it's time for another lovely guest blog. Today it's over to regular reader Simon Copley who has written a really good piece on the difference between comedians and actors and why it was so important to the success of the Carry Ons that the talent they employed were comedy actors...
Whilst I was on a recent holiday, I saw an excellent
production of the classic farce Don’t Dress for Dinner at the local
theatre. The cast were all very good and
one of them, who had perhaps the best comedy part in the play, reminded me of
the likes of Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims, not in terms of physical
resemblance, but ability to act comedy, different voices and characters,
physical comedy, facial expressions and reactions. (Her name is Lauren Verrier and you can
follow her on Twitter, hopefully she will be going places, given her talent, if
she gets the breaks always required in the business.) This got me thinking about the importance of
acting to good comedy, whether sitcoms or films.
Also whilst I was away, there was the 50th
anniversary of Dad’s Army and the 60th anniversary of the Carry On
films. 2018 seems to have been a year of
anniversaries and commemorations – we’ve also had the 100th
anniversaries of the births of both Spike Milligan and Kenneth Connor, the 50th
anniversary of the death of Tony Hancock and the 30th anniversary of
the death of Kenneth Williams, and, one which may have passed you by, the 30th
anniversary of First of the Summer Wine.
(For those who fondly remember this 1980’s prequel to Last of the Summer
Wine, set just before the start of the war, there are plenty more details and
cast interviews on my website – www.firstofthesummerwine.wordpress.com.)
In an interview with the Radio Times to mark the Dad’s Army
anniversary, Ian Lavender mentioned that most sitcoms these days star
comedians, rather than actors. I
reflected on the superb talents of the leading lights of Dad’s Army, how they
could communicate and react with just a look or gesture, their mastery of pauses
and tones of voice, all making it a classic of relationship based and situation
based comedy. I have watched Arthur Lowe
in a number of other sitcoms, none of which come anywhere close to Dad’s Army
in terms of the writing, but all of which show his talents and skill as an
actor, something respected not only by colleagues in these comedies but by the
leading “serious actors” of the day too.
John Le Mesurier’s own comment about acting - “always play the same part and if possible
wear the same suit” – downplays his years of experience in filmmaking and his
ability to milk every detail and nuance in a role, which must have contributed
to his eventual BAFTA award for Traitor.
John Laurie of course had years of experience playing Shakespeare with
the greats and a substantial film career too.
My thoughts then turned to the Carry On anniversary the
following day. What part did acting play
here? Was the same true as for Dad’s
Army?
Hattie Jacques, whilst may be best remembered for her battleaxe
Matron, had talents far beyond that.
Look at the depths and complexities of her role as Peggy in Carry On
Cabby, and then the fiery tempered cook, Floella, in Abroad, and the softer and
more sensible sister she played in the TV series Sykes.
Sid James, in my opinion, was a much more versatile actor
than we often got to see – Sir Rodney ffing in Don’t Lose Your Head is proof of
that and to a lesser extent the Rumpo Kid in Cowboy and the harassed authority
figures in Constable and Cruising. Also
in the sitcom Citizen James as the camera cuts at the end of a scene we get a
momentary glimpse of what a great dancer he was too.
Joan Sims played a more diverse set of roles across the
series, posh, common, glamourous, drunk, often changing seamlessly from one to
another, even within a scene. Her role in
Teacher, as Miss Allcock, playing out the romance with Leslie Phillips’
character, Mr Grigg, showcases perfectly her abilities.
Kenneth Williams, as Adam Endacott’s superb book, The
Kenneth Williams Companion, reminded me, built up his acting skills in weekly
rep, was acclaimed for his role of the Dauphin in St Joan on the London stage,
took part in Orson Welles’ innovative production of Moby Dick and ably filled
in all the extra roles in Hancock’s Half Hour, which must have been so much
harder than building up a single, regular character (although admittedly of
course he did play a number of them as Snide).
Kenneth Connor, in many ways the leading man in the early
films, beautifully plays out the nervousness, excitement and shyness in his on
screen romances with Rosalind Knight in Teacher and Dilys Laye in Cruising,
making them some of my favourite scenes of the whole series.
The Carry On team was a bit like a repertory company. Based initially around Kenneth Connor,
Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques and, from the second film,
Joan Sims, with Sid James joining shortly after, and many capable guests coming
and going, the acting skills of the cast were key to making the series what it
was and still is today. Very different
in tone to Dad’s Army, but played with great skill and attention to detail. Ironically the series perhaps led to many of
its stars becoming typecast in certain types of roles or supposed caricatures
of themselves, so that the very acting skills that made the films a success,
weren’t able to flourish and be showcased to their full extent elsewhere. Let’s hope that the admiration and the
affection for not just the films but the actors themselves, 60 years after the
series started, more than makes up for this, and that this carries on, as they
journey forwards towards their centenary.
Thanks again to Simon for submitting this excellent blog. If you fancy having a bash yourself, either drop me a direct message over on Twitter or email your idea to carryonfan15@gmail.com
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram
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