - he's in the class of gentle-voiced Englishmen with good cheekbones for which I'm a sucker, see also Jon Pertwee - and I adore him even more after this account of how well his real-life personality matched the characters he played, and how kind and gentle he remained even as two wives in succession did him wrong. It's always a treat when he pops up in a tiny part in some mid-20th century film or TV series, and the filmography highlights just how often he did that. Never given enough credit for what he did, but always loved.

[Mike Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of John Le Mesurier for decades without even knowing it, and that sums up the man himself to some degree. He was extraordinarily good at slightly posh, well educated but rather lazy, non-confrontational "grey" men. He was so good at it that as a viewer you assumed he was simply being himself which - it turns out - he mostly was. And for that reason you don't really notice him in the same way you would notice Terry-Thomas, Ian Carmichael etc. On reading this biography, though, it quickly becomes apparent that his solid performances as wobbly men are integral to the scene (or even movie) that he is in.

And then you come to Dad's Army: was there ever a better screen partnership than JLM and Arthur Lowe? The blend of magnetism and repulsion that each had for the other hardly needed a script, and the combination of JLM's "would you mind, awfully ..." approach and Lowe's "For Heaven's sake, Wilson .." bluster is perfect. The author also drew my attention to a major reason as to just why Dad's Army works so well as a sitcom: it's the juxtaposition of the two main characters. Traditionally Arthur Lowe should have been the Sergeant and JLM should have been the officer. By changing those roles around you instantly have tension which can be exploited to comic (and dramatic) effect in many ways by a talented writer. I absolutely love Dad's Army but that detail escaped me in the haze of nostalgia until it was pointed out in this book.

I really enjoyed this and now it is over I am sad that I didn't appreciate JLM as much as I should have, even though I DID appreciate his performances: I just didn't know what I was appreciating.
This is a good insight into the often troubled, often very sad but ultimately well lived life of what appears to have been a very, very nice man.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[25 Apr 2019] A well written and informative biography of the man, most of us know and love as Sergeant Wilson of Dads Army fame. It seems that the avuncular member of the Wilmington-on-sea Home guard was pretty much as John Le Mesurier was in real life. As you read more about him the sadness, the passivity, the being grateful for whatever others gave him, reveal themselves and leave you feeling sad and angry on his behalf. His wives treat him terribly and he laps it up. I have seldom wanted to scream 'For God's sake stand up for yourself!' at a book. So a good read, although good on description, but light on analysis, but I would recommend it.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever remembered as Sergeant Wilson, a character which was pretty much an extension of himself. John Le Mesurier seems to have stumbled through his life playing the gentleman and avoiding confrontation. Much loved, he was a gentle soul who wasn't entirely successful with love but just seemed to grin and bare it. It wasn't all doom and gloom throughout his life, he loved drinking and going to jazz clubs. Loved his children and wives (despite the way he was treated at times by them). Definitely a gentleman with a tinge of sadness.

Ray Smillie

[Andrew Mccann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read of a great actor . You feel as if you are in the presence of le mez.

Lovely stuff.

[Matthew Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easy to see why Dad's Army was such a successs- with hindsight Certainly at the time only a very select few saw its potential in those first few episodes And in my humble ultra fan opinion the brilliance of "Le Mez" and Arthur Lowe, bringing two intuitive acting genii together gives it the edge over many other surefire winners. Sad that such a fine man had so little luck with the ladies, when so many clearly adored him And to answer that familiar rhetorical question, yes I think that casting was exceptionally, eternally wise...

[Alan Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Biography I Have Read

Wonderfully put together from a goldmine of the best source material about one of the greatest actors and humans who ever lived.

[Anne Billson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining biography of the much-loved English character actor, best known as Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army but also a stalwart of hundreds of British films and TV sitcoms in which he played variations of the bemused or harassed bureaucrat.

The book is a bit plodding in the early stages, which get bogged down in its subject's ancestry and sprawling family connections - but turns out to be very good on how the actor's apparently relaxed, easy-going approach to his craft was actually the result of years of hard work in rep. It's a fascinating overview of the acting profession in mid-20th century Britain, in which a network of diligent performers, many of whom would have been capable of the bigger or more challenging roles that were never offered to them, scraped together a living from small parts here and there, and gradually became familiar faces without ever becoming big stars.

The lugubrious, slightly diffident Le Mesurier sounds like an unlikely bohemian, with a taste for hard liquor, jazz and Soho drinking clubs. But he was clearly a lovely human being, and you almost feel his agony as his marriage to Hattie Jacques falls apart in what must have been the most humiliating circumstances. His third wife's affair with his best friend, Tony Hancock, must have also been a terrible blow to his self-esteem. It's a tribute to his character that he managed to move on from these emotional traumas, and forgave and remained firm friends with both women.

[Andee-louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative, if turgid read. Decently researched, with interviews with his widow and surviving son, as well as friends and colleagues. Also evidence of much digging around in various archives! The language of the book was at times as old-fashioned and lugubrious as the man himself. I suppose I quite liked this. I could not tell whether or not the author was a fan, which was good, I felt that the book simply gave the facts. Three and a half stars.

John Le Mesurier's life was rather an unhappy one. From this book I was given the impression that he rather coasted through life, letting it all just happen to him. I liked him before reading this book, but liked him less afterwards. The most oomph he displayed was quitting the Law and taking steps to train as an actor. Otherwise he pootled along, being shuffled around, letting women alternately look after him and abuse him. I was torn between feeling sorry for him and wishing he would grow a pair. Too many horrible individuals in his life.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another very funny man with an incredibly sad personal life. There was lots of local interest in this for me, his first school was in a neighbouring town, and his third wife lived in my town, she and John living here for many years, and she still very much around. The book was slow to get going but once John gave up his legal career for the stage, it picked up. His first wife was an alcoholic, his years with Hattie Jacques were very sad and bizarre, she moving in her lover who all but edged John out of his own house; I can't quite reconcile her behaviour with the lady I remember from TV and the screen. His third wife left him for a torrid affair with Tony Handcock, returning to John after Handcock's suicide. Much is devoted to the Dad's Army years. The final years where his health deteriorated saw him still refusing to give up work, he was taking on long tours, and stage plays right up to the end.

[Bill Eavesdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ridiculous review that says all the author had to do was link some quotes! He's interviewed all of the surviving Dad's Army team, John's widow, John's son, John's friends - why ignore this? It's a superbly researched book that's clearly lost on some.

[Barry Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. It concentrates on the life of John Le mesurier rather than just Dad's army.