Captain Mainwaring's wife takes centre stage in new Dad's Army film Friday 5 February 2016 at 10:05AM Captain Mainwaring’s wife speaks! For anyone who knows the Dad’s Army TV series, this fact alone will be enough to tell you that the movie version is marching to a very different tune. In the original series, Mrs Mainwaring is a recluse, a woman who "hasn’t left the house since Munich”, according to Captain Mainwaring. She is the perfect running gag, heard about but not seen, the beloved “little woman” at the heart of Mainwaring’s silly little universe. The movie version does away with all that comedy coyness, and puts Captain Mainwaring's wife on the front line. Elizabeth Mainwaring (played with blustering efficiency by Felicity Montagu) doesn’t just talk in the film: she is the one who wears the trousers, bossing her husband about in public and bringing the wives of Walmington-On-Sea under her wing. “Man and woman united in common cause,” Elizabeth trumpets proudly, as she marshals the ladies of the town into making bandages for the Home Guard.

“Whatever you say dear,” Captain Mainwaring replies bashfully. This bayonet charge for an equal marital footing inevitably takes the film a long way from the television original. For one thing, we see much more of the Home Guard’s home lives than we ever did in the TV series, and not just over at the Mainwarings. 'Uncle' Arthur Wilson is always seen at Private Pike's house, enticed by his Mum Mavis's 'roly poly' pudding. Corporal Jones is more than capable of ‘slipping a sausage’ to one of the women waiting for rations outside his butcher’s shop (apparently, there is life in the old dog yet). Then there is alluring journalist Rose Winters (played by Catherine Zeta Jones), whose tempting advances threaten to set off a full-blown mutiny in the ranks of Walmington's finest. And finally, the other women of the town have ideas of their own about who the German spy in their midst could be... Whether this wins over Dad's Army devotees remains to be see. The TV series, like every classic sitcom, is a delicate comedy habitat, where each character takes their place in the food chain of command.

Adding Mrs Mainwaring feels a bit like parachuting a rhinoceros on to the South Downs: brave, probably foolhardy, and bound to cause a kerfuffle with people who have always wondered what a rhino looked like without ever actually wanting to meet one. Then again, maybe this is the best way to translate an adored TV series for a new generation? After all, how much movie mileage is there in a bunch of old codgers stamping up and down a church hall? One thing's for sure, Mrs Mainwaring is mute no longer – and that's bound to set tongues wagging. You can read a full interview with the stars of Dad's Army – and get a free book about the show's history – in this week's Radio Times, available in shops and on the newsstand ... Mrs. Elizabeth Mainwaring | Dad's Army Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Mrs Mainwaring was the daughter of the suffragan Bishop of Clegthorpe (a fictional see). She married George Mainwaring , son of an Eastbourne tailor, shortly after the First World War.

He had been stationed in France in 1919, the year after the war ended, and, as later became an issue on formal occasions, possessed no medals. They spent their honeymoon on a remote Scottish island where Mainwaring learnt to play the bagpipes because "there was nothing else to do". The couple lived at 23, Lime Crescent, Walmington-on-Sea, a fictional seaside resort in Kent with a pier and such other attractions as Stone's amusement arcade and a novelty rock emporium. Mrs Mainwaring's parents evidently looked down on their grammar school-educated son-in-law, even after he had become assistant manager, with a partitioned cubicle of his own, at the Walmington branch of Swallow Bank . In one episode Mainwaring tells Wilson that Elizabeth is only fond of silent movies because she was so shocked when she heard a character on a film speak a line (this was sometime in the late '20s) she did not go back to the cinema (she may have seen The Jazz Singer (1927), the first 'talkie' ever released).

According to Mainwaring, his wife had led a sheltered life ("she hadn't even tried tomato sauce before she met me".) One of her hobbies was making lampshades. The marriage was childless, although Mainwaring, who often referred to his wife as "the little woman" (in spite of the evidence both that she was actually quite large and that, of the two, she was clearly the domineering figure in the marriage), claimed, rather unconvincingly, that it had been "blissful". The Second World War Edit In 1940, in response to a radio broadcast by the Secretary for War Anthony Eden , her husband George (who by then was manager of the bank) set himself up as Captain of the local Home Guard (initially known as the Local Defence Volunteers). Mainwaring's various attempts to involve his wife in the extramural activities of the platoon usually came unstuck. On one occasion he arrived at a function with a black eye which had plainly been acquired during a domestic dispute. His excuse that he had struck his eye on the linen cupboard door was greeted by the cheerful remark of Private Walker "hasn't your old woman got a rolling pin then?".

Mainwaring usually comes up with some convoluted reason why his wife is not joining in the platoon's social functions. He once remarked that Mrs Mainwaring had not left the house "since Munich" (in 1938). Even so, much to her husband's horror (he fainted), she ended up playing the part of Lady Godiva Leofric (who, in the 11th century had, according to tradition, ridden naked through the streets of Coventry) during a carnival to raise money for Spitfire fighter planes. This was intended as a tribute to the city of Coventry which had suffered heavy German bombing in 1941, though the rather stuffy Mainwaring had tried to prevent the town clerk, vicar and others from assessing the merits of predominantly young candidates for the role who were dressed only in their bathing costumes. There were frequent misunderstandings involving Mrs Mainwaring. When Mainwaring was holding a small party at his house for a section of his platoon, Mrs Mainwaring was heard coming downstairs, but she went back again as soon as an air raid siren sounded. Mainwaring's calls for her to come down to say "hello" were ignored.

When he went upstairs to encourage her, the Chief ARP Warden Bert Hodges (played by Bill Pertwee and snobbishly dismissed by Mainwaring as "a greengrocer") arrived to complain that, contrary to blackout regulations, a light was showing in the house. On being told of Mainwaring's whereabouts, Hodges misconstrued his motives: "Oh, it's one of those sorts of parties". In another episode, Mainwaring obtained some cheese (a treat due to rationing) and telephoned his wife, a vegetarian, to say that he "might have a surprise for her tonight". Predictably, this suggestion was misunderstood and Mainwaring ended up sharing the cheese in his office with his urbane, long-suffering Sergeant, Arthur Wilson (John Le Mesurier). The closest anyone gets to seeing Elizabeth is when Mainwaring is sleeping on the bottom bunk in his Anderson Shelter. Elizabeth is above and the heavily sagging mattress gives a clue as to her figure. She is also heard groaning.

Mainwaring's "brief encounter" Edit That Mainwaring was starved of affection was well illustrated when, having established a women's section of the platoon, his took a fancy to one of his new recruits, the elegant Mrs Fiona Grey (Carmen Silvera), with whom, out of character it seemed, he embarked upon a platonic affair. After snatched meetings in the Marigold Tea Rooms and much gossip in Walmington, he and Mrs Grey eventually parted at the local railway station, despite Mainwaring's pleas for her to stay, in a scene reminiscent of the film Brief Encounter (1945). In A Soldier's Farewell , Mainwaring becomes attracted to a bus conductress, an when he has a dream in which he is Emperor Napoleon I of France, the bus conductress is also his mistress (Bonaparte's mistress). The writer Graham McCann has likened Mainwaring to Charles Pooter, the City clerk in George and Weedon Grossmith's novel, The Diary of a Nobody (1892) (of which Arthur Lowe made an audiobook recording), but with the essential difference that Mainwaring had no equivalent of Pooter's devoted wife Carrie.

When the hapless Private Frank Pike (Ian Lavender) broke a bottle containing Mrs Mainwaring's sleeping tablets and Mainwaring was advised that eating glass could mean "instant death", he replied, "Yes ... Just dust them over a bit". Post-war Edit According to scripts for It Sticks Out Half a Mile, a radio sequel to Dad's Army, prepared by Perry and Croft before Arthur Lowe's death in 1982, the Mainwarings spent two years immediately after the war in Switzerland (which had been neutral during the conflict), where Mainwaring supervised the manufacture of cuckoo clocks. They returned to Britain because the Swiss air did not suit Mrs Mainwaring's health and, in 1948, settled in Frambourne, a coastal resort near Walmington. It seems likely that the Mainwarings (assuming Mrs Mainwaring was still alive) subsequently moved back to Walmington where, in 1968, Alderman George Mainwaring (as he had become) was chairman of the town's I'm Backing Britain campaign (as seen in The Man and the Hour , 1968).

Dad's Army (2016) Dad's Army (Series) - TV Tropes Dad's Army You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share "Who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler? If you think we're on the run. We are the boys who will stop your little game, We are the boys who will make you think again. Cos, who do you think you are kidding Mr. Hitler? If you think old England's done." Permission to describe Dad's Army here, sir? Permission granted. Dad's Army was an ensemble sitcom on The BBC about the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon in World War II, a band of mostly elderly volunteers who would have been their (fictional) town's first line of defence, had the Germans invaded (Walmington-on-Sea and Eastgate (their rival town) are mirrored in the real Northern Kent seaside towns of Birchington-on-Sea and Westgate). The show aired for nine years (1968-77), though the war had only lasted six. While waiting for the invasion, the platoon did its best to prepare, resulting in many hilarious mishaps .

They occasionally did some military work, such as guarding downed German pilots, and took part in training exercises with the regular army, where they were often surprisingly successful. They also had a vigorous rivalry with the neighbouring platoon and with the Chief Air Raid Warden, who sometimes tried to sabotage the platoon. Almost every character involved had a catchphrase that most British people can still repeat with very little memory-searching. The characters included: Captain George Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) - pompous bank manager, no combat experience, appointed himself captain. Pronounced "Mannering". Catchphrases: "Stupid boy" (directed at Pike), "Good thinking, Wilson. I was wondering who'd be the first to spot that " (whenever Wilson points out what he's doing wrong), and "I think you're getting into the realms of fantasy Jones" (at the end of one of Jones' rambling monologues). Sergeant Arthur Wilson (John Le Mesurier) - diffident deputy bank manager, Captain in the Royal Artillery during World War I, of a higher social class than his superior as well as more experienced - alternatively verging on being a Cloud Cuckoo Lander at times.

Was strongly implied to be having an affair with Pike's mother, with a suggestion that he might actually be the boy's father. (One episode revealed that he already had a daughter by his estranged wife.) Catchphrase: "Are you sure that's wise?" (usually in response to the Zany Scheme of the week) as well as "How absolutely lovely!" when responding to something that Mainwaring would prefer to treat as Serious Business . Lance-Corporal Jack Jones (Clive Dunn) - butcher and 30 year veteran of the British Army, having served in the Sudan and WWI, longwinded but eager for action. Four catchphrases: "Don't panic" (while panicking), "Permission to speak, sir?", "They don't like it up 'em" (talking about the African tribesmen ("fuzzy-wuzzies") he fought in his youth and flourishing a bayonet ), and "Sir, I should like to volunteer to be the one to... " (whenever Mainwaring looks for a volunteer for something). Private Frank Pike (Ian Lavender) - mollycoddled teenager . Was often seen wearing a scarf.

Always addresses Wilson as "Uncle Arthur", though Pike may in fact be Wilson's (illegitimate) son. Catchphrase: "Uncle Arthur?" Private James Frazer (John Laurie) - Scottish undertaker, former Royal Navy cook, very gloomy. Catchphrase: "We're doomed!" (words can't quite describe his delivery, but it would not look out of place on the set of a Hammer Horror film, on a villager warning the hero not to go up to the castle.) Private Charles Godfrey (Arnold Ridley) - Even older than the rest of the platoon, excessively polite and friendly and a butt of constant humour relating to his weak bladder. Catchphrase: "Might I be excused ..." (Gesturing to the bathroom, or a convenient hedge) Private Joe Walker (James Beck) - good-natured spiv who evaded conscription on dubious grounds. (Allergic to corned beef. Allegedly...) Usually to be found trying to sell people things. Occasionally came good by happening to have just the item the platoon needs - for a price, of course. The actor died during the course of the series and was replaced by...

Private Cheeseman (Talfryn Thomas) - Welshman with a camera, big teeth and glasses, introduced only in later seasons. (First appeared as a one-off press photographer character the year before he became a regular.) Almost no-one remembers him, he didn't stay long, and his departure gave a small boost to... Private Sponge (Colin Bean) - farmer, generic guy, used when one of the main cast needed a supporting character to talk to. Later put in charge of the second half of the platoon, and given slightly more plot relevance. ARP Warden William Hodges (Bill Pertwee) - a grocer, Mainwaring's would-be nemesis . Catchphrases: "Now look 'ere, Napoleon ...", "Ruddy 'ooligans! and "Put that light out! PUT THAT BLOODY LIGHT OUT!" Maurice Yeatman, the Verger (Edward Sinclair) - Hodges' fawning lackey (He's exactly the same with the Vicar too) The Rev. Timothy Farthing (Frank Williams) - The Vicar Mrs Pike (Janet Davies) - Pike's neurotic, overprotective mother who often interrupts him in the middle of platoon activity.

Suspiciously close "friend" of Wilson. Mrs Fox (Pamela Cundell) - overbearing and flirty local woman, often causes trouble when the platoon is involved in arranging public events. Later marries Jones at the end of the series. Captain Square (Geoffrey Lumsden) - leader of the Eastgate platoon and occasional rival to Mainwaring. Catchphrase: "You blithering IDIOT!" Much humour was derived from Mainwaring's resentment of Wilson. Even though Mainwaring was in charge, both at work and in the Home Guard, Wilson was from a much higher social stratum and eventually inherited a title. His effortless charm and dignity utterly infuriated Mainwaring, the archetypal " pompous little man ". The interplay between the two characters was always beautifully worked and the series is often held up as an example of near-perfect character comedy, enhanced by the acting talents of Arthur Lowe (Mainwaring) and John Le Mesurier (Wilson).

Lowe has merely to bristle his moustache to render the audience helpless with laughter; Le Mesurier was hired because (in the words of a member of the production team) "He suffers so beautifully." The show, whilst at all times remaining funny, also had more serious plots, like the way the platoon react when they find out that Private Godfrey was a conscientious objector in World War I . The show did not have an arc, but it did have continuity. During the first season, the platoon's equipment gradually improved as the regular army provided them with surplus gear. Over the series, Jones had a romance which culminated with a marriage in the final episode. Came fourth in Britain's Best Sitcom . A feature film remake was released in February 2016 starring Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring and Bill Nighy as Sgt. Wilson. We're Doomed, a Docudrama about the behind-the-scenes making of the show, aired in December 2015. This show provides examples of: Abhorrent Admirer : Mrs Fox occasionally fills this role, although Jones didn't seem to mind her too much ...

AB Negative : In one episode, Pike is finally called up to join the Royal Air Force. During a blood donation drive, he finds out that he has a very rare blood type, and the RAF later rejects him as they would not be able to give him a blood transfusion should he need one. Pike doesn't tell the rest of the platoon this until after they've held an expensive fish and chip supper to say goodbye. Anti-Climax : Frazer's story about the "old empty barn" among others. Armed Farces Ascended Extra : The previously unnamed Private Desmond, when he joins the main characters on a mission in the episode "Sons of the Sea." It's never explained why they didn't use Sponge, who by this stage was getting more lines and character focus. Ash Face : Happens to Mainwaring when he attempts to shut off the power to the lighthouse, but ends up blacking out the entire pier, in "Put That Light Out!". Bad Omen Anecdote : The dour Scot Frazer is fond of doing this, much to Mainwaring's exasperation.

Banana in the Tailpipe : In the first episode, while having a discussion of how to take on a tank with improvised weapons, Jones suggests plugging the exhaust with spuds (potatoes). Mainwaring points out that it wouldn't work because tanks have long, thin exhaust pipes. Jones asks why they can't use long, thin spuds. Baseball Episode : Well, Cricket episode, Home Guard vs. ARP Wardens. Bawdy Song : Godfrey's song about a monk, although we're only ''told'' he sang it, not what it was about. The cast's reactions are more than enough for us to guess. Beware the Nice Ones : Sergeant Wilson. In the last episode it was even revealed that he had been an artillery captain during the First World War. Additionally, Private Godfrey, who was revealed as having been a conscientious objector during the First World War, but had served as an unarmed stretcher bearer, rescuing injured soldiers during the Battle of the Somme, for which he was awarded the Military Medal. Big Damn Movie : The Movie has this atmosphere to it, even though it's adapted from the early episodes. Blind Without 'Em : Corporal Jones.

He accidentally signs the desk when he enlists in the Home Guard. Borrowed Catchphrase : In one episode, an army officer demands to know why Mainwairing believes a stranded German pilot will give himself up any minute. Mainwairing, in no mood to explain that the reservoir he landed in is being filled and the German will be under water in ten minutes simply replies that "It seems that they really don't like it up 'em." Near the beginning of the 2016 film, we see Hitler borrow the lines from the title song. Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Churchill? Also in the 2016 film, Mainwaring borrows Jones's "Don't panic, don't panic" when breaking the news that a Nazi spy is in Walmington. Breaking the Fourth Wall : The cast turning to the camera and toasting the real Home Guard at the end of the final episode. Break Out the Museum Piece : In an early episode the platoon go to the museum with the intention of taking weaponry, but do not succeed in finding anything usable. The museum's caretaker who is trying to stop them, however, makes good use of the pieces inside to stop them entering.

Butt Monkey : If anyone is going to be getting soaked to the skin, clumsily tripping over themselves or otherwise being made to look like an idiot, it's Private Pike. This was something of a justified / invoked trope, since the actor was one of the younger members of the cast and thus one of the few who was actually capable of doing such physical comedy without potentially risking serious injury or illness. Catch Phrase : Aside from their individual catchphrases, a character tended to say, "There is a war on, you know" in almost every episode. Character Outlives Actor : Walker. When actor James Beck was taken into hospital, Walker got a Written-In Absence , leaving a note in his place on patrol to explain that he has gone to conduct "business" in London. Beck later died and Walker was never heard of again - at least on television, When the show was remade for radio other actors continued the role after Beck's death, and when the show got a radio sequel years after the end of its run, Walker was mentioned as alive and having returned to Walmington-on-Sea. He's also seen in the scene set in 1968 featuring several of the characters that opens the very first episode.

Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys : Discussed by Mainwaring, who does not rate the French ("no use after lunch - all that wine and garlic is very debilitating"), and Wilson, who, being an actual veteran of WWI, does. Chekhov's Gun : In the episode "Battle of the Giants", Walker mentions having made flags for both their platoon and the Eastgate platoon. They will be used at the end of a contest, in short form, whoever flies their flag first, wins. Although just a passing remark, it turns out later that Walker made both flags say "Walmington-on-Sea" so they would win whoever flew the flag first. In the 2016 movie, the mention by Walker's girlfriend that Rose Winters's dress is Chanel. This leads the men to the discovery that she is the Nazi agent they're looking for - Cissy and Dolly Godfrey contacted the Chanel company, who confirmed that Rose is a regular customer from Berlin. Child Soldiers : Jones was one, joining the British Army as a drummer boy in 1884. Chuck Cunningham Syndrome : Miss King vanishes without a trace after series one.

Also happens to Private Cheeseman ; Ascended Extra Private Desmond, who had a role in one episode and was never heard from again; and Private Bracewell, a character who appears only in the first episode. Word of God has it that Bracewell was intended to be a recurring character but was cut because the producers felt his character was too much like Godfrey's. Classically Trained Extra : John Laurie as Private Frazer. The actor was somewhat bitter about being best remembered for this role rather than his theatrical work. According to show writer Jimmy Perry, most of the background platoon members were played by retired actors or writers rather than the usual extras. Deadpan Snarker : Wilson. Downer Ending : 'Mum's Army' — Mainwaring falls in love, but the woman leaves him rather than destroy his life with a scandal. Draft Dodging : Frank Pike doesn't want to evade military service, but his medical test reveals a rare blood group. He's excused from active service on the grounds that they'd have nothing to transfuse him with in the event of injury. So he stays in the Home Guard instead - except that he doesn't admit to this until after the platoon has held a fish-and-chip supper in his honour.

A now Missing Episode from series two was based around Walker's attempts to evade the draft. He fails, and has to join the army - but is soon discharged when he turns out to be allergic to corned beef, the only rations available. Drill Sergeant Nasty : A few one-off characters fit this trope. Drill Sgt. Gregory in "Room at the Bottom" and Captain Ramsey in "We Know Our Onions" are excellent examples. Dropped After the Pilot : The pilot episode had a character called Private Bracewell who never appeared again. Word of God says it was decided that he was too similar to Private Godfrey and dropped. Early Installment Weirdness : Every episode of Series 1 begins with faked newsreel footage, combining real-life World War II footage with material containing the show's actors. This was dropped starting with Series 2. For some bizarre reason the first episode has a laugh track over the title sequence, which ends up rendering the series' theme tune completely indecipherable. Fortunately, this was never done again.

The black-and-white episodes have a much more crudely animated title sequence, very little location filming, and lack the ending montage that the colour episodes had (instead featuring the actors superimposed over a still image, with the technical credits rolling over a black background). Edible Ammunition : In "We Know Our Onions", the platoon, having failed to retrieve the cache of rubber ammunition they were supposed to use, win an initiative test by firing onions at their attackers. Establishing Character Moment : Almost every episode started with Mainwaring inspecting the troops, giving first time viewers a quick run down of the main cast Frazer: We're dooooomed! Facepalm : Sergeant Wilson, frequently. Forgotten Framing Device : The first episode started in the 1960s with Captain Mainwaring addressing a Rotary Club dinner and reminiscing about his time in the Home Guard, before flashing back to the story of the founding of the platoon. This was never referred to again in the remainder of the series. Frozen in Time : The series started in 1940, went through 1941, and then at a point roughly in the middle decided to stay somewhere in 1942.

Justified, in that after 1942 it became increasingly clear that the Germans weren't going to win, Britain wasn't going to be invaded, and there was less overall need for the Home Guard. Gentlemen Rankers : Sergeant Wilson behaves very much like a cool, calm, collected, and softly spoken officer (in contrast to the order barking martinet that was Captain Mainwaring) in his WW2 Home Guard duties, however this was eventually explained as him actually having been an officer in the First World War. Getting Crap Past the Radar : Barely even trying. In the episode "The Four-and-a-Half Feathers", Jones describes his patrol in the Sudan encountering an elderly fakir (a sort of monk, pronounced "fa-keer"). Jones constantly refers to him as the "Old Fakir" (pronouncing it as "fak-er"). Say it out loud and wonder how that made it past the censors... And at least one episode title. "Round And Round Went The Great Big Wheel" is a quote from a really filthy song. The Ghost : Mainwaring's wife. Closest we get to seeing her is the large overhang she leaves in the bunk bed.

She is finally seen in the 2016 movie. The Guards Must Be Crazy : In the episode where the platoon are delegated to guard a captured German submarine crew, the platoon do pretty well on this score. It's Hodges who falls for the old sick prisoner trick and lets the Germans get the upper hand. Mind you, Mainwaring really should've left his revolver with Wilson or Jones before going over to help. Handcar Pursuit : The climax of "The Royal Train" involves Hodges on a handcar chasing a runaway train with the platoon aboard, so he can throw them the widget they need to stop the train. Then they throw the train into reverse, and it becomes Hodges on a handcar fleeing a runaway train instead. Hidden Depths : Captain Mainwaring knows how to play the bagpipes. (See Sexless Marriage for the reason why.) Leeroy Jenkins : Corporal Jones. Let's Get Dangerous!

: In a sense; while the platoon rarely saw anything in the form of a genuine military operation, every so often the viewer was reminded that behind the bumbling Mainwaring and his men were brave soldiers fully prepared to fight and die in the defense of their homes and country if it came down to it. And none braver than Mainwaring himself, who would be the last man out of a bombed building and once faced down a desperate German prisoner with an unloaded gun. (It turned out that the German's gun was unloaded too.) Typified by this exchange in an early episode when the elements of the platoon believe an invasion is underway and elect to stay and try and delay the German advance to give the regular army time to counter-attack. Captain Mainwaring: It'll probably be the end of us, but we're ready for that, aren't we, men? Private Frazer: Of course. The Movie (which RetConned most of the first episode) Ms. Fanservice : Miss King, a character in the first series, was intended to be this. She was then inexplicably written out , and hardly anyone remembers she was ever in the show. Later on, Mrs Pike would often take the role.

The Napoleon : Captain Mainwaring. Hodges eventually calls him "Napoleon" to irritate him. In one episode, he even literally dreams that he's Napoleon. No Longer with Us : Corporal Jones gets one regarding his mother: Pike: Why don't you have a word with Mr Jones' mother? [facetious, since Jones is elderly] Jones: [sadly] You leave my mother out of this. My mother's gone to another place. Pike: [quietly] Sorry, Mr Jones. Jones: Angmering. Narrative Profanity Filter : In "The Two-and-a-half Feathers" Jones speaks of serving under an incredibly profane sergeant but whenever the sergeant is shown swearing, all the actual curses are replaced with spitting noises. Not So Different : For all their class-conscious rivalry and dislike of each other, both Captain Mainwaring and Warden Hodges are rather pompous men who've let the sudden burst of power and authority they now have as a result of their wartime duties go to their heads a bit too quickly. That said, Mainwaring has a sense of personal integrity that Hodges is entirely devoid of. Mainwaring and Wilson also count.

Mainwaring is envious of Wilson's social position in life (upper class, gets on easily with others) while Wilson is envious of Mainwaring's professional position. (Manager of the bank and Leader of the home guard platoon) Not What It Looks Like : In one episode, Pike borrows a bank staff car to take Hodges's niece on a date to the cinema; but the car breaks down and it takes him all night to push the car back to Walmington-on-Sea. Hilarity Ensues the following day as he hopelessly tries to convince everyone that's all they were doing during the night ... Obsolete Mentor : Corporal Jones is a veteran of many wars but his love of bayonets is more often a hindrance than a help. Of Corsets Funny : In one episode, the various members of the Home Guard are desperately attempting to look younger to avoid being transferred to the ARP. Captain Mainwaring notices that Sergeant Wilson is standing straighter than usual and it is revealed that he is wearing a girdle (or, as he refers to it, a "gentleman's abdominal support"). Only Sane Man : Sergeant Wilson. Pike and Walker also have their moments.

Pantomime Animal : In "Operation Kilt", the platoon attempts to use a pantomime cow to sneak up on a highland regiment during a training exercise. Things do not according to plan when a bull takes an interest . Parachute in a Tree : "Time On My Hands" centres on the characters' efforts to pull down a German pilot whose parachute is caught on the town clock. Patriotic Fervor : Captain Mainwaring often naively harps on about the strengths of the allied forces, but quickly dismisses any positive remarks about the Nazis with "We'll have none of that talk here!" Our side displayed "British initiative!", while similar behaviour by the enemy was derided as a "typical underhand Nazi trick!" Perilous Old Fool : Corporal Jones, a veteran of three wars and probably a bigger danger to his allies than he ever could be to the enemy. Phony Veteran : Captain Mainwaring had a habit of exaggerating his military service in the Great War. Mainwaring: I served in France [quietly] during the whole of 1919. Wilson: I thought the war ended in 1918. Mainwaring: Someone had to clean up the mess!

Real Song Theme Tune : Averted, though the Dad's Army theme is often mistaken for a real wartime song. It was actually written by Jimmy Perry and performed by Bud Flanagan, who was a popular singer in the 1930s and 1940s. Red Baron : Jones was known as "the Mad Bomber" in WWI due to his interesting grenade drills. Retcon : The Movie retcons most of the first episode. Mrs Fox's first name is initially given as Marcia, but becomes Mildred in the final episode of the show. Square is first introduced as "Corporal-Colonel Square" and later becomes Captain. Handwaved by the show's producers stating that he had simply received a promotion ("Corporal-Colonel" being an amalgamation of his current rank in the Home Guard and his previous one while in the military, Truth in Television as this was done in real life with some veterans). In the first episode, Fraser runs a philatelist's shop. In later episodes, he's an undertaker. Several minor characters' names were retconned over the course of the show. Mrs.

Yeatman's name is initially given as Anthea, then Tracy and finally Beryl. Mr. Blewitt's name changed from Norman to Sidney, while Walker's recurring girlfriend was named Edith Parish in her first appearance but became Shirley in subsequent episodes. Retired Badass : He may not seem it, but Jones more than qualifies for this trope after spending 30 years in the British Army and serving with distinction in Sudan and WWI. Rising Water, Rising Tension : In "Asleep in the Deep", a bomb falls on the local pumping station as Godfrey and Walker are patrolling there, trapping them. When the platoon try to free them, they get stuck with them, and when a pipe bursts the room rapidly begins filling with water. The Rival : Hodges. Captain Square occasionally fills this role as well. Runaway Train : In one episode, the unit had to move a train out the way of an incoming one after the drivers got drunk, but ended up with a runaway train after it turned out they'd left the brake wheel back at the station and that the line was all downhill from that point.

Cue Captain Mainwaring climbing over the train roof, the warden, vicar and verger on a handcart trying to bring them the brake wheel and then them having to go damn fast the other way after the platoon accidentally put the train into reverse. The Runt at the End : Corporal Jones is always a beat behind the rest of the platoon when drilling. Sea Mine : In "Menace from the Deep" the Walmington-on-Sea platoon is stranded on the Walmington-on-Sea Pier. The situation becomes worse when a sea mine drifts underneath the pier. When Hodges falls of the pier, the magnetic mine is attracted to his steel helmet. Secret Weapon : The platoon are called on to stop a radio-controlled mobile bomb (based on the real-life Panjandrum ) that's rampaging around the countryside. Screw the War, We're Partying! : Pvt. Walker - skirt-chaser and black marketeer who has avoided the draft due to a 'corned beef allergy'. Justified somewhat: a Missing Episode did actually have Walker drafted, and discharged on medical grounds because of the allergy - corned beef was the only rations available!

Second Face Smoke : In the episode where the platoon are delegated to guard a captured German submarine crew, the German officer is smoking a cigarette and blows smoke in Mainwaring's face. Mainwaring waits until he's out of sight to cough and splutter. Separate Scene Storytelling : Technically speaking, the entire show. The very first episode begins in 1968, with Mainwaring addressing his men as part of the "I'm Backing Britain" campaign. The entire show is his fond recollection of those halcyon days... Sexless Marriage : Explains why Mainwaring learned the bagpipes: Mainwaring: I spent my honeymoon in a remote village in Scotland called InverGeechie. It was a wild and lonely place. The nights were long... and there was nothing else to do. Sharp-Dressed Man : When out of uniform Walker wore incredibly well tailored suits. Shoo Out the New Guy : Private Cheeseman. Also counts as a Replacement Scrappy . Happened in-universe when the Vicar joined the platoon and proved such an annoying burden that everyone made sure he left again soon after.

A Simple Plan : The Walmington-On-Sea platoon could produce a chaotic outcome to the simplest of tasks. The So-Called Coward : Private Godfrey, as detailed above. Also Corporal Jones in "The Two and A Half Feathers". A veteran of the Sudan War claims that he was saved by a native tribeman after Jones left him out in the desert to die. The tribesman was Jones dressed in Arab robes; he remained silent about his role in order to cover up a scandalous affair the veteran was involved in. Soldiers at the Rear : Private Joe Walker's "allergy" to corned beef. Sound to Screen Adaptation : Reversed: there is an original cast radio series based on the TV episodes. Spin-Off : The aforementioned radio series, It Sticks Out Half a Mile, broadcast between 1983-84. It centred around Hodges, Pike and Wilson teaming up to renovate the abandoned pier in a nearby seaside town, and was later turned into an original TV series called High and Dry The pilot featured Mainwaring and Wilson. Arthur Lowe died soon afterwards hence Mainwaring being replaced with Hodges.

Then, when John Le Mesurier passed away after recording one series, it was decided to just put it to rest (as a direct Dad's Army Spin-Off , at least). Spotting the Thread : The U-Boat crew's plan to take the platoon prisoner via a grenade down Jone's trousers is foiled when the Colonel notices that Jones isn't wearing his full uniform, out of charcter for Mainwarring to let anyone in his platoon do so and out of character for Jones himself. And then he literally spots the thread of string connecting the grenade pin to the U-Boat captain's hand. Spreading Disaster Map Graphic : The Animated Credits Opening shows Swastika-emblazoned arrows sweeping over western Europe (including one that gets lost for a bit), while the lone Union Jack arrow retreats back to its start point, then sticks its tail out further and pulls back across the Channel. All set to a jaunty tune about how Britain's not beaten yet . Squirrels in My Pants : In "Room at the Bottom", Corporal Jones gets ants in his pants and, while trying to remove them, accidentally signals the platoon to advance into an ambush.

Strapped to a Bomb : In a classic episode, the over-age Walmington platoon are tasked with guarding the captured crew of a U-boat. The Germans try to escape and take Corporal Jones as a hostage, rigging a hand-grenade down his trousers that will explode if the Captain's wishes are not complied with. Fortunately, Sergeant Wilson has seen to it that there is no detonator in the grenade... but only he knows this... Suicide as Comedy : Subverted. After Wilson hands Mainwaring the letter telling him he is no longer in charge of the platoon Wilson steps outside as it is read. A few seconds later a gunshot is heard to which Wilson blurts "My God, he's shot himself!" Fortunately it was an accident with the rifles outside and Mainwaring is instead having a more traditional Heroic B.S.O.D. . Surrounded by Idiots Mainwaring: You know, Wilson, over the years that I've come to know the members of the platoon, I've become quite fond of them. But I can't help feeling, sometimes, that I'm in charge of a bunch of idiots.

That Came Out Wrong : Captain Mainwaring manages to get a block of rationed cheese as a surprise for his wife. However, when he telephones her with the good news, things don't quite go as he planned. Mainwaring: Yes, Elizabeth. I think I may have a little surprise for you tonight ... One episode revolved around the platoon trying to find out whether a parachute that had landed in a nearby field was a British parachute (which are white) or Nazi parachute (which are cream.) Unfortunately, Walker had found it and had it made up into women's lingerie to sell. Hilarity Ensues as Mainwaring visits each of Walker's customers and has to ask to see their underwear ... Wholesome Crossdresser : Jones: Please let me be a nun Mr Mainwaring. Wrong Genre Savvy : Frazer, with his Doomy Dooms of Doom pronouncements, appears to think he's a character in a horror. Luckily for him, he's a sitcom character. You Didn't Ask : In one episode where the platoon helps to gather in a harvest, Mainwaring asks Sponge, a farmer, to show the others how to operate a threshing machine.

Sponge admits that he is a sheep farmer and doesn't know how the machine works. When Mainwaring demands to know why Sponge never said so before, Sponge points out that Mainwaring never asked him ... You Look Familiar : Michael Knowles played various small roles in different episodes. John Ringham played Private Bracewell in the first episode and returned later as Captain Bailey for several episodes. "And Captain Bailey has two Military Policemuuuuurn with him!" :: Indexes :: Dads Army, review: Mainwarings men are back. And better than ever :: Jenkers Dads Army, review: Mainwarings men are back. And better than ever Permission to speak, sir? Thank you. I bring you an urgent dispatch from the front line of British comedy. Unlike Lance-Corporal Jones, I will get straight to the point. This celebration ofDads Armysurpasses the original. Like facing up to the Nazi menace, it took courage for me to say that, such is my reverence for the original. I never thought I would live to see the day when anyone could better Arnold Ridleys sweet, bemused, bewildered Private Godfrey, but Michael Gambon has managed it.

I read somewhere that Gambon has trouble remembering his lines these days. If so, this is the sort of role when such lapses may have dramatic benefit. Captain Mainwaring is still vain and pompous; Sergeant Wilson remains his diffident, quietly subversive self; Private Fraser still thinks were doomed; Private Walker is still selling nylons; and Jones, veteran of all those scrapes with the Kaisers army and the fuzzy wuzzies, who dont like it up em, you know, (its the cold steel), is still manfully resisting the urge to panic. Scriptwriter Hamish McColl and director Oliver Parker made the very best of such an exceptionally strong cast including Gambon, with Toby Jones (Mainwaring), Tom Courtenay (Jones) and Bill Nighy (Wilson), especially living up to the challenge. Such a powerful line-up indeed that Sarah Lancashire, Alison Steadman and Bill Paterson have relatively minor roles. They say the actors had fun filming this and one can sense that. It is all as tasty and nostalgic as a slice of that upside-down cake that Godfreys sister Dolly used to bake.

All the elements that made the original such a clever and durable and indeed lovable comedy are turned up for parade, present and correct: the wit, the subtle satires on our still mostly intact class system, and the knockabout (in just the right proportion). And most of all we cherish the finely drawn characters. The makers also reprised those famous end credits and the Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler? theme adds a fitting finale. It is sobering to ponder that the first editions of David Croft and Jimmy Perrys original and brilliant TV series were first broadcast, in black and white, by the BBC only about a quarter-century after Hitlers war had ended. The cast, like todays, had almost all enjoyed a distinguished career in film and on stage and were well known faces, just as this lot are. There is something comforting in that familiarity, the catchphrases and the predictability of their tics and twitches. The last of the old series was made in 1977, and now we have this well-crafted reproduction, with added warmth from cameos by Ian Lavender (Pike) and Frank Williams (the vicar). Another nice link with the past.

The original cast of Dad's Army Whereas in the originals the only romantic action was between Mavis Pike and Mr Wilson, and the eventide love that blossomed between Jones and the bosomy Mrs Fox I cant count Mr Mainwarings relationship with the unseen and fearsome Elizabeth we now have Pike, and a believably frisky Wilson, being pursued by femme fatale Catherine Zeta-Jones. We have Felicity Montagu, as an all-too-present Mrs W, and the womenfolk who won the war are rightly visible now. So, shamelessly enough, I can advise long-standing devotees ofDads Armythat they need not panic, that the remake was, after all, awfully wise as Wilson might put it. Welcome back to Walmington-on-Sea. Carry on. Catherine Zeta-Jones just about maintained her modesty at the wet and windy Dad's Army premiere Catherine Zeta-Jones said filming the new movie version of TV classic comedy Dad’s Army reminded her how much she loves the UK. Her affection may not have extended to the British weather though as she struggled to hold down her dress and the cast huddled under umbrellas on a damp and blowy red carpet at the film’s world premiere in Leicester Square.

Catherine tries to maintain her modesty on the windy red carpet (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/PA) The Welsh actress, 46, kept all eyes off the rain clouds in her low-cut teal dress as she joined co-stars Toby Jones, Sir Tom Courtenay and Sir Michael Gambon. Now based in Los Angeles with husband Michael Douglas and their two children, Catherine said filming it in England was like “coming home to a cup of Ovaltine”. She said: “It was everything I hoped it to be, it was all these great actors, knew their lines, knew what they were doing. She raised temperatures with her flesh-flashing dress in its full glory (Ian West/PA) “We were laughing all the way through it and it just reminded me how much I love being in the UK to work and to be with British actors.

“It’s nice to come home and this was like coming home to a cup of Ovaltine, nice and cosy.” The big screen version of the Second World War-set BBC sitcom, which ran from 1968-77, sees Catherine playing journalist Rose Winters, whose arrival in Walmington-on-Sea to report on Captain Mainwaring’s (Jones) Home Guard sets pulses racing and proves a distraction while the group try to smoke out a German spy in their midst. Sir Michael Gambon looked in high spirits despite the rain (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/PA) Suddenly the fate of the nation falls in the hands of the Home Guard played by an all-star British cast which also includes Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson, Bill Paterson as Frazer, Daniel Mays as Walker and Blake Harrison as Private Pike. With a cast like that, Sir Michael says the set was full of laughter. “It was nothing but laughing and fooling around. I was mucking around with all of them,” he said.

Stars Daniel Mays, Toby Jones, Sir Michael Gambon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Blake Harrison, Sir Tom Courtenay and Bill Paterson posed inside (Ian West/PA) It was not too difficult for Sir Michael to get into character as he said he was just like gentle but doddery Private Godfrey, best remembered for perpetually nodding off and being excused for his weak bladder. He joked: “I’m like Godfrey, I’m always mooching around, I’m not doing anything right, I forget things. If someone says left, I turn right. I’m not very bright up here.” Filming felt like “coming home” for the last two surviving cast members of the original TV version too: Frank Williams revives his role as Reverend Timothy Farthing in the new film and Pike actor Ian Lavender has a cameo. Inbetweeners actor Blake Harrison plays Private Pike – who shares a kiss with Catherine!

(Ian West/PA) Frank said: “It takes me back to a very happy time in my life when I was doing Dad’s Army originally and as my scenes are in the church hall, it was very much like coming home again.” Ian admitted he was jealous of the new Pike, who not only has a girlfriend in the new film, but, he discovered, gets to share a kiss with Catherine. “Blake kept that one quiet from me! If they’d have put that in my script, I’d have done it for half the money,” he laughed. The fate of the country rests in the hands of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard (Universal Pictures/PA) All the cast acknowledged the risk involved in remaking such an well-loved show – which can still attract three million viewers for TV repeats – but hope it will introduce a new audience to the characters. “I think it’s so touching and heart warming it’ll inspire a whole new generation of lovers of Dad’s Army,” Catherine said. The film is out in UK cinemas on February 5.

Dad's Army review: 'permission to panic' Before seeing the new film version of Dads Army, I thought Jimmy Perry and David Crofts wartime sitcom just couldnt be adapted for the cinema in 2016. Afterwards, I left the cinema convinced it could work but whatever it was Id just seen hadnt. Its a cop-out to claim any source material is too "of its time" to make sense in the modern world, so lets not give the film that excuse. Perry and Crofts devious comedy of manners, and the claustrophobic, class-warfare-ridden laughs it elicited in great gales every week, certainly spoke directly to the late 1960s and 70s when it was broadcast. But the human foibles it exposed were universal. George Mainwaring, bank manager and captain of Walmington-on-Seas Home Guard, was a small man scrabbling around for his place in an uncertain world and was as excruciatingly recognisable as The Diary of a Nobodys George Pooter, or Peep Shows Mark Corrigan is today.

The fact his platoons humiliations came while, say, being chased around a field by a bull, as they did in the 1969 episode Operation Kilt, was just context for the broader joke. In the film, being chased by the bullisthe joke. It feels like a six-year-olds hazy memories of the show not the real, uproarious thing. The plot involves the arrival of a German spy in the seaside town, co-incidentally at exactly the same time as an attractive female journalist, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Its cute, and Perry and Croft could have steam-rollered through it in half an hour. Feeble double-entendres about sausages and roly-poly, a botched visual gag about inflatable tanks, tokenistic "girl power" moments when Walmington-on-Seas womens auxiliary army save the day: not a lot here is good. What convinced me that it might have worked, in a parallel universe, was the casting of one actor in particular. Dad's Army official trailerPlay!02:31 Replacing Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring would, of course, be impossible. So Toby Jones doesnt even try to.

Instead, he crafts a new character so familiar and sad and snowed under with pathos that his performance is fit to stand alongside Lowes own. Jones is one of our most gifted clowns, and whether hes answering the telephone with a broom handle through his sleeves, choking on a mouthful of Victoria sponge, or just squinting, theres a precision to his work thats instantly hilarious, and yawningly absent from the film at large. The rest of the cast, who include Bill Nighy as a very Bill Nighy-ish Sergeant Wilson, Tom Courtenay as Lance-Corporal Jones and Daniel Mays as Private Walker, are perfectly game, and largely well-picked. But theyre let down by the kind of puny script that cant tell funny and frantic apart, and sells a lengthy, obviously blue-screened sequence in which Jones is pulled up from a cliff-edge as a slapstick highlight. Anyone whos seen Blake Harrison dance in The Inbetweeners will be aware of his talent for physical comedy. But in the handful of scenes in which he gets to use it as Private Pike, the camera all but misses him: visually the film strives for a simpering, chocolate-box prettiness thats like a vaccination against comedy.

And bringing the previously unseen Mrs Mainwaring (Felicity Montagu) centre stage kills off a good running joke with no detectable benefit. References to the original series pop up often. Sometimes theyre pulled off cleverly: the famous title sequence, with arrows on a map, is recreated in a Nazi war-room. More ordinarily, theyre not. (In the third act, the cast simply rattle through the catchphrases they havent got round to saying yet). The director and writer, Oliver Parker and Hamish McColl, last collaborated on Johnny English Reborn, a bad comedy inspired by a credit card advert. Dads Army bleakly suggests that even the best source material in the world can only take you so far. Catherine Zeta-Jones: "Home to reality" after flirty filmPlay!02:00 Inside The Marriage Of Dick Van Dyke, 90, And His 44-Year-Old Wife, Arlene Jeff Goldblum &amp; Emilie Livingston Jeff Goldblum, 62, married Emilie Livingston, 32 last year and they're expecting their first child.

Getty image Joan Collins and Percy Gibson Joan Collins, 81, is 32 years older than Percy Gibson, her 5th husband. Getty Images image Donald Trump &amp; Melania Trump Trump, 68, is 23 years older than his latest wife Melania. Getty image Rod Stewart &amp; Penny Lancaster Rod Stewart, 70, is 26 years older than his wife. Getty image Sharon Stone &amp; Martin Mica Stone, 55, was 27 years older than her model boyfriend before they broke up in 2013 FameFlynet image Dick Van Dyke And Arlene Silver Dick Van Dyke, then 86, married his makeup artist, Arlene Silver, then 40, in March 2012 . Getty Images image Gregg Allman And Shannon Williams Gregg Allman, then 64, got engaged to Shannon Williams, 24, in May 2012, but they broke-up before getting married.

AP image Alec Baldwin And Hilaria Thomas Alec Baldwin, then 54, and Hilaria Thomas, then 28, got married in June 2012 On New Year's Day Hilaria revealed they're expecting a baby. Alamy image Eddie Murphy And Paige Butcher Eddie Murphy, 53, and Australian model Paige Butcher, 35, have been dating since 2012. AP image Kelsey Grammer And Kayte Walsh Kelsey Grammer, 59, has been married to Kayte Walsh, 34, since February 2011 . They had a baby last year. Alamy image Mary-Kate Olsen And Olivier Sarkozy Mary-Kate Olsen, 28, is currently dating Olivier Sarkozy, 45. Olivier is the half-brother of former French president Nicholas Sarkozy. There have been secret marriage rumours since last fall. WireImage image Stanley Tucci And Felicity Blunt Stanley Tucci, 54, married Felicity Blunt, 34, were married in August 2012 and are expecting their first child.

AP image Billy Joel And Alexis Roderick Billy Joel, 65, has been dating Alexis Roderick, 33, for several years. Getty Images image Bruce Willis And Emma Heming Bruce Willis, 59, married model Emma Heming, 36, in 2009. They had a second child together last year. AP image Hugh Jackman And Deborra-Lee Furness Hugh Jackman, 46, has been married to actress Deborra-Lee Furness, 59, since 1996. Alamy image Harrison Ford And Calista Flockhart Harrison Ford, 72, has been married to Calista Flockhart, 50, since 2010. Alamy image Clint Eastwood And Dina Ruiz Eastwood Clint Eastwood, 84, has been married to Dina Ruiz Eastwood, 49, since 1996. Getty Images image Catherine Zeta-Jones And Michael Douglas Michael Douglas, 70, married Catherine Zeta-Jones, 45 in 2000.

Alamy image Ellen DeGeneres And Portia de Rossi Ellen DeGeneres, 54, has been married to Portia de Rossi, 39, since 2008 . Alamy image Annette Bening And Warren Beatty Annette Bening, 54, has been married to Warren Beatty, 75, since 1992 . Shutterstock image Courtney Stodden And Doug Hutchison Courtney Stodden, 18, and Doug Hutchison, 52, were married two years ago .

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The very next year, the 35-year-old actress met Bart Freundlich, then 26, on the set of The Myth of Fingerprints. You kind of think, 'Is this going to work out?' she says of their age difference. And then what happens is the relationship progresses and these things cease to be an issue anymore. The smoking-hot pair had two children Caleb and Liv before tying the knot in 2003. Today, the whole crew lives quietly in New Yorks West Village, where they can frequently be seen, happily hanging out. AP image Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Age gap:11 years Shes been on both sides of a May-December relationship, and megastar Carey clearly prefers being the older woman. It all started in 1993, when the songstress, then 23, married her boss, 44-year-old music executive Tommy Mottola. The union lasted just five years, and the happily emancipated Carey remained single for almost a decade afterward. Then, out of nowhere in April 2008, she wed comedian Nick Cannon, 11 years her junior. Today, the unexpected couple is still going strong, raising toddler twins Moroccan and Monroe.

"We really do feel we are soulmates," Carey says. "I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me." Getty Images image Tina Turner and Erwin Bach Age gap:16 years R&amp;B icon Turner didnt seriously date anyone for years after divorcing Ike Turner, her notoriously abusive husband, in 1978. Then, mere months after the 1984 release of her comeback single, Whats Love Got to Do With It, she locked eyes with German music exec Erwin Bach at an industry party. The two remained inseparable for the next 28 years, until finally tying the knot in Switzerland in July of 2013. Turner, who donned a green-and-black taffeta gown for the event, said, "It's that happiness that people talk about. It's a wonderful place to be." AP image Robin Wright and Ben Foster Age gap:14 years Having been married to mercurial Oscar winner Sean Penn for more than 13 years, Robin Wright is used to unconventional relationships. Maybe thats why the House of Cards star is so smitten with X-Men actor Ben Foster.

The pair met on the set of 2011s Rampart, took to each other immediately, and look to be in it for the long haul; they confirmed their engagement to People magazine in January of 2014. Ben and I have a connection between us that just feels right, says Wright. I don't know any other word for it." Getty Images image Denzel Washington and Pauletta Pearson Age gap:4 years They met at a hotel restaurant in 1977, but it took actors Denzel and Pauletta Washington almost six years to become husband and wife. The reason: She rejected his marriage proposals twice, before finally caving on Try #3. Thirty-one years and four kids later, the twosome perseveres. And despite recent, dogged rumors of his infidelity, Denzel insists their bond is as strong as ever. "It's a marathon, he says, not a sprint. AP image Katie Couric and John Molner Age gap:7 years First things first: Did you know Katie Couric is 57? No, really. We were pretty surprised, too.

Now that thats taken care of, lets get down to business: The award-winning journalist is marrying banker John Molner, seven years her junior, this summer. Its Courics second marriage her first husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998 but not her first May-December relationship. Ex-boyfriend Brooks Perlin was 17 years younger. AP image Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas Age gap:3 years The first thing he asked me was my age, says Griffith of her husband, Spanish star Banderas, whom she met filming 1995s movie flop Two Much. I said, That's the rudest thing anyone has asked me first. But there was something about him. The unlikely mates were both married she, to actor Don Johnson when they began dating. They obtained quick divorces, wed in May 1996, and had daughter Stella that same September. Eighteen years later, theyve weathered a few storms, including Griffiths bouts with addiction, but remain ever-dedicated. Says Banderas: We keep moving forward, and each day we become even more united. I still love my wife, and the concept of family is very important to us.

AP image Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness Age gap:13 years Long before coming to America, actors Jackman and Furness were a hot item Down Under. Australia's most famous power couple came together in 1995, while filming short-lived TV drama Corelli. The bond was immediate ("I had a massive crush on her instantly."), and he proposed just 3 1/2 months later. A wedding followed in 1996, son Oscar came along in 2000, and daughter Ava showed up five years after that. These days, the family travels back and forth between Sydney and New York City. "My success wouldnt have meant anything to me if I wouldnt have her and our kids," says Jackman. "Theyre the real center of my world." AP image Honorable Mention: Cher Cher didnt quite make our list, but it wasnt for lack of trying. Since 1975, Ms.

Sarkisian has dated at least 11 younger men, including Tom Cruise (16 years younger), Val Kilmer (14 years), KISS frontman Gene Simmons (4 years), Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora (13 years), and her most recent beau, biker Tim Medvetz (24 years). Lest you think shes a cougar, remember that the Oscar winners been on the other side of the equation, too. Her most famous partner, ex-husband Sonny Bono, was 11 years her senior. Getty Images image

Question: In the TV comedy "Dad's Army", what was the name of Captain Mainwaring's wife?
Answer: Elizabeth