Do You Think That's Wise?: The Life of John Le Mesurier
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Review
...a worthy tribute to a modest, much-loved, much-missed actor and will greatly please his legions of fans. --The Magazine
`The author produces a fully rounded picture of Le Mez' March 2011
--This England
`The author produces a fully rounded picture of Le Mez' March 2011
--This England
Review
'Graham McCann's book is an affectionate, enthralling account of this laid-back gentleman of whom Dad's Army writer Jimmy Perry said: 'He just swanned through life' Daily Mail
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm extremely satisfied with this. The book kept me interested all the way through. It tells the whole story of John Le Mesurier's very eventful life from his birth in Bedford in 1912 to his death in 1983, when he famously left the message that he'd "conked out". He had some terrible luck in his marriages, but what shines through is his innate decency. He always behaved well. And as this book so rightly highlights, he was actually an underrated actor, always making his characters seem just right even when the scripts didn't give him much if anything to go on. (Graham McCann's remark that these performances provided productions with a "watermark of realism" is very apt in my opinion). All of the details about his time making the wonderful (and still very popular) "Dad's Army" are a delight, and there are some very touching moments covering his later years. Well-written and well-researched, I recommend this biography heartily.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've always thought that John Le Mesurier deserved a proper biography. Graham McCann is a great choice as Le Mesurier's biographer, as he's already written a gem of a book about Dad's Army as well as several other sensitive but balanced studies of other popular actors. So what of the book in question? It's very thorough, with some fascinating stories about John's upbringing in East Anglia and his Dickensian-sounding experiences at public school, along with his early career as an actor as well as plenty of details about his better known work and his 'difficult' and sometimes nightmarish love life. The great years spent as a member of the Dad's Army gang are given all of the space they so richly deserve, but we also learn much about the last part of his life as a self-styled 'jobbing actor'. All of this is communicated with great sensitivity, good humour and warmth, as well as with sharp and expert critical insight. The overall impression we get is of a genuinely fine man, a real 100% gentleman, as well as an underrated character actor. And this superb, very entertaining and in places very moving biography is just what John Le Mesurier richly deserves, because, without ever compromising the sense that it's a serious and measured account, it warms the heart by showing that, sometimes, decency and success CAN go hand in hand.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
John Le Mesurier must be one of the warmest-remembered character actors in British cinema and TV. In film after film, and in countless TV episodes and plays as well as the classic sitcom "Dad's Army", he gave assured performances with a lovely light touch and a subtle wit. His private life, with three dramatic marriages, was sometimes difficult, but he also knew how to enjoy himself and share the fun with others. Graham McCann's biography of him, "Do You Think That's Wise?", is a handsome tribute: it is remarkably well researched, as wry and witty as its subject deserved, and admirably balanced, sensitive and touching when dealing with the various trials and tribulations. As a lifelong fan of the man, I'm so pleased to say that this book made me like him even more than I did before.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very Impressed
I am a huge Dad's Army fan and having just read Arthur Lowe's biography could not resist reading John Le Mesurier's. Do You Think That's Wise? was my first Amazon Kindle book. Read more
Published 9 months ago by David
Very Good Book
This is the only book about John Le Mesurier that I have read and it is totally all about him right from the beginning.
From when he was born and about his parents etc. Read more
From when he was born and about his parents etc. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. T. Beachem
Funny and written with warmth
This is an excellent biography of one of Britain's best known faces and character actors of the post war period. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Stephen Croft
A Gentle Man
This much-loved actor's life is beautifully recorded in this book. Besides his being a member of the "Dad's Army" cast, more is revealed about his sometimes turbulent and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by M. Henry Shepherd
A very good biography
This meticulously researched and very readable biography is, as other reviewers have said, an apt and well-deserved tribute to a fondly remembered actor. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Post Scriptum
charming
At the risk of repeating what's already been said about this book, I have to say I found it fascinating. Read more
Published 15 months ago by V E Tully
Third Time Lucky
Just like John Le Mesurier's career, his biography takes a long time to get going, before taking you into the warm embrace of the Dad's Army years, the pinnacle of John's languid... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Roger Risborough
Gorgeous!
I bought this for my Mum for Christmas, but could not resist reading it first!!! It seemed very well researched and was written in a style that made it hard to put down. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Annie Fur Lactic
Splendid
John Lennon, when asked while living in New York if he missed anything about England, is reported to have replied: "Bath Oliver biscuits and John Le Mesurier". Read more
Published 18 months ago by Trish980
A Charming Book About A Charming Man.
John "Le Mez" will always be Sergeant Wilson in my eyes. I had an idea of the sadness he suffered during his life, particularly his marriages but this book filled in a lot of gaps... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Nicholas Peacock MA
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