Private James Frazer
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| Dad's Army character | |
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| Private James Frazer | |
| Affiliated with | Home Guard |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Series One and Two:Shop keeper (Philately) Series 3 onwards:Undertaker |
| First appearance | The Man and the Hour |
| Last appearance | Never Too Old |
| Portrayed by | TV Series: John Laurie Stage Show: Hamish Roughead |
Private James Frazer is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and undertaker portrayed by John Laurie on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army.
[edit] Personality
Private Frazer is a dour, trouble-stirring, exaggerating, wild-eyed Scottish undertaker (formerly the keeper of a philatelist's shop with a hobby of making coffins). He hails from the "wild and lonely" Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, an apparently desolate and bleak place that appears to have informed most of his pessimistic, dark tendencies. He was a Chief Petty Officer (and cook) in the Navy during World War I, but later retired to Walmington-on-Sea.
Frazer makes no secret of his desires for increased rank and power within the platoon. To that end, Frazer is frequently negative and hyper-critical of his superior officers and their decisions, and clearly considers Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson and Lance Corporal Jones barely fit for command. When given even a little bit of power, however (or even just the taste of it), it frequently goes straight to his head; notably, in the episode "If the Cap Fits...", Frazer is temporarily given command of the platoon for a few days as an exercise in the difficulties of leadership, which - far from educating him in the pressures that Mainwaring faced - instead result in him acting even more exceedingly arrogant and tyrannical than before.
To reach his ends, Frazer is somewhat two-faced; he has a Machiavellian tendency to doubt people and their situations, and is usually responsible for gossiping and sowing the seeds of unease or insubordination amongst the other members of the platoon. His is usually the loudest voice of condemnation or criticism in any given situation - however, if and when his current target triumphs or is validated, he will instantly alter his position with a hasty "I never doubted you for a second", to ensure that he's never on the losing side. A prime example of this is his attitude in the episode "Branded", where his is the loudest voice of condemnation regarding Private Godfrey's consciencious objection and apparent 'cowardice' during the First World War, only for Frazer to immediately change his position when it transpires that Godrey is nevertheless a decorated war hero.
A notoriously miserable and miserly soul, Frazer is known for his bleak, pessimistic outlook on life. In any situation where circumstances seem bleak for the platoon, he will never fail to find more reasons to feel doom. He will often find the time in the various predicaments that the platoon face to observe that their potential fate is "a terrible way to die", to note that "we're doomed" when peril is awaiting them or to regale the platoon with an anecode of a much similar experience he is aware of that ended rather bleakly for all concerned. He also has quite a line in dark, atmospheric and rather long-winded tales which start promisingly with the lure of supernatural horrors and terrors, only to ultimately prove disappointing and end rather mundanely, such as the tales of 'The Auld Empty Barn' and his friend Jethro, who apparently fell victim to a long-lasting curse that ensured that he lived to a ripe old age.
His main rivalries are with the other ageing members in the platoon, notably Corporal Jones, who fights back, and Private Godfrey, who doesn't. He possesses a curious fascination with women who have large, thick thighs.
Frazer does show a more generous side to his character when he saves Private Godfrey's cottage from being demolished to make way for a runway. When all hope seems lost, Frazer saves the day by threatening to reveal a senior politician's past indiscretions, although in typical Frazer style he doesn't let on that he was the hero of the hour.
[edit] Trivia
- Of the Dad's Army cast, John Laurie was the only member to have actually served in the home guard.
- Both John Laurie & Private Godfrey (Arnold Ridley) had actually served in World War I.
