Private Frazer

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Private Frazer
Dad's Army character
John Laurie Dads Army.jpg
John Laurie as Private Frazer
First appearance"The Man and the Hour"
Last appearance"Never Too Old"
Created by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Occupation Philatelist shopkeeper (Series 1–2)
Undertaker (Series 3–9)
RelativesBlodwen (niece)
Affiliated with Home Guard

Private James Frazer is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and undertaker, first portrayed by John Laurie in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army . He is noted for his catchphrases "We're doomed!" [1] [2] [3] and "Rubbish!" [2]

Contents

Characterisation

It is mentioned that Frazer was born in 1882 and is portrayed as a dour, trouble-stirring, exaggerating, wild-eyed Scottish undertaker (formerly the keeper of a philatelist's shop with a hobby of making coffins [1] ), who possesses a curious fascination with women who have "big, strong thighs." [4] He hails from the "wild and lonely" [5] Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, [1] [6] an apparently desolate and bleak [7] place that appears to have informed most of his pessimistic, dark tendencies.[ citation needed ]

It is stated that during the First World War, Frazer served as chief petty officer in the Royal Navy, and was a cook on board HMS Defiant during the Battle of Jutland. [1] [6] A fine marksman, he served as a member of the crew of a minesweeper, being responsible for shooting mines with a rifle from the ship. [8] Following the First World War, he moved to Walmington-on-Sea, becoming the town's undertaker.

Private Fraser is characterised as a notoriously miserable and miserly soul, [9] he is known for his bleak, pessimistic outlook on life. [1] [3] He makes no secret of his desires for increased rank and power within the platoon. To that end, Frazer is frequently negative and hyper-critical of his superior officers and their decisions, and clearly considers Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson and Lance Corporal Jones barely fit for command. When given any form of power, he becomes overconfident, arrogant, and tyrannical. A notable example of this is seen in the episode "If the Cap Fits...", when Frazer is temporarily given command of the platoon for a few days as an exercise in the difficulties of leadership. [4]

To reach his ends, Frazer is somewhat two-faced, having a Machiavellian tendency to doubt people and their situations. His main rivalries are with the other ageing members in the platoon, notably Corporal Jones and Private Godfrey, though he has a more amenable relationship with Private Walker, who jokingly gives Frazer the nickname "Taffy" (a slang term for Welsh people, used by Walker as a playful dig at Frazer's Scottish heritage). Occasionally, Frazer does show a more generous side to his character, such as when he saves Private Godfrey's cottage from being demolished to make way for a runway, though in typical Frazer style, he does not let on that it was he who saved the cottage. [10]

Medals

Although Private Frazer rarely wore his ribbons [11] he was awarded the usual trilogy of First World War campaign medals (commonly known as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred"), [Note 1] as a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy during the First World War, in addition to his Polar Medal for the Shackleton Expedition of 1904–1907. [12]

1914 1915 Star ribbon bar.svg British War Medal BAR.svg Ribbon, World War I Victory Medal.svg Polar Medal (UK) ribbon.png

Other portrayals

John Laurie believed that taking part in the Dad's Army stage show would prove to be too exhaustive for him, [13] so the part of Frazer was played by Hamish Roughead in the 1975–76 stage production. [3]

Bill Paterson played Frazer in the 2016 feature film, [14] while David Hayman portrayed Private Frazer in Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes in 2019. [15]

Related Research Articles

"The Man and the Hour" is the first episode of the British television sitcom Dad's Army. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and was first broadcast on 31 July 1968. It was later adapted for radio.

"Museum Piece" is the second episode of the first series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army. It was first broadcast on 7 August 1968.

"Command Decision" is the third episode of the first series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Wednesday 14 August 1968. The episode was recorded on 29 April 1968. The episode was directed and produced by David Croft, with a story by Jimmy Perry and David Croft

"The Enemy Within the Gates" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Wednesday 28 August 1968, one week later than planned, due to the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia.

"The Showing Up of Corporal Jones" is the fifth episode of the first series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Wednesday 4 September 1968.

"Operation Kilt" is an episode in the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Saturday 1 March 1969.

"The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage" is an episode in the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Saturday 8 March 1969.

"The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Walker" is a missing episode in the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 15 March 1969. One of the three missing Dad's Army episodes, only a few short clips and screenshots survive in the archives.

"Under Fire" is a missing episode in the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Saturday 5 April 1969. One of the three missing Dad's Army episodes, the videotape was wiped for reuse. The last episode of series 2, it was the final Dad's Army episode to be recorded in black and white.

"Branded" is the eleventh episode of the third series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Thursday 20 November 1969. In the episode's plot, Private Godfrey admits that he was a conscientious objector during the Great War.

"Big Guns" is the seventh episode of the third series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 23 October 1969. The episode was recorded Sunday 6 July 1969.

"Menace from the Deep" is the tenth episode of the third series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Thursday 13 November 1969.

"No Spring for Frazer" is the thirteenth episode of the third series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Thursday 4 December 1969.

"Absent Friends" is the sixth episode of the fourth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 30 October 1970.

"Uninvited Guests" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series of the British comedy TV series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Friday 11 December 1970.

"If the Cap Fits..." is the sixth episode of the fifth series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 10 November 1972.

"Getting the Bird" is the fourth episode of the fifth series of the British television situation comedy Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 27 October 1972.

"The King was in His Counting House" is the seventh episode of the fifth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 17 November 1972.

<i>Dads Army</i> British TV sitcom (1968–1977)

Dad's Army is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.

"A Stripe for Frazer" is a missing episode of the British television comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 29 March 1969. Of the three missing Dad's Army episodes it is the only one to have been reconstructed using animation.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, nicknamed Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after a trio of popular cartoon characters of the period.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dad's Army characters - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide . 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 Webber, Richard; Perry, Jimmy; Croft, David (2000). The Complete A-Z of Dad's Army. London: Orion Books. pp. 288, p.75. ISBN   0-7528-4637-X.
  3. 1 2 3 Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. pp. 204–205. ISBN   0563487550.
  4. 1 2 Webber, Perry, Croft, p. 75
  5. ↑ A phrase he uses during the episode "Battle of the Giants!"
  6. 1 2 Webber, Perry, Croft, p. 228
  7. ↑ He suggests this himself in the episode "No Spring for Frazer".
  8. ↑ Perry, Jimmy; Croft, David (11 September 1968). "Shooting Pains". Dad's Army. Series 1. Episode 6.
  9. ↑ McNeil, R. (2023). John Laurie: How Shakespearian actor was doomed to play a dour, wild-eyed Scot. [online] The Herald. Available at: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23413499.john-laurie-shakespearian-actor-doomed-play-dour-wild-eyed-scot/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2023].
  10. ↑ Perry, Jimmy; Croft, David (19 September 1975). "Is There Honey Still for Tea?". Dad's Army. Series 8. Episode 3.
  11. ↑ Only in the episodes "Battle of the Giants!" and "Never Too Old".
  12. ↑ "Battle of the Giants!". Though not made clear in the episode, where reference is made only to 'the Shackleton expedition', it must be this rather than the later, more famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, as Frazer could not have been at Jutland and on the latter expedition.
  13. ↑ Pertwee, Bill (2009). Dad's Army: The Making of a Television Legend. London: Conway Publishing. p. 148. ISBN   9781844861057.
  14. ↑ "Gambon and Courtenay to star in Dad's Army film - BBC News". BBC. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "David Hayman Interview - Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes - Gold". Gold . 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
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