It Ain't Half Hot Mum
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| 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Situation Comedy |
| Creator(s) | Jimmy Perry and David Croft |
| Starring | Windsor Davies Michael Bates Melvyn Hayes Don Estelle Donald Hewlett Michael Knowles |
| Opening theme | Meet the Gang |
| Ending theme | Land of Hope and Glory |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of episodes | 56 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 3rd January 1974 – 3rd September 1981 |
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army. It was set in British India and Burma, towards the end of the Second World War.
Contents |
[edit] Situation
The first four series of It Ain't Half Hot Mum were set at the Royal Artillery Depot Deolali, a place where British soldiers stayed before being posted up the jungle. The Royal Artillery Concert Party, consisting of several soldiers who would rather sing, dance and dress up as women than fight, are stationed permanently in Deolali to keep the troops entertained. In the first episode of the fifth series, the concert party are posted up the jungle, and from then on It Ain't Half Hot Mum is set in Burma, close to the front line.
The scenario of the series is similar to the Peter Nichols play and film Privates on Parade, Deolali is pronounced "doolally"; this is widely believed to be a pun on the term for insanity, but it is in fact a real place and actually the source of the term. The (then-acceptable) use of a white actor (the Michael Bates character) in blackface has meant the programme is now repeated only infrequently on British television.
[edit] Cast
| Character | Actor | Catchphrase |
| Battery Sergeant Major 'Shut Up' Williams | Windsor Davies | "Shut up!" / "You is a bunch of poofs." / "Mr la-di-dah Gunner Graham" / "Lovely Boy" / "Oh dear. How sad. Never mind" |
| Bearer Rangi Ram | Michael Bates | "Oh, blimey!" / "Oh, my godfathers!" / "There is an old Hindu proverb which say..." / "We British..." |
| Gunner/Bombardier 'Gloria' Beaumont | Melvyn Hayes | "I'm a sensitive artist! How am I supposed to live in this green hell?! I can't stand it! My nerves won't stand it!" |
| Gunner 'Lofty' Willie Sugden | Don Estelle | "Yes, Sergeant Major." |
| Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Reynolds | Donald Hewlett | "Don't be such a silly arse, Ashwood." / "Oh, Daphne!" |
| Captain Jonathan Tarquin Ashwood | Michael Knowles | "Oh, I am sorry, I am a fool." / "Carry on, chaps."/ "I'm afraid that's rather a tricky one, sir." |
| Gunner 'Parky' Nigel Parkins | Christopher Mitchell | "It ain't half hot, mum." |
| Gunner 'Paderewski' Jonathan Graham | John Clegg | "Oh well, bang goes that theory." |
| Gunner 'Atlas' Mackintosh | Stuart McGugan | |
| Char Wallah Muhammed | Dino Shafeek | "Char wallah, garam chai..." |
| Punkah Wallah Rumzan | Babar Bhatti | Always speaks Urdu and adds a few English words at the end, like "...one of those days!" |
| Gunner 'Nobby' Clark | Kenneth MacDonald | |
| Gunner 'Nosher' Evans | Mike Kinsey | "It's good grub!" |
| Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons | George Layton | |
| Ah Syn, the Chinese cook | Andy Ho |
The only real soldier among the concert party and its officers, Sergeant Major Williams, seems to have only one goal in life, namely to get his soldiers posted up the jungle as fast as he can. He is disgusted by the fact that his soldiers prance about on the stage wearing dresses and make-up all the time, and frequently calls them a "bunch of poofs".
Rangi Ram, the concert party's native bearer, is very proud to be of service to the army. He feels so connected to them that he often talks about "we British". The Sergeant Major shouts at him more than at anyone else, but Rangi is also the one he confides in when he wants to talk about problems. Rangi often provides the audience with an "old Hindu proverb" at the end of the episode, such as "There is an old Hindu proverb which say that house with red lamp over door is not always headquarters of Communist Party".
Gunner (and later Bombardier) 'Gloria' Beaumont is a very effeminate person who cannot handle the violence, heat and mosquitoes of army life in India too well. He has a passion for showbusiness and always dresses up as famous filmstars during the concert party shows, especially as Ginger Rogers.
Gunner 'Lofty' Sugden is a soldier whose appearance can be summarized by means of quoting the Sergeant Major: "Is it a mushroom? No. Is it a soldier? No. It's Gunner Sugden." Lofty is the tiny, rotund lead singer of the concert party, and has an amazing tenor voice. Unfortunately, he is always picked out by the Sergeant Major as a "volunteer" when there is a particularly nasty or dangerous task to be carried out.
Colonel Reynolds is the leader of the concert party and enjoys their shows immensely. He thinks army life in India is very hard, while all he does is sit around sipping pink gin and dining with the elite. He his having an affair with Daphne Waddilove-Evans, whose husband, Major Waddilove-Evans, has left for the Punjab.
Captain Ashwood is an even bigger fan of the concert party, especially when they dress up as girls. He is not very bright, and often unknowingly ruins other people's plans, especially the Sergeant Major's.
Gunner 'Parky' Parkins is the youngest member of the concert party and is their ventriloquist, although he is very clumsy and never does anything right. The Sergeant Major has reason to believe that Parkins is his son, which is why he treats him much better than he treats the others, and keeps telling him he has "a fine pair of shoulders". Parkins references the show's title in the first ever episode when he signs off a letter to his mother with the words "it ain't half hot, Mum."
Gunner 'Paderewski' Graham is the concert party's pianist. He has a university degree in English literature and is very smart, which is why the Sergeant Major always mockingly repeats what he says. Graham often has difficult and ingenious plans to solve the concert party's problems, but these plans never seem to work.
Gunner 'Atlas' Mackintosh does the strong man act in the show, which involves tearing telephone directories in half. He is rather short-tempered, especially when Beaumont calls him a "great, big, butch, hairy haggis".
Muhammed the char wallah walks around the camp all day, selling tea from his kettle. We can also hear him sing the musical interruptions between the scenes, which are mostly popular American hits, accompanied by a sitar. At the end of the credits he starts to sing "Land of hope and Glory" only to be interrupted by the Sergeant-major shouting "SHUTUPPP!!!"
Rumzan the punkah wallah always sits outside the officers' quarters, pulling a string that is attached to a large fan indoors. He comments on everything in Urdu, and always adds a few words in English at the end. Rangi often tells him to "sit up straight while you are punkah-ing" and not to "be such Clever Dickie".
Gunner 'Nobby' Clark does a whistling act in the show, and Gunner 'Nosher' Evans does a paper tearing act. Evans is always eating something, and when he talks, he sprays the contents of his mouth all around him.
Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons, who leaves the concert party after the second series, is a Jewish showbizz man who always plays the male leads in the concert party's shows and is also the party's producer.
[edit] Series and Episodes
| SERIES ONE | SERIES TWO | SERIES THREE | SERIES FOUR |
| 1. Meet The Gang | 1. Showing The Flag | 1. The Supremo Show | 1.Monsoon Madness |
| 2. My Lovely Boy | 2. Down in the Jungle | 2. Mind My Maharaja | 2. Kidnapped in the Khyber |
| 3. The Mutiny of the Punkah Wallahs | 3. The Natives are Revolting | 3. Bang Goes the Maharaja | 3. A Fate Worse than Death |
| 4. A Star is Born | 4. Cabaret Time | 4. The Grand Illusion | 4. Ticket to Blighty |
| 5. The Jungle Patrol | 5. The Curse of the Sadhu | 5. Pale Hands I Love | 5. Lofty's Little Friend |
| 6. It's a Wise Child | 6. Forbidden Fruits | 6. Don't Take The Mickey | 6. Flight to Jawani |
| 7. The Road to Bannu | 7. Has Anyone Seen My Cobra? | 7. We Are Not Amused | |
| 8. The Inspector Calls | 8. The Night of the Thugs | 8. Twenty-One Today | |
| SERIES FIVE | SERIES SIX | SERIES SEVEN | SERIES EIGHT |
| 1. Front Line Entertainers | 1. The Stars Look Down | 1. That's Entertainment? | 1. Gloria's Finest Hour |
| 2. Bridge Over The River Hipong | 2. The Big League | 2. The Guinea Pigs | 2. Money Talks |
| 3. The Pay Off | 3. The Great Payroll Snatch | 3. Dog in the Manger | 3. Aquastars |
| 4. Puddings From Heaven | 4. The Dhobi Wallahs | 4. The Great Broadcast | 4. The Last Warrior |
| 5. The Superstar | 5. Lead Kindly Light | 5. Class of 1945 | 5. Never The Twain Shall Meet |
| 6. The Eternal Quadrangle | 6. Holidays at Home | 6. Star Commandos | 6. The Long Road Home |
| 7. Caught Short | 7. The Last Roll Call |
[edit] Songs
Because It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a sitcom about a concert party, many old music hall, musical and traditional songs were performed by the actors, including:
- An Apple For The Teacher
- A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
- By A Waterfall
- Dames
- Gentlemen Rankers
- Gilbert The Filbert
- Happy Days Are Here Again
- I'll Be Seeing You
- Love For Sale
- Mandalay
- Moonlight Becomes You
- Music Hall Song
- On the Good Ship Lollipop
- Puttin' On the Ritz
- Rule Britannia
- South Of The Border
- Stout-Hearted Men
- The Teddy Bears' Picnic
- The White Cliffs of Dover
- Top Hat
[edit] Urdu Glossary
| Urdu | English |
| aana | to come |
| achchha | good, okay |
| anna | Indian coin, one sixteenth of a rupee |
| bahot | many |
| chai | tea |
| chapaati | bread |
| charpai | bed |
| chatti | earthen pot |
| chitty | note |
| dhobi | laundry |
| dhoti | loincloth |
| garam | warm |
| idhar | here |
| idhar aa'o! | come here! |
| jaana | to go |
| jaa'o! | go! |
| jaldi | quickly |
| kharaab | bad |
| maloom | clear |
| paagal pani | alcohol ('mad water') |
| pani | water |
| pankhaa | fan |
| pyaalah | bowl |
| rupee | Indian coin |
| salaam | hello |
| thand | cold |
| theek hay | okay |
| wallah | -man (suffix) |
