One
of the joys of Twitter for me over the past few months has been getting
to know the very talented actress and artist Jayne Tunnicliffe. Jayne is
known for her work on the likes of Coronation Street, Phoenix Nights and
Happy Valley, but she also runs a thriving business as a very creative
artist. I love her work so much that I now own one of her prints myself.
Jayne
has recently started creating prints of some of our favourite Carry On
actors and being a fan herself, you can see the love and attention to
detail that's gone into them. I can't wait to receive my Amanda Barrie
print, pictured above, which sees the actress in full on Coronation
Street Alma mode.
Other
crackers include prints of Joan Sims, June Whitfield, Charles Hawtrey,
Hattie Jacques, Sid James and one of Jayne's mentors, the ultra talented
Bob Monkhouse. Each print is signed and numbered in a limited edition
run of 100 prints. They are available in two different sizes,
professionally printed onto 230gm heavyweight high quality matte photo
paper. Here are some of my favourites:
Here's a lovely thing from the BBC Radio archives. As you'll probably know, the great Bernard Cribbins recently celebrated his 90th birthday. To help mark this momentous occasion, BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast a range of special programmes from the BBC archive. Punch Line was a comedy panel game from Radio 2, originally broadcast in the mid 1970s. The show came from an idea by Myles Rudge, a song writer who was known for writing musical revues in the 1950s and 1960s and for crafting a range of novelty pop songs for the likes of Joan Sims and Cribbins himself. This episode, from 1975 features the glorious Bernard alongside two other comedy legends, the great Bob Monkhouse and the recently departed and much-missed Dame June Whitfield. Another icon of radio, Terry Wogan, acts as referee. You can listen to this slice of comedy magic right here
This is part of a new series of blogs looking back at the stars of the original Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant. 2018 marks 60 years since Sergeant was made and released so what better time to turn the focus on all those brilliant actors who brought our favourite series of comedy films to life? I'm continuing today with one of the most legendary figures in post-war British comedy, with a career which spanned, comedy films, straight drama, theatre, television game shows, stand up and writing - you guessed it, the one and only Bob Monkhouse.
Role in Carry On Sergeant: Charlie Sage
Other Carry On roles: Sadly Bob did not return to the world of Carry On after making Sergeant.
Other notable film performances: Bob played David Cookson in two "Dentist" film comedies: Dentist in the Chair (1960) and Dentist on the Job (1961) - both capitalised on the popularity of the Carry Ons by casting the likes of Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker and Shirley Eaton. Other films included A Weekend with Lulu (1961) and She'll Have to Go (1962).
Best remembered for: Despite his great success as a writer, actor, stand up comedian and even singer, Bob is probably best remembered today as the host of many a popular gameshow on television. Hits included The Golden Shot, Family Fortunes, Celebrity Squares and Bob's Full House. Did you know?: Throughout his career Monkhouse had jotted down jokes, one-liners, sketches and ideas into a series of leather bound books which accompanied him to every single professional appearance he made. In 1995 two of these volumes were stolen and a £15000 reward was offered by Monkhouse himself for their safe return. 18 months later they were returned to him.
What happened to him?: Bob died at the age of 75 in 2003. He had been suffering from prostate cancer.
One of the joys of Twitter for me over the past few weeks has been getting to know the very talented actress and artist Jayne Bickerton. Jayne is known for her work on the likes of Coronation Street, Phoenix Nights and Happy Valley, but she also runs a thriving business as a very creative artist. I love her work so much that I've just ordered a print myself.
Jayne has recently started creating prints of some of our favourite Carry On actors and being a fan herself, you can see the love and attention to detail that's gone into them. I can't wait to receive my Amanda Barrie print, pictured above, which sees the actress in full on Coronation Street Alma mode.
Other crackers include prints of Joan Sims, June Whitfield, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Sid James and one of Jayne's mentors, the ultra talented Bob Monkhouse. Each print is signed and numbered in a limited edition run of 100 prints. They are available in two different sizes, professionally printed onto 230gm heavyweight high quality matte photo paper. Here are some of my favourites:
Anne Aston, a familiar face from television in the 1960s and 70s, celebrates her 70th birthday today. Why am I telling you this? Well she does have a small role in the Carry On story. In 1976 she joined some very well known Carry On faces for a stage farce in Scarborough.
This play was no doubt at an attempt to capitalise on the recent Carry On Laughing television series for ATV as well as the hugely successful Carry On London stage show at the Victoria Palace in London, which ran between 1973 and 1975.
Carry On Laughing: The
Slimming Factory ran for the summer season at the Royal Opera House in
Scarborough during that incredibly hot summer of 1976. The show was
written by Sam Cree (who wrote The Mating Game) and directed again by
Bill Roberton brother of Jack Douglas). Sadly Sid James had died shortly before this play opened
so many of the other Carry On regulars were unwilling to be involved.
The show, a farce set in ahealth farm, starred Jack Douglas, Peter
Butterworth and Kenneth Connor. Liz Fraser, having returned to the
series the year before for Carry On Behind, also starred, as did Anne
Aston. The nature of the show can be judged by Peter Butterworth's character's name - Willie Strokes. Enough said.
Anne is probably most famous for working on the classic 1970s game show, The Golden Shot, which was hosted by Carry On Sergeant star, Bob Monkhouse. The Glasgow-born star also appeared opposite Frankie Howerd in the 1971 film Up The Chastity Belt and later with Frankie again in the pantomime Cinderella.
Whatever Anne is up to today, I hope she has a lovely birthday.
Every Christmas I post a series of special blogs on the run up to the big day. This year I posted a different festive image from the Carry Ons every day up until Christmas Day. In addition to this, I've also found some wonderful old clips to share this festive season.
The
wonderful, late great Terry Wogan hosted his famous chat show on the
BBC for several years during the 1980s and early 1990s. Those were the
days of great guests, intelligent conversation, wit and warmth. Well,
most of the time. Until the BBC rather unwisely pulled the plug to make
way for the soap Eldorado (remember that?) Terry was the best possible
replacement for Parky.
This
Christmas marks thirty years since a very special festive show which
celebrated the very best of radio comedy. Terry reunited many classic
stars from a bygone era and sadly, for some, it would be the last time
we would see them perform. Amongst these big names were several actors
with Carry On connections, so over the next few days I'm going to share
some great clips from "Wogan's Radio Fun", originally broadcast back in
December 1987.
We continue today with another special treat featuring two of my favourite comic actresses. Bob Monkhouse, himself a star of Carry On Sergeant way back in 1958, revives his radio success Hello Playmates for one night only with the help of Irene Handl and Pat Coombs. Irene, a famed actress with hundreds of credits to her name, made two early appearances in the Carry Ons - as Bill Owen's dimwitted wife in Carry On Nurse and then as an irate mother looking for her little Willie in Carry On Constable.
Pat Coombs, one of the most underrated actresses of her time, had small roles in two medical Carry Ons - as a patient in Carry On Doctor in 1967 and then two years later as a rather snooty replacement Matron in Carry On Again Doctor. I wish she'd had bigger parts in the films! It's lovely to see them reunite and their sketch is definitely a highlight, although Irene's failing health is clear to see. Sadly she passed away before this show was broadcast.
Earlier this week I had the great pleasure of being in touch with the brilliant Jayne Bickerton. Jayne is quite simply multi-talented. As well as her work as a successful actress in the likes of Coronation Street, Jayne has had great success in comedy and as an artist. So read on for more on how Jayne got started in the business, her time in Coronation Street, her thoughts on comedy past and present and of course, how she came to know the legendary Bob Monkhouse...
First of all I'd love to know how you
got started in the business?
I saw an advert for Butlins redcoats
when I was 20 and became one at the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool. Three months
of learning to dance and getting a (very) rough impersonation act together. I’m
glad there is no footage! It got me on a stage though.
After leaving Butlins I started performing
‘punk poetry’ with a friend called Mandy Craig. We got our first break from
Barnsley poet Ian McMillan at a BBC radio show that was broadcast from the
Crescent Hotel Ilkley. We were so nervous but our comedy poems went down well
and we started from there.
I know you have done a great deal of
stand up comedy, something I've always thought must be pretty nerve-wracking.
How did you get into all that and what are your memories of it now?
The performance poetry led to
appearances on the James Whale TV Show and then Bob Says Opportunity Knocks.
From that we got management and lots of live dates supporting Phil Cool, Lonnie
Donegan, Jo Brand, Steve Coogan and many more. Our act was a bit hit and miss
depending on the crowd, but we learnt a lot about performing on stage.
Mandy then decided performing wasn’t for
her so I went solo and started doing less poetry and more one liners,
eventually adding a guitar and ultimately a ukulele (less to carry) and doing
comedy songs and one liners. My stage name was Mary Unfaithful and my act was a
slightly bizarre mix of 60s rock chick and music hall. I was influenced by
Victoria Wood but also Jasper Carrott, Phil Cool and the ‘folky’ side of the
comedy world.
I gigged throughout the 90s and
appeared on BBC1’s The Stand Up Show, Bradley Walsh’s Big Stage on Channel 5,
and then on ‘Live From The Lilydrome’ with Lily Savage. I made a happy
friendship connection with Paul O’Grady and supported him (as Lily Savage) at a
few big theatres in the north of England. A real thrill and we’re still friends
to this day.
I was a fairly decent stand up with a
solid twenty five minute act, but was never a naturally outgoing performer who
could wing it with the crowd. I had to stick to my script and have a few heckle
retorts up my sleeve. Always wracked with nerves before a gig, which eventually
led to me moving into writing and acting in 2000. Luckily again I had made
friends with other comics on the circuit like Dave Spikey, Johnny Vegas, Neil
Fitzmaurice and Peter Kay and this led to me being cast in ‘That Peter Kay
Thing’ and ‘Phoenix Nights’ as well as writing material and the end credit
sketches on Peter’s commercially released video ‘Live At The Top Of The Tower’.
You can see me at the end comforting Sian from car share, who was playing an
upset girl who Peter had snubbed!
As this is for my Carry On blog, I've
got to ask you about Bob Monkhouse - how did you get to know Bob?
Mandy and I auditioned for Bob Says
Opportunity Knocks in 1988 in a hotel out on the motorway somewhere near Leeds.
We did our poetry and got recalled to a second audition in London, at which Bob
Monkhouse was present in the audience. After our performance we were sitting in
the canteen with my parents when Bob came over to our table and told us we had
made it through to the show. We walked out to his chauffeur driven car with
him, absolutely gobsmacked but delighted. On the show we actually came last to
a team of Sheffield schoolchildren ringing handbells. Hilarious. Thankfully by
next week’s phone vote we came second to a returning winner, a singer called
Matt Mudd. We also met impressionist Simon Cartwright on the same show, and just
this year I have written a script with Simon and also Mark Bickerton which will
hopefully get on TV soon. Can’t say any more than that just now! Watch this
space.
Bob was really lovely and kept in touch
by letter after our appearance on the show, right up until his illness in the
early noughties. We also went to see him in cabaret a few times and he was
always absolutely lovely to us, sending a bottle of fizz over to our table and
chatting to us in his dressing room afterwards. Even when I was appearing in and
writing on Lily Live in 2000 and 2001 Bob used to phone up Paul O Grady after
each show and congratulate us. He was so thoughtful and we were so proud to
have known him. I even have a self portrait that he drew on the back of an
envelope. Such a talented, erudite and charming man.
What are your thoughts on Bob's talents
as a comedian and an entertainer?
Bob had such awe inspiring talents as a
writer, both serious and comic; as a cartoonist he was immensely gifted, he
also had a brilliant memory and was a consummate quiz show host. As a live
performer he was second to none and it was always delightful being in a cabaret
audience watching the glint in his eye as he relished being a lot ruder than he
was on TV! He was a very slick and polished comedian, like his hero Bob Hope.
He was so kind to young upcoming
performers, and had endless patience and wisdom in abundance. I recommend that
people read his autobiography ‘Crying With Laughter’. It’s such a stunning
book, so well written and very eye opening if all you know of Bob is the so
called ‘smarmy’ quiz show host. I can understand how he had ‘Marmite’ appeal
for some people but really, to know him was to love him.
I write a lot about British comedians
and comedy actors from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Do you have a favourite(s) from
that era and if so, who and why?
I love Morecambe and Wise. They were TV
fixtures and part of my childhood. I just thought they were wonderful,
especially in the Eddie Braben era. I was a big fan of Peter Sellers as a
child. Clouseau, The Wrong Box, Only Two Can Play, The Party and There’s a Girl
In My Soup…far too many to mention. From the Carry Ons I love Kenneth Williams
and let’s not forget the comedy actresses. Irene Handl, Margaret Rutherford,
Joan Sims, Thora Hird and the fabulous Hylda Baker both as a comedy actress and
comedienne.
With my other blogging hat on
(Coronation Street Blog) I remember you fondly from your time in Corrie as
Yana, best friend to Cilla. What was it like to get the call to join the
Street?
I actually appeared in Corrie in 2001
as a ‘temporary florist’ who had to prevent Peter Barlow from trying to get
into the flat of Lucy, the florist he eventually married bigamously (he was
also married to barmaid Shelley).
Walking into the green room for the
first time was very intimidating but I was immediately made welcome by
everyone, but especially Helen Worth who was so lovely to me that day. She
could see I was petrified!
Three years later I got to audition for
the part of Yana Lumb, Cilla Brown’s best friend. I got recalled and happily
got the part. It was meant to be one episode in October 2004 but the character
went down so well with the writers that they kept writing me in and I think I
did about 52 episodes over three years in total. Cilla and Yana were a typical
Corrie comedy double act and we thoroughly enjoyed all their shenanigans! Wendi
Peters and I are still friends to this day and we still enjoy getting up to
mischief. We just dress better (I hope)
Do you have a favourite memory of your
time playing Yana?
The wedding episodes with Status Quo
were great fun.I always enjoyed scenes
in the chippy, and of course the time I had to sit in a bath of mushy peas with
Les Battersby. Hard to forget! Also off screen I got to meet George Michael
when he did a private tour of the street and you have to treasure memories like
that.
Do you still watch Coronation Street
now and would you ever go back?
I catch it occasionally, and sometimes
don’t know who characters are, but it’s lovely to still see friends like Sue
Nicholls, Andy Whyment, Alan Halsall, Jenni McAlpine and Sam Aston still going
strong. Of course I would go back! I loved my time on the show, it was the best
job ever.
I know you have many strings to your
bow and you're a very creative person. Can you tell me a bit more about your
work as an artist and a designer? I believe Paul O'Grady has a house full of
your work!
I have a BA Hons in art and design and
it’s something I’ve done all my life really. Paul O Grady is a great supporter
of artists and craftspeople and yes he has paintings I did of Diana Dors, Bet
Lynch and Tara King of The Avengers, as well as Bill and Ben puppets, a faux
hare head and a doll of Lily Savage (and Buster) as the statue of Liberty. He
has mad taste, thankfully! I don’t paint so much these days although I still
sell prints of my Coronation Street and Mad Men paintings (as well as lots of
pop stars too) Suranne Jones and Kate Ford both have paintings of mine too.
These days I have a business called Crafted Creatures which is fauxidermy
animal sculptures in fabric. I love animals, I’m good at sewing and I like
upcycling things like fabric so it’s a combination of likes!
I've got to ask, what's your favourite
Carry On film and why?
As a child I would’ve probably said
Carry On Screaming as I liked Fenella Fielding and Oddjob, but as I’ve got
older probably ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’ or ‘Carry On Matron’
Finally, what's up next for you?
Hopefully the script I’ve just written
with Mark Bickerton and Simon Cartwright will get commissioned and we’ve also
written ourselves parts in it (if they’ll have us!) because why not? I’m also
about to write another script with Mark Bickerton which is a biopic of a
British entertainment icon of yesteryear. I can say no more! I will be in an episode of 'Moving On' directed by Corrie's
Reece Dinsdale and starring Sue Johnston and Paula Wilcox. I also have a
cameo role in a film called 'Funny Cow' starring Maxine Peake, which will be released next year.
You can find out more about Jayne's career by taking a look at her showreel:
Next June will mark Kenneth Connor's centenary. This feels like the right time to celebrate the man's legacy and what better a legacy that his seventeen glorious performances in the Carry On films. As I've already done with the three main leading ladies of the series, I plan to embark on a series of blogs profiling each of Kenneth's roles in the Carry Ons, giving my own take on his contributions.
Kenneth is another one of those actors who worked steadily, prolifically and across all mediums throughout his career. From his very early days in film before the outbreak of World War Two, through the 1950s which saw him become an integral part of British radio comedy to the Carry Ons and his unforgettable roles in several 1980s sitcoms, Connor was an incredibly gifted actor. He worked right up until his death at the age of 75 in November 1993. However unlike Sid, Kenneth Williams or Barbara Windsor, I feel that Connor never really got the credit he deserved. He didn't have an outrageous private life, no scandals to be told. He shunned the limelight and his many performances as the ordinary man in the street mirrored his own life away from the cameras.
Kenneth was also one of the precious few actors who's career spanned pretty much the entire run of the Carry Ons. He was there at the very beginning in Carry On Sergeant and, a five year gap in the mind 1960s aside, remained loyal to the films until the very end of the original run in 1978. Connor, along with Williams and Eric Barker were the only actors to appear in the very first and the very last of the series. Kenneth was still around when Columbus was made in 1992 but declined to take part, probably very wisely. This new series of blogs will be a celebration of all those wonderful comedy performances in the Carry Ons - from bumbling romantic lead through to crumbling character parts, Kenneth could play them all.
So let's start right back in 1958 with Carry On Sergeant. This film is quite unlike most of the others that followed. The National Service comedy is fairly down to earth, gentle fare and the comedy content is generally light on innuendo. It represented the austere, post war Britain and the main reason for its stunning success at the box office was that the vast majority of the cinema going public could easily identify with the characters on screen and the situations in which they found themselves. While much of the content of Sergeant is pretty much unrecognisable as a Carry On compared to the bawdy antics of later entries, some of the faces debuting here would become long standing series contributors. Along with Kenneth Connor we have Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Hattie Jacques. All would be mainstays, returning again and again to Pinewood Studios for fun with Peter Rogers Productions over the next decade or so.
Other actors in Carry On Sergeant would reappear in later films (Shirley Eaton, Terence Longdon, Bill Owen to name a few) however none of these original stars of Sergeant quite left their mark like the Kenneths and Charles. The leading names in Sergeant were William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse, Eric Barker, Dora Bryan and Eaton. All reliable actors, well versed in the art of comedy and film making. However even from the get go, it's the actors further down the cast list that shine the brightest, and none more so than Kenneth Connor. Quite simply, his Horace Strong is a comedy masterpiece.
Horace is the most fragile, ineffective, reluctant hypochondriacal recruit in the entire film. He flinches at army life, shared barracks, technical tasks and most of all, any form of physical activity. Strong has so many mythical medical complaints he pays daily visits to the medical Officer (Hattie Jacques) whose no nonsense approach meets Horace's dithering head on in several beautifully played scenes. Most of the other recruits take the mickey out of Horace and see him as a major factor in their poor performance compared to other platoons. However there is a great deal of affection in these performances and the camaraderie shines though.
For me, the highlight of the film is Horace's battle to put off his persistent love interest, the wide-eyed, love struck Norah, played to perfection by the brilliant Dora Bryan. Dora and Kenneth are comedy gold and together they share many of the best moments. I really wish they had worked together more often as their chemistry and shared comedy timing is just superb. Norah chases Horace throughout the film and this only sends him into even more of a pill-popping panicked frenzy. In the end though, it is Norah (with a little help from Jacques) who helps Horace see the light. On the eve of their final passing out parade, Strong finally acts as his name suggests and wins over Norah before becoming one of the best performing recruits in the film's best of British, proud as punch finale.
Kenneth Connor is the very heart and soul of Carry On Sergeant. On the strength of this performance, it is no surprise that he came to be the Carry On films' leading light in many of the early black and white films that followed.
Next up will be my blog on Kenneth's return to the world of Carry On later in 1958 when he grabbed the starring role of injured boxer Bernie Bishop in the classic Carry On Nurse. Stay tuned for that!
There was a reminder of the late Bob Monkhouse on Twitter this week as his birthday was marked. Bob died back in 2003 at the age of 75. He was a legendary presence in British light entertainment - from acting on the big and small screen, numerous game shows and his ultra-slick stand up routine, Bob was a star for decades and an influence on many.
I've never really written about Bob Monkhouse's Carry On contribution before now which is perhaps a little odd. He was after all the main star name in the very first in the series, Carry On Sergeant way back in 1958. As Charlie Sage, he was called up for National Service on his wedding day although his bride (Shirley Eaton) quickly followed him to the camp. This story formed the "straight" back drop to the slapstick shenanigans and rather tame innuendo of the film and while most of the other stars of this film went on to make further apeparances in the series, Monkhouse did not return.
Bob did go on to make other films, most notably Dentist in the Chair, Dentist on the Job and A Weekend with Lulu, most of which reunited him with Carry On co-stars such as Kenneth Connor, Shirley Eaton and Eric Barker. I've read that Bob later admitted he'd regretted not making more Carry Ons but to be honest, I could never see him being a main feature of the team. He was very much his own man, a solo performer rather than one of a gang. I also doubt he'd have put up with the pay and conditions experienced by many of the other Carry On regulars down the year. I don't see that being his style.
I think Bob's stand up routine and flair for gag writing and delivery was too slick for the Carry Ons and his humour was actually quite different. More importantly, his performance isn't the most memorable thing about Carry On Sergeant. It's those who hover further down the cast list who really shine, and it's no surprise that the majority of them became Carry On mainstays - Kenneth Connor giving a beautiful performance as bumbling hypochondriac Horace Strong; Hattie Jacques in an early prototype version of her later barnstorming medical Matron persona; Charles Hawtrey as the effete loner of the group and Kenneth Williams as the snooty intellectual.
All stood out and all came back many more times. For me Connor was the best and he was matched by the gorgeous Dora Bryan as his insatiable love interest Norah. I only wish Dora had been tempted back for more Carrying On at Pinewood, however perhaps if she had Joan Sims would never have joined the gang. Anyway, back to Bob. I don't know why he didn't come back for Carry On Nurse - he probably asked for more money and Peter Rogers saw him off. I'm an admirer of much of Bob's later work however as far as the Carry Ons go, he was no Connor, James or Dale. So what do you think of Bob Monkhouse's Carry On contribution? Did you enjoy his role in Sergeant and do you wish he'd gone on to make more adventures with the gang?
I have been writing an occasional series of blogs turning the spotlight onto some of the lesser known yet still prolific actors who contributed so many memorable cameos to the Carry On films. So far I have written about the likes of Carol Hawkins, Marianne Stone, Peter Gilmore and Esma Cannon to name but a few. Today I am going to look at the career of an actor who appeared in the very first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958. Cyril Chamberlain would go on to play supporting roles in a further six films in the early days of the series. Cyril Chamberlain made his first Carry On appearance in a cameo role of the Gun Sergeant in Carry On Sergeant. He shares a scene with the likes of Kenneth Williams and Bob Monkhouse. Cyril returned to Pinewood later that year for a more substantial supporting turn as Bert Able, one of the patients in Carry On Nurse. Cyril has a memorable scene in Nurse which sees his character have an adverse reaction to some medication which sees his run amok in the middle of the night! He also shares scenes with the prolific character actress Marianne Stone who plays his wife Alice.
When looking back at Cyril Chamberlain's involvement in the series I was struck by how many fairly large supporting roles he had. I had always seen him as having cameo parts in the films, but he was actually pretty prolific. So what else did Cyril get up to in his acting career? Cyril Chamberlain has a whopping 162 screen credits to his name. On film he worked again for Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas in small roles in the following films: The Duke Wore Jeans (starring Tommy Steele and co-written by Lionel Bart), Please Turn Over, Nearly A Nasty Accident, The Iron Maiden and Raising The Wind. He also worked for Peter's wife Betty Box and Gerald's brother Ralph Thomas in several of their films, including Upstairs and Downstairs, Doctor In The House, Doctor At Sea, Doctor At Large and Doctor in Love. Cyril also made appearances in many other classic films from the late 50s and early 60s such as A Night To Remember (with Kenneth More), Two Way Stretch (with Peter Sellers), Too Many Crooks (with Terry-Thomas) and Dentist On The Job (with Bob Monkhouse). He was also a regular in the St Trinian's series of films, notching up roles in Blue Murder, Pure Hell and finally The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery, as a member of Frankie Howerd's gang.
Working with Norman Wisdom, Cyril appeared in many of his classic films of the era. Those included Trouble in Store, Just My Luck, On The Beat and A Stitch In Time. On television, Cyril Chamberlain popped up in a variety of roles in the likes of The Saint, Ivanhoe, No Hiding Place and William Tell. Cyril Chamberlain's first screen appearance came in 1938 with an uncredited bit part in The Man with 100 Faces. His career spanned nearly thirty years until his last appearance in The Yellow Hat in 1966. So what else do we know about Cyril Chamberlain? Cyril was born in London in March 1909. He was married to the actress Lisa Lee and together they had one child. I cannot find any evidence as to why he decided to retire from the acting profession in 1966, other than the suggestion that he did so to concentrate on his passion for restoring antiques. Cyril Chamberlain died in Wales in December 1974 at the age of 65.
Although his contributions were limited to the very early days of Carry On, Cyril Chamberlain provided solid, reliable support to the main regulars in the black and white Carry On films. The contribution of familiar British character actors like Cyril Chamberlain should never be underestimated.
