Carry On Blogging!: September 2015

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

My Trip to the London Film Convention!

It's the end of yet another month of blogging! So here is my favourite blogging experience from September. It was a memorable day!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I made my way to the Central Hall in Westminster at the crack of dawn this morning. I've never been to a fans film convention before and never really been one for collecting autographs but the presence of a couple of familiar Carry On faces at this event made it a must for me.

Together with my lovely friend Alison (follow her on Twitter @FutureUrban) we battled through the crowds of tourists outside parliament and Westminster Abbey to mingle with the stars at the Convention. It was a packed venue with lots of classic film merchandise on offer covering all kinds of different film genres. I could honestly have spent hours just have a browse.

Anyway, eventually we found our way to the main area where all the stars were busily signing autographs. I always think it's weird when you suddenly find yourself in front of famous people you've known all your life, often grown up with and feel like you know through the characters they have portrayed. Finding myself standing in front of Cleo herself, Amanda Barrie, was a slightly bonkers, surreal experience. I make no secret of the fact that I've been a huge fan of Amanda for years. I grew up watching her trials and tribulations as Alma in Coronation Street and if you add to that her appearances in the Carry Ons, she has to be one of my all-time favourites.

Amanda was as funny, warm, welcoming and gorgeous as you would expect. I still cannot believe that this lady has just celebrated her 80th birthday. She looks amazing. As she signed a print of her in her Glam Cab uniform from Carry On Cabby, she told us about a recent holiday in Italy were the owner of the villa held a party to show everyone that very same film! It seems the popularity of Carry On films is completely universal! As we had our photo taken, Amanda asked me where I was from and then proceeded to reminisce about treading the boards in Glasgow with the wonderful comic actor Stanley Baxter. It was a joy to meet her.

Moving next door, I met the equally lovely Anita Harris. Anita was stunning - charming, friendly and very chatty. She came across as such a warm, genuine lady and I could have chatted with her for hours. Another wonderful performer who doesn't seem to age! I really should have asked what their secret is!

I had such a wonderful time at the Convention and it was great to meet these terrific ladies. Sadly I didn't have time to meet Margaret Nolan, Alexandra Dane or Shirley Eaton - the other main Carry On actors present today. I would most definitely attend another one of the conventions as it was a fantastic experience.

Long may they Carry On!

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Tuesday, 29 September 2015

My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 3!

I'm going to attempt to figure out what my absolute favourite Carry On films of all time are and I will be publishing the results on this blog. This is going to be a hard task for me as I love so many of these films that my favourites change on a regular basis. There will be a few I can immediately discount, none of which will be much of a surprise I'm sure. Others will be more difficult to choose between.

What I intend to do is come up with my top ten Carry Ons and reveal them blog by blog until I get to my all time number one. I'll make it clear that this is just down to my own personal choice and mainly due to personal feelings or memories attached to particular films. It should be an interesting project and I hope that as I go through them you will all feel free to comment and agree/disagree as you see fit!

It's getting very serious now as we creep up on the top spot. As far as I'm concerned the next two in my countdown are pretty much interchangeable. Both are classics, not only of the Carry On series but of British cinema. At number three is Carry On Up The Khyber!

Up The Khyber is about as British as you can get. It's a send up of all the stiff upper lip British empire films and is wonderfully funny. It is the Carry On team at their peak, Gerald Thomas at his peak and Talbot Rothwell at his funniest. The perfect comedy team gels together and it is laugh out loud funny from beginning to end.

The film follows the crumbling last days of empire. The British are blissfully unaware that the natives are revolting. The Devils in Skirts or The Third Foot and Mouth as we know them, risk losing power in India after Bungdit Din and his Burpas (yes, really) find proof that the English wear underpants under their kilts. The international incident comes to pass (as it were) thanks to hapless Private Widdle (Charles Hawtrey).

At the heart of Khyber is a truly magnificent comic performance from stalwart Kenneth Williams as Randi Lal, The Khasi of Kalabar. It's Kenneth on his best nostril-flaring, rip-roaring form and he forms a deliciously evil double act with Bernard Bresslaw. Angela Douglas, in her last appearance in the series, plays The Khasi's daughter Princess Jelhi who flouts her father, falls in love with British officer Captain Keene and switches allegiance.

The British lot are headed up by the wonderful Sid James who was just born to play Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond. He's the all powerful dignitary but also still the cockney wide boy from Hancock's Half Hour. It's a tremendous performance which is matched every step of the way by Joan Sims as Lady Ruff-Diamond. It is one of Joan's best performances, swooping from posh to common and back again. "Oh he didn't half crack that one, did he not?!" Joan's scenes with Kenneth Williams have gone into legend. Two comedy icons firing on all cylinders.

Roy Castle steps into Jim Dale's vacant shoes to play the romantic lead, Captain Keene. Castle does well as the stiff upper lipped Keene and forms a great double act with Terry Scott as Seargant Major MacNutt. Julian Holloway is also in fine form as Sid's assistant, Shorthouse.

Special mention must go to Peter Butterworth, who steals every scene he appears in, as the dubious missionary Brother Belcher. He is all high morals and righteousness in public but prone to the pleasures of the flesh behind closed doors. He's also fond of making a few bob on the side! Peter is perfect in this role and the scenes of Butterworth, Castle, Scott and Hawtrey invading enemy territory are great fun!

The highlight of Khyber has to be the famous dining room sequence. While Williams and Bresslaw attempt to demolish the British residency, Sid and Joan host a dignified dinner party complete with suckling pig and an orchestra. It is British dignity and stubborn stupidity all rolled into one and it is fantastic. Peter Butterworth mugs like crazy and works his socks off as the only dinner guest openly aware of the destruction around him. Joan Sims has the line of the scene in an inspired addition to the script "I seem to have got a little plastered!" as huge chunks of ceiling fall around her! Brilliant stuff.

One other line of note goes to Bernard Bresslaw, when trying to get rid of Cardew Robinson's Fakir. "Fakir, Off!" Bresslaw leaves enough of a pause between the two words to just get away with that one!

The film ends in typically Carry On style, with Sid, Joan and the Brits out on top. In a classic ending, they survey the destruction and Sid dismisses it with the line "Don't worry, we'll clear it up in the morning". The last word goes to Peter Butterworth as the "I'm backing Britain" slogan appears on a fluttering Union Jack.

Tremendous comedy, superlative performances and a Carry On film worthy of its place as a bona fide classic of British film.

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Monday, 28 September 2015

What a Carry On for a Good Cause!

This post rather unashamedly covers two things I'm passionate about: the Carry On films (naturally) and one of my favourite charities. On Sunday 25th October, a star-studded gala will take place in London's West End in aid of the charity The Silver Line.

The gala, called "Hey, Old Friends!" will feature the words and music of Stephen Sondheim and marks his 85th birthday. And there is a Carry On connection (or two) as both Anita Harris and Nicholas Parsons will feature. We all know Anita for her many successful years of work in musical theatre as well as two classic Carry On appearances in 1967- Carry On Follow That Camel and Carry On Doctor.

Nicholas Parsons, famous for hosting Just A Minute and working with Kenneth Williams, also appeared in a cameo role in Carry On Regardless in 1961. The charity gala will also feature a host of other stars including Julia McKenzie, Millicent Martin, Rula Lenska and Jason Manford.

Proceeds from the gala will go to help fund The Silver Line, the telephone befriending service set up by Dame Esther Rantzen. This is a charity very close to my heart and one I volunteer for on a regular basis. Older people living alone is a massive issue and The Silver Line is doing fantastic work to provide information, friendship and advice for thousands of older people across the country.

"Hey, Old Friends!" will take place at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on Sunday 25th October 2015 from 7.30pm.

You can buy tickets from the box office by calling 0844 412 4657 or by visiting the official website .

You can find out more about The Silver Line by visiting The Silver Line Website

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My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 4!

Now it was inevitable that this next film would appear in my top five. However, as it seems to be nearly everyone's all time favourite, it's position at number four might prove controversial. Coming in at Number Four is: Carry On Abroad!

Carry On Abroad is a rip-roaring, glorious romp. The film taps into a common theme at the time as more and more British holidaymakers were taking their adventurous first steps towards a foreign holiday. Taking a bunch of British stereotypes and throwing them into all kind of continental catastrophes was a master stroke and the script, as usual by Talbot Rothwell, is firing on all cylinders, never missing an opportunity to lambast either us Brits or our continental cousins.

The film is also helped along by a stunning roster of brilliant Carry On regulars. Indeed, it is the last outing for pretty much the complete 1970s Carry On line up. Sadly, this would be Charles Hawtrey's last film. His character, Eustace Tuttle, while hilarious and beautifully eccentric, is also a painful send up of Hawtrey's own existence at this point in turn - the alcoholic mummy's boy. Knowing now what was happening off screen and what the future would hold for Hawtrey, it is a difficult watch.

The other regulars are all on tip top form. Kenneth Williams plays Stuart Farquhar, the Wundatours courier responsible for the enjoyment of a party of British tourists heading off to the little known Spanish island of Elsbells (!) for a long weekend of sun, sea and sangria. Williams is ably assisted by the glamorous Gail Grainger, who's single appearance in the Carry Ons is assured and well acted. They form an unlikely romantic double act towards the end of the film but it's all good fun. "Miss Plunkett! You are squashing my itenary!"

At the heart of Abroad are the relationships of two middle aged couples, both going through certain comic difficulties! Vic and Cora Flange (again !) are beautifully brought to life by stalwarts Sid James and Joan Sims. Vic had planned this jaunt as a naughty weekend for himself and Sadie Tompkins (Barbara Windsor) however wife Cora decides to join him at the last minute, putting a spanner in the works. Sid and Joan are very believable as husband and wife. Their scenes are completely natural and honest. You just know they like each other and are having a great time. They make a great double act behind the bar in Sid's pub although perhaps my favourite scene of all is Sid's shattering realisation that "they've put the bloody glass in!" Joan is shrieking with laughter by this stage of the game and for me that was real, it was way beyond any actual acting!

The other couple are Stanley and Evelyn Blunt, played by Kenneth Connor and June Whitfield. Connor as usual by this stage, is playing a rather randy little man and this time he is blessed with an uptight wife who eventually finds herself in the arms of hotel barman Ray Brooks. Connor and Whitfield work wonderfully together throughout. Their scene with Sims and James over dinner is now a Carry On classic. "I tried it once and didn't like it...Your only child I presume?" It always makes me laugh!

Windsor's love interest (apart from Sid) is played by guest star Jimmy Logan. Jimmy was a wonderful Scottish all round entertainer and he brings a touch of that magic to this film. He is a great addition and his role as Bert Conway is oh so much better than the one he was saddled with in the next film, Carry On Girls. The less said about that the better. Logan and Windsor are great together and I love their cheeky banter.

Bernard Bresslaw plays a monk, Brother Bernard, who ends up finding the lure of fellow holidaymaker Carol Hawkins too much and ditches his faith, much to the horror of his superior, played by the lovely character actor Derek Francis. Carol Hawkins, in the first of her two Carry Ons, plays Marge opposite Sally Geeson as Lily. For most of the film they form a foursome with Robin and Nicholas (John Clive and David Kernan). They are very obviously a gay couple although it is never really very clear what's going on! Eventually Sally Geeson's Lily tempts Nicholas away from the camp Robin who gets suitably sloshed at the farewell party.

Peter Butterworth has a superb part as hotel manager Pepe (or is it Mario?) Back after some blink and you'll miss them cameos, Butterworth puts in a terrific, energetic performance throughout. In many scenes he steals the show. He is assisted by son Georgio (Brooks) and his fiery wife Floella, played by Hattie Jacques. Jacques and Butterworth are hilarious as the inept double act, offering the Brits boringly familiar food and an unfinished hotel.

Of course nothing goes to plan. The weather is awful, most of the holidaymakers end up in jail and the hotel eventually falls down around their ears in an infamous finale. All ends well though as everyone is reunited at Sid and Joan's pub for a tot of Santa Cecilia's Elixir and the best lock in you could ever imagine. It probably provides the most satisfying conclusion to any of the Carry Ons.

The film also boasts some lovely cameos from Patsy Rowlands, Alan Curtis, Amelia Bayntun and Olga Lowe as the owner of the local Elsbells brothel. A great cast, a great script and a wonderful Carry On film.

So what, if anything did I not like about Abroad?

While all the regulars are on fine form, it is always tinged with sadness for me due to the sad demise of Charles Hawtrey. The character they created for him in Abroad is somewhat cruel given his own personal circumstances. Abroad also marks the start of bigger and bigger supporting turns for Jack Douglas. I admit straight away that Douglas never quite worked for me in the Carry Ons. I'm not sure what he brought to the series but Rogers and Thomas seemed to like it. There is a Jim Dale shaped hole in Abroad unfortunately. Despite Rogers and Thomas being adept at casting and making these films, they never quite managed to replace their youthful, energetic male juvenile lead. I also think the characters of Robin and Nicholas are pretty dreadful and add nothing to proceedings.

Despite these minor quibbles, Abroad is probably one of the Carry Ons I watch the most. It never loses its appeal and is definitely up their with the very best. Do you agree?

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Sunday, 27 September 2015

My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 5!

Coming up with my top five Carry On films is incredibly difficult, but in fifth place is Carry On At Your Convenience!

Convenience is a strange one. In many ways so many aspects of the film are prime Carry On. In fact it is probably Carry On in its purest form and the perfect starting point for anyone new to the films. The innuendos flow, the cast are on top form and there's even a jaunt to glorious Brighton. However the film was also the first major flop in the franchise, only clawing back its money through subsequent exposure on television.

Unfortunately the film, with its send up of the Trades Unions as big-headed idiots, was a rare error of judgement from Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas. The core Carry On audience were working class and most did not take the depiction of the union members favourably. In terms of classic Carry On performances though, I'm happy to move on from that initial reaction in 1971 and concentrate on the good bits.

Convenience saw a continuation of a similar theme from Carry On Loving. The more mature, long-standing members of the cast are complemented brilliantly by younger actors, namely Jacki Piper, Richard O'Callaghan and Kenneth Cope. Cope, best known at this point in time for his roles in Coronation Street and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) takes on the role of Vic Spanner, the Union leader forever calling the workers of W.C Boggs toilet factory out on strike. It is a wonderfully bombastic little man performance from Cope. His dim-witted partner in crime is played by established team member Bernard Bresslaw, providing an excellent double act.

Jacki Piper plays Myrtle Plummer, daughter of Sid James and Hattie Jacques. She is at the centre of a love rivalry between Cope and bosses son O'Callaghan. Piper is a great Carry On glamour girl and seizes the role of Myrtle with relish.

Of the more traditional Carry On cast, Kenneth Williams takes centre stage as W.C Boggs, boss of the factory who eventually lets loose by accompanying the workers on a delicious trip to Brighton! Patsy Rowlands has one of her biggest and best supporting roles in the series in this film, playing Williams' long-suffering and over-sexed secretary, Miss Withering. The scene between Rowlands and Williams the morning after the night before is absolutely wonderful!

Sid James is playing a big screen version of himself. For the first time he is shown as a family man with a wife and daughter at home. He's still a man of the people though, the works foreman who enjoys a drink and a trip to the betting shop. The gambling storyline provides a delightful subplot as Sid and a rather slovenly Hattie realise that their budgie can predict the winners. Suddenly Sid is driving a flash new car and lending W.C Boggs money to keep the factory going during a strike. Sid and Hattie are superb together.

The fly in their ointment comes in the shapely form of Joan Sims, playing next door neighbour and factory employee Chloe Moore. Sid and Joan have an on/off attraction throughout the film which is at its peak on the trip to Brighton. Hattie eventually puts a spanner in the works (as it were) when she decides to take a job in the factory at the end of the film.

Charles Hawtrey has a truly glorious role as Mr Coote, the designer at Boggs' factory. Sporting a wonderful array of matching, bright shirts and ties, he merrily flits about in the background. Hawtrey's real life drinking is referenced several times in this film which does make for an uncomfortable watch, with hindsight.

As usual, Convenience boasts a superb supporting cast. Margaret Nolan pops up as a date for Bernard Bresslaw in the coach trip part of the film and is memorable for a ride on a helter skelter down Brighton Pier! Bill Maynard crops up as Joan Sims' husband Fred in several scenes while Marianne Stone (who I blogged about yesterday) has her biggest supporting turn as Joan's friend Maud.

Scottish actress Renee Houston, back with the series after two cameos in the early 60s, steals many a scene as Spanner's rumbustious mother and Charles Hawtrey's landlady. Geoffrey Hughes makes his only Carry On appearance as a worker in the factory, years before becoming a television favourite as Corrie's Eddie Yeats. There are also cameos from the likes of Julian Holloway, Shirley Stelfox and Harry Towb. Sadly a larger cameo from series regular Terry Scott was cut from the final print.

The trip to Brighton is at the very heart of the film. It feels so right to see James, Williams, Sims and the rest camping up and down the seafront. Williams famously recites a gloriously vulgar rhyme as they come steamrollering out the pub while they cause havoc at a shooting gallery. Most wonderful of all is the scene where Sid drags up as a fortune teller and predicts the frightening future of Wiliams and Rowlands! When Joan bursts in afterwards and pops Sid's balloons, the shared laughter is tangible, you could tell they were having a blast!

I love the return trip on the bus when everything is speeded up as they visit pub after pub. I would dearly love to track all those pubs down and go on a pilgrimage!

Another scene I always love, which is often credited as Carry On at its best is the initial scene in the works canteen with Cope and Bresslaw persuading the workers to go out on strike. The banter between Cope, O'Callaghan, James and particularly Sims is vulgar and fruity and I adore it! "On the factory floor? Not bloody likely!" Joan Sims is absolutely terrific throughout.

In complete contrast is the scene at the end of the day trip which sees James and Sims outside their houses, late at night. Over a quietly touching, coy conversation about popping in for a cup of tea, the audience is well aware that they are tempted to begin an affair. In a deeply poignant moment, they decide to take it no further, worried about what the neighbours may think. Both actors turn in superlative performances showing what wonderful performers they were. Eric Rogers' music for that scene is also perfectly judged.

So what if anything can I fault in Convenience?

Very little really. I think the film dips slightly in the middle when the focus moves away from Williams, Sims and the established cast. A minor quibble, but with Williams on such terrific form, its a shame he disappears for a time. The treatment of the unions, while sidelined today, is still a problem and it must have detracted from the enjoyment of the film.

All in all though, this film is one the best examples of the Carry On team at their peak and I think it deserves to be in the top five.

What do you think?

Down wiv' em!

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Saturday, 26 September 2015

My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 6!

In at number 6 in my all time favourites is Carry On Cleo!

Carry On Cleo is a joyous costume romp and a famous send up of the big budget, sprawling dud that was Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. When filming shut down on the epic at Pinewood, Peter Rogers seized the opportunity to commandeer the expensive sets and costumes left behind. Add in a sharp, innuendo strewn script from Talbot Rothwell and some glorious performances and not only do you have a Carry On classic, you have a classic of British film too.

At the heart of Cleo is Cleo herself. Back from a smaller, supporting role in Cabby the year before, Amanda Barrie shines as Cleopatra. Forming a wonderful double act with Sid James, Barrie demonstrates superb comic timing, portraying Cleo as dim-witted and very child-like. So many of Barrie's scenes have gone into Carry On legend, so it is no surprise it is perhaps the role she is still best and most fondly remembered for. Amanda has said in interviews that the Carry On producers wanted her to appear in more of the series. What a shame for us fans that she was taken off to the Bristol Old Vic instead! She is a natural.

Sid James comes into his own in Cleo. Until this performance Sid had played it straight, the man in authority in the Hudis era. Here though, much more of his Hancock wide-boy chancer persona comes through, allbeit it in Roman costume. It is a highly effective performance, steam-rollering through the scenery. His Mark Anthony has been there, seen it all and bought the toga!

Cleo also see the first time in the series that James and Kenneth Williams really share the spotlight and provide that delicious counterpoint - Sid's macho man's man versus Kenneth in full mincing mode.

Kenneth Williams excels as Julius Caesar. He camps and minces through a glorious performance culminating in that wonderful, wonderful line: "Infamy, Infamy..." you know the rest. He is blessed with a harridan of a wife in Calpurnia, beautifully brought to life by Joan Sims. He has a lovely, bickering relationship with his father in law, Senica, played by the legendary Charles Hawtrey.

Hawtrey's Seneca is a ripe old letch, making inappropriate advances to young servant girls including Gloria (Julie Stevens). Typically seen indulging in a few wines, Hawtrey is seen here in a supporting role but it certainly makes an impact.

Kenneth Connor and Jim Dale (in his first real starring role) form a superb, athletic double act as two captured Britons desperately trying to escape their Roman captors. Connor's Hengist Pod is mistakenly assumed to be a fearless killer and is taken on as Caesar's personal bodyguard, much to Mark Anthony's dismay. Connor and James are excellent together and provide a terrific contrast. James is all masculine force while Connor portrays his usual bumbling, accident prone little man.

The costumes and sets are most definitely a cut above the norm but it is both the script and the acting talent on screen that make this a Carry On classic. There are some wonderful supporting turns to enjoy too. Sheila Hancock, then famous for The Rag Trade and now famous for oh so much more, appears at the beginning and the end of the film as Hengist's nagging wife Senna Pod (!)

Warren Mitchell, the future Alf Garnett, plays one half of Marcus and Spencius, the slave auctioneers. Victor Maddern, the supporting actor in countless British films of the era and several other Carry Ons, pops up in several scenes as Sid's second in command. Finally, who can forget the first of three delicious cameo appearances from future Dr Who and Worzel Gummidge, Jon Pertwee. Pertwee's cockney soothsayer ("Well gather round and 'ave a butchers!") is beautifully outlandish and laugh out loud funny.

Carry On Cleo was the first of the historical Carry On films to really make a name for itself. Loved by both diehard fans and casual viewers alike, it captures a collection of highly skilled, professional comic actors at the peak of their powers and is a must see for all fans of British comedy. It has become part of our cultural heritage and no matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old.

So that's number 6 in my top ten favourite Carry Ons of all time. Do you agree with my latest choice?

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Carry On Guest Blogging!

I recently wrote a guest blog for the wonderful History Usherette Blog which is run by @agathadascoyne . I wrote about the social history of the Carry Ons, comparing Carry On Cruising with Carry On Abroad, highlighting how Britain had changed over that ten year period. This experience got me thinking.

I have really enjoyed hearing from those of you who have submitted answers to my Carry On Fan of the Week blog series. I love interacting with fellow Carry On fans - if you want to take part in that, please do get in touch via carryonfan15@gmail.com. I want to open this idea up further now, though.

If there are any keen bloggers out there who would like to try their hand at writing a guest blog for Carry On Blogging, do get in touch. It can be about anything, as long as it has a Carry On connection. Perhaps you could write about how you first discovered the Carry Ons or who your favourite actor is and why? Anything really that takes your fancy. All you need to do is get writing and email the results to carryonfan15@gmail.com.

Carry On Scribbling!

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Friday, 25 September 2015

My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 7!

In at number 7 in my all time favourites is Carry On ... Don't Lose Your Head

Don't Lose Your Head was made during a transition period for the Carry Ons. From 1958 until 1966 the films were released through Anglo Amalgamated. However by early '66 that relationship was coming to an end. Peter Rogers moved the franchise to Rank, who although happy to have the films were also nervous as the Carry On name was heavily linked to another distributor. Therefore the next two films, Don't Lose Your Head and Follow That Camel came out without the familiar Carry On in the title.

I love Don't Lose Your Head. It's basically a send up of the Scarlet Pimpernel and a thoroughly energetic romp it is too. I think Carry On films always look good in period costume and there's a lot of that on display here. There are also some very grand locations used, most notably Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor, both in Buckinghamshire. So grand, but not far to travel. Business as usual for Peter Rogers then!

Don't Lose Your Head features a compact but prime cast of Carry On regulars. At the heart of the film, and why I love it so much, are two double acts. Sid James and Jim Dale are the team the audience are rooting for. They play Sir Rodney Ffing (with two fs) and Lord Darcy Pue, two English gents who decide to come to the aid of their French friends facing the guillotine.

Sid is widely known throughout the film as The Black Finger Nail, due to his calling card! I love how Sid and Jim play it posh and effete for the first few scenes of the film before quickly dropping the facade and springing into life. Both actors also take on numerous other roles throughout the film, mainly disguises.

We see them as coachmen, Sid as an insurance salesman, Jim selling toys by the guillotine (with fully detachable heads!) and both dragging up as old crones knitting in the audience as the guillotine falls. I particularly love Sid's dragged up "Citizen Miss" opposite Kenneth Williams, although apparently Sid hated drag!

The other double act, the baddies of the piece, are Kenneth Williams and the glorious Peter Butterworth playing Citizens Camembert (The Big Cheese!) and Bidet. They bicker and snipe at each other like the Carry Ons very own Laurel and Hardy. Brilliant performances from both actors and great to see Butterworth get a starring role. Peter has excellent comic timing throughout and the ability to spot the opportunity for a visual gag a mile off. Lovely stuff.

Charles Hawtrey pops up in a terrific role as the foppish Duc de Pommfrit, rescued from the guillotine by Sir Rodney, just in the nick! Hawtrey has some great scenes in the film, camping about with impish glee and obviously have a whale of a time. The French actress Dany Robin also appears as Sid's love interest. Robin is pretty effective in the part and it's good to have a proper French actor involved, although who knows what she made of it all! She later married Sid's agent Michael Sullivan.

The film also benefits from a sublime performance from Joan Sims, playing Madame Desiree. It is one of her best performances in the series. Joan was very much the female Kenneth Williams in that vocally she could sweep from common to posh and back again all in the delivery of a single line. She is very high pitched and common in this role and it suits her perfectly! Sims also looks stunning in a wide range of gorgeous gowns. Although she dreams of becoming Lady Rodney Ffing, sadly it doesn't quite work out as she hoped by the end of the picture!

Don't Lose Your Head also features one of my all time favourite scenes, starring a mischievous Sims and Hawtrey. Sitting together in the rose arbour ("I had no idea we was so near the sea!") the two characters flirt outrageously with Sims uttering the line "My brother, the count..." Nothing special on paper, but Sims delivery and her look away alter the meaning significantly! You can just about see both actors crack up on camera but thankfully Gerald Thomas left this hilarious moment in the film.

The film also boasts some delightful supporting turns from Marianne Stone as an innkeeper, Peter Gilmore as Citizen Robespierre and Michael Ward as the foppish Henri.

So that's what I love about Don't Lose Your Head. Anything I don't care for? Well, being honest, the finale does go on a bit too long. James, Dale and Hawtrey take on Camembert and his soldiers, in the process destroying various priceless artefacts. It does get a bit much after a while although Kenneth Williams does fall into a harp with glorious comic timing! Apart from that, I think it is a great example of mid-60s Carry On.

Carry On Chopping!

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Thursday, 24 September 2015

My Top Ten Carry On Films: Number 8!

Carry On Doctor is a superb example of all things Carry On. It caught most of the team at their comedic peak and indeed most of what we now consider to be regular team members feature here. Only Kenneth Connor is missing from the line up. In addition to a pretty full roster of comedy greats we have a splendid star turn from Frankie Howerd. I have long been a big fan of Frankie's comedy performances, I adore him. In Carry On Doctor Frankie plays bogus faith healer Francis Biggar. In actual fact Frankie really just plays Frankie but the film benefits from every second he appears on screen.

Frankie is paired throughout the picture with my own favourite actress, the gorgeous Joan Sims. Joan plays hard of hearing Chloe Gibson, assistant and eventual wife of Francis Biggar. it is a wonderfully played if brief supporting role yet again showing Joan's versatility.

The central plot of Carry On Doctor involves Kenneth Williams conniving surgeon Dr Tinkle and his willing accomplice Matron (Lavinia) Hattie Jacques. When JIm Dale's Dr Kilmore catches Barbara Windsor's Nurse May in Dr Tinkle's room scandal is avoided by dispatching Kilmore. However the unhappy patients (namely Sid James, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth) stage a revolt against authority and thankfully the popular Dr Kilmore is reinstated.

Apart from Frankie's central performance there are many other things to praise Carry On Doctor for. The other male patients in the ward are beautifully played by Sid James (recovering from a heart attack in real life), Bernard Bresslaw (who's character Ken Biddle indulges in a shy romance with Mavis Winkle, played by the lovely Dilys Laye) and Peter Butterworth who makes the most of a small supporting role as Mr Smith. Charles Hawtrey, again playing away from the main group plays a husband experiencing a phantom
pregnancy (!)

Barbara Windsor makes a short but sweet appearance as the aforementioned Nurse May. While it is Barbara most people remember in the nurses uniform I really love Anita Harris as Nurse Clark. Returning to the Carry Ons after her role in Follow That Camel Anita plays the romantic lead to Jim Dale's Dr Kilmore to perfection. Their perilous scene on the hospital roof is excellent. I wish Anita had made further appearances in the Carry Ons as she was perfectly cast.

Jim Dale is also a standout performer in Doctor. He is really at the peak of his powers in this film. He plays the bumbling yet still dashing romantic lead ever so well and exploits every opportunity for gymnastic physical comedy with aplomb. In many ways, despite Frankie Howerd's brilliant guest starring role, Carry On Doctor belongs to the multi-talented Jim Dale.

Doctor also boasts a superb supporting cast including the terrific Dandy Nichols as Sid's nagging wife, Pat Coombs as an unsuspecting female patient, Peter Jones as the hard of hearing vicar who conducts Frankie and Joan's nuptials and Peter Gilmore and Harry Locke as a bright and cheerful pair of ambulance drivers.

In a superb tribute to Carry On Nurse, there is a wonderful scene involving Frankie Howerd, Valerie Van Ost's nurse and a daffodil. As Frankie's character says "I saw that film!" A brilliant self-referential moment! Doctor is in many ways writer Talbot Rothwell's tribute to Norman Hudis' original classic medical Carry On, and it doesn't fall short. There is a further in-house tribute I love in the impressive shape of a portrait of actor James Robertson Justice in the hospital foyer. Robertson Justice is of course famous for playing bombastic surgeon Lancelot Spratt in the Doctor series of films produced by Betty Box, wife of a certain Peter Rogers.

So that's what I love about Carry On Doctor. Anything I don't like? Hmmm not much to be honest. I wish Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth had enjoyed bigger roles in the film however as the cast list was chock full of classic Carry On cast members it would be hard to give them all equal billing. It's also a shame that Sid's role in the film is reduced however given his health issues it was obviously unavoidable.

Does Carry On Doctor deserve a place in the top ten best Carry On films ever? I certainly think so and I hope you agree.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next of my top ten all time favourite Carry On films. In the meantime, please do comment here on the blog, on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also on Facebook