A Soldier's Farewell
| "A Soldier's Farewell" | |
|---|---|
| Dad's Army episode | |
| Episode no. |
Series Five Episode 043 |
| Directed by | David Croft |
| Story by | Jimmy Perry and David Croft |
| Produced by | David Croft |
| Original air date | 20/10/72 6.50pm (recorded Friday 2/6/72) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
A Soldier's Farewell is the third episode of the fifth series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on 20 October 1972.
Mainwaring is depressed: his men are falling short of his expectations, his leadership is unappreciated. He then dreams that he is Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
The episode opens with the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard unit in Eastgate cinema, watching a film about Napoleon. A panning shot moves across the faces of the platoon while they are watching, Mainwaring looking superior, Wilson looking bored, Frazer muttering "rubbish", Pike sucking his thumb, Godfrey asleep, Walker with his arms around a blonde girl, Jones looking dreamy... At the end of the film the National Anthem begins, but the platoon all stampede out apart from Mainwaring who gets knocked over in the rush but struggles up to stand to attention while the anthem plays to a now empty cinema.
The platoon is next seen on the upper deck of a bus going back to Walmington. Mainwaring asks the platoon what they thought of the film. Sponge says they should have sat at the front as he couldn't see. Mainwaring says he was disappointed - he thought the film would have been about strategy and tactics but consisted of Greta Garbo being chased around a four poster bed. Walker replies that that is strategy and tactics.
Wilson and Mainwaring are given their tickets by an attractive bus conductress who Mainwaring takes a fancy to, and when Walker, Pike and Jones start larking about then singing the lewd song "Roll Me Over In The Clover" Mainwaring stops them and apologises to the bus conductress, who is grateful and says he is "very gallant". Warden Hodges arrives, and teases the platoon for going to the cinema and not being ready for Hitler. Whilst buying a ticket he asks the bus conductress for a "tickle at the terminus". Mainwaring is furious and intervenes again, and is thanked by the bus conductress. Mainwaring then instructs the platoon that after their disgraceful behaviour in the cinema, they are to let him go off the bus first and in an orderly fashion. When the bus stops at Walmington, Hodges lets him get halfway down the bus then shouts "It's closing time in five minutes", thus causing Mainwaring to get knocked over again in the stampede as the platoon rush for the pub.
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