Catch Bless This House this evening on Talking Pictures TV!

This evening Talking Pictures TV are showing yet another comedy classic from the golden age of British film comedy. Possibly the closest any other film got to being an official part of the Carry On team without actually gaining the Carry On title, Bless This House was yet another quickly made, cheaply made picture from Peter Rogers Productions. A big screen version of the hit Thames Television domestic sitcom, bringing Bless This House to the cinema was just another part of the very 1970s trend of transferring TV comedy favourites to film. This had varying results with some performing better than others. I think we can agree Bless This House is probably one of the most successful.

Part of its success is down to the Carry On-like quality the film has, mainly down to the personnel employed both in front of and behind the camera. Bless This House remains a hugely popular film, 47 years after it was first released. It's easy going, has bags of charm, remains completely light, frothy, undemanding and innocent and in modern, more cynical times its special brand of escapism is very appealing. Nothing really happens across its 80 odd minutes and basically writer Dave Freeman, who would go on to pen Carry On Behind and Columbus, stitches together three potential small screen half hours into one film. 

There's the traditional suburban new neighbours move in and don't get on with those around them strand. So what you say? Well when the main opponents are Sid James and an extremely pompous pre-Terry and June Terry Scott, you have comedy magic. Then there's the farcical wedding strand which sees the offspring of Sid and Terry (Robin Askwith and Carol Hawkins) hitch up and get hitched. Of course nothing goes to plan but all's well in the end. In between all this there are several small plots of little consequence such as Sally Geeson's naive 1970s environmental activism, Diana Coupland and Patsy Rowlands hoarding junk for a future antiques business and best of all, Sid and best mate Peter Butterworth attempting to make their own alcohol in the garden shed, with startling results! 

In the hands of lesser actors, all of this would have fallen flat and this little film would be a very distant memory. As with the main Carry On series, the secret of this films' success is the casting. The film is mainly made up of instantly recognisable Carry On faces with only leading lady Diana Coupland failing to Carry On elsewhere (a great pity I think I as you can read here: Should Diana Coupland have carried on? Leading team members Sid James, Peter Butterworth and Patsy Rowlands are joined by Carry On supporting players Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Marianne Stone, Bill Maynard, Patricia Franklin, Julian Orchard, Molly Weir, Wendy Richard and Johnny Briggs. Phew! It seems to modern viewers that Peter Rogers basically arranged for the cast of the early 1970s Carry Ons to decamp to suburban Windsor for six weeks. Recent Carry On starlets Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson also grab leading roles while rising star Robin Askwith, soon to appear in Carry On Girls and then the Confessions series, plays Sid's son Mike. Quite an ensemble!

Of course several of these actors transferred across from the television version of Bless This House. Alongside Sid, Sally Geeson played daughter Sally in all 65 episodes of the sitcom alongside Diana Coupland. Patsy Rowlands too was a semi-regular in the sitcom as neighbour Betty. However the actors playing Trevor and Mike did not appear in the film. I don't really know why Anthony Jackson and Robin Stewart were replaced by Peter Butterworth and Robin Askwith but I can't fault either of the actors who stepped into the film. To complicate matters further, the likes of June Whitfield and Marianne Stone also appeared in the television series, albeit in very different roles!

Many of the core Carry On crew also appeared behind the camera on Bless This House. Pinewood stalwart Alan Hume was in charge of photography, Eric Rogers did the music while even the hair and make up team moved across in the familiar guise of Stella Rivers and Geoff Rodway. It really was a team effort and a film family and us fans take great comfort from seeing all these names scrolling across the screen once again. 

So make a date to catch up with your favourite comedy character actors in an undemanding hour and half of slapstick, gentle humour and family fun. 

Bless This House is on Talking Pictures TV tonight at 7.10pm. Find out more here: https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carrying On with … Confessions of a Pop Performer!

I've written before about the Confessions series of bawdy comedy films from the 1970s but really only from the perspective of the effect they had on the slightly more innocent Carry On films we all cherish. The Confessions films have suffered the same fate as the Carry Ons in that they have frequently been looked down on, written off or just plain criticised.

However these films all featured a superb range of actors and provided entertainment to the masses during years when perhaps the country sometimes didn't have that much to laugh about. What interests me a great deal about these films is how they represent the changing face of British society. By the time Confessions of a Window Cleaner burst onto cinema screens up and down the land in 1974, censorship had been relaxed and a whole new generation were much more liberally minded. 

Last time, I focussed on the hugely popular Confessions of a Window Cleaner, the sexy comedy film which burst onto cinema screens across the country back in 1974 and catapulted leading man Robin Askwith to lasting fame. Today I thought I would move on to the following year and another big hit, Confessions of a Pop Performer. Many of the same original team from Window Cleaner returned for this second outing with recurring actors Bill Maynard, Sheila White and Tony Booth appearing again as the traditional sitcom style family around Robin's Timmy Lea. They provide the grounding and the basis for much of the comedy in between the racier material. Sadly Dandy Nichols did not return to play Mrs Lea after the previous film but she was ably replaced by fellow sitcom legend Doris Hare. Doris would go on to appear in both further Confessions films. 

Val Guest, that legendary British film director, chose not to make another Confessions film, allegedly because his wife wasn't keen on him being on set with so many scantily clad nubile young actresses! Columbia Pictures, the big name backer of these low budget comedies and clearly cleaned up with Window Cleaner (as it were) and were keen for more antics. And Mr Askwith was only too happy to oblige! Pop Performer sees Booth's wheeler dealer character become manager to a dubious pop group called Kipper and Timmy gets involved too. The usual slapstick and naughtiness follows as I'm sure you'll already know.

There are several Carry On links to this film and not just in front of the camera. The brilliant cinematographer Alan Hume, who worked on countless Carry Ons as well as big budget pictures in the Star Wars and James Bond franchises, worked on Pop Performer. Frank Bevis, Production Manager on this film, was also involved in many Carry Ons. Frank was Production Manager on Carry On Sergeant, Nurse, Teacher and Constable and later worked as an Associate Producer on Cabby, Jack, Spying, Cleo, Cowboy and Screaming!

In front of the camera, we've of course got the brilliant Robin Askwith, who had already made a name for himself as Larry in Carry On Girls and as Sid's son Mike in the film of Bless This House. And Bill Maynard, there once again as Mr Lea, appeared in supporting roles in five 1970s Carry Ons. Playing a major supporting role in Pop Performer is the lovely Carol Hawkins as the rather proper journalist, Jill Brown, object of Timmy's affections. Carol had already appeared in Carry On Abroad by this stage, playing Marge and the same year worked with Robin in Bless This House. 1975, the year Pop Performer was made, also saw Carol return to Carry On for a major supporting role as glamorous camper Sandra in Carry On Behind as well as co-starring in two episodes of the ATV series Carry On Laughing. Despite the raunchier material in the Confessions film, Carol maintains her dignity throughout, I hasten to add!

Also appearing is that wonderful comedy character actor Peter Jones. Playing a rather obvious send up of a notorious television host, Peter rather over eggs it as Maxy Naus. Another recruit from the world of television comedy is the great Ian Lavender in a cameo turn as Rodney, which involves a lot of funny business with a pantomime horse! Say no more. Ian  was still appearing as Private Pike in Dad's Army at the time and also in 1975 he cropped up in Carry On Behind as Adrienne Posta's husband. Clearly in the Jim Dale persona, sadly Ian suffered from a lack of screen time. Ian's Dad's Army co-star, the late great Bill Pertwee also pops in for a brief cameo in Pop Performer as the stereotypical angry husband who chases Robin's Timmy off with the help of a javelin! 

Two future Carry On girls made quite an impact in Pop Performer as the aptly named Climax Sisters, a truly awful singing double act! Giving a rather spirited performance are Diane Langton and Linda Regan as Ruby and Brenda Climax. Diane would go on to appear in Carry On Laughing on television the same year and in 1976 would take on the Barbara Windsor persona in the awful Carry On England. Joining Diane in England was Linda Regan who several years before had a small part in one of the Carry On Christmas television specials.

Playing Augustus is that instantly recognisable character actor Robert Dorning. Robert would join what was left of the Carry On team three years later to play The Prime Minister in Carry On Emmannuelle. Also look out for Darth Vader himself, Dave Prowse in a brief cameo as a Man in the Cinema. Dave had played a small role as a Bearded Torturer in Carry On Henry five years earlier. Playing Mr Barnwell is the small screen comedy actor Bob Todd, who had already played two small Carry On roles. He had a wordless cameo as a patient in Again Doctor on the big screen and played two small parts in Carry On Again Christmas in 1970. And finally Carry On Behind cameo player, the Danish born actress Helli Louise, plays Eva, one of Timmy's conquests. We see rather a lot of her here, as did Peter Butterworth in yet another shocking Carry On shower scene also in 1975 when she popped up and out in Carry On Behind. 

Pop Performer clearly cashed in on the very best of British comedy talent from both the big and small screen and followed the pattern started with Window Cleaner in casting a mix of 'interesting' young starlets alongside some instantly recognisable and well respected comedy performers. The content might have dated and may not be for everyone but it's all lighthearted fun and exists today as a fascinating time capsule of a Britain in tumult undergoing great social and cultural change. Watch out for a small cameo from future leading lady Rula Lenska as a rather harrassed receptionist and even a fairly major supporting turn from a pre-The Gentle Touch Jill Gascoine, revealing rather a lot as Mrs Barnwell. 

If the sight of legendary character actress Rita Webb running about a freezing cold Borehamwood housing estate screaming "Have you seen my Fanny?" gives you the giggles, Confessions of a Pop Performer is definitely for you!! As far as I'm concerned, anything that gives us plenty of Bill Maynard, Carol Hawkins and Peter Jones is fine by me. And Robin does what only Robin could. And he does it with aplomb! 

Compared to some of the content we see on our screens these days, Pop Performer is relatively tame but watching it again, it's clear times have certainly changed! It's quite possibly the most gloriously Seventies film I've ever seen. And that's a compliment! 


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Happy 70th Birthday Carol Hawkins!

Many happy returns to the lovely Carol Hawkins who celebrates her 70th birthday today. Carol was a regular presence in many classic British comedy films and television shows during the 1970s and 1980s and continues to delight fans at film conventions.

After making her name as Sharon in the big screen version of Please Sir! and the subsequent spin-off series The Fenn Street Gang, Carol joined the Carry On team in 1972 for the first of two adventures with the gang. As Marge in Carry On Abroad, she jetted off to Elsbells with her friend Lily (Sally Geeson) and found love with Brother Bernard! 

Carol returned to the Carry On films with another supporting role as Sandra in Carry On Behind in 1975. In this Carry On Camping II, Carol played a glamorous young camper alongside Sherrie Hewson. The pair led Jack Douglas and Windsor Davies a right merry dance. 1975 also saw Carol appear in two episodes of the ATV series Carry On Laughing, starring alongside the likes of Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Joan Sims. 

Away from the Carry Ons, Carol has had a long and successful career appearing in films such as Bless This House, Confessions of a Pop Performer and Now Now, Comrade. On television she has popped up in such diverse productions as The Two Ronnies, The Bill, Robin's Nest, Blake's 7, Porridge and Trial and Retribution. 

 

Now retired from acting, Carol lives in Spain. Whatever Carol is up to today, I hope she has a great birthday! 


See also: Whatever Happened to Carol Hawkins?

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Bernie Carries On … As Brother Bernard!

Over the past year I have written a series of blogs covering each of the roles of some of our favourite Carry On stars. I began my looking back at each film role played by the three leading ladies in the series - Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor - and most recently I've written about all of Kenneth Connor's Carry On performances in the run up to the great man's centenary. 

Today I am continuing a new strand of this series by turning the spotlight on that gentle giant of British comedy, the late Bernard Bresslaw. Probably one of the most under-rated actors in the main team, Bernard was a part of the series for ten years and fourteen films, tackling a superb range of crumbling villains and delightfully dimwitted foils to the likes of Sid James and Kenneth Cope. Bernard enjoyed a long career away from the Carry Ons and spent much of his later life wowing audiences in legitimate theatre. However he will forever to remembered for his clutch of hilarious Carry On supporting turns. 

Bernard joined the Carry On team in the mid 1960s and along with Peter Butterworth was the last main team member to join the gang. Along with Butterworth, Bernard played a series of smaller, supporting roles to begin with before graduating to major roles towards the end of the decade. Bernard fitted in effortlessly with the rest of the team and he's the kind of actor who is working hard but making it look oh so easy. A quiet, erudite, thoughtful family man away from the film studios, I often think Bresslaw has never received the credit he's due as like Connor and Butterworth, he didn't ever seek the limelight or splash his life over the front pages.

So today, we'll continue this new series looking at Bernard's role as Brother Bernard, in the 1972 package holiday parody, Carry On Abroad. 

Carry On Abroad sees a group of eccentric British misfits take off for a long weekend in the dodgy Spanish island of Elsbells. The series was once again tapping into the latest trends, this time for cheap and cheerful package holidays. They were all the rage by the early 190s so what better than sending it all up by sending the gang you'd more typically associate with Brighton off to Spain (well the Pinewood Studios car park). This really was the last classic adventure for the core Carry On team and it's been one of my favourites since I first saw it as a child, recorded late at night on ITV. I still have the original VHS tape somewhere...

Although I have a grudging love of the bargain basement 1975 film Carry On Behind, yet another holiday film, Abroad is the last to feature the full compliment of original cast members (minus Jim Dale who had departed in 1969). Abroad features knockout performances from a host of wonderful Carry On stars, with prime parts for Sid, Joan Kenneths Williams and Connor and a return to a major role for the brilliant Peter Butterworth. It also features one of the best guest casts in any of the Carry Ons - June Whitfield as the uptight Evelyn Blunt, Ray Brooks as the handsome Spanish waiter, Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson as two young holidaymakers on the look out for love, Jimmy Logan as the boisterous Bert Conway and Derek Francis as the stuffy old monk.  

The film also features the last role in the series for stalwart Charles Hawtrey. Sadly, growing problems in Hawtrey's personal life had made him increasingly unreliable. Following a spat about billing for the 1972 Christmas special, with top billing going to the main subject of this blog, Hattie Jacques, Charles left the series and despite making occasional theatre and television appearances until his death in 1988, would never make another film. Another Carry On star who was firmly ensconced as part of the gang was Bernard Bresslaw, who takes on one of his most gentle, sympathetic role as Brother Bernard in Carry On Abroad.

While receiving good billing for his performance in Abroad, Bernard's role is pretty unstated and in the background, despite the fact that his character gives up the priesthood and runs off with Carol Hawkins! Brother Bernard is meek, mild and under the thumb of his senior, Brother Martin, played by the brilliant Derek Francis. The pair bicker and moan throughout the film and I only wish Derek had taken on bigger parts in the series, he's superb. Bernard's first big moment, apart from being on the constant look out for the tomb of Saint Cecilia, is to rip off Sally Geeson's skirt in another one of Talbot Rothwell's typical misunderstandings! Sally's character Lily instantly takes again the bumbling monk even though her pal Marge develops quite a soft spot for him.

Bernard gets into another scrape while applying suncream to young Marge on the sandy beach by the Palace Hotel, otherwise known as the Pinewood Studios' car park. Caught in the act of some very mild flirtation, Bernard scrambles to his feet and sprays suncream over everyone within a five mile radius. Bernard's big moment comes later on in the film when the holidaymakers take off for a day trip to the local market. When Charles Hawtrey's Mr Tuttle pays a visit to the local red light bar, owned by a certain Madame Fifi, he encourages some of the other men to join him. Things get out of hand when Tuttle "insults the fine ladies" and all hell breaks loose as the holidaymakers get into a massive brawl and destroy the market! Brother Bernard keeps his distance until the police arrive and try to arrest Marge. A swift punch to the jaw and Bernie's monk ends up spending the night in the cells.

All this does not go down too well with his Brother Martin and when Bernard decides he wants to take Marge to Pepe's farewell party in the hotel, we finally get to see Brother Bernard in his civvies! Sadly the cast is so packed with fan favourites and superb guest actors that we don't get much character development for Bernard and Carol's characters however from what we do see they make a lovely pairing. Bernard's role in Abroad is quite unlike any other he plays in the series. Yes, there's a touch of bumbling and slapstick, but Brother Bernard is neither a snarling villain or yet another version of his stock in trade Army Game simpleton. 

It's a lovely role for Bernard and once again, he proves himself to be the everyman of the early seventies Carry Ons. 


Stay tuned for my blog on Bernard Bresslaw's next role in the series, in the 1973 film Carry On Girls.



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