Carry On Advertising - Carry On Spying

This blog is part of a new little series on Carry On Blogging, looking back at the changing face of the Carry On films during their original twenty year run. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the way the films were advertised to the cinema-going public of Great Britain over the years. These days when I do go to the cinema, I try to avoid the trailers as they tend to go on for rather too long, but of course, with Carry On it's a different story!

Thankfully most of the original trailers are now available to peruse on the internet and they provide a unique time capsule of British film history. The changing tastes of mores of the film-going public can easily be traced through these adverts as can the changing face of the British film industry and the social attitudes of the time. It's also fascinating to see how first Anglo Amalgamated and then later on, the Rank Organisation, chose to market and sell these low budget, knockabout comedies. 

Today I'm featuring one of my favourites from the series and a film which I think remains completely under appreciated. Carry On Spying, released in 1964, was the last in the run to be made in black and white. However this really suits the film, a tribute to The Third Man and a parody of the early Bond films. The film is perhaps overlooked as it doesn't feature the likes of Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques or Sidney James. Despite this it does give us a barnstorming starring role from Kenneth Williams and the first (and I think best) appearance from Barbara Windsor. With a cast including Eric Barker, Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey, Victor Maddern, Richard Wattis and the delectable Dilys Laye as a double crossing, night club singing spy, what's not to love?

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Two Classic Carry Ons Coming Up on Film4!

You'll be pleased to know the schedulers have popped two classic Carry Ons into the televisual line up over the next few days. So without further ado, set your videos (or whatever it is you have these days) for these two wonderful British comedy films.

Carry On Constable (1959) - Film4, Saturday 8 December, 16.40. 

A glorious black and white feature, this film yet again plays to Norman Hudis' strengths by focusing on another British institution, the police force. There's the figure of authority pitched against a group of bumbling incompetents too as new recruits battle to success during a flu epidemic at the local station. This film marks a major turning point for the Carry Ons as it sees the debut of a certain Mr Sidney James in the starring role of Frank Wilkins. It's a fairly low key entrance for Sid, given what was to come but it's a superb performance and it's clear he's firmly in charge! Eric Barker returns for the first time since Sergeant, playing a similar officious role while the new recruits are played with relish by Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Kenneth Connor. Throw in some lovely supporting turns from Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques and a cameo from original Carry On girl Shirley Eaton and you have a great afternoon matinee film to enjoy!

Further reading - Carry On Blogging: Connor Carries On as Constable Constable!
Carry On Blogging: Joan Carries On as WPC Gloria Passworthy
Carry On Blogging: Hattie Carries On as Laura Moon

Carry On Spying (1964) - Film4, Monday 10 December, 17.10. 

One of the most under-appreciated of all the Carry Ons (in my view) Carry On Spying was the last in the series to be shot in black and white and the first to star none other than Barbara Windsor. The black and white film makes everything look gorgeous and the film is in part a tribute to The Third Man, a classic Gerald Thomas worked on as an editor. The main subject of Spying however is a pastiche of the James Bond films. Spying was released the same year as the mega-hit Goldfinger and while both series shared Pinewood Studios, they couldn't have been more different. Brilliant performances from Barbara, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams in full on Snide mode. Jim Dale proves himself as a suave spy while the bickering Eric Barker and Richard Wattis provide peerless character actor support. Also look out for the gorgeous Dilys Laye in a wonderful supporting role as a glamorous double crossing spy who can't half sing a bit! Lovely stuff.

Further Reading: Carry On Blogging: In Praise of Carry On Spying
Carry On Blogging: Barbara Carries On … As Daphne Honeybutt

I hope you enjoy them both!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram 

Remembering John Bluthal

As reported yesterday, the actor John Bluthal very sadly passed away at the age of 89 on 15 November. John was a very interesting actor who lived a very interesting life and appeared in all manner of productions during a long and successful career. Probably best remembered  to modern audiences as Frank Pickle in the Dawn French BBC comedy, The Vicar of Dibley from the 1990s, Bluthal had a career on stage and screen dating back to the 1950s and he was still working earlier this year.

I remember being somewhat surprised to see a familiar British comedy face in the 2016 big budget Hollywood film, Hail Caesar, which starred none other than George Clooney. Yes, John was there, aged 85, playing Professor Marcuse in the Coen Brothers' epic. I shouldn't have been surprised as John's career included working with the very best, wherever they happened to be. Born in Poland in August 1929, the young John relocated to Australia in 1938, as Europe stood on the ominous brink of war. Growing up in Australia, it was here John made his first steps towards life as an actor. He would continue to appear on stage, television and film in Australia throughout his career and spent much of his time there.

Indeed one of his earliest links to Britain was founded in Australia when he first worked with Spike Milligan, who would become a regular co-star, on the 1958 television special The Gladys Half Hour. Once settled in Britain, John would go on to work with Spike on television and radio, probably most famously on Spike's show, Q. 

On stage, John Bluthal was active as soon as he arrived in the UK. He played Fagin in Oliver!, replacing Ron Moody in 1960. He also worked a great deal at the National Theatre in London. John appeared in such productions as The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter's Tale,  The Tempest and Peter Hall's Antony and Cleopatra, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench. 

Of course John also became a familiar face on the big screen as I've already mentioned. There were three supporting roles in the Carry Ons of course - he first joined the series in 1964 when he played the Head Waiter at the Cafe Mozart in Carry On Spying. John, known for his amazing range of voices, also dubbed Judith Furse's performance as the fiendish Dr Crow. Three years later John played Corporal Clotski, second in command to Phil Silvers in Follow That Camel. And finally, Bluthal had an uncredited cameo as the Royal Tailor in the 1970 film Carry On Henry. Bluthal also made small appearances in two of Betty Box's Doctor films - see if you can spot him in Doctor in Distress (1963) and Doctor in Trouble (1970). 

John teamed up with his Camel co-star Phil Silvers once more, in the 1967 musical comedy film, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which also featured Peter Butterworth. And in 1973 he played Jerry in the Jim Dale/Angela Douglas children's film adventure, Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World. Other films included The Beatles' film Help (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Superman III (1983), Labyrinth (1987), The Fifth Element (1997) and Love's Brother (2004). 

On the small screen, one of Bluthal's earliest roles in the UK was in the 1960 series CItizen James. He appeared in five episodes as Charlie, alongside Sid James and Liz Fraser. He went on to appear with Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques in their BBC sitcom, Sykes And A … in 1961, starring in the episode Sykes And A … Bath. He returned the same year for Sykes And A …Mission and also appeared in the colour series in 1974. Also in 1961, John appeared alongside Tony Hancock in The Radio Ham in the TV series, Hancock. Other appearances included guest spots on a whole host of series such as The Avengers, Bergerac, The Saint, 'Allo 'Allo, Minder and Inspector Morse. Probably his best remembered role from his early television work was as Manny Cohen, the Jewish tailor in the long running ITV sitcom Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width. A total of 40 episodes were made between 1967 and 1971. It even led to a film spin off in 1973. 

Bluthal found a new level of fame as Frank Pickle in the Dawn French ensemble comedy The Vicar of Dibley, which ran on BBC1 between 1994 and 1998, returning for a whole host of specials right up to 2013. The cast featured the likes of Gary Waldhorn, Trevor Peacock and Liz Smith. Bluthal appeared in all twenty episodes. French paid a warm, loving tribute to John on Twitter yesterday, remembering all their happy times together on set. John continued to act until earlier this year, with recent appearances including the already mentioned Hail, Caesar, a film called Jungle, starring Daniel Radcliffe, released last year and his final work, a short film called By Any Other Name.

Rather touchingly, John's final appearance saw him working with his daughter, Lisa. By Any Other Name is a whimsical take on an old man's life with Alzheimer's Disease, and how his daughter copes with his illness, by singing songs from musical theatre. John plays Bernie Berman and his daughter Lisa plays his screen daughter Rose. Lisa also wrote and directed the film. 

We have seen several well loved actors with Carry On connections leave the stage this year, from Bill Maynard and Peter Byrne to Liz Fraser, Fenella Fielding and now John Bluthal. It's always extremely sad to lose another link to past glories and we all cherish their many fantastic performances over the years. The one comforting thing about all these names is that they lived, without exception, long and full lives. Yes, we are sad they are gone, but thankfully we have many wonderful films and television shows to remember them by.

Rest in peace John Bluthal. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Five Reasons Why I Love … Carry On Spying

I caught Carry On Spying again on television recently and once more I was struck by how much I enjoyed it and by how good a film it was. I remember Bernard Cribbins saying he much preferred making Carry On Jack as it was more of a comedy than a pure Carry On, however, for me Spying is just as good a film.

Sure, many of the regular actors - Sid James, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor - are missing from this Third Man / James Bond parody, but focussing on a smaller collection of lead actors allows each their turn and they all shine. The film also boasts some excellent supporting actors and for a picture almost entirely shot inside the studios, it doesn't have look a cut above. Gerald Thomas clearly had a lot of fun making this one.

So I thought I would pay homage to Carry On Spying by choosing five particular reasons why I love it and why I think it's yet another treasure in the Carry On vault.

Gerald Thomas, master Director

Gerald Thomas a superlative if straight forward director. As many actors involved in the Carry Ons have said, he edited each film as he went along, making the process speedy and efficient. He worked with the same actors time and time again because he knew they were good and he knew they were fast. There was certainly no hanging about. Gerald was also a highly skilled professional who had worked his way up from assistant editor to director. One of his earliest jobs was on the classic The Third Man in the late 1940s and you can see so many influences in Carry On Spying. Shooting in black and white worked so well on this film, it's so crisp and sharp. The lighting, as ever, is spot on and of real quality. And little touches in the Vienna section such as Jim Dale's blind match seller and the brief glimpse of the black cat are direct nods to the Orson Welles classic. It's a glorious film to watch, and not just because it features prime comedy talent in the likes of Williams and Hawtrey.

Barbara at her best

I've said it before and I'll say it again. As Daphne Honeybutt, Dame Babs gives her not only her first but her best performance in the Carry Ons. She looks beautiful in elegant black and white and mixes wide-eyed innocence with worldly charm. She forms a delicious double act with romantic interest Bernard Cribbins, her real life chum and the chemistry shines through. Barbara also blends in magnificently with established regulars Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey. Real friendships off the Pinewood stage were formed during the making of this film. Barbara also plays the smartest, more agile agent of them all in Spying and more than holds her own, both against the fiendish agents of STENCH but also alongside her more experienced comedy co-stars.

Carstairs, repeat Stairs

Jim Dale had already worked for Peter Rogers several times by the time Spying went into production in 1964. There had been small parts in Raising The Wind, The Iron Maiden and Nurse On Wheels as well the his expectant father in Carry on Cabby and his hilarious cameo in Carry On Jack. With his suave, handsome agent Carstairs in Spying, Jim assured his future in the series. It's somewhere between cameo and main team role and he pops up throughout the action in a bewildering array of disguises clearly demonstrating his amazing versatility. Jim was well on the road to becoming the Carry On series' dashing leading man and from the next film onwards, his part kept growing (as it were!)

Glorious Eric Rogers

Eric Rogers was the man behind the musical scores of twenty two Carry On films. Taking on the mantle from Bruce Montgomery in 1963, Eric managed to achieve the more contemporary feel Peter Rogers wanted. Eric was a genius at blending in catchy music and clever comedy themes throughout the films. With Spying, Eric was given the additional task of penning the song "The Magic of Love" for Dilys Laye's Lila to perform in the Cafe Mozart scene. It's a cracker worthy of the major league and it showed the depth and talent of Eric Rogers. Not only that, five years on, Eric reprised the tune during the party sequence in Carry On Again Doctor in which he himself appeared briefly as the band leader. What a man!

Lovely Lila

Without a doubt one of the highlights of Spying is the gorgeous Dilys Laye. She pops up briefly in the early stages of the film but really comes into her own in the finale as the double crossing double agent Lila. Working for Dr Crow, she falls for Kenneth's Desmond Simkins (and why not) but ends up admitting she works for another organisation, SNOG! Not only does Dilys look stunning as the foxy femme fatale, she earns her comedy stripes by matching Kenneth Williams all the way - even mimicking his famous catchphrase, stop messing about! And Dilys, the star of many a theatrical revue and musical extravaganza even sings both the songs in Cafe Mozart herself. Confirmed during the DVD audio commentary, Dilys recalled recording the songs in early '64. So not just a great actress with a flair for comedy, but also a cracking singer too. 

So those are some of my Carry On Spying highlights. What are yours?

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Two Classic Carry Ons on TV this week!

You'll be pleased to know the schedulers have popped two classic Carry Ons into the televisual line up for the week ahead. So without further ado, set your videos (or whatever it is you have these days) for these two wonderful British comedy films.

Wednesday 5 September, 16.50, Film 4:

Carry On Spying (1964)

One of the most under-appreciated of all the Carry Ons (in my view) Carry On Spying was the last in the series to be shot in black and white and the first to star none other than Barbara Windsor. The black and white film makes everything look gorgeous and the film is in part a tribute to The Third Man, a classic Gerald Thomas worked on as an editor. The main subject of Spying however is a pastiche of the James Bond films. Spying was released the same year as the mega-hit Goldfinger and while both series shared Pinewood Studios, they couldn't have been more different. Brilliant performances from Barbara, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams in full on Snide mode. Jim Dale proves himself as a suave spy while the bickering Eric Barker and Richard Wattis provide peerless character actor support. Also look out for the gorgeous Dilys Laye in a wonderful supporting role as a glamorous double crossing spy who can't half sing a bit! Lovely stuff.

Saturday 8 September, 15.10, ITV3:

Carry On Matron (1971)

The last film in the series with a medical theme, Matron is pretty much a homage to Hattie Jacques and her wonderful character. This film, set in a maternity hospital - naturally, presents a softer, kinder Matron and Hattie looks splendid throughout. Much of the film feels like a tribute to the earlier classic Too Many Crooks, a crime caper which also stars Bernard Bresslaw and Sid James. Matron sees Sid and Bernard team up with Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope to rob the Finisham Maternity Hospital of its stash of the pill. Mayhem ensues with Cope going undercover in drag as a student nurse. Lovely supporting turns from Joan Sims as an expectant mother and Kenneth Connor as the ever-anxious father to be. With the hospital staff including Charles Hawtrey, Terry Scott and Kenneth Williams, what could possibly go wrong?

Hope you enjoy these classic treats in the week ahead! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

My Top 20 Favourite Carry On Actors - Number 11: Dilys Laye

This is part of a brand new series of blogs where I will take a purely personal look at my favourite Carry On actors. I will be doing a countdown of my top twenty actors and actresses in this, the sixtieth anniversary year of Carry On. So why top twenty? Well top ten didn't allow me to include all my favourites and any more than twenty and I'd be at it forever, as it were.

This top twenty will be a mix of regular top team actors and many of those instantly recognisable supporting actors who popped in and out of the series, adding superb cameos here and there. You will probably agree with some of my main choices and be vehemently opposed to others, but it's meant to encourage debate! 

So here we go with Number Eleven: a wonderfully warm, instinctive, natural actress who added class to four 1960s Carry On films - Dilys Laye.

I've loved Dilys Laye for years. She's an actress who was never a star name like her contemporaries Joan Sims or Barbara Windsor but she worked consistently and beautifully across all media for seven decades and so many of these performances gained her a legion of fans and admirers. A bright, cheeky, sometimes alluring and always sparkly presence, Dilys popped up in many classic British comedy films but is best remembered today for her supporting roles in four wonderful Carry On films.

Dilys was a lifelong friend of Carry On regular Joan Sims, having met in revue in the early 1950s. Dilys landed her first Carry On role when Joan was too ill to play Flo Castle in Carry On Cruising in 1962. Although Joan will always be my favourite, I can't imagine anyone other than Dilys playing the energetic, husband-seeking cruise passenger who forms such delicious chemistry with Kenneth Connor. Two years later Dilys played the femme fatale Lila opposite Kenneth Williams in Carry On Spying, even singing a couple of gorgeous songs in the Cafe Mozart sequence.

In Carry On Doctor Dilys played the role of hospital patient Mavis Winkle, playing brilliantly with Bernard Bresslaw. Dilys shone in the climatic scenes which see the patients rebel against the horrid hospital staff of Dr Tinkle (Kenneth Williams) and Hattie Jacques' Matron. Dilys made her final Carry On appearance in the legendary Carry On Camping in late 1968. Teaming up with Sid James, Bernard Bresslaw and Joan Sims, the foursome go on a car journey from hell before pitching up at Paradise Camp! 

Dilys spoke so fondly of her time with the Carry On team and showed so much affection both for the films and the people she met making them. Always a joy to listen to as herself or in whatever role she played, her only regret was that she hadn't appeared in many more of the films. You can't help but love her!

So Dilys Laye comes in at Number 11 in my top twenty list of favourite actors. Who'll be next? 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram 

My Top 20 Favourite Carry On Actors: Number 14 - Barbara Windsor

This is part of a brand new series of blogs where I will take a purely personal look at my favourite Carry On actors. I will be doing a countdown of my top twenty actors and actresses in this, the sixtieth anniversary year of Carry On. So why top twenty? Well top ten didn't allow me to include all my favourites and any more than twenty and I'd be at it forever, as it were.

This top twenty will be a mix of regular top team actors and many of those instantly recognisable supporting actors who popped in and out of the series, adding superb cameos here and there. You will probably agree with some of my main choices and be vehemently opposed to others, but it's meant to encourage debate! 

So here we go with Number Fourteen: An East End blonde bombshell who became a national treasure - Dame Barbara Windsor.

 

This might be a little controversial putting Barbara outside my top ten but, while I admire her grit and determination and her longevity in the acting profession, she's never been one of my very favourite Carry On actors. For a start, I think she was, sometimes unfairly, limited to a particular type of role in the films, that of the glamorous bubbly blonde. Meanwhile other main actresses like Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques were allowed to create roles with more depth and character. 

Compared to many of the main team, Barbara only appears in a fraction of the series too even though she has arguably become the most iconic figure from the films. For me her first role, as Daphne Honeybutt in Carry On Spying was her very best as it showed off her comedic talents and allowed her to portray an intelligent, sweet and well formed character. Barbara's biggest Carry On roles were in some of the later films, particularly Carry On Girls and Dick, and I'm not really a fan of either of those pictures.

Babs was still responsible for some pretty iconic moments though - the infamous bra pinging in Carry On Camping, the three strategically placed hearts in Again Doctor and of course, the wonderful "what a lovely looking pear" gag with Peter Gilmore in Doctor. She's an irrepressible force of nature who fought hard to move on from the fluffy Carry On image and prove to the British public what a good straight actress she could be. I'll always admire her and there was no way I could leave her off this list of my favourite Carry On performers.

 

So Barbara Windsor comes in at Number 14 in my top twenty list of favourite actors. Who'll be next?

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

Enjoy a Classic Carry On next week on Channel 4!

Well so far a couple of my Carry On Christmas Wishes  have come true. Not only have ITV3 decided to broadcast Carry Ons all day on Christmas Day but now Channel 4 are getting in on the act by showing a classic Anglo-Amalgamated Carry On every week day afternoon from 18 December!

So let's take a look at which films 4 are showing so you can set you telly box to record all this Carry On goodness:

18 December, 12.20pm - Carry On Cleo (1964)

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 

19 December, 12.20pm - Carry On Cabby (1963)

My own personal favourite from the entire run of films, this black and white kitchen sink Carry On classic was released in 1963. Originally not even destined to be part of the series, Call Me A Cab was quickly rebranded Carry On Cabby when Peter Rogers realised what a hit he had on his hands. A grittier script than usual, this one really does tug at the heart strings while also raising a smile or two. The first script from prolific writer Talbot Rothwell, the story revolves around the frustrated wife of a rather traditional male taxi firm owner who gets her own back on her neglectful husband by setting up a rival business. The difference is Glam Cabs only employs glamorous female drivers! The central performances of Hattie Jacques and Sid James as warring couple Charlie and Peggy Hawkins are the heart and soul of the film with a small but compact cast of supporting actors which include reliable turns from Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser, Esma Cannon and Charles Hawtrey. Also look out for future Carry On leading man Jim Dale in his series debut as an expectant father and Cleo star Amanda Barrie as Glam Cab driver Anthea.

Further reading -  Carry On Blogging: Hattie Carries On as Peggy Hawkins
Carry On Blogging: My Favourite Scene in Carry On Cabby
Carry On Blogging: My Favourite Carry On

20 December, 12.25pm - Carry On Nurse (1959)

Following hot on the heals of the surprise film hit of 1958, Carry On Sergeant, Rogers and Thomas launched into the production of Carry On Nurse, a medical-themed sequel. The overwhelming success of Nurse, particularly in America, undoubtedly laid the groundwork for a series to take shape, so us fans must always be grateful to this film. Added to that, it's also a classic! Norman Hudis again pitches the everyman against authority and this time its the first outing for Hattie Jacques' severe Matron. The male patients in the hospital ward are brought to life by a collection of wonderful actors including Kenneths Williams and Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Terence Longdon, Bill Owen, Cyril Chamberlain and Leslie Phillips. The film licks along at a cracking pace and blends social comment with slapstick, brilliant set pieces and moments of real pathos. The large supporting cast includes a debuting Joan Sims, Joan Hickson, Irene Handl, June Whitfield and Michael Medwin. And of course there's that infamous daffodil...

Further reading - Carry On Blogging: Hattie Carries On As Matron 
Carry On Blogging Interview: Christine Ozanne

21 December, 12.25pm - Carry On Constable (1960)

Another glorious black and white feature, this film yet again plays to Norman Hudis' strengths by focusing on another British institution, the police force. There's the figure of authority pitched against a group of bumbling incompetents too as new recruits battle to success during a flu epidemic at the local station. This film marks a major turning point for the Carry Ons as it sees the debut of a certain Mr Sidney James in the starring role of Frank Wilkins. It's a fairly low key entrance for Sid, given what was to come but it's a superb performance and it's clear he's firmly in charge! Eric Barker returns for the first time since Sergeant, playing a similar officious role while the new recruits are played with relish by Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Kenneth Connor. Throw in some lovely supporting turns from Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques and a cameo from original Carry On girl Shirley Eaton and you have a great afternoon matinee film to enjoy!

Further reading - Carry On Blogging: Connor Carries On as Constable Constable!

22 December, 12.25pm - Carry On Spying (1964)

One of the most under-rated films in the series, Carry On Spying is the last black and white film in the run and a glorious spoof of all things James Bond with plenty of The Third Man thrown in for good measure. I've loved it since I was a child and although many key players are missing, those present put in sparkling performances. The British agents, as usual pretty bumbling, are sent off on a mission to recapture a secret formula from a subversive organisation known as STENCH. Kenneth Williams grabs the starring role in the absence of Sid James, and is ably supported by Bernard Cribbins, back after his debut in Jack, Charles Hawtrey and a new Carry On face in Barbara Windsor. Barbara gives what I think is her finest performance in Spying, it's sweet and bright and deliciously funny. Lovely support comes from Eric Barker and Richard Wattis as two rather inept Whitehall bods while Dilys Laye looks stunning as an enemy agent who keeps switching sides, seduces Kenneth Williams and belts out some gorgeous nightclub tunes to boot!

Further reading - Carry On Blogging: In Praise of Carry On Spying
 

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

Carry On Classics: Carry On Spying

 

Last week I brought some classic clips from the Carry Ons in an attempt to lighten the mood following some rather grim recent events in the wider world. I blogged some of my favourite scenes from the likes of Matron, Loving and Abroad. Well I so enjoyed going through the archives online that I thought I'd do it for another week, this time casting my net a little wider.

Many of you seem to really like the charm and innocence of the early black and white, Carry Ons. They are shown as often as some of the later Rothwell films but I think they deserve as much praise for what they achieved. There is a real heart to those early pictures and they are both beautifully written and played by our regular cast of comedy misfits. Today I'm continuing with a clip from the last ever black and white entry in the series, Carry On Spying.

Released in 1964, Spying was a deliberate cash in on the success of fellow Pinewood productions, the James Bond films. Spy thrillers were the in thing so why not send them up? Added to this is the decision to shoot in black and white which gives the film a feel of the classic The Third Man, a film director Gerald Thomas worked on many years before. Spying was made at a time when the team was every so slightly in flux - Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques were on breaks from the films while Sid James was also absent. The likes of Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth were yet to join the series (that would come the following year). This left a core of regular actors which was much smaller than the familiar team scenarios which would follow.

Spying, one of the earlier efforts from regular writer Talbot Rothwell, also features the first appearance from Barbara Windsor and I think it's her best performance. The scene I've chosen shows the four main characters relaxing in the splendid surroundings of the Pinewood Orient Express, clearly thinking their mission is over. However, Dilys Laye may have other ideas... 

More coming up tomorrow!

Carry On!

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

Barbara Carries On ... as Daphne Honeybutt

 

Barbara Windsor will be celebrating her 80th birthday this August. In the run up to this milestone, I've decided to blog profiles of each of her nine famous Carry On roles. Much the same as I did with both Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques, these blogs will take each part in turn and provide my own personal take on them. 

Barbara, or Dame Babs as it is now, is a showbiz legend in the UK, with a career dating back to the 1950s. As the recent Babs drama on BBC1 revealed, things haven't always been easy for Windsor, but her hard work and determination have seen her bounce back time and time again. No matter what else she has done in her career, the Carry Ons will always dominate and from our point of view, as Carry On fans, rightly so! So let's begin today by going right back to where Barbara's Carry On story began, with her role as trainee agent Daphne Honeybutt in the 1964 release, Carry On Spying.

 

This by far is my favourite Barbara Windsor performance in a Carry On. Yes it's a knowing performance and yes the comedy occasionally focusses on her considerable assets, but the role of Daphne is much more than that. There is none of the bawdy, in your face innuendo that followed and the sweeter, slightly more innocent character really does suit Miss Windsor. Spying follows a group of rather inept British secret agents as they attempt to track down a missing formula, stolen from a laboratory by one of the evil Dr Crow's henchmen. Of course the plot of Spying borrows rather heavily from the then recent trend for cinematic spy stories, not least the wonderful James Bond franchise. Bond was a fellow Pinewood production and as Spying was made, Goldfinger was about to hit cinema screens to wild acclaim. Although the Bond producers were less than happy with Peter Rogers' send up of their big budget success story, Spying went ahead regardless.

What Spying actually gives us is much more of a nod to the Orson Welles classic The Third Man, a film which included a young Gerald Thomas in its crew. This black and white Carry On "epic" is Gerald's homage to the mastery of that film and Alan Hume's film photography and lighting is staggering good for a low budget slapstick farce like Spying. As always Peter and Gerald employed the very best and all the money was on screen! The film follows the four spies (Kenneth Williams, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey and our Barbara) as they journey across Vienna and North Africa, finally ending up on the Orient Express, all courtesy of Pinewood Studios of course! 

 

Spying came at a time when the cosy, comfortable familiarity of the early Hudis films was being challenged. New scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell was slowly injecting a saucier line in gags and situations and the early ensemble casts in well-loved British institutions had been broken up and shifted out further afield. Following a major departure with the first period costume film in the series (Carry On Jack), Spying was a move towards tongue in cheek pastiche which would lead to more classics in the form of Cleo, Cowboy, Screaming and Don't Lose Your Head. Missing in action are favourites Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Sid James and Kenneth Connor, while other regular faces in Liz Fraser, Bill Owen, Terence Longdon and Esma Cannon had all moved on to other projects. 

Into this evolving Carry On world came the original Cockney bubbly blonde Barbara Windsor. Barbara is very much the star of the film, grabbing the limelight from her more experienced male co-stars with. As Daphne, Windsor brings a fresh approach to the films and her wide eyed sexy innocence is a very welcome presence. Unlike several later efforts, this film does not solely present Barbara as a glamorous accessory. Oh no, Daphne Honeybutt is by far the most intelligent, fast-thinking agent of the lot with her photographic memory and determination to get the job done. It's great to see Barbara holding her own (as it were) and you can see why she was attracted to the part. 

 

It's no surprise, looking back, that Babs would find herself working on a Carry On film. After all, she was big news in the early 1960s. As well as her legendary theatre work at Stratford East with Joan Littlewood, Barbara had also starred in the hit BBC sitcom The Rag Trade (alongside Peter Jones, Sheila Hancock and Esma Cannon) and had begun to make her mark in films with Sparrows Can't Sing and the Ronnie Fraser and Bernard Cribbins comedy Crooks in Cloisters. Barbara fitted in with the rest of the gang with complete ease and soon became one of the series' biggest names. All this despite only featuring in nine of the 31 original feature films. 

Barbara works really well with her real life mate Bernard Cribbins and the pair make a lovely romantic double act throughout the film. Apparently Bernard's advice to Barbara on starting the film was to watch out for Kenneth Williams! As well she might, given their much-repeated first encounter involving a false beard Kenneth was wearing and Barbara's cheeky reply! Barbara and Kenneth became firm friends and remained close through many other Carry Ons, television and radio appearances. Indeed the pair were friends right up until Kenneth's death in 1988. As a duo both on and off set, one can only imagine the outrageous behaviour! 

 

I love the scene in Cafe Mozart with the champagne cocktails - Barbara's reaction to drinking the drugged cocktail is priceless and definitely one for the scrap book! Other highlights for me are the sequence with Barbara and Bernard when they attempt to get the formula back from The Fat Man. The belly dancing scenes are hilarious. Also, Daphne's comedic interrogation by Judith Furse's fiendish Dr Crow is very funny to watch. Barbara's performance in Carry On Spying is so strong it's no surprise she came back to Pinewood for more adventures with the gang. My only question is, why did it take them three years to bring her back?!

Carry On Spying is probably the big cross-over film between the Hudis era and Talbot Rothwell fully hitting his stride as the Carry Ons' most prolific writer. His treatment of the James Bond/Third Man spy genre is sublime in many ways and despite the fact it misses several key players, the strength of the script and the main performances makes it one of my very favourite Carry Ons. As for Babs, well it doesn't get much better than this! Stay tuned for my next blog in this series, looking at Barbara's return to Carry On in 1967 for Carry On Doctor.   
   

 

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