Joan Plays it Straight

 

Joan Sims is rightly regarded as one of Britain's finest comedy actresses. Joan was in some of the very best in film, television, radio and in her early years, theatre, during a career which spanned five decades. I've always believed there is real skill in acting comedy and being comedic on screen and that's not to say straight dramatic actors aren't talented professionals. However comedy actors are often better at being dramatic than straight actors attempting to be funny.

Joan's career was dominated by comedy but we must remember she trained as a dramatic actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and spent several years playing all sorts of roles in rep across the country. The fact she looked so jolly and had a natural gift for being funny and having sublime comic timing meant that directors and producers in the industry just couldn't imagine her playing straight roles, tragic roles or even villains. This is a shame I think and must have frustrated Joan during her career despite her incredible success at a time when men mainly dominated the world of comedy. She did, however, make one or two fairly dramatic appearances on film and mainly in television and here are my top five.

 

Carry On At Your Convenience / Carry On Behind (1971 / 1975)

Of course we must start with the film series which gave Joan lasting stardom and mass appeal. The most prolific actress in the series, she appeared in 24 of the films across a twenty year period. Quite astonishing when you think about it and the reason why, apart from Joan's loyalty and love of the atmosphere at Pinewood with the gang, was her wondrous versatility.Joan could play any character Peter Rogers, Norman Hudis, Dave Freeman or Talbot Rothwell threw at her, more so than any other actor in the team. She played young and old, dowdy and glam, queens and commoners and tackled a range of accents that most would struggle with. 

There were only very rarely dramatic moments in the Carry Ons - they were primarily there to entertain, make us laugh and make us groan at the corny gags and laboured situations. However there were a couple of stand out moments which showed that these comedy actors could really bloody act and both involved Joan. Funny that. The first was that beautifully sad/funny scene at the end of the works' outing in At Your Convenience. Sid and Joan are fighting their shared desire to take their friendship further and there is a real touch of sadness about this scene as the two middle-aged, married people know realistically it will never happen. In Carry On Behind four years later, Joan is at it again when reunited with her long-lost husband played by Peter Butterworth. Always tinged with comedy, their scenes are also pretty real and tear-jerking and in the hands of these true professionals, the script is raised up to a different level.

 

The Ladykillers: Suffer Little Children (1980)

Probably the most challenging, difficult role of Joan's career, in 1980 she travelled to Manchester for an episode of Granada's Ladykillers series. This series was formed of seven hour long dramas each looking at the murder trials of infamous women in history. Joan tackles the most harrowing, that of child killer Amelia Dyer. She wrote of the part in her autobiography High Spirits and claimed it was very difficult for her to play but she relished the chance to do something of this kind. Sims is superb in the part, very convincing and really makes the most of this brilliant role any actress would give their eye teeth for. Well done to the production team on this series for seeing Joan in a different light and giving her the opportunity to prove what a superlative actress she was.  

 

A Murder is Announced (1985)

Joan was one of the most prolific actors in the Carry On team once the series ground to a halt in the late 1970s. She was never really typecast and went on to appear in a wide range of television series throughout the 1980s and 90s. In the mid 1980s she joined a star-studded cast, including Joan Hickson, Samantha Bond, Sylvia Syms and Ursula Howells for the classic Miss Marple BBC adaptation, A Murder is Announced. This is my favourite of all the glorious Hickson Marple films and Joan is magnificent in her supporting role as the nice, kindly but rather slow Miss Amy Murgatroyd. 

Joan tugs at the heart strings with her delicate performance as Amy who, without giving too much away, meets a rather unfortunate end. Her acting is sensitive, subtle and delicate and she works wonderfully well with the actress Paola Dionisotti, who plays a much sharper character. There is subtle reference to the fact that these two ladies may be more than friends and the scenes following Amy's demise are a masterclass from Dionisotti. This role should have led to more dramatic parts for Joan and I'll never be sure why that didn't happen. It was a million miles away from the likes of Lady Ruff Diamond or Zig Zig and all the better for it.

 

On The Up (1990)

This early 90s BBC sitcom was never up there with the likes of Dad's Army or Only Fools and Horses, but I grew up watching it and remember it fondly. Written by Bob Larbey, it starred Dennis Waterman as a Cockney reprobate made good and featured Joan in the scene stealing role as housekeeper Mrs Fiona Wembley. Gaining herself her first catchphrase in "Just the one" as she helped herself to yet another sherry, On the Up was amusing, well acted but not subtle. And I'm totally fine with that. There was one scene in particular that I remember all these years later and it cut across all the humour and Cockney charm of Waterman and Sam Kelly. 

The scene was pretty much a monologue from Joan Sims and told the sad story of her character's past and of love lost. It came as a bolt from the blue in the episode in question and it genuinely moved me and moves me still. It was beautifully played by Joan and Dennis Waterman's reaction on screen looks genuinely in awe of this wonderful actress. I wish it hadn't been a one of and Larbey had written more along these lines for the talented Joan.

 

Screen One: Tender Loving Care (1993)

In the early 1990s there was an anthology drama series called Screen One. Broadcast on the BBC, it featured a range of television plays on different, sometimes hard-hitting subjects. The well-regarded television writer Lucy Gannon penned Tender Loving Care and the production team took two risks when it was time to cast the play. The first was giving the leading role to the comedienne Dawn French, then at the height of her fame for her work with Jennifer Saunders. Another risk was casting Joan Sims in a major supporting role as Daisy Potter. 

The play tells the story of Elaine, a put upon nurse in the health service who on the surface is all things to all people. A good, kind woman who is dedicated to her career and her family. However she is secretly, quietly murdering her patients. It's a very dark, moving drama and despite being a really difficult watch, I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it if only to see a truly different side to Joan's talent. This television play shows the superb range and depth to Joan's acting abilities and was surely another wasted opportunity to take Sims' career to a different level.

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Life after the Carry Ons: Joan Sims

 

This is a new occasional series of blogs in which I will look at the careers of each of the main Carry On team players once they left the series. Some would go on to appear in many other productions over the years while others would sadly not be so fortunate. Today I am starting off with my own personal favourite, Joan Sims.

Joan stayed with the Carry On films until the end of the original run in 1978. Although this would pretty much mark the end of her prolific and wide ranging film career, Joan would be kept busy on the small screen for the next two decades. This shift in her career was more a reflection on the state of the British film industry at the time than anything else. Although most people are aware that Joan was a very humble lady, genuinely shy and lacking in self-confidence or self-believe, she was beloved by many of her peers and thousands of fans for years. And she still is.

While Joan may have played down her career successes over the years, the 1980s and 1990s saw her work on some fine productions. She had made her last stage appearance in a pantomime in 1984 and claimed to enjoy the immediacy of the television studio much more in later years. She never really had a major starring role in later life but I think that's how she preferred it, she enjoyed being part of a company and an ensemble. We all know her for her later roles in comedies such as As Time Goes By and On The Up, but there was plenty more besides.

 

One of Joan's first post-Carry On roles came with a recurring part as Mrs Bloomsbury-Barton in the classic series Worzel Gummidge. The series also starred two of Joan's old Carry On colleagues in Jon Pertwee and Barbara Windsor. Another regular role was that of Molly Peglar in the series Born and Bred which ran to two series between 1978 and 1980. This brought her back into contact with former Carry On colleague Richard O'Callaghan as well as the actor James Grout. Joan and James had worked together in repertory theatre decades before. He would go on to portray Inspector Morse's boss on television.

A complete change of tack came along later in 1980 when Joan was gven a rare serious role. She played Victorian child killer Amelia Dyer in an episode of the series Ladykillers. This harrowing role was mentioned in Joan's autobiography and although a difficult watch, I'd really love to see it. There were many more, lighter, sparkling productions in the 1980s. These included the role of Clara in a production of Hay Fever, co-starring the likes of Penelope Keith, Patricia Hodge and Paul Eddington. Joan also worked with Keith in Waters of the Moon in 1983. This play co-starred Joan's life long friend Dilys Laye. 

 

In 1985 Joan filmed one of my favourite of all her performances on screen, as Amy Murgatroyd in the definitive production of Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced. As the simple, gentle Murgatroyd, Joan puts in a beautifully subtle and sympathetic turn. Sadly her character has a rather unpleasant end but if you haven't seen it I won't say any more. Next, and in complete contrast came Joan's role as Katryca in the 1986 series of Doctor Who. Although an iconic series, Joan claimed to have no idea what it was all about and admitted she just learned the lines and picked up the cheque! Fair enough! 

Between 1987 and 1988 Joan starred in Lady Fox-Custard in a wonderful BBC children's series Simon and the Witch. I vividly remember this series as a child and it was always one of my favourites. Those were the days when the BBC produced such a variety of dramas and comedies for children, featuring proper actors. On this series Joan formed a lasting friendship with Elizabeth Spriggs. The pair would work again several years later when Joan played a wonderfully filthy, grotty Betsy Prig in a sparkling BBC production of Martin Chuzzlewit. As the 1990s wore on, Joan would miss out on several roles due to ill health or just bad luck. Those included plum parts in series such as The VIllage Affair and Vanity Fair.  She did make guest appearances in the likes of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Pie in the Sky, My Good Friend and Just William, but it must have been a frustrating time for her.

As recounted in her autobiography, ill health dogged Joan as she grew older. That coupled with a variety of personal problems must have prevented her taking on some roles. I'd rather not dwell on this area of Joan's life but it does explain why appearances grew thin on the ground for a time in the 1990s. She did, however, have one final, triumphant role which was filmed in late 1999 and broadcast the following year. As Betty, the bandleader in the comedy drama The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, she was back on form and surrounded by a cast which included Judi Dench, Ian Holm, June Whitfield, Olympia Dukakis and Billie Whitelaw. Not a bad way to go out. Sadly this would be Joan's final screen appearance as she would leave us the following year.

While there was much to enjoy in Joan's later, post-Carry On career, I can't help but think she had so much more to give as an actress. Her early death at the age of just 71 robbed us of a great deal. 

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A Murder Is Announced: Two Joans at their very best

I recently watched the classic Miss Marple drama A Murder Is Announced on one of the myriad of satellite television channels that churn out old programmes again and again. For once, I'm really glad they did as I had forgotten just how wonderful this Miss Marple is.

The BBC produced twelve Marple adaptations between 1984 and 1992, each starring the irreplaceable Joan Hickson as Agatha Christie's famous elderly sleuth. They are so faithful to the original stories and to the post-war Britain they represent. I prefer some of the tales more than others but they are all excellently scripted, beautifully filmed and perfectly cast. 

A Murder Is Announced in easily my favourite. First of all it is an excellent story. Most importantly for me, it boasts a cast of truly excellent actors which include Ursula Howells, Renee Asherson, Kevin Whately, John Castle, Samantha Bond and Sylvia Syms. Leading the cast is the magnificent Joan Hickson. Joan, known to us for her super turns in five of the Carry On films, really came into her own as Miss Marple. After decades as a working actress, well-loved by her peers and regular cinema and film goers, she eventually became a world-wide star as Jane Marple. The series catapulted her to fame on both sides of the Atlantic at a time when most people have long since retired.

Joan Hickson was the most subtle of actors. The eyes always told you everything. I'm thinking in particular of one of my very favourite scenes which sees Marple take tea with Asherson's simple Dora Bunner at The Bluebird Cafe. Over coffee and rather dreadful post-war cakes (Not that one, it tastes of salmon) Jane Marple quietly yet shrewdly persuades Dora to relax, trust her and open up, sharing important information that ultimately helps Marple to crack the case. It's a beautifully played little scene showcasing Hickson at her very best.

A Murder Is Announced also features the gorgeous Joan Sims in the supporting role as Miss Murgatroyd. The simple, plain Amy Murgatroyd is a delicate role for Sims and she captures the character perfectly. It is so different from the roles Joan is best known for and I always watch it wishing she had been given more opportunities to play in this kind of classic drama. Joan was quite simply an excellent straight actress with a flair for comedy. In A Murder Is Announced, Murgatroyd lives with Miss Hinchcliffe (wonderfully played by Paola Dionisotti). While it is never referenced fully in the drama, it is quite clear to us that these two are lesbians. It is all very subtly played but after Murgatroyd's very sad demise, Hinchcliffe's grief at the loss of her partner is very clear to see and painful to watch. 

I love both Joans in this classic period drama. Both performances are so far removed from anything they did in the Carry On series, which is not to knock those roles or the films. I just love seeing Carry On actors doing something a little different on screen. We all know the Carry Ons were so successful mainly down to the quality of the actors Rogers and Thomas cast again and again. It's just nice to see the breadth and depth of that quality in other roles. So if you haven't seen the BBC adaptation of A Murder Is Announced, check it out next time it appears in the television schedules. You won't regret it.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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