Examples of Anti-China Racism in Dad's Army Scripts (1968-1977) - [31/10/23]
The Chinese State fought the Imperial Japanese between 1931-1945. Throughout China and Asia during this time, around 60 million men, women and children were killed and wounded. Indeed, China was an ally of the UK and shared a common enemy in the form of the Imperial Japanese! Why did the writers of Dad’s Army – between 1968-1977 – think it was acceptable to make racist anti-Chinese jokes all the way through the series, without once mentioning the Imperial Japanese at any time! It would seem that the writers were infected with US Cold War ideology when compiling these scripts – and deviated away from the historical context the series was set within – namely the early to mid-1940s. China was an ally – just as the Soviet Union was an ally of the UK. It is historically incorrect to paint the Chinese people as being the ‘Yellow Peril’ – just because the US had rehabilitated a fascist Japan post-1945 – making it unacceptable to make derogatory comments about the behaviour of these Asian fascists and the atrocities the Imperial Japanese perpetuated during the 1930s and 1940s.
This is a perpetual weakness that runs right through the centre of all Dad’s Army scripts covering the 80 TV episodes, the three Xmas Specials, the 67 Radio adaptations and the 1971 Dad’s Army Feature Film. It is a pity as by and large the scripts are otherwise clever and do convey reliable history about the time the series is set within. I very much like and appreciate this series – but I cannot accept the injustice perpetuated by the script writers against the Chinese people. What follows is an episode-by-episode analysis of all references that involve anti-Chinese statements – a disturbing number of which are premised upon the colour ‘Yellow’. It is interesting to note that although there has been, over the years, a number of complaints about the use of the term ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy’ by the scriptwriters (referring to African hair styles traditionally worn amongst the Sudanese tribal people) – there has not been a single complaint about the use of the term ‘Yellow’ – even though its use is just as prolific throughout the series! As a British person who loves the Home Guard (and the intention and motivation behind Dad’s Army) – it is important to identify what is now out-of-date and what was a mistake in the otherwise endearing scripts. Of course another common (negative) reference that runs all the way through the show – far more prolific than any of the racial viewpoints – is that against Gay people – with Captain Mainwaring often referring to perceived femininity in men as being that of a ‘Nancy Boy’.
S1 – E2 – Museum Piece (series originally broadcast between 31.7.1968-22.3.1969) = Lance Corporal Jones describes China’s ingenuity as being the product of ‘Yellow fiends!’ – when referring to a (non-Han) Manchurian-made mortar – a sophisticated weapon used by the Qing Dynasty Authorities against the ethnic Han ‘Boxers’ (indigenous martial artists) who rose-up against the destructive Western Imperialist presence in China between 1898-1901. The irony is that the ‘Manchurians’ (Jurchen) who established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were not considered ‘Chinese’ or even ‘yellow’ when they ruled China! Today, the Manchurians (who live in North-East of China) are viewed as being one of the 56 ethnic groups that comprises the Chinese nation.
S3 – E8 – The Day the Balloon Went Up (series originally broadcast between 11.9.1969-11.12.1969) = Private Walker discusses with Lance Corporal Jones about the possibility of him (Walker) acquiring illicit meat – which Lance Corporal Jones (in his capacity as the local butcher) should temporarily ‘store’ (illegally) in the cold-room of his shop – until it is retrieved by a friend of Walker. Jones states that he does not want anything to do with ‘Black Market’ activities – to which Walker replies that his friend owns a ‘Chinese’ Restaurant. Jones then states that he does not want anything to do with the ‘Yellow’ Market.
S4 - E5 – Don’t Fence Me (series originally broadcast between 28.9.1970-18.12.1970) = The Platoon are given the task of guarding a POW Camp - housing (fascist) Italian troops captured in North Africa. The Home Guard is temporarily replacing the so-called ‘Free’ Polish troops who usually guard the Camp. These Polish troops have effectively abandoned their posts and left the Camp unguarded. Captain Mainwaring orders Lance Corporal Jones to rouse the lazing Italian POWs out-of-bed and outside onto the Parade Ground so that they can be properly counted. Jones does this by ‘fixing bayonets’ and motivating the reluctant Prisoners to obey his orders.
Sergeant Wilson questions Mainwaring as to whether Jones will be able to correctly count the Prisoners as Italians ‘all look alike’! Mainwaring corrects and reassures Wilson by stating ‘No, it is the Chinese that all look alike!’
Although the Writers portray the Italian POWs as lovable ‘forced’ combatants – rather than as the ruthless and brutal fascists they were – at the time the episode is set (1941-1942), hundreds of thousands of Italian (fascist) troops were committing atrocities in the USSR - fighting alongside their Nazi German (and Catholic) allies! The Polish, of course, had established a fascist government in 1930 and Hitler’s rise to power saw Poles take to the streets in countrywide celebrations in 1933! Indeed, Goebbels was given a State Visit in 1934 with the Poles establishing a Concentration Camp in Bereza (designed to ‘process’ ethnic Russians) shortly afterwards. In 1938, fascist Polish troops entered Czechoslovakia alongside their Nazi Germany allies! It was only in 1939 that Hitler betrayed the Poles – and the British people were force-fed the lie that Poland was a ‘free’ country with a similar culture to the UK!
S5 – E2 – Keep Young and Beautiful (series originally broadcast between 6.10.1972-29.12.1972) = There is talk in the British Parliament of the older men in the Home Guard being transferred to the Air Raid Patrol (ARP) – to make way for younger and fitter men – in preparation for these recruits to enter the Regular Armed Forces when ‘of age’. Private Frazer – the local Funeral Director – is well-known for his embalming and preserving skills regarding the deceased bodies he prepares for burial. Lance Corporal Jones and Private Godfrey ask Frazer to use his make-up skills to make them look younger for an upcoming ‘Inspection’ of the Platoon by Battalion top brass. When Godfrey is finally observed by Captain Mainwaring following the treatment – Mainwaring comments that his appearance (that is - his tight yellow skin, black hair and raised eyebrows) looks ridiculous as he resembles ‘Madame Butterfly’ – a ‘Japanese’ female character that appears in Puccini’s (1900) Opera of the same name. A criticism of this story (originally written by American John Luther Long in 1898 – whose sister had been to Japan as the wife of a Christian Missionary) is that such portrayals ‘Orientalise’ the Far-East - reducing all Far-East Asian people to a certain set of ludicrous racial stereotypes and demeaning physical characteristics. Although referring to an ‘imagined’ (Eurocentric) ‘Japanese’ character (that does not exist in reality) – such a non-Asian parody refers equally to all Chinese, Korean, and Japanese people – as well as any other ethnic group included in the generalisation.
S6 – E7 – The Recruit (series originally broadcast between 31.10.1973-12.12.1973) = Whilst Captain Mainwaring recovers in hospital after an operation correcting his ingrowing toe-nail problem – Sergeant Wilson takes-over the running of the Platoon. During this time, the local Vicar and the Verger decided to join the Home Guard – to the chagrin of the existing recruits – who blame Sergeant Wilson’s laissez faire attitude for recent developments (which would never have happened under Captain Mainwaring’s watch). Rightly or wrongly - the general consensus is that clergymen do not make very good soldiers.
However, Private Pike comes to the defence of Sergeant Wilson (his ‘Uncle’) by stating that he once watched a film starring Spencer Tracey (who played a prison chaplain) – that persuaded a condemned hardened criminal (played by Jimmy Cagney) to go to the electric chair acting like a coward - so as not to encourage the younger and more impressionable inmates to pursue a life of criminality. Private Pike confirms that Jimmy Cagney ‘died all yellow!’ Upon hearing this, Private Godfrey enquires, ‘Wasn’t that Charlie Chang?’ This is arguably the most ignorant and blatantly ‘racist’ expression from Perry and Croft and very much sets the agenda for their notoriously racist ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ – a sitcom now permanently banned from primetime TV.
The writers are referring to the racist 1920s and 1930s US films and radio broadcasts covering the antics of one ‘Charlie Chan’ – a supposed Chinese detective working out of Honolulu – and invariably played by a White man ‘yellowed-up’ for the role. Private Godfrey either deliberately – or inadvertently – pronounces the name incorrectly. One irony is that this type of anti-Chinese racism was considered ‘positive’ in the US during its inception as a bulwark against the ‘Yellow Peril’ mentality – and yet the writers of Dad’s Army serve to re-unite this negative connotation with the Charlie Chan phenomenon – to the point of mispronouncing the name incorrectly, presumably for what they consider to be comic effect.
S7 – E1 – Everybody’s Trucking (series originally broadcast between 15.11.1974-23.12.1974) = From 1931-1945 – the combined might of ‘Nationalist’ and ‘Communist’ China fought the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces – and were Allies of Great Britain! Indeed, British soldiers also fought the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces throughout WWII (the ‘Chindits’ in Burma is just one example) with thousands of Western soldiers ending-up in Imperial Japanese POW Camp where they were psychologically, emotionally, and physically abused by their captors!
Hong Kong became a British Colony in 1841 (after the First Opium War). In 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the New Territories and the Island of Hong Kong – bringing British rule to a temporary end (1841-1941). The Japanese governed the Colony until 1945 – when a British sailor (held in a local gaol by the Japanese) was released. He had hidden the British ‘Union Jack’ flag about his body and as the US Navy steamed to Hong Kong to claim the area for themselves – the British sailor concerned ran to the official flag-pole and raised the British flag – thus reclaiming the colony for Great Britain.
Simultaneously, the People’s Militia (provided by the Communist Party of China) that had entered the area to guide the anti-Chinese efforts against the Imperial Japanese - peacefully ‘left’ the area – ordering the local Chinese people to cooperate with the returning British to rebuild the Colony. The British Authorities carried-out this function between 1945-1997 (52-years). Meanwhile, the status of the region changed from ‘Colony’ to ‘Protectorate’ – with the ethnic Chinese population being granted ‘British’ status at birth. During the time that Dad’s Army was set (1940-1944) these ‘British’ Chinese Subjects were under a brutal Imperial Japanese rule! When this episode was written in 1974 – the ethnic Chinese people of Hong Kong and the New Territories were ‘British’ – with many choosing to resettle in the Mainland United Kingdom.
In this episode, Private Godfrey is asked to construct a road-sign intended to direct traffic to nearby ‘East Gate’. The writers have him doing this using a disgusting stereotypical pictogram of a Chinese person wearing a pointed-hat whilst possessing slanted-eyes and buck-teeth. This racist symbol is used by Godfrey to signify the direction of ‘East’ – whilst a cartoon wooden-gate is used to denote the concept of a ‘Gate’. This is the only example of a ‘visual’ racial statement in the entire series – but it is a significant statement of intent, nonetheless. The anti-China racism is shocking – particularly as the people being demonised were considered part of the British Empire. Not only this, but British-Chinese people comprise a very important part of the UK population. Chinese people have fought and died for the UK over the years – including hundreds working on Royal Navy ships during the Falklands War of 1982! Sometimes, these casualties are ‘removed’ from the British Lists as these men were from Hong Kong!
These six references appear in Series 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. I have not included the three other references involving the colour ‘yellow’ and the connotation of ‘cowardice’ – primarily as this is used as a separate and distinct figure of speech with no direct and/or contextual use in association with things ‘Chinese’. It seems to be an ‘Americanism’ imported at the time through radio-plays and cinema films, etc, with more to do with Chicago gangsters than Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard recruits. With the next series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft – the BBC-produced ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ – derogatory racial humour aimed at Indians, Chinese, Japanese and Burmese people became not only common-place – but was the norm for the show being expected in every episode. Although Indian and Chinese actors did appear in ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ – the primary ‘Asian’ character was in fact a ‘White’ Englishman ‘browned-up’ for the part. This series overlapped with Dad’s Army and ran for eight-series (and 58 episodes) and seven-years between 1974-1981.
Although Dad’s Army is said to have run between 1968-1977 – in fact it was the Dad’s Army Xmas Special broadcast in late 1978 that was the last official time that the Dad’s Army cast worked together. At no point in the Dad’s Army body of work does a non-White character appear as a ‘British’ person – or a ‘British Subject’ born within one of Britain’s imperial colonies spread throughout the world – although ‘Italian’ POWs (who routinely committed War Crimes in North Africa, Spain and the USSR both before and during WWII) are portrayed as being both ‘quaint’ and ‘bumbling’ – whilst the so-called ‘Free Polish’ are depicted (correctly) as being almost like the Germans – but on our side. Between 1930-1939 – Poland was an openly ‘fascist’ State and a keen ally of Nazi Germany (Polish troops entered Czechoslovakia in 1938 - alongside their Nazi German allies). Both the Italians and Polish are well-known ‘Catholic’ States – with the Catholic Church pursuing a policy of supporting fascism. This explains why the Republic of Ireland (Eire) was ‘Neutral’ during WWII – to prevent the British RAF bombing Dublin.
Black and Asian people fought and died for Great Britain during WWII throughout the world – including serving in the Mainland UK. Even the 1965 film entitled ‘The Hill’ has a ‘Black’ character (Jacko King – played by Ossie Davies) who is a ‘Volunteer’ from the West Indies who – as a ‘British Subject’ – joined the ‘Pioneer Corps’ of the British Army. As this film also starred Sean Connery – it was a major box office hit and everyone would have known about it. Even so, the writers of Dad’s Army were dedicated to the show being an ‘all White’ affair. The only relationship the show allows to exist with the non-White communities of the world is through the agency of derogatory and negative humour. This observation, although relevant and important, should not be used to negate the importance of the ‘White’ British experience. The point I am making is that ‘Britishness’ cannot be narrowly defined as just ‘White’ – and must be extended to include all the non-White people who have selflessly contributed to what it means to be a modern ‘British’ person. The British people prevailed during WWII in-part due to the efforts of all the non-White people who were ‘British’ or who voluntarily aligned themselves with the British fight against World Fascism! Together we prevailed – very much in the spirit of Dad’s Army!
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2023.