All is Safely Gathered In - Misplaced Pages

8th episode of the 5th series of Dad's Army

"All is Safely Gathered In"

Dad's Army episode

"I've got a real nice harvest spread for you; home-made pasties and potato wine."
The platoon gather around the Marshall threshing machine after completing the final day of the harvest. The episode, filmed in 1972, authentically recreated a wartime harvest.

Episode no.

Series 5
Episode 8

Directed by

David Croft

Story by

Jimmy Perry and David Croft

Original air date

24 November 1972 (1972-11-24)

Running time

30 minutes

Episode chronology

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"All Is Safely Gathered In" is the eighth episode of the fifth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 24 November 1972. The episode was a favourite episode of writer David Croft, which he described in an interview with Graham McCann as "a joyous thing".

Synopsis

Private Godfrey requests leave to help an old flame gather in her harvest and Mainwaring, citing the harvest as vital to the war effort, offers the assistance of the platoon. Meanwhile, ARP Warden Hodges has a narrow escape from a falling bomb and, in a crisis of faith, decides to assist them.

Plot

The platoon is energised by the arrival of a Tommy Gun, or 'Chicago piano' as an excited Pike prefers to call it. While the men combatively discuss who is to have first turn of it, Godfrey reveals he has a problem. In the office, assisted by Jones, he reveals the truth. More than forty years before, as a 'dandy young buck' he had become involved with a friend, a young woman working as a servant in a nearby great house. At first Mainwaring is naturally baffled as to the relevance of all this, but it turns out she had later married a farmer, and was now a widow, her fields needed harvesting (100 acres of wheat).

Mainwaring, inspired by a burst of patriotic fervour, decides to harness the platoon to help with the harvest. They quickly drive out to the farm to offer their assistance. Meanwhile, Warden Hodges has had a life-changing experience, having narrowly survived a bombing raid. He reveals that the German bomb had knocked the pint glass out of his hand, but not exploded. He attributes this to some form of higher destiny, and is now resolved to love his enemies, though "not Hitler of course", and having sought guidance from the Vicar, he decides to assist Captain Mainwaring in his work.

Corporal Jones is acquainted with the machinery, and demonstrates it to the rest of them as best he can. Walker and Wilson appear more interested in three land girls. With an uncharacteristic unity the wardens and Home Guard work together, in the process managing to overcome a number of problems and incidents, including Jones falling into the hopper and losing his trousers. After finally completing the job, they are delighted with their work. After consuming large amounts of potato wine in celebration, the platoon and wardens head outside for the Vicar to bless the harvest. However, the drink has turned them belligerent, and it descends into a mass brawl.

Music

The harvesting scenes feature the march "Calling All Workers" by Eric Coates which was famous as the theme tune to the BBC Light Programme live music show Music While You Work. Other music includes Arthur Tracy's performance of Arthur Johnston & Johnny Burke's song "Pennies from Heaven" (1936) and Ralph Butler & Noel Gay's "Hey Little Hen", which was a hit circa 1941.

The title of the episode is a line from the harvest hymn "Come, ye thankful people, come" by Henry Alford, which is sung to George Job Elvey's tune St George. The platoon give a drunken performance of the hymn in the final part of the episode.

Cast

Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring
John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson
Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jones
John Laurie as Private Frazer
James Beck as Private Walker
Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey
Ian Lavender as Private Pike
Bill Pertwee as ARP Warden Hodges
Brenda Cowling as Mrs Prentice
Frank Williams as Vicar
Edward Sinclair as Verger
Colin Bean as Private Sponge
April Walker as Judy, a Land Girl
Tina Cornioli as Olive, a Land Girl
Third unnamed and uncredited land girl who does not speak in the episode

Notes

The episode features extensive location filming, including a full recreation of a wartime harvest. Location filming took place at a farm in Whitney Green near Thetford, Norfolk in the summer of 1972, and a large quantity of photographs survive from the shoot. The studio scenes were shot at BBC Television Centre on 3 November 1972 and the episode was broadcast on 24 November of the same year.

References

Interview with David Croft in McCann, Dad's Army (Fourth Estate, 2001) p. 120.
"All is Safely Gathered In" (TX 24 November 1972), 0.20.00
"All is Safely Gathered In" (TX 24 November 1972), 0.10.00, 0.15.00
"All is Safely Gathered In" (TX 24 November 1972), 0.27.00
McCann, 161
McCann, 241

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Episodes
Series 1	"The Man and the Hour" "Museum Piece" "Command Decision" "The Enemy Within the Gates" "The Showing Up of Corporal Jones" "Shooting Pains"
Series 2	"Operation Kilt" "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage" "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker"†‡ "Sgt. Wilson's Little Secret" "A Stripe for Frazer"†‡ "Under Fire"†‡
Series 3	"The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" "Battle School" "The Lion Has 'Phones" "The Bullet Is Not for Firing" "Something Nasty in the Vault" "Room at the Bottom" "Big Guns" "The Day the Balloon Went Up" "War Dance" "Menace from the Deep" "Branded" "Man Hunt" "No Spring for Frazer" "Sons of the Sea"
Series 4	"The Big Parade" "Don't Forget the Diver" "Boots, Boots, Boots" "Sgt – Save My Boy!" "Don't Fence Me In" "Absent Friends" "Put That Light Out!" "The Two and a Half Feathers" "Mum's Army" "The Test" "A. Wilson (Manager)?" "Uninvited Guests" "Fallen Idol"
Series 5	"Asleep in the Deep" "Keep Young and Beautiful" "A Soldier's Farewell" "Getting the Bird" "The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones" "If the Cap Fits..." "The King Was in His Counting House" "All is Safely Gathered In" "When Did You Last See Your Money?" "Brain Versus Brawn" "A Brush with the Law" "Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel" "Time on My Hands"
Series 6	"The Deadly Attachment" "My British Buddy" "The Royal Train" "We Know Our Onions" "The Honourable Man" "Things that Go Bump in the Night" "The Recruit"
Series 7	"Everybody's Trucking" "A Man of Action" "Gorilla Warfare" "The Godiva Affair" "The Captain's Car" "Turkey Dinner"
Series 8	"Ring Dem Bells" "When You've Got to Go" "Is There Honey Still for Tea?" "Come In, Your Time Is Up" "High Finance" "The Face on the Poster"
Series 9	"Wake Up Walmington" "The Making of Private Pike" "Knights of Madness" "The Miser's Hoard" "Number Engaged" "Never Too Old"
000!!Specials	"Santa on Patrol"† "Resisting the Aggressor Down the Ages" "Cornish Floral Dance"† "Battle of the Giants!" "Broadcast to the Empire" "My Brother and I" "The Love of Three Oranges"
† Missing episode has been reconstructed using animation. ‡ Missing episode has been recreated with new cast

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