Carrying On with A … Doctor At Large!

This is part of a brand new series of blogs looking back at the wonderful series of British comedy films - the Doctor … series. There were seven Doctor films produced at Pinewood Studios between 1954 and 1970, all with Betty Box and Ralph Thomas at the helm. With Betty being Peter Rogers' wife and Ralph the brother of Gerald Thomas, there were bound to be a fair few Carry On connections.

These medical comedy films were extremely popular at the time and while perhaps they do not have the lasting appeal of the Carry Ons, there is no doubting their classic status. Always looking more lavish than their sister films in the Pinewood stable, they did share a cosy ensemble feel with many familiar faces appearing again and again over the years.

So let's continue today by looking at the third film in the series, Doctor At Large, which was released in 1957. 

What's it about?

Back at St Swithin’s, Dr Simon Sparrow loses out to the self-important Dr Bingham for a job as senior house surgeon. Feeling that he has no future as a surgeon, he takes a general practice job in an industrial town. He finds that he has to do most of the work, including night calls, and is also the target of his partner’s flirty wife.

He then takes a locum job with Dr Potter-Shine’s Harley Street practice, where most of the patients are dotty aristocrats and neurotic society women. Leaving after three months, he moves to a rural practice where patients pay in kind, ranging from home-grown raspberries to poached salmon.

Meanwhile, Tony Benskin fails his finals – again – and travels to Ireland where he buys a very dubious medical degree. This leads to a post as private physician to a rich elderly aristocratic lady in Wiltshire.

Sparrow and Benskin take a short holiday in France, where they save Dr Hopcroft, a governor at St Swithin’s, from an embarrassing incident. In return, he arranges for Sparrow and Benskin to return to St Swithin’s. Sparrow commences advanced surgical training with Sir Lancelot Spratt, whilst Benskin becomes personal physician to a rich Maharajah.

Who's in it?

Four of the original Doctor In The House cast from 1954 returned for this later film, all playing the same roles. DIrk Bogarde was the leading man for the third time playing Simon Sparrow. Playing his love interest for the second time is the lovely actress Muriel Pavlow as Joy Gibson. The raffish Donald Sinden also reprises his role as Benskin while who else but James Robertson Justice could inhabit the character of Sir Lancelot Spratt.

Carry On faces?

Having played a smaller role in the very first in the series, Doctor in the House, Shirley Eaton returned to play the major supporting role of Nan in At Large. Shirley would soon become the Carry On's first leading lady. 

Carry On Nurse cameo star Michael Medwin plays the role of Bingham in the film while fellow Nurse actor Terence Longdon also appears as George the House Surgeon. Playing Mrs Digby is future Carry On Regardless, Cabby and Spying actress Judith Furse. And fellow Carry On Spying star Dilys Laye grabs the featured role of Mrs. Jasmine Hatchet (wife to Lionel Jeffries).

Also look out for reliable character actor Harry Locke, making yet another appearance on screen as a hospital porter. Carry On Cruising actor Ronnie Stevens crops up as a hotel waiter while Carry On Doctor cameo player Dandy Nichols pops in as a Lady in the Outpatients Department. 

Another face to appear in his third Doctor film is that familiar face Cyril Chamberlain, this time in the uncredited role as a Police Constable. Also look out for small part Carry On Cleo actress Peggy Ann Clifford as a "Large Woman". And finally, playing O'Malley's Char is an actress best remembered for munching through Peter Butterworth's grapes in Carry On Doctor ten years later - Jean St Clair. 

Did you know? 

Doctor At Large was the second most popular film at the British Box Office for 1957, only beaten to the top spot by High Society. 

The screenplay was once again written by actor Nicholas Phipps, based on Richard Gordon's book. Nicholas again had a small role in the film, playing the solicitor Mr Wayland.

The film's music was composed by Bruce Montgomery, a year before he teamed up with Peter Rogers to provide the score for Carry On Sergeant, beginning a run of films before handing over to Eric Rogers.

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How They Came To Carry On ... Shirley Eaton

 

The glamorous girl next door Shirley Eaton enlivened several early, rather coy black and white Carry On films. She was the young female lead in the very first in the series, Carry On Sergeant, playing Mary Sage, the new young wife of lead character Charlie, played by Bob Monkhouse.

In a very male dominated National Service comedy, Eaton's performance stood out and it was no surprise to see her back later in 1958 for a starring role in the smash hit, Carry On Nurse. Released in 1959, Nurse performed strongly not just in the United Kingdom but also on the other side of the Atlantic. As Nurse Dorothy Denton, Shirley shone and her romantic storyline alongside Terence Longdon added a strong backbone to all the knockabout comedy provided by the likes of Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims. Shirley made her final Carry On in late 1959 when she came back to Pinewood for a cameo role as Sally Barry in the police comedy, Carry On Constable.

 

Shirley only had two or three scenes in Constable, however Rogers and Thomas were obviously keen to feature as many familiar actors in the film as possible. Her scenes with Leslie Phillips were great fun and the pair had delicious chemistry. Sadly Shirley did not appear in any further Carry Ons. I remember the actress saying she didn't think the characters she played would have fitted with later, ruder entries in the series, and I can understand that. However I wish she had appeared in a few more early 1960s Carry Ons. Of course Eaton retired from acting by 1969 so there would have no 1970s Carry Ons for her anyway. 

However, what brought Shirley Eaton to the attention of the Carry On producers in the first place? How did she come to Carry On? Acting from a very young age, Shirley trained at the Aida Foster's school in North London, taking to the stage as a girl. Breaking into television in the early days of the medium, Shirley appeared frequently with the duo of Terry Scott and Bill Maynard in Great Scott! It's Maynard! Before Shirley came to work for Peter Rogers, she first of all acted in films produced by his wife, the legendary Betty Box. 

Shirley has spoken of how Betty spotted her playing the small role of a harem girl in the 1954 comedy film You Know What Sailors Are. On the basis of that small role, Box cast Shirley in the first ever Doctor comedy, Doctor in the House, released later that same year. Playing the small role of Milly Groaker, Shirley shared scenes with Dirk Bogarde as Simon Sparrow and Joan Hickson, playing her mother. This eye-catching guest role led to Box casting Eaton in a further Doctor film, Doctor At Large, in 1957. In this film she had the larger role of Nurse Nan McPherson. There is no doubt that becoming a reliable actress in the Doctor comedies played a part in Rogers and Thomas adding Eaton to the line up for their own fledgling comedy series.

If Peter Rogers went regularly to the cinema in the 1950s, and I believe both he and Gerald Thomas did, he would have seen Shirley star in a further two important and popular broad comedy films. The first of these, Sailor Beware! was a translation of Falkland Carey's successful stage play. Eaton played Shirley Hornett and the film centred on the plans for her wedding to Albert Tufnell, played by future Nurse On Wheels star, Ronald Lewis. Peggy Mount played the formidable mother, Emma and she was ably assisted by the likes of Esma Cannon, Gordon Jackson and Geoffrey Keen. The film was a huge success as was the wonderful comedy The Naked Truth, released in 1957.

 

The Naked Truth is a glorious British comedy, directed by Mario Zampi. The Naked Truth sees the editor of a famous scandal magazine and focuses on the attempts of various high profile figures to despatch the troublesome Nigel Dennis, before he can ruin their careers. Dennis played by the reliably suave Dennis Price. Shirley Eaton plays the young starlet Melissa Right and is given superb support by the likes of Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, Joan Sims and Peggy Mount. Quite a cast! 

Given the films Shirley was making and the people she was working with, it was surely only a matter of time before she worked for Peter Rogers. Of course this is all with the benefit of hindsight, but I'm glad Peter did cast Shirley in those early Carry Ons. In doing so he began a fond tradition of the Carry On blonde. While the likes of Liz Fraser, Angela Douglas and Barbara Windsor would follow, Shirley Eaton was the first and a proper Carry On original.

 

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How They Came to Carry On ... Dilys Laye

 

The lovely Dilys Laye has always been one of my favourite actors. Throughout her career Dilys tackled almost every aspect of the acting profession, from Carry On comedy to soap opera, live theatre, musicals and even a one woman show. Dilys was such a talented lady and always a cheerful, upbeat presence.

Dilys was also very obviously incredibly proud of her Carry On connections. Speaking on the DVD commentaries for both Carry On Cruising and Spying in 2006, she found the films fresh and funny and clearly loved her association with these low budget, innuendo-encrusted films. She was also full of praise for her colleagues, particularly the likes of Kenneth Williams and her life-long friend, Joan Sims. During her long career, Dilys found time to appear in four Carry Ons and I know many fans agree with me that she should really have appeared in more. Dilys herself said she wished she'd been in every single one as they were so much fun to make.

 

During the 1960s, Dilys appeared as the tiggerish Flo Castle, looking for a husband in Carry On Cruising; she vamped it up as double agent Lila in Carry On Spying, famous mimicking Kenneth Williams' snide character; she played Mavis Winkle, love interest to Bernard Bresslaw in Carry On Doctor and finally, the following year, she teamed up with Sid, Bernard and Joan to form the fabulous foursome in Carry On Camping. However how did Dilys first come to Carry On? 

The original story, as told by Dilys herself, was that she was brought in to play the role of Flo in Cruising at very short notice, something like two or three days. She told the story of being whisked around the West End of London to buy various outfits for the film, which apparently she got to keep at the end. Surely an uncharacteristically generous move on the part of producer Peter Rogers?! Anyway, the role of Flo was originally written by Norman Hudis for series regular Joan Sims. Joan however was apparently struck down with an illness just before filming commenced so Dilys was drafted in. Although I'd have loved to see my favourite actor play that part in Cruising, for me it's definitely Dilys' part and she fills that film with a youthful exuberance and such jolly high spirits. 

However I wonder what made Peter Rogers think of Dilys as an ideal replacement? Apart from the fact that Joan and Dilys were great mates and had already spent years touring in revues together, Dilys had already built up an impressive range of comedy film parts which must have made her the ideal choice. Most importantly she had already worked for both Peter and his wife, Betty Box.

 

Dilys made her debut for Peter and Betty in 1957 when she played the supporting role of Jasmine Hatchett in Doctor At Large. In that film her character had to make a play for leading man and matinee idol, Dirk Bogarde as Dr Simon Sparrow. Two years later, Dilys played an Agency Girl in the Betty Box comedy Upstairs and Downstairs, a film that boasted an all star cast of Rogers and Box rep company favourites. Probably the most significant early role for Dilys, which almost guaranteed her future appearance in a Carry On was that of Millicent Jones in one of my favourites, Please Turn Over, which was released in 1959. 

Millicent Jones is a role Dilys herself seemed to really enjoy playing. Millicent was the secretary to lead character Edward Halliday, played by the wonderful Ted Ray. Millicent is in many ways a dual role as at first she is the sweet, reliable secretary but she soon turns into a double-crossing, money grabbing gold digger! It's a delightful performance and must have been huge fun to play! Watching that film again, Dilys is one of the highlights and it's easy to see why Peter Rogers would want to capitalise on that talent and make use of Dilys in future productions.

 

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