|
|
Post by jonboy on Mar 3, 2012 2:03:46 GMT 12
From what I can gather he only appeared in a few episodes during March & April 1961, his characters name was Colin Lomax
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 3, 2012 11:35:19 GMT 12
Jonboy, Arthur Lowe appeared in Coro Street for several years, but only six months at a time, and his character name was Leonard Swindley. he was in the cast from when the show started, I think from memory appearing first in the third episode.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 7, 2013 1:46:42 GMT 12
I have just discovered this wonderful 1980 interview with Arthur Lowe on Youtube
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 7, 2013 2:01:51 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 7, 2013 2:06:41 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 7, 2013 2:07:59 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 7, 2013 2:40:41 GMT 12
Perservere with this one and you'll be rewarded with a great butter advert with Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier together!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2014 20:16:02 GMT 12
It looks as if the whole of Arthur Lowe's "Mr men" series is now on Youtube. This takes me back to my childhood in the 1970's, before I knew who Arthur even was.  |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2014 20:20:35 GMT 12
Here's another rare programme with Arthur in a starring role as Doctor Watson, and John Cleese as Sherlock Holmes
|
|
|
|
Post by mingwalton on Aug 25, 2014 2:02:38 GMT 12
Thanks for posting all these Dave, looks like I have a bit of catching-up to do with the various clips.
|
|
|
|
Post by ohblimey on Jan 5, 2015 22:03:08 GMT 12
I would like to know for sure. I was on this site discussing Arthur Lowe and somme person said Arthur Lowe was a drunk in real life thats why he played that character so well.
Was he really. ? I read somewhere his wife had a drinking problem and he took care of her. But this person on the youtube link said no...
Here is the link"
The person who is saying he was an alcoholic is the using name of BOB FARLEY
pLS read and let me know...
Thank you .
And a Happy New Year to All
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 5, 2015 22:40:01 GMT 12
No he wasn't. Joan certainly was, as you say, but Arthur, whilst enjoying a drink occasionally, was not an alcoholic. I think some people suspect of being a drunk because he suffered from narcolepsy which made him drowsy and slurry.
|
|
|
|
Post by kev100 on Jan 6, 2015 3:37:21 GMT 12
I did read an article once that said Arthur Lowe enjoyed playing drunks, that was why he played them so well, mainly on stage. He was one of the best actors we've ever had.
|
|
|
|
Post by marie on Jan 6, 2015 9:38:07 GMT 12
I think we were so lucky with the actors that were in dads army....They were all amazing...and I don't think we will have such a wide range of great actors in such comedy roles again....they all fit so perfectly....maybe Open All Hours and Only Fools and Horses (in my opinion) can be thought of along with dads Army but for me it stands tall over all others going beyond a so called sitcom and becoming an almost living breathing reality because the characters were so perfect.
|
|
|
|
Post by ohblimey on Jan 6, 2015 21:15:48 GMT 12
I did read an article once that said Arthur Lowe enjoyed playing drunks, that was why he played them so well, mainly on stage. He was one of the best actors we've ever had. Thank yOU ! |
|
|
|
Post by ohblimey on Jan 6, 2015 21:16:27 GMT 12
tHANK YOU ALL for your feedback...
|
|
|
|
Post by jenhigh on Jan 12, 2015 9:13:08 GMT 12
Hello Everyone!
I'm new on here but am very happy to find somewhere to share my love of Dad's Army.
I read this on another site and would like to hear your comments.
"It came to pass that he (John Le Mesurier), was originally thought of to play the captain, and Arthur Lowe the sergeant, but an inspired change of roles gave the programme some of its funniest elements, as the gallant Captain played the game of oneupmanship with his socially superior sergeant."
Love looking at the photographs, thank you
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 12, 2015 11:15:54 GMT 12
Welcome Jenhigh. That is a bit of a myth that was made up by the British newspapers and continues to this day despite years of people correcting it.
What really happened was when Jimmy Perry first came up with the idea of a Home Guard comedy and he wrote his original pilot script, which was entitled The Fighting Tigers, he noted down people he'd have liked in the roles. it happened that he was a big fan of Granada's 'Pardon The Expression' which starred Arthur Lowe and Robert Dorning.
He considered their on-screen partnership would work very well in The Fighting Tigers, and he envisaged Dorning as the more well to do bank manager and captain, Mainwaring, and Arthur - being of working class northern stock, play the sergeant.
When he took the script to David Croft and the two began to develop it into more what we know and love today, a lot of things changed (i.e. originally Jones was two characters in The Fighting Tigers, twins Jack Jones and George Jones, both envisaged by Jimmy to be played by Jack Haig).
It was during this redevelopment stage that Jimmy remembered something that happened to him in the Army. On the way home from India he, of quite a posh background and ranked as a Warrant officer, was under the command of a very common man as his officer. The tension between them led to him actually sneaking out at night on the ship and chalking "NO COMMON MEN FOR OFFICERS" on a funnel of the ship. When he looked back he realised how funny his class snobbery was, and when he told David Croft, he agreed. So they rewrote the script to have an upper class Sergeant and a middle class officer as they felt it would generate some great humour.
When they took it to the BBC Comedy department, at first they didn't really quite get it. The BBC insisted first on casting Jon Pertwee as Mainwaring, and then when he declined they wanted Thorley Walters. Jimmy was insisting that Arthur Lowe be cast in the part but he had no clout at that stage as he was a new writer, and the BBC heads claimed Lowe worked for ITV so wouldn't come to BBC (which was actually a myth in itself as he'd done more work previously for BBC than ITV).
They cast John le Mesurier into the role of Sergeant Wilson as their first choice (I think Robert Dorning was now considered not quite right after the rewrite), although it took some while for him to accept the role. They had tried to cast Jack Haig as Jones, but he was busy and could not accept the part. So second choice was Clive Dunn. Clive and John were good mates and both dithered over whether to accept it. The BBC got fed up and offered the role of Jones to David Jason, who accepted. In the meantime Clive and John had had their famous "I'll do it you do it" conversation, and they both accepted their role offers. Clive accepted the role an hour after David had, but as he was second choice, David was told sorry, Clive has now accepted the part.
In the meantime they were still looking for Mainwaring and Jimmy eventually convinced them to look at Arthur Lowe. The rest is history.
Some newspaper reporter way back in 1968 got the impression that John had been cast as the officer and Arthur the Sergeant, and the writers had decided to switch them in rehearsals. but it's simply not he case. But as usual when an untruth goes into print, it keeps getting referenced and people continue to repeat it.
|
|
|
|
Post by hamish on Jan 13, 2015 9:09:02 GMT 12
"theres some good ads from the 60s and 70s when both tv and the ads were woth watching. I couldn't see the rawlings tonic water being made very un pc infact you cant buy rawlings any more like huntsman and top deck soft drinks good interview with Arthur dave . dose any one have the wispa ads with Arthur and john in ?
|
|
Grace
U-Boat Captain
"My office is alive with pigeons!"
Posts: 69 
Karma:
Exalt | Smite
|
Post by Grace on Jan 13, 2015 9:39:06 GMT 12
yeah i always thought that because it was in the documentary in the christmas specials dvd. Jimmy Perry says something about John was going to be the captain and Arthur the sergeant. he must have remembered it wrong!? as you say when it's written in the papers over so many decades it starts to confuse people. thank goodness because they got the casting spot on.
|
|
