Dad's
Army News - August 2002
Carmen
Silvera 1922-2002
August
4th 2002
 Actress
Carmen Silvera has died after a battle with lung cancer. Silvera,
who played a long-suffering wife, Edith in David Croft and Jeremy
Lloyd's hit BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, died on Saturday afternoon,
aged 80. Carmen is also well remembered for her contribution to
the 1970 Dad's Army episode Mum's Army.
Her agent
and friend of 25 years Barry Burnett said: "Carmen was
diagnosed with lung cancer in April. She passed away peacefully
yesterday afternoon in the actors' retirement home Denville
Hall, in Northwood, West London."
'Allo 'Allo
was a huge hit in the 1980s, and centered on the fictional
exploits of resistance fighters in World War II in France.
Mr Burnett
said: "She celebrated her 80th birthday in June with
friends and family and was cheerful right to the end. She said
she had a very happy life, some wonderful holidays, and wonderful
success in her career."
Actor Gorden
Kaye, who played her reluctant husband in 'Allo 'Allo,
saw Carmen just days before she died. He said: "Carmen
was a lovely lady. She was ditsy - she always left her spectacles
all over the place - she was clumsy - you had to be careful
not to sit next to her during a black tie dinner - she was fun
and she had a wicked sense of humour. She was a delightful lady."
Mr Kaye said:
"We expected this, but not quite so soon. It's going to
be a difficult time ahead. She was a good friend." The
actor said he would donate a rose tree to the crematorium in her
memory.
David Croft
had featured Carmen in Hugh and I and Beggar My Neighbour
so she seemed a natural love interest for Arthur Lowe's Captain
Mainwaring in the 1970 episode "Mum's Army".
Carmen portrayed
Mrs.Gray who joins the ranks of the ladies section of the Home
Guard, but whom Captain Mainwaring fell for, it was loosely
based on the film "Brief Encounter" Carmen
later recounted. During recording of the episode Carmen actually
was sent back to make-up as David Croft believed she looked
too young to be Arthur Lowe's love interest.
 Carmen's
portrayal of Mrs.Gray was so good she was invited back in 1974
to recreate the role in the radio adaptation of the episode by
Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles. Fans, (myself included) were
equally delighted to meet her at the Dad's Army Appreciation Society
30th aniversary event at the Oval Cricket Ground in 1998. She
remembered her brief time on Dad's Army with great fondness
and seemed pleased that people remembered her contribution to
the show!
Andy Howells
This
feature was compiled by Andy Howells for www.dadsarmy.tv.
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