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Clive Dunn

 
Artist: Clive Dunn
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Similar Artists:

Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Marty Feldman, Herbie Flowers
  • Genres: Children
  • Instrument: Performer, Cast Representative Album: "Pinocchio"

Biography

Clive Dunn seemed an unlikely pop star when his novelty hit, "Grandad", topped the British charts in November 1970. Co-written with Herbie Flowers, best known for creating the bass line of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side", the tune remained on the charts for 27 weeks and became the crowning jewel in a lifetime spent in British entertainment. The grandson and son of music hall performers, Dunn made his greatest mark portraying old men on British television, beginning with Old Johnson on Bootsie And Snudge, a show, co-written by British humorist Marty Feldman, that ran from 1960 until 1963. He continued his run of success with a similar role in the enormously popular, Dad's Army, appearing in all 80 episodes, from 1968 until 1977, and in the 1971 film, whose soundtrack he co-wrote songs for and produced with Ray Cameron. He continued to portray similar characters on sitcoms -- My Old Man, from 1974 to 1975 -- and a children's show, Grandad, from 1979 until his retirement to Portugal in 1984. Drawn to acting since childhood, Dunn appeared in Will Hays' films such as Boys Will Be Boys and Good Morning Boys, as a youngster. He toured the United Kingdom in a late-1930s production of Peter Pan. Turning his attention to the defense of his homeland, during World War II, Dunn served in the 52nd Heavy Training Regiment and, later, the Fourth Queen's Own Hassar, seeing action in Greece and spending time in three prisoner of war camps. Although he managed to escape, via a cattle truck, to Austria, he wound up being sent to a Nazi work camp, where he spent four years drawing portraits for fellow inmates. Liberated by American soldiers in 1945, he resumed his career as an entertainer two years later. In addition to his countless television appearances, Dunn has appeared with the National Opera Company, in a production of Die Flaudermaus. He spent an unprecedented nine months performing with Tommy Cooper at the Palladium in London. He appeared in more than two dozen movies including Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu, and the Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers 1970 flick, The Magic Christian. Dunn was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1975. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Clive Dunn
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Clive Dunn, OBE
Born Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn[1][2]
9 January 1920 (1920-01-09) (age 89)
Covent Garden, Westminster, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1935–1984
Spouse(s) Priscilla Morgan (1959–present)

Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn OBE (born 9 January 1920) is a retired English actor, singer and entertainer best known for his role as Lance-Corporal Jack Jones in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, and Sam Cobbett in the Yorkshire Television sitcom My Old Man.

Contents

Early life and career

Born in Westminster, he is the cousin of actress Gretchen Franklin. Dunn played small film roles from the 1930s onwards. After a break for service in the army during the Second World War, during the course of which he spent four years in prisoner-of-war and labour camps in Austria, he worked for many years in music halls and theatres. In 1956 and 1957, Dunn appeared in The Tony Hancock Show. In the 1960s he made many appearances with Tony Hancock, Michael Bentine, Dora Bryan and Dick Emery, among others, before winning the role of Jones in Dad's Army in 1968.

From an early time his trademark character was that of a doddering old man. This first made an impression in the show Bootsie and Snudge, a spinoff from The Army Game. Dunn played the old dogsbody at a slightly seedy gentlemen's club where the characters Pvt. "Bootsie" Bisley (Alfie Bass) and Sgt. Claude Snudge (Bill Fraser) found work after leaving the Army.

In 1967 he made a guest appearance in an episode of The Avengers, playing the proprietor of a toy shop in "Something Nasty in the Nursery".

Dunn was actually one of the younger members of the cast, at 48, when he took on the role of the elderly butcher whose military service in earlier wars made him the most experienced member of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, as well as being one of the most decrepit.

Dunn's strong Socialist beliefs often caused him to fall out with Arthur Lowe, who played Captain Mainwaring and who was a committed Conservative. When the series ended and Dunn finally accepted an OBE, after many offers, it was reported that Lowe would only accept a higher-rated honour from the Queen.[3]

After Dad's Army ended, Dunn capitalised on the role by playing the title character in the children's TV series Grandad, from 1979 to 1984. He had previously had a number one hit single with the song "Grandad" in November 1970, accompanied by a children's choir. He performed the song four times on Top of the Pops. The B-side of "Grandad", "I Play The Spoons", also received considerable airplay. After the cancellation of Grandad in 1984, he effectively disappeared from the screen, retiring to Portugal.[4]

Following the success of the song "Grandad", Dunn released several other singles.

  • "My Lady (Nana)" / "Tissue Paper & Comb", Columbia, 1971
  • "Wonderful Lilly" / "Pretty Little Song", Columbia, 1972
  • "Let's Take A Walk" / "Tell Us", Columbia, 1972
  • "Our Song" / "She's Gone", EMI, 1973
  • "Grandad" / "My Lady (Nana)" (reissue), EMI, 1973
  • "My Old Man" / "My Own Special Girl", EMI, 1974
  • "Holding On" / "My Beautiful England", Reprise, 1976
  • "Goodnight Ruby" / "Thank You and Goodnight", Decca, 1977
  • "Thinking of You This Christmas" / "'Arry 'Arry 'Arry", Sky Records, 1978
  • "There Ain't Much Change From A Pound These Days" / "After All These Years" (with John Le Mesurier), KA Records, 1982.
  • "Grandad" (reissue) / "There's No-One Quite Like Grandma", EMI, 1988.

Personal life

A 2006 article described Dunn as having eye trouble and sometimes being unable to see, but otherwise he appears to be in good health.[1] In August 2008, he recorded a message for the programme Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army, which was shown to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Dad's Army.

He is, along with Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee, Frank Williams, and Pamela Cundell one of the few surviving members of the Dad's Army cast. He married actress Priscilla Morgan in 1959[5] and they have two daughters. Dunn and his family all now live in Portugal.[6]

Filmography

Films

Television roles

Year Title Role
1960-1963 Bootsie and Snudge Henry Johnson
1968-1977 Dad's Army Lance-Corporal Jack Jones
1970 Here Come the Double Deckers! Hodge
1974-1975 My Old Man Sam Cobbett
1979-1984 Grandad Charlie Quick

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Don't panic, Arthur!". iccoventry. http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=16617987&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=don-t-panic--arthur--name_page.html. Retrieved 26 January 2006. 
  2. ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1920 1d 1060 LAMBETH - Robert B. Dunn, mmn = Franklin
  3. ^ Graham McCann "Dad's Army, The Story of a Classic Television Show" ISBN 1-84115-309-5
  4. ^ Permission to Speak, Sir? Saga magazine (February 1992) accessed 15 February 2007
  5. ^ GRO Register of Marriages: JUN 1959 9c 1654 STRATFORD - Robert B. Dunn = Priscilla M. Pughe-Morgan
  6. ^ The Mail - 24 February 2007 accessed 3 March 2007

External links

v • d • e
Major cast members of Dad's Army



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