This is the beginning of a new series of blogs in which I attempt to decide which, out of the many hundreds of performances the Carry On films produced, are the most iconic. I am limiting myself to a list of the top ten and I hope you'll get involved, whether you agree, disagree or think I've missed your favourite out!
In deciding on my top ten, I will be judging both on a personal level and from a more general view point. Which performances capture the essence of the films and also which were my own preferences. It's an argument that could go on for ever but I hope to produce my definitive list. Feel free to comment on my choices as we go along and of course suggest your own alternatives.
Today we are going to look back at another memorable turn, that of Belle, the buxom, glamorous saloon owner in the classic Carry On Cowboy. Cowboy, released in 1965, saw the Carry On team hitting the cinema screens all guns blazing in a rip roaring mickey take of the famous Hollywood Westerns. Not only did Cowboy garner impressive reviews from even the poshest of posh papers, it was also a firm favourite amongst many of the Carry On cast. Sid James loved his role as the gun-toting Rumpo Kid and clearly relished the macho part. Jim Dale had also risen through the ranks to secure his biggest role to date and bagged some excellent screen time as the English sanitary engineer Marshall P Knutt. The film also saw Carry On debuts for several popular actors - Angela Douglas as Annie Oakley, Peter Butterworth as Doc and Bernard Bresslaw as Little Heap (!)
Joan
Sims meanwhile was in her element as Belle. Grabbing this robust,
strong female lead with both hands, Joan looked a million dollars in
a succession of glamorous, beautifully made gowns. She looks stunning
throughout and one of my favourite ever Joan photos came from Cowboy
publicity. That shot of her taken outside the Pinewood mansion house
in the skin-tight black dress is Joan at her finest and how we should
all remember her. It is well known that Joan was always happiest when
she looked good on screen. The full gamut of nagging, frumpy
middle-aged characters was yet to dominate her Carry On career so for
the moment Sims could enjoy being centre stage and stunning looking.
The
main plot of Cowboy sees Jim Dale mistakenly sent to Stodge City as a
new peace marshall to drive Sid's Rumpo and his gang out of town.
Kenneth Williams' cowardly Judge Burke has lost all control as Rumpo
is in charge of Stodge. All the usual Carry On characters are on
display although for the regular audience it must have been strange
to see them not only in period costume but also with American
accents. Most of them manage to pull it off fairly convincingly with
only Dale and Charles Hawtrey's hilarious Big Heap keeping their
English accents intact. It's a fantastically colourful romp with
plenty of action and set pieces, some laugh out loud moments,
brilliant costumes and a wonderfully dressed Western set out on the
back lot at Pinewood Studios. Writer Talbot Rothwell had really come
into his own after the previous Carry On adventure, Carry On Cleo the
year before and Cowboy is film brimming with confidence.
You
can see why Belle was one of Joan's favourite roles. That majestic
first entrance as she slinks down the stairs in the saloon to
confront Sid's rumbustious Rumpo. Accompanied by Eric Rogers on the
piano, Joan looks fantastic. The chemistry between Sid and Joan is
superb in these scenes and I think this was the moment the production
team realised just how well these two actors worked together. It is
the first time they are paired together for any length of time on
screen and it's wonderful stuff. Joan also packs a punch, making it
clear what she thinks of Sid when Angela's Annie Oakley catches his
wandering eye! As always with Joan's performances, they are played
for real and the humour that comes from that is honest and
believable. She comes bouncing out of the screen. Her accent is also
terrific, once again demonstrating her superb versatility.
Another
of my favourite scenes in the film featuring Joan sees Belle pay a
late night visit to Marshall's bedroom. In a film dominated by the
male performances (James, Williams, Dale, Hawtrey) it's great to see
the ladies shine in this scene as Sims, Douglas and the gorgeous
Edina Ronay all come to blows as they fight over Jim! The script is
fantastic, the delivery superb and who can resist three women having
a comedy scrap over Jim Dale in his long johns?! I'm surprised he
didn't escape through the trap door in the back...
The
role of Belle once again clearly demonstrates what a wonderfully
versatile actress Joan was. It is so unlike her previous Carry On
performance as the nagging, shrieking melodramatic Calpurnia in Cleo.
And it would prove eons away from her next role, that of Emily Bung
in Screaming. That was the beauty of Joan and why she was so valuable
to the Carry On team. There was nobody else in the regular gang who
could play such a wide variety of different parts so convincingly -
always reliably Joan but also always surprisingly something a little
different.
In
the end, even though Rumpo passes over Belle for a younger model, it
is the saloon owner who comes to his rescue with Knutt gains the
upper hand. Appearing from nowhere on a galloping horse, Belle (a
stunt double I should imagine!) pulls Rumpo away to safety. What a
woman!
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