1. Dad's Army (Written by Jimmy Perry & David Croft. First aired: 1968)

2. The Phil SIver's Show - 'Sgt. Bilko' (Created by Nat Hiken. First aired: 1955)

3. Black Adder Goes Forth (Written by R. Curtis, R. Atkinson & B. Elton. First aired: 1989)

4. M*A*S*H (Created by H. Richard Hornberger. First aired: 1972)

5. 'Allo 'Allo (Written by Jeremy Lloyd & David Croft. First aired: 1982)

6. Hogan's Heroes (Created by Bernard Fein & Albert S. Ruddy. First aired: 1965)

Looking back over the years there have been some very memorable TV comedy shows with a military theme. I have very fond memories of the 1960s, sitting around a large BUSH black & white television watching shows like 'Dad's Army' and 'Hogan's Heroes'.

Strangely enough, while I must have watched these shows in black & white originally, I always remember them in colour (no doubt confusing these memories with later re-runs).

Despite it's age, 'Sgt. Bilko' is something I got into in later life - never having seen the original runs. Phil Silvers was a powerful and sophisticated presence who I only really appreciated when I was older. Many of his nuances are lost to me at a younger age.

M*A*S*H was less of a comedy series and more of an obsession for those who remember the first airing - I can only really compare it's popularity - in context of today - to shows like 'LOST' and 'Prison Break' in it's pull of weekly audiences.

I was particularly fond of Alan Alda's 'Groucho Marks' style. Sadly, on review of re-runs more recently I found that M*A*S*H had lost something to me. It was very much of it's time, and I find it very hard to watch now.

'Allo Allo' and 'Black Adder goes Forth' initially seem to be from completely different ends of the comic spectrum. One being the bawdy 'Carry On' inspired knock-about based on a surprising few set double-entandres, and the other being more Pythonesque inspired...

But when it comes down to it, behind the pretences, they are both traditional British vulgar humour, and very satisfying that is too!

Right: 'Black Adder Goes Forth' - Captain Blackadder and comrades regail us with a comedy of misfortunes set on the Western Front in 1917. High Brow meeting Low Brow apparently sounds like 'wibble'!

It's very hard to say which of the above comedies is 'best'. But I would say that I would judge a comedy's true quality by the test of time. As I have already mentioned, M*A*S*H is perhaps the weakest in this area - it's particular brand of pathos and irony was historically situated (being an indictment of the Vietnam War). And although the wit and gags of Alder & co. kept the formula rolling, it did lose it's way eventually.

To me, 'Dad's Army' and 'Sgt, Bilko' are much more watchable, even after so long. Both shows had genuine comic geniuses at the helm - on the one hand Phil Silvers, and on the other the largely under-appreciated talent of Arthur Lowe.

Both 'Bilko' and 'Dad's Army' had a superb ensemble cast, and I'm sure we all have our favourite characters. Mine are 'Doberman' from 'Bilko' (Maurice Gosfield) and 'Frazer' (John Laurie) from 'Dad's Army'. However, it was the use of the camera by Silvers and Lowe, their expressions to the audience that make these shows so irrisistable.

----- 

In Part Two of this review of military comedy I will be looking at the big screen, but I would like to end this post with a special mention for two books that mean a lot to me.

I don't actually have that many books of military comey to justify their own review, but 'Hiltler: My part in his downfall' by Spike Milligan and 'The Good Soldier Svejk'  by Jaroslav Hašek are two supreme classics that made me laugh until I cried!

Photo credits: Wikipedia 

RELATED LINKS:

> Wikipedia: 'Dad's Army'
> The Dad's Army Appreciation Society
> Wikipedia: The Phil Silver's Show - 'Sgt. Bilko'
> The Phil SIlvers Appreciation Society
> Wikipedia: M*A*S*H
> MASH4077 Home Page

> Wikipedia: Black Adder Goes Forth

> Black Adder Hall - online home of the Blackadder family

> Wikipedia: 'Allo 'Allo
> BBC Comedy - 'Allo 'Allo page

> Wikipedia: Hogan'd Heroes

> Hogan's Heroes Fan Club