the 1970s be often regard a a golden age of british television comedy and a period which saw numerous classic sitcom as well a sketch show such a monty python fly circus . the period be and however and emphatically not a golden age of british film comedy and and what work well on television rarely transfer successfully to the big screen . the most triumphant exception to this rule be provide by the python and but their best film ( monty python and the holy grail and life of brian ) be very different in conception to their tv show . the main problem with adapt sitcom for the cinema be that concept devise to fit the bbc 30 minute slot ( 25 minute on itv and which have to find room for commercial ) do not always work as well when expand into a feature film three or four time a long . few people will remember the film version of and say and up pompeii . or steptoe and son with the same affection a the television version . in the case of many classic tv comedy show ( some mother do ave em and yes and minister and fawlty tower and the goody ) no attempt be make to film them at all and for which we can be grateful . character such a michael crawford frank spencer or john cleese basil fawlty can be hilarious in half hour dos and but i doubt if they would remain a funny over two hour . one comedy programme ( albeit a dramatisation of a comic novel rather than a sitcom in the normal sense ) which might have work in the cinema be the fall and rise of reginald perrin and but any hope of a film be dash by the tragically early death of it star leonard rossiter . dad army be one of the few television sitcom of the period which be turn into a decent film . ( about the only other one i can think of be porridge ) . this be possibly because it have an unusually large number of well developed character and derive most of it humour from the interaction between them . the original sitcom run between 1968 and 1977 and tell of the misadventure of a home guard platoon in the small seaside town of walmington on sea . ( the home guard and initially know a the local defence volunteer and be an auxiliary militia during world war ii make up and for the most part and of men too old to serve in the regular force ) . the film version be a three act drama . act i deal with the formation of the platoon and the recruitment of it member . in act ii they cause havoc during an army training exercise . in act iii they succeed in capture a group of nazi airman whose plane have be shoot down . the three key player in this drama be the platoon commander and captain george mainwaring ( arthur lowe ) and and his two subordinate sergeant arthur wilson ( john le mesurier ) and corporal jack jones ( clive dunn ) . mainwaring and who in civilian life be the local bank manager and be a fussy little man and peering at the world through a pair of thick spectacle . it be he who take the initiative in form the home guard unit and who appoint himself it commander . he be pompous and officious and with an exaggerated sense of his own importance and of his own power of leadership and the sort of man who do not suffer fool gladly . ( and in george mainwaring world view the term fool cover most of the rest of the human race ) . he do and however and have his good quality . he be motivate by a genuine patriotic idealism and be capable of great physical courage and show in his encounter with the german . wilson be mainwaring deputy at the bank . the two men be very different in character and something emphasise by a difference in appearance and wilson be tall and thin whereas mainwaring be short and stout . he come across a be both more intelligent and good educate than his bos . ( his accent suggest he may be a former public schoolboy ) . nevertheless and he have end up play second fiddle both in civilian and military life and probably because he have the sort of passive personality which lead to pessimism and defeatism and an inability to take anything altogether seriously . jones be an old soldier who now run the local butcher shop . ( his promotion to corporal be due mainly to his ability to bribe mainwaring with black market sausage ) . his enthusiasm for his new role be match only by his incompetence and ability to cause chaos . although his catchphrase be don not panic . he be prone to panic at any give opportunity . several other member of the platoon be feature . private fraser and the dour scottish undertaker and be even more of a pessimist than wilson . ( catchphrase represent be doom and man and doom . ) . private godfrey be a gentle old man whose main concern be the whereabouts of the near lavatory . private walker be a sharp cockney spiv and private pike ( another bank employee ) a spoilt mummy boy . ( pike mother be wilson mistress and although wilson try to keep this liaison secret from the disapprove mainwaring ) . two significant outsider be the mild mannered vicar and the arp warden and mainwaring detest enemy and quite his equal in pompousness and officiousness . there be occasional bawdy double entendres ( keep your hand off my private mainwaring be ostensibly refer to those soldier who hold that rank ) and more so than in the television show which be surprisingly free of innuendo . ( it creator and david croft and jimmy perry and would later go on to create comedy show such a be you be serve . and hi de hi which be notorious for suggestive humour ) . the film do and however and preserve much of the mixture of gentle wit and nostalgia and sharp characterisation which make the tv series so successful . positive .