Carry On Faces in Different Places: Lost

Here we go with another in my series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii and the brilliant John Gregson and Diana Dors vehicle, Value for Money. 
  
More recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up! and the the Gordon Jackson drama, Floodtide. 

I've also looked at the Carry On links with the wonderful film I'm All Right Jack

Recently I blogged about the Billy Fury and Amanda Barrie musical film I've Gotta Horse , the classic 1954 school comedy The Belles of St Trinian's and the 1959 romantic comedy from the Betty Box and Ralph Thomas stable, Upstairs and Downstairs

Today I am going to write about a rather dramatic British thriller from 1956 which featured an astonishing supporting cast of well known and up and coming character actors: Lost.

What's it about?

Directed by Guy Green, the film is set in 1950s London and revolves around the kidnapping of an American couple's baby. US embassy employee Lee Cochrane and his wife discover their 18-month-old son Simon has been abducted, when their nanny leaves the child unattended outside a chemist's shop. London Detective Inspector Craig pledges to find the child, though clues are thin on the ground.

Who's in it?

Lost stars David Farrar as Detective Inspector Craig while the young couple at the centre of the drama are played by David Knight and Julia Arnall. Other well-known names in the supporting cast include Thora Hird, Meredith Edwards, Marjorie Rhodes, Shirley Anne Field and Mona Washbourne.

Carry On Faces?

There is a major starring role for the aforementioned Julia Arnall playing Sue Cochrane. Julia had a cameo opposite Terence Alexander in the 1961 film, Carry On Regardless. There is also a supporting role for the well-known comedy actress Eleanor Summerfield, playing Sergeant Cook. Eleanor also filmed a cameo for Regardless - with Charles Hawtrey - however the entire performance was sadly cut from the final film.

The great thing about Lost is the bulging cast of often uncredited British character actors. Cyril Chamberlain pops up as a Uniformed Police Officer. Cyril had supporting roles in the first seven Carry Ons. The instantly recognisable Peggy Ann Clifford appears in the role of a Shop Keeper. Peggy Ann had a small role as Willa Claudia (WC) in the slave auction scenes in Carry On Cleo.

And of course you couldn't make a film at the time without employing the services of Fred Griffiths. In Lost he plays the role of Gamble. Fred had small supporting roles in the likes of Carry On Nurse, Carry On Regardless and Carry On Loving. Cast as Fred's wife in the film is Carry On Doctor cameo player Dandy Nichols. Playing a Police Constable in a Phone Box is Carry On Jack and Carry On Cowboy supporting player Percy Herbert. Another very familiar face is that of Joan Hickson, playing a Pharmacist. Joan had supporting roles in five Carry Ons - Nurse, Constable, Regardless, Loving and Girls. And playing a young girl in the very same Chemist's Shop is none other than Barbara Windsor in one of her earliest screen appearances.

My own personal favourite Carry On actor, the wonderful Joan Sims, also appears in Lost, in the uncredited role of an Ice Cream Seller in the Park. In the role of Mrs Marley is Joan's Carry On At Your Convenience co-star Marianne Stone. Marianne popped in several Carry Ons between 1958 and 1975. Michael Ward, another familiar face of British film, also pops up in Lost playing Mantilla. Michael had several roles in the Carry On series, beginning with that of a Photographer in Carry On Regardless. He also appeared in Carry On Cabby, Carry On Cleo, Carry On Screaming and Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. And finally, playing a Taxi Driver is Carry On Jack actor George Woodbridge.

Did you know?

The film was also known by the alternative title of Tears for Simon.


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The late, great George Woodbridge

I was watching the classic war time murder mystery film Green For Danger the other evening, starring amongst others Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard, when I spotted a familiar face. That of the portly, amiable character actor George Woodbridge. Sadly George passed away a long time ago, way back in 1973 to be exact, however his countless appearances in the very best of British film mean that he pops up on our screens often to this day. 

Woodbridge made several brief appearances in the films of Peter Rogers in the early 1960s, including one Carry On. In 1963 he popped up in the role of Ned in the nautical comedy, Carry On Jack. First seen in the aptly named DIrty Dicks, he enjoys some fruity banter with Juliet Mills' Sally. He then reappears later on in the picture for some more japes on board. George had already worked for Peter Rogers Productions in the 1961 music school comedy Raising The Wind, in the small role of the Yorkshire Orchestra Leader. And the following year he took on the role of Mr Ludge in the Michael Craig comedy The Iron Maiden. Finally, probably George's biggest role for Peter and Gerald came the following year when he played the bed bound Mr Beacon in the charming district nurse comedy Nurse On Wheels, again starring Juliet Mills. Here George was blessed with a screen wife in the wonderful Renee Houston, herself a veteran of several Peter Rogers Productions.

By the early 1960s, George Woodbridge had been appearing regularly in films for over twenty years. With credits dating back to the late 1930s, George, who was born in Exeter in 1907, found a niche in both straight and comedy roles. He was possibly best known for comedy performances but he also carved out a career in horror pictures such as Dracula (1958), Jack The Ripper (1959), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) and Doomwatch (1972). More dramatic roles also included the role of the Sergeant in The Fallen Idol (1948), Stanley, the fish and chip shop owner in the Alastair Sim film An Inspector Calls (1954) and the 1955 film Richard III.

However, for me, George's physical characteristics and jaunty, rosy cheeked charm lent themselves best to comedy. One of his best film roles was as kindly Prison Warder Jenkins in the Peter Sellers film Two Way Stretch in 1960. Another great film was the comedy horror, What A Carve Up in 1961. George played Dr Edward Broughton in the film which co-starred Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Esma Cannon and Shirley Eaton. Casting very much playing on the success of the early Carry On films! And in 1963 George played the Bishop in the classic Boulting Brothers' comedy Heavens Above, again starring Sellers. Later roles on the big screen included that of the Publican in the 1970 film Take A Girl Like You and a Fat Bather in the brilliant 1971 big screen adaptation of the Frankie Howerd series Up Pompeii. 

As his popularity grew and his career progressed, the world of television also came calling. Later in his career, George became a regular fixture on the small screen. Having initially debuted in very earliest days of the new medium just before the Second World War, by the 1960s George was appearing in guest roles in the likes of Dixon of Dock Green, Softly Softly, The Forsyte Saga and the Benny Hill Show. 

Woodbridge gained popularity late in his career as the title character, the puppet maker in the children's TV show, Inigo Pipkin. Sadly, George died five weeks into the filming of the second series, an occurrence which was dealt with in the programme's storyline. The series continued on for another seven years however under the revised title of Pipkins. Suffering from ill health by the early 1970s, George continued to act right up until the end. He died from kidney failure in Barnet, North London on 31 March 1973 at the age of 66.

George Woodbridge was one of those brilliant British character actors who always added an extra special something whenever he appeared. Another actor who could create an awful lot from sometimes very little. Never a star, he won over 180 screen roles during a forty year career. I enjoyed his brief, yet memorable roles in all his films for Gerald and Peter however I only wish he'd managed to notch up a few more Carry On credits. 


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