The Army Game

The Army Game (1957-61)

The Army Game is a British sitcom that broadcast on ITV from 1957 to 1961. Made in black-and-white, it is about National Service conscription to the post-war British Army. It was created by Sid Colin. Many stars, including Charles Hawtrey, William Hartnell, Bernard Bresslaw, Alfie Bass and Dick Emery became household names, and appeared in the Carry On films, which began with Carry On Sergeant, virtually a spin-off. It was made for the ITV network by Granada Television.

Background
The creator, Sid Colin, was inspired by a 1956 film, Private's Progress, that starred Ian Carmichael, Richard Attenborough, Terry-Thomas and William Hartnell. Many of the cast were recent conscripts.
Writers included Sid Colin, Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire, Lew Schwarz, John Jowett, John Antrobus, John Foley, Marty Feldman, Barry Took, David Climie, David Cumming, Derek Collyer, Brad Ashton, John Junkin, Talbot Rothwell, Sidney Nelson, Stan Mars, Bob Perkins and Alan MacKinnon. At least three episodes are unaccredited.

Plot
The show centres on a group of conscripts assigned to the Surplus Ordnance Department at Nether Hopping, Staffordshire. Billeted in Hut 29, the men are determined to work little and have fun.

Series 1 (1957)

13 Episodes.

Series 2 (1957-1958)

26 Episode.

Series 3 (1958-1959)

39 Episodes.

Series 4 (1959-1960)

38 Episodes.

Series 5 (1960-1961)

39 Episodes.

Theme tune
The theme tune was sung by Michael Medwin, Bernard Bresslaw, Alfie Bass and Leslie Fyson. In June 1958, it reached number five in the UK singles chart. Bresslaw's song "Mad Passionate Love", sung in the style of Private Popplewell, also did well in the charts.
Royal Variety Performance
In June 1959, Alfie Bass, Michael Medwin, Ted Lune, Bill Fraser and Norman Rossington performed a short The Army Game scene at the Royal Variety Performance in front of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. This was the last Royal Variety Performance not to be televised, although highlights were broadcast on BBC radio on 29 June 1959.
Other media
A film based on the series, I Only Arsked!, appeared in 1958. The plot concentrated on Bresslaw's character and included Hawtrey, Alfie Bass, Rossington and Michael Medwin playing their characters. "I Only Arsked" became Bresslaw's catchphrase. A paperback was produced, and Granada brought out a board game in 1959.
Fraser and Bass's characters turned up in a spin-off, Bootsie and Snudge, between 1960 and 1963 and in 1974.

DVD releases
Of the 154 episodes made, only 52 are thought to survive. On 6 June 2005, Network released the first 26 episodes from series 4 under the title The Army Game – Volume 1. On 14 August 2006, the remaining twenty-four episodes were released under the title The Army Game – Volume 2. An episode of Bootsie and Snudge was included. The Army Game Collection, containing every surviving episode, was released on 13 August 2008.

Genre Sitcom
Created Sid Colin

Starring

Geoffrey Sumner
William Hartnell
Alfie Bass
Norman Rossington
Charles Hawtrey
Bernard Bresslaw
Bill Fraser
Ted Lune
Michael Medwin
Frank Williams
Dick Emery

Production

No. of Series 5
No. of Episodes154
Running time 30 minutes
Aired between 19 June 1957 – 20 June 1961

Cast

Maj. Upshot-Bagley Geoffrey Sumner
Sgt. Maj. Percy Bullimore William Hartnell
Cpl. Springer Michael Medwin
Pvt. Montague "Excused Boots" Bisley Alfie Bass
Pvt. "Cupcake" Cook Norman Rossington Keith Banks (some episodes)
Pvt. "Professor" Hatchett Charles Hawtrey Keith Smith (some episodes)
Pvt. "Popeye" Popplewell Bernard Bresslaw
Sgt. Maj. Claude Snudge Bill Fraser
Capt. Pilsworthy Bernard Hunter
Maj. "Fishy" Upshot-Bagley Jack Allen
Pvt. Leonard Bone Ted Lune
Cpl. "Flogger" Hoskins Harry Fowler
Capt. T.R. Pocket Frank Williams
Maj. Geoffrey Gervais Duckworth C.B. Poultney
Lcpl. Ernest "Moosh" Merryweather Mario Fabrizi
Pvt. Dooley Harry Towb
Pvt. Billy Baker Robert Desmond
Pvt. "Chubby" Catchpole Dick Emery