Jimmy Logan, Pride of the Clyde

The great Jimmy Logan was born on this day in 1928. Time flies, as we all know, but if dear Jimmy was still with us today he'd be the grand old age of 91. Sadly, Jimmy passed away back in April 2001 at the age of 73. He left behind a huge legacy not in theatre, film and television and remains one of Scotland's best loved performers.

Jimmy had a varied career but was probably best known for his theatrical performances. On the boards from a very young age, Jimmy first found fame during the war years. Logan was most at home working a live theatre audience and spent decades keeping the people of Scotland and much further afield, thoroughly entertained. Although primarily known for comedy, as with a great number of comedians (and I use that term loosely) Jimmy was also capable of many dramatic and deeply affecting performances over the years and was moving into some very interesting film work towards the end of his life.

To us though, Jimmy Logan is best remembered for his two Carry On appearances. Joining the team for Carry On Abroad in 1972, Jimmy played enthusiastic Scottish holidaymaker Bert Conway. I'm not sure what led Jimmy to be cast in the film, perhaps Peter Rogers wanted to extend the appeal of his film series across the border? Anyway, i think Jimmy was a breath of fresh air in Abroad and definitely added something different to the mix. Jimmy makes a great double act with Barbara Windsor and also spars effectively with his onscreen love rival, the wonderful Sid James. Jimmy's bright, breezy and energetic turn is a shot in the arm to the Carry Ons and in a cast full of great actors and brilliant comedy performances, he certainly stands out. 

Jimmy returned to the series the following year, however his guest starring role as the extraordinarily camp TV presenter Cecil Gaybody is less successful than his previous appearance. Obviously taking on a role originally written for Charles Hawtrey, who had left the series by then, Jimmy's over the top turn is not a favourite amongst fans. This is really no fault of Jimmy's and he himself admitted later on he didn't enjoy the role. What a shame. As with actors like Windsor Davies, I wish Jimmy had joined the team earlier in the run as I think he really did have something to add. He remained proud of his association with the films and often talked fondly of working with many of the Carry On team. He had worked with Peter Butterworth's wife Janet Brown as early as 1949 on the romantic drama Floodtide, and had been a fan of the likes of Sid James and Joan Sims for many years.

Jimmy was a favourite in pantomime for over fifty years, starting out in Dick Whittington in 1944. Some of Jimmy's other favourite stage roles included leading parts in productions of Death of a Salesman, The Entertainer, On Golden Pond and The Comedians. Such was Jimmy's love of the theatre that he even purchased one, the New Metropole, in 1964. With plans for a family friendly venue showcasing plays and musicals, it was initially a success but eventually failed financially and as a result Jimmy's career took a downward turn. Never one to let a setback like that hold him back, Jimmy devised a one man show on the life of the great Scottish entertainer Harry Lauder and it became one of his greatest successes. 

Awarded an OBE in the 1990s, Jimmy was well respected in the profession and by fans around the world. Jimmy Logan was also well regarded for his extensive charity work. They don't really make them like that anymore. So to pay tribute to Jimmy, why not stick Carry On Abroad on tonight and enjoy his fun, energetic performance as Bert Conway. 

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What a Carry On this Sunday!

Watch out tomorrow for two classic Carry On films in the television schedules. One in the morning, on at teatime, so you can spend the day sprawled on the couch with our favourite comedy actors. ITV3 are showing one of the last great classics from the series from the early 1970s while over on Film4, one of the crowning glories from the Anglo Amalgamated era. So sit back and enjoy. Here are the details:

Carry On Abroad -  11am, ITV3

Continuing on in chronological order is this classic, one of my all time favourites and a film many would argue is the last truly great Carry On in the series. The gang take on the fashionable 70s trend for foreign package holidays and there is much rich comedy and farcical situations to be found in sending the great bunch of British eccentrics ever to take to the silver screen! Sid James and Joan Sims are the best pub landlords in comedy film history and Kenneth Williams excels as a rather posh, frustrated package holiday tour guide. A lovely supporting cast includes Bernard Bresslaw, June Whitfield, Kenneth Connor, Carol Hawkins, Jimmy Logan and Gail Grainger while Peter Butterworth and Hattie Jacques are the best as the Spanish hosts! Sadly this film also marked Charles Hawtrey's last Carry On and indeed his last ever film role.

Further reading: Carry On Blogging Interview: Sally Geeson 
Carry On Blogging: Whatever Happened to Gail Grainger? 
Carry On Blogging: My Top Ten Carry Ons - Carry On Abroad 

Carry On Cleo - 5.05pm, Film4

Surely one of the best ever films in the entire series, this send up of the big budget Hollywood Cleopatra movie featured particularly lush costumes and sets mainly because the Elizabeth Taylor epic left loads of gear behind when they left Buckinghamshire for a sunnier climate in 1963. Cleo boasts a stunning star turn from Amanda Barrie as the dippy, rather camp Cleopatra who spends most of her time up to her neck in asses' milk. Also along for the ride are Sid James as a very Hancockian Mark Anthony and Kenneth Williams as the definitive comic Julius Caesar. For me though, one of the stand outs is Kenneth Connor as the beautifully judged timid slave, Hengist Pod, inventor of the square wheel. Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Joan Sims provide peerless support.

Further reading - Carry On Blogging Interview: Amanda Barrie 
Carry On Blogging: Five Reasons Why I Love Carry On Cleo 


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Guest Blog: Rich & Craig from Sitcom Delights!

I'm delighted to bring yet another guest blog to Carry On Blogging. Rich and Craig are behind the 'Sitcom Delights' Twitter feed and organise events celebrating the very best of classic British comedy. Rich and Craig have both written about what the Carry On films mean to them.

One way or another, "Carry On" has a daily impact on my life. It could be a friend sending me a voice recording of a line from a film which when opened if strolling along in public receive some odd looks when the likes of "I tried it once and didn't like it", "Poor Old Pratt" or "Not the Cross Voice,The Daddy Voice" come roaring out the speaker! It's always a welcome chuckle.Then it could be something completely at the other end of the spectrum, at the moment we are working with the wonderful David Kernan who played Nicholas in Carry On Abroad, David is putting the finishing touches to his autobiography and news of the release date will be coming soon.

I'm sure many will agree that one of the toughest questions a Carry On Fan can be asked is "What is your favourite Carry On Film?" It is pretty much impossible to pick one selection from that amazing franchise. 

So I'll make it easier and give you a top five ( in no particular order! )

Convenience,Abroad,Matron,Dick & Behind.

Matron has become quite special to me as I was privileged to represent the late, great Bill Maynard in the final year of his life. I had some memorable conversations with Bill regarding his time in the Carry Ons. He especially enjoyed playing poker with Sid during breaks in filming!

In "Matron" the performance of the group of crooks - Sid James, Bernard Bresslaw, Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope is truly outstanding along with that sinister piece of music which plays in prelude to some of their scenes. One particular scene, at the table discussing Bus routes is priceless.

Bill was always baffled as to why his name wasn't on the Carry On Matron poster, especially as it was a big supporting role. Unfortunately there's probably nobody around to shed light on that.

Someone who always deserves a special mention is Peter Butterworth. Whether he had a major or minor role in the film he always stood out. The facial expressions, the body language, the delivery of his one liners and I have to single out his performance as Barnes in "Behind". It is so believable that he is an odd job man and hasn't washed in god knows when!!

There is nothing like Carry On. It has captured the hearts of generations. Here we are sixty years later and still absolutely mad about it. On that fact, you have to tip your hat to the writers and cast. We are still hooked.

Hooked so much that we head out to filming locations in the middle of nowhere. Everyone who has done this will tell you how much of a buzz it is,t o walk the same ground those legendary cast members walked. When you're there you feel the goosebumps.

I've a picture somewhere running out the gates of St Mary's Church in Hitcham, Buckinghamshire, a la "Reverend Flasher".

Bonkers? Of Course!

A huge thanks to Graeme for having us as guest bloggers. The work he does keeping the memory of Carry On alive is amazing and everyone appreciates it.

Rich @sitcomdelights 

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Carry On films are like a member of the family. They have been around all of my life. I grew up watching the exploits of comedy legends such as Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Barbara Windsor. 

The franchise was a brainchild of film producer Peter Rogers and he, along with director Gerald Thomas created something very special. A series of films stretching over five decades laced with double entendres, innuendo and saucy postcard humour that today are sadly frowned upon in a politically correct age we live in. However, they still have a cult following across the globe. 

As for which Carry On is my personal favourite, that has changed over the years. Carry On Camping is the one that made its mark on me as a youngster and brought home to me how much I love the films. However one has grown on me to a degree that I would now call it my favourite and that film is Carry On At Your Convenience. It upset many at the time due to it being a direct dig at the unions at a time when trade unions were at their strongest and it bombed at the box office but today it is widely regarded as one of the very best. 

My favourite Carry On moment is a close call with Peter Butterworth as Brother Belcher in Up The Khyber when he loses the plot saying 'Strawberry Mousse' as the residence is under siege in the film's fabulous finale. Also the great delivery of Kenneth Connor in Carry On Abroad as the Spanish police officer makes a gesture to which he replies dryly: 'Damned filth.'

I have now adopted that line in every day life. The Carry Ons continue to make me laugh and always will until I take my last breath. Thank you Graeme for this opportunity to share my love of this great film franchise.

Craig @sitcomdelights

A big thank you to both Rich and Craig for taking the time to write this brilliant guest blog for me. If you would like to have a go, please do get in touch via Twitter or by emailing me at carryonfan15@gmail.com. 

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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