Julian Dutton salutes John Le Mesurier

Posted on 6th November 2023

Julian Dutton’s tribute to John Le Mesurier, the actor best known for his role in Dad’s Army, was an affectionate but candid look at the life of a man that met triumph and disaster, and treated those two impostors just the same, which is to say with stoic calm and insouciant charm, while asking the titular question “Do you think that’s wise?”

Dutton emerged dressed in Home Guard uniform, in support of the conceit that Le Mesurier was taking a break from rehearsal. While waiting for an interview with a newspaper journalist, he was  merely dredging up anecdotes and memories for an article.  What followed was a whistle stop tour of Le Mesurier’s life, at school with Alan Turin, in rep with Alex Guinness and at home with Hattie Jacques. A lightness of touch rarely wavered, which made his darkening mood when describing her affair all the more effecting. His choice to live upstairs while she occupied the ground floor of the family home with her chauffer may seem bizarre, but in Dutton’s hands, we could see it was driven by love and hope. When lightning struck twice and his second wife left home for his best friend Tony Hancock, Dutton subtly conveyed the anguish hidden behind the mask of urbane civility.

Le Mesurier had the rare talent of never seeming to try too hard, yet always managed to deliver an authentic performance. So often typecast, I was pleased Dutton squeezed in a passing reference to his brilliant straight performance in Dennis Potter’s Traitor. Conversely, while his time on Dad’s Army was covered, it was not as comprehensive as one might have expected. I wondered if this might be a disappointment to some, but I think Dutton was determined to impress that the television program represented some, but not all, of the man.