The A - Z of Carry On Characters - A is for...

 

This is the first blog in a new series for Carry On Blogging looking at some of the best and most memorable characters in the Carry On films. I have already written a series looking at some of the best remembered supporting actors and this will be a similar A-Z format but based on my favourite character names.

Let's start at the beginning today with A and first of all, A is for Allcock! Where better to begin than with one of Joan Sims' most memorable performances, as the gloriously pert and prim gym mistress Miss Sarah Allcock. 

Miss Allcock was Joan's second role in the Carry Ons. Following her winning performance as trainee nurse Stella Dawson in Carry On Nurse, Sims was invited back for more fun with the gang in early 1959.  With Shirley Eaton absent from Teacher, it was down to Joan to fill the glamorous female lead role and she did it with ease. Miss Allcock is best remembered for those splitting shorts during the rather prim Joyce Grenfell-inspired gym class with the girls. As is Leslie Phillips' woolfish reaction! 

Joan and Leslie made for a great romantic pairing in Carry On Teacher although infamously, Leslie's pronunciation of Joan's character name caused havoc with the censors. They asked for him to deliver it as flat as possible, however as Leslie himself admitted, the flatter it became, the filthier it got! 

Without a doubt Joan's role as Sarah Allcock cemented her position as the first lady of Carry On. After this role Joan was definitely a firm favourite with both fans and those in charge of the series. It was a pivotal role for my favourite Carry On actor.

A is also for...

 

...Anthea, the gorgeous Glam Cab driver brought beautifully to life by future Coronation Street star Amanda Barrie in Carry On Cabby.

...Gregory Adams, the bumbling love-struck science teacher played by Kenneth Connor who fell for Rosalind Knight's stern school inspector in Carry On Teacher.

 

...Allbright, the irritating union rep at Speedee Cabs, played by reliable character actor Norman Chappell in Carry On Cabby.

 

...Nurse Georgie Axwell, the cheeky young nurse and co-conspirator with Joan Sims' Nurse Dawson in the first medical film in the series, Carry on Nurse. Played by Susan Stephen.

...Aristrocratic Lady, the nose in the air Rolls Royce passenger who is aghast at Charlie Hawkins' cockney cheek at the start of Carry On Cabby. Played of course, by the very posh and wonderfully named Ambrosine Phillpotts.

 

...Len Able, Sergeant in Carry On England - the male romantic lead in that dire film, played by well-known television actor Patrick Mower.

...and finally, the majestic Belle Armitage, without a doubt one of Joan Sims' finest Carry On roles - the glamorous, no-nonsense saloon bar owner in the wild west comedy Carry On Cowboy.

 

Stay tuned for the next in this series when we tackle more memorable Carry On characters. And if you can think of any more, get in touch!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also on Facebook

Whatever Happened To ... Norman Chappell

 

This blog is part of an occasional series on Carry On Blogging looking back at the careers of some of the lesser known but vitally important character actors who made up the wonderful rep company which served these low budget comedy films so well for two decades. So many of these actors worked tirelessly without ever receiving proper recognition, let alone any kind of stardom.

Today I am going to write about the character actor Norman Chappell. His face is instantly familiar to fans of classic British comedy, even if you don't know the name. Norman made his first appearance in the series in 1963 when he played the rather irritating union rep, Allbright, who pops up throughout the film and is something of a thorn in Sid's side. He has that wonderful scene in Cabby when he receives a prank call to make a pick up in his cab only to find a shell of a house with only a toilet sitting behind it. His classic line "somebody's potty" typifies that early, more innocent brand of Carry On humour.

 

It would sadly be a further seven years before Norman would next work on a Carry On and even more unfortunately, the scenes he filmed as Mr Thrush, a client of the Wedded Bliss Agency in Carry On Loving, were deleted from the final print. Later that year Norman was back at Pinewood and this time he did appear in the finished film. He played one of the plotters who form part of Kenneth Connor's devious gang in Carry On Henry. Although Chappell would not appear in any more Carry On films, he did find himself a regular member of the Carry On Laughing ensemble a few years later.

Carry On Laughing was an attempt to create comedy half hours for ATV, featuring a range of Carry On actors and mostly period costume scenarios. The whole thing was something of a damp squib although it did give Carry On fans a further thirteen half hours of their heroes to enjoy. Produced in late 1974 and early 1975, Norman had supporting roles in seven episodes playing characters as diverse as Lord Burleigh opposite Sid and Hattie in Orgy and Bess to King Harold in One in the Eye for Harold. Moving on...

 

Norman Chappell's first film role had come along in 1961 with the role of Johnson in the Charlie Drake vehicle Petticoat Pirates (which also co-starred future Carry On actor Dilys Laye). He went on to play a Footman in the Tony Hancock film The Punch and Judy Man; Benson in the Bernard Cribbins and Barbara Windsor comedy Crooks in Cloisters and a theatre manager in the 1967 film, The Mini-Mob, which provided early screen roles for future Carry On performers John Clive (Abroad, Dick) and Madeline Smith (Matron). 

However most of Norman's regular work came on the small screen. His first screen credit was on television in 1958 when he took on several small parts in the series Quatermass and the Pit. He had a regular role as Leading Fireman Piggott in the 1964 series The Fire Crackers, a vehicle for Alfred Marks. Over the next two decades Norman would make guest appearances in a wide range of classic television series, many still loved today. Those includes parts in The Likely Lads (1965/66); Pardon The Expression (1966); appearances as six different characters in six different episodes of The Avengers during its original run from 1961-1969; Bless This House (1972); And Mother Makes Three (1973); Man About The House (1974) and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973 and 1978). As you can see he worked regularly in comedy and some of the comedians he appeared with on more than one occasion included such names as Frankie Howerd, Dick Emery, Les Dawson and Tommy Cooper. 

As with many of those wonderful character actors at that time, little is known about Norman's life. We do know he was born in Lucknow, India on 31st December 1925 and he came to England at the age of four. I have no information on Norman's background or how he came to become an actor. Sadly Norman Chappell passed away at the relatively young age of just 57 in July 1983. He died of a heart attack. His last acting assignment was in the Channel 4 series 4 For Tonight, a talk show parody in which a team of actors played all the guests. 

 

If you have any information on the life and career of Norman Chappell, please do use the Get in Touch form on the blog.

 
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Carry On Avenging!

What else do you do on a rain soaked day on holiday in England? No, you don't stage a beauty contest and take on Augusta Prodworthy! You sit indoors and watch back to back episodes of The Avengers, that's what. 

I love classic British television series from the 60s and 70s. Even when they are a bit cheap, a bit rubbish or just downright weird, they are nearly always jam packed with recognisable character actors and well-known faces from the acting world, often years before they became big names. Britain has always had a wonderful tradition of producing reliable character actors, something the Carry Ons cashed in on frequently! The Avengers, featuring crime fighting gent Steed (the late great Patrick Macnee) and an assortment of female assistants (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and much later, Joanna Lumley). Together they took on a range of weird and wonderful assignments. There is always a sense of the absurd about The Avengers and it's all joyously camp swinging sixties nonsense!

So how many Carry On actors appeared in The Avengers? Well as it happens, loads! 

We must start with Julie Stevens, who played Gloria in Carry On Cleo. Cleo was Julie's only film role, however she would make her name as a star of many children's television shows. Julie was one of the original Avengers side-kicks, playing Venus Smith opposite Steed between 1962 and 1963. Julie alternated for a year with Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale. 

Fenella Fielding appeared in the 1964 episode The Charmers, playing the role of Kim Lawrence. It was rumoured that Fenella had been considered for the role of Cathy Gale, which eventually went to Honor Blackman. Fenella co-starred with another actor who appeared in a Carry On, Warren Mitchell. Mitchell, who had a cameo in Cleo, appeared in a total of four episodes of The Avengers. Also appearing in this episode was regular Carry On supporting actor, Brian Oulton.

Carry On favourite Angela Douglas also appeared in two episodes of The Avengers. Angela first appeared as Beth Wilkinson in the very first series back in 1961 and then returned in 1969 to play Miranda. Co-starring alongside Angela in that 1961 episode was regular Carry On character player Norman Chappell, who clocked up a total of six Avengers appearances.

In 1965, Carry On legend Liz Fraser guest starred as Georgie Price-Jones in The Avengers episode The Girl From Auntie. Liz played Steed's assistant for one week, although Diana Rigg's Mrs Peel did make an appearance. This episode also co-starred the wonderful Bernard Cribbins, in the first of two cameo roles in the series. 

Patsy Rowlands, a beloved star of nine classic Carry On films, played the guest role of Thelma in the 1969 episode Love All. Patsy co-starred with a couple of other well-known Carry On faces in Terence Alexander (Regardless) and Brian Oulton (Nurse, Constable, Cleo, Camping).

There are just far too many Carry On actors to name in one blog but here are a few more who cropped up in the weird and wonderful world of The Avengers: 

Anthony Baird (Spying & also Joan Sims' boyfriend); Eric Barker; John Bluthal; Ray Brooks; Patrick Cargill; Kenneth Cope; David Kernan; Gertan Klauber; David Lodge; Terence Longdon; Victor Maddern; Michael Nightingale; Jon Pertwee; Anthony Sagar; Carole Shelley; Frank Thornton; Wanda Ventham; Brian Wilde and Ian Wilson. 

And that's not an exhaustive list!

So go on, check out some classic British television and look out for some familiar Carry On faces! If you spot any get in touch and let me know! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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