The A - Z of Carry On Supporting Actors: Vivienne Johnson

This is the latest in a brand new series for Carry On Blogging. It might be slightly ambitious, but I'm going to attempt to do a run through the alphabet of some of the more interesting Carry On supporting actors. One of the reasons I set up this blog was to turn the spotlight on some of the lesser known Carry On actors who nevertheless played an important role in the success of the film series. 

Today we continue with the next letter in the alphabet, J and J is for Vivienne Johnson.

Carry On films: Vivienne Johnson was a late addition to the Carry On team, joining the fun at Pinewood for one of the later films in the series, playing Freda in Carry On England in 1976.

 

Also appeared in: Vivienne also appeared in three episodes of the Carry On Laughing ATV television series in 1975. She played Teeny in And in my Lady's Chamber and Who Needs Kitchener? and Freda Filey in The Case of the Coughing Parrot.

Best known for: Playing Mr Grace's Nurse in 22 episodes of Are You Being Served? between 1978 and 1981.

Did you know: Vivienne teamed up again with Carry On co-star Peter Butterworth for the 1977 comedy series Odd Man Out, playing Marilyn in this John Inman vehicle.

 

What are they up to now: Now retired from acting, Vivienne teaches drama in schools in Essex.

Stay tuned for the next entry in my A - Z of Carry On Supporting Actors! 

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

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE: Who should return for Carry On Doctors?

 

After several false starts in recent years, a brand new Carry On film is supposedly going into production later this year. The film, titled Carry On Doctors (not to be confused with the original Carry On Doctor) will start filming later this summer for a 2017 release. Not only that, it is already being heralded as the beginning of a whole new series of films. Another title, Carry On Campus, is being lined up to go into production hot on the heels of Doctors.

According to the producers, the film will be aiming to create a brand new ensemble of British comedy actors and not attempting to find the next Sid James or Kenneth Williams. Just as well really as in my opinion the entire Carry On team were one off talents and completely irreplaceable. I do like the idea of the new series allowing new comedy talent to thrive and find its niche.

I've already heard rumours that no surviving stars will be involved in the new film. I'm in two minds about this. While I think a new generation of creative people should be in charge of such a project, the film will inevitably sink or swim depending on how it is received by the Carry On films' loyal fan base. Surely if you are resurrecting the name Carry On, you must use it as an opportunity to give longstanding fans an unexpected treat. While I think new blood should carry the film, what about a few sparkling cameos would give the traditional Carry On audience something to cheer for and really get them onside. 

 

With that in mind and delving into Carry On fantasy land, I wanted to throw this question open to loyal Carry On fans. If you could choose, which surviving Carry On actors would you love to see appear in Carry On Doctors? I have narrowed it down to fourteen of our favourite stars and I want you to vote for who you would most like to see back to help relaunch the series. So here are my top choices:

Amanda Barrie is one of the most recognisable faces from the original series thanks to her prominent, eye-catching roles in two classic Carry Ons - as Anthea in Cabby and in the title role in Carry On Cleo. Her popularity has endured thanks to her two decades as Alma in Coronation Street. Bernard Cribbins is a national institution, beloved for his countless screen appearances and for his involvement with classic childrens' series such as Jackanory and The Wombles. He starred in Carry On Jack, Spying and Columbus. Jim Dale is a Carry On hero and the romantic lead in 11 of the films. Starring in some of the classic 1960s series entries, he is best remembered for playing bumbling handsome doctors in Carry On Doctor and Again Doctor.

Angela Douglas is a real fans' favourite having appeared in four 1960s Carry Ons - Cowboy, Screaming, Follow That Camel and Up The Khyber. Shirley Eaton was one of the original stars of the Carry Ons, most famously playing the lead in Carry On Nurse. Fenella FIelding needs no introduction thanks to her amazing performance as the Carry On vamp in the 1966 film Carry On Screaming as well as several supporting roles in the Doctor series. Liz Fraser appeared in countless classic British comedies, Carry On Regardless, Cruising, Cabby and Behind amongst them. Anita Harris made two Carry On appearances, in Follow That Camel and the original Carry On Doctor.

 

Carol Hawkins provided a glamorous touch to two 1970s films in the series - the classic Carry On Abroad and Behind. Julian Holloway notched up eight supporting turns in the series, including the likes of Doctor, Khyber, Camping and Henry. Valerie Leon added stunning support to six Carry Ons, most notably Up The Jungle and Girls. Jacki Piper starred in four series entries, Up The Jungle, Loving, Convenience and Matron. June Whitfield appeared in four of the films spanning the entire run, from Nurse in 1958 to Columbus in 1992. Finally, Carry On blonde bombshell Barbara Windsor appeared in nine original Carry Ons and is one the series' most high profile stars.
 
 

So now is the chance to have your say, just for fun! Voting closes on Friday! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Art & Hue presents Joanna Lumley

Not strictly Carry On related, but this new art work is too good not to share! Art & Hue is pleased to present Joanna Lumley, a new pop art collection inspired by the absolutely fabulous model, Bond-girl, and Avenger.

An official collaboration with Studiocanal, think Andy Warhol meets Patsy Stone in this new range of six stylish pop art prints featuring national treasure Joanna Lumley.

For six decades, Joanna Lumley has left her mark in iconic productions that endure to this day, most gaining a cult following and lifelong fan-base, from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "The New Avengers", to "Sapphire & Steel" and of course "Ab Fab".

Available in 18 colours and 3 sizes, the collection is printed on 310gsm fine art archival matte paper, made from 100% cotton, using pigment inks which last several lifetimes, and come in three sizes that fit widely-available picture frames.

See the full collection at http://artandhue.com/joanna 

And watch a preview here:
  
Art & Hue presents Joanna Lumley from Art & Hue on Vimeo.


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook
 

Legends of British Film Comedy on the BBC iPlayer

 

Some random malingering on the interweb has turned up some gems thanks to the BBC. The British Broadcasting Corporation has a mammoth back catalogue of some of our favourite stars both past and present in a wide range of different interviews, sketches and variety series. Some thoughtful person has collated some of the best into one place for fans like you and I to enjoy.

First up is the legendary This Is Your Life tribute to Hattie Jacques, originally broadcast in 1963. It is rare interview for Hattie and came at a rather delicate time for the actress. Her marriage to Dad's Army star John Le Mesurier was in trouble although this was not widely known at the time. 

 

Another gem is the 1970 Film Night Special - the original Carry On Forever. This twenty minute special went behind the scenes of Carry On Up The Jungle and features precious off-camera moments from the likes of Sid James, Terry Scott, Joan Sims and newcomer Jacki Piper. Director Gerald Thomas is also interviewed, confirming the team would Carry On as long as the British public wanted them to! 

 

One of my favourite BBC documentaries is also featured on this site - Kenneth Williams' Comic Roots from 1983. This show follows Kenneth's journey through his humble upbringing in the St Pancras area of London and tells the story of how he became an actor. It features lots of on location footage of Kenneth in and around Bloomsbury - an area I know well! One of the highlights for me is some delightful pub singing sequences in The Boot not far from where Kenneth grew up at Marchmont Street. The pub is still there today if anyone wants to recreate those scenes!

Finally, and a new one on me, is an interview with legendary film producer Betty Box and her director Ralph Thomas. Betty was of course married to Peter Rogers and Ralph was Gerald's brother. Together they created the massively successful Doctor series of comedy films in the 50s and 60s. Betty was one of the most powerful women in the film industry and this is the first time I've seen her interviewed. The episode of Film Profile is from 1961.

You can view the videos on the iPlayer page here

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook
  

Remembering Joan

My comedy heroine Joan Sims passed away on this day back in 2001. I can't quite believe we lost this terrific actress fourteen years ago. Through her countless screen performances, it thankfully feels as if she is very much still with us today.

It's no secret that Joan is my favourite actress. She was a gifted performer with a huge range, capable of the rudest of comedy to the most tear-jerking drama and everything in between. She always came across as hugely passionate, great fun and so many of her performances just came jumping out of the screen. Joan quite simply had a natural born talent to entertain.

I remember sitting in my car when they announced on the radio that Joan has passed away. It came as a terrible shock. She was very much the last of her generation of legendary Carry On regulars. Although we sadly didn't see much of her in her later years due to a range of issues, she made a triumphant return to the limelight in the late 1990s thanks to the publication of her autobiography and her glorious appearance in The Last of the Blonde Bombshells. 

It remains a crying shame that Joan Sims was taken from us at the age of just 71. It was clear that she was still talented and full of fun with a lot more to give. I love it that she went out on top though, everyone wanting her again, realising just what a wonderful actress she was. She may never have achieved the dizzying acting heights of contemporaries such as Judi Dench or Maggie Smith. 

She may never have made it big at the National Theatre or starred in big Hollywood movies and she may never have been made Dame Joan Sims. 

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. We all love her, we love her performances in the Carry Ons and we cherish her legacy as a fantastically gifted comedy actress. 

I'll be raising a glass to Joan tonight and toasting her memory. God Bless you Joan!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Liz Fraser in The Professionals

This is fantastic. I love the brilliant actress Liz Fraser, she lights up the screen whenever she appears. I also have a real soft spot for the classic 1970s British television series The Professionals, so when the two meet it's glorious!

Liz appeared as a fabulously fruity character in The Professionals episode Backtrack in 1979. She plays a character on the wrong side of the law, one Margery Harper. Margery takes rather a shine to Doyle, played by Martin Shaw. Liz shares some wonderfully comedic moments with both Shaw and Lewis Collins as well as scenes with the late Michael Elphick. 

It's a hilarious performance from Liz and it makes me wish we had seen more of her in classic TV dramas like this. She seizes this role with relish and makes much more out of it than was probably ever imagined by the production company or her fellow actors!

Some lovely person has uploaded Liz's scenes from the episode onto YouTube and they are well worth a watch to see Liz being brilliant and for a healthy dose of telly nostalgia!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

Carry On Chopping!

 

Sadly one of the downsides of the Carry On films being made on such a shoestring and so quickly was that some scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Gerald Thomas was an experienced editor even before he became a legendary and economical director and his word was law. While we will always love the finished films, the archived papers show that in many cases whole scenes were ditched. 

We cannot change decisions made at the time and usually scenes would be cut due to concerns over running time or a scene not adding anything to the overall pace of the film. However without the benefit of hindsight, hardly any of these scenes remain intact today. What bothers me about this is that it has robbed us all of many more precious moments of cherished comedy actors in action who are mostly now no longer with us. So here, in no particular order, are some of the scenes I wish we'd had the chance to view today.

Patsy Rowlands in Carry On Henry (1970)

 

Patsy Rowlands was a fine supporting actress in nine Carry Ons. Sometimes she had roles big enough for her to be billed with the main team and sometimes she popped in for two lines and a wink. I don't know why this was the case and I wish she'd had big parts (!) in them all. One of her smallest appearances was as the outgoing Queen right at the beginning of Carry On Henry. According to Patsy herself (in a DVD audio commentary) that scene was originally much longer, however Gerald Thomas decided to cut it because it was too serious! What a shame! I'd love to have seen Patsy giving it her all!

Bernard Bresslaw and Dilys Laye in Carry On Doctor (1967)

 

The photo above clearly shows an extra scene featuring favourites Dilys Laye and Bernard Bresslaw. If this scene was ever filmed, why was it cut? I love both Dilys and Bernard and thought they worked really well together in both Doctor and Camping. Due to the bulging cast of favourites in Doctor, it sometimes felt that these two brilliant actors were sidelined a little. I'd have loved more scenes of them together.

Julian Holloway and Trisha Noble in Carry On Camping (1968)

 

Julian Holloway provided eye catching support in eight Carry On films. In 1968 he played two of his largest roles in both Khyber and Camping. He was very obviously taking a larger share of roles meant for the absent Jim Dale. Sadly his role as Jim Tanner in Camping was cut back significantly, almost completely removing a romantic storyline with new Carry On girl, Australian actress Trisha Noble. The photo above shows a scene in the shower stalls with Julian chasing off a ram! I don't know why this storyline was curtailed however there were rumours around Noble not being the most popular addition to the team...

Terry Scott in Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)

 

One of the biggest surprises to hit the cutting room floor was an entire scene (allegedly lasting around ten minutes in all) featuring union discussions in the boardroom at Boggs' factory. The scene, featuring Sid, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Cope, Richard O'Callaghan and Terry Scott was removed as it led to the film over-running. Sadly this meant Terry's entire performance was gone from the film. This must be a very rare occasion of a major Carry On team player being cut out from one of the films.

Bill Maynard in Carry on Abroad (1972)

 

The picture above depicts one of several extra scenes shot in the travel agency in Carry On Abroad. I presume the scenes were cut due to the overall running time of the final, finished film but unfortunately this meant Bill Maynard, a familiar face in four previous Carry Ons, was removed entirely from Abroad. His role as Kenneth Williams' boss Mr Fiddler completely gone. This decision also resulted in less of Gail Grainger and Patsy Rowlands, which I am sure you agree is an absolute travesty!

I think it's such a terrible shame that so many scenes hit the floor in the editing suite, never to see the light of day again. I guess the production team didn't have the benefit of hindsight as today these off cuts could be doing the rounds for millions of fans to enjoy.

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

VOTE: Who should return for Carry On Doctors?

 

After several false starts in recent years, a brand new Carry On film is supposedly going into production later this year. The film, titled Carry On Doctors (not to be confused with the original Carry On Doctor) will start filming later this summer for a 2017 release. Not only that, it is already being heralded as the beginning of a whole new series of films. Another title, Carry On Campus, is being lined up to go into production hot on the heels of Doctors.

According to the producers, the film will be aiming to create a brand new ensemble of British comedy actors and not attempting to find the next Sid James or Kenneth Williams. Just as well really as in my opinion the entire Carry On team were one off talents and completely irreplaceable. I do like the idea of the new series allowing new comedy talent to thrive and find its niche.

I've already heard rumours that no surviving stars will be involved in the new film. I'm in two minds about this. While I think a new generation of creative people should be in charge of such a project, the film will inevitably sink or swim depending on how it is received by the Carry On films' loyal fan base. Surely if you are resurrecting the name Carry On, you must use it as an opportunity to give longstanding fans an unexpected treat. While I think new blood should carry the film, what about a few sparkling cameos would give the traditional Carry On audience something to cheer for and really get them onside. 

 

With that in mind and delving into Carry On fantasy land, I wanted to throw this question open to loyal Carry On fans. If you could choose, which surviving Carry On actors would you love to see appear in Carry On Doctors? I have narrowed it down to fourteen of our favourite stars and I want you to vote for who you would most like to see back to help relaunch the series. So here are my top choices:

Amanda Barrie is one of the most recognisable faces from the original series thanks to her prominent, eye-catching roles in two classic Carry Ons - as Anthea in Cabby and in the title role in Carry On Cleo. Her popularity has endured thanks to her two decades as Alma in Coronation Street. Bernard Cribbins is a national institution, beloved for his countless screen appearances and for his involvement with classic childrens' series such as Jackanory and The Wombles. He starred in Carry On Jack, Spying and Columbus. Jim Dale is a Carry On hero and the romantic lead in 11 of the films. Starring in some of the classic 1960s series entries, he is best remembered for playing bumbling handsome doctors in Carry On Doctor and Again Doctor.

Angela Douglas is a real fans' favourite having appeared in four 1960s Carry Ons - Cowboy, Screaming, Follow That Camel and Up The Khyber. Shirley Eaton was one of the original stars of the Carry Ons, most famously playing the lead in Carry On Nurse. Fenella FIelding needs no introduction thanks to her amazing performance as the Carry On vamp in the 1966 film Carry On Screaming as well as several supporting roles in the Doctor series. Liz Fraser appeared in countless classic British comedies, Carry On Regardless, Cruising, Cabby and Behind amongst them. Anita Harris made two Carry On appearances, in Follow That Camel and the original Carry On Doctor.

 

Carol Hawkins provided a glamorous touch to two 1970s films in the series - the classic Carry On Abroad and Behind. Julian Holloway notched up eight supporting turns in the series, including the likes of Doctor, Khyber, Camping and Henry. Valerie Leon added stunning support to six Carry Ons, most notably Up The Jungle and Girls. Jacki Piper starred in four series entries, Up The Jungle, Loving, Convenience and Matron. June Whitfield appeared in four of the films spanning the entire run, from Nurse in 1958 to Columbus in 1992. Finally, Carry On blonde bombshell Barbara Windsor appeared in nine original Carry Ons and is one the series' most high profile stars.
 
 

So now is the chance to have your say, just for fun! The pool will close on Friday 1 July, so Carry On Voting! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook