Carry On Faces in Different Places: Lost

Here we go with another in my series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii and the brilliant John Gregson and Diana Dors vehicle, Value for Money. 
  
More recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up! and the the Gordon Jackson drama, Floodtide. 

I've also looked at the Carry On links with the wonderful film I'm All Right Jack

Recently I blogged about the Billy Fury and Amanda Barrie musical film I've Gotta Horse , the classic 1954 school comedy The Belles of St Trinian's and the 1959 romantic comedy from the Betty Box and Ralph Thomas stable, Upstairs and Downstairs

Today I am going to write about a rather dramatic British thriller from 1956 which featured an astonishing supporting cast of well known and up and coming character actors: Lost.

What's it about?

Directed by Guy Green, the film is set in 1950s London and revolves around the kidnapping of an American couple's baby. US embassy employee Lee Cochrane and his wife discover their 18-month-old son Simon has been abducted, when their nanny leaves the child unattended outside a chemist's shop. London Detective Inspector Craig pledges to find the child, though clues are thin on the ground.

Who's in it?

Lost stars David Farrar as Detective Inspector Craig while the young couple at the centre of the drama are played by David Knight and Julia Arnall. Other well-known names in the supporting cast include Thora Hird, Meredith Edwards, Marjorie Rhodes, Shirley Anne Field and Mona Washbourne.

Carry On Faces?

There is a major starring role for the aforementioned Julia Arnall playing Sue Cochrane. Julia had a cameo opposite Terence Alexander in the 1961 film, Carry On Regardless. There is also a supporting role for the well-known comedy actress Eleanor Summerfield, playing Sergeant Cook. Eleanor also filmed a cameo for Regardless - with Charles Hawtrey - however the entire performance was sadly cut from the final film.

The great thing about Lost is the bulging cast of often uncredited British character actors. Cyril Chamberlain pops up as a Uniformed Police Officer. Cyril had supporting roles in the first seven Carry Ons. The instantly recognisable Peggy Ann Clifford appears in the role of a Shop Keeper. Peggy Ann had a small role as Willa Claudia (WC) in the slave auction scenes in Carry On Cleo.

And of course you couldn't make a film at the time without employing the services of Fred Griffiths. In Lost he plays the role of Gamble. Fred had small supporting roles in the likes of Carry On Nurse, Carry On Regardless and Carry On Loving. Cast as Fred's wife in the film is Carry On Doctor cameo player Dandy Nichols. Playing a Police Constable in a Phone Box is Carry On Jack and Carry On Cowboy supporting player Percy Herbert. Another very familiar face is that of Joan Hickson, playing a Pharmacist. Joan had supporting roles in five Carry Ons - Nurse, Constable, Regardless, Loving and Girls. And playing a young girl in the very same Chemist's Shop is none other than Barbara Windsor in one of her earliest screen appearances.

My own personal favourite Carry On actor, the wonderful Joan Sims, also appears in Lost, in the uncredited role of an Ice Cream Seller in the Park. In the role of Mrs Marley is Joan's Carry On At Your Convenience co-star Marianne Stone. Marianne popped in several Carry Ons between 1958 and 1975. Michael Ward, another familiar face of British film, also pops up in Lost playing Mantilla. Michael had several roles in the Carry On series, beginning with that of a Photographer in Carry On Regardless. He also appeared in Carry On Cabby, Carry On Cleo, Carry On Screaming and Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. And finally, playing a Taxi Driver is Carry On Jack actor George Woodbridge.

Did you know?

The film was also known by the alternative title of Tears for Simon.


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Carrying On with Norman - The Early Bird

This is part of a brand new series of blogs looking back at some of my favourite Norman Wisdom films. Although never as fruity or innuendo-laden as the Carry Ons, Sir Norman's films share a similiar feel to many of the early Carry Ons. Indeed they quite often shared the same production base - Pinewood Studios - and Wisdom's films often co-starred some very familiar Carry On faces. 

Norman Wisdom was one of the most bankable British film stars in the 1950s and early 1960s. His stardom lasted long after his peak at the box office too. He appealed to a cross section of society and young and old loved him in equal measure. His cheeky, child-like charm, excellent comic timing and sheer energy catapulted him to fame and he's very clearly one of our most talented comedy stars full stop. 

I've already blogged about the films Trouble in Store from 1953, Just My Luck from 1957, Follow A Star from 1959 and On The Beat from 1962. My most recent blog focussed on A Stitch in Time. We're continuing this series of blogs with a look at another one of Norman's 1960s film hits - The Early Bird from 1965. 

What's it about?

Wisdom's character works for Grimsdale's Dairy as a milkman, in competition with Consolidated Dairies, an ever-growing rival company under the management of Walter Hunter.

Much of the humour centres on classic slapstick comedy, with Norman encountering various comedic escapades. These include being dragged around Mr Hunter's garden by an errant lawnmower and using the fire brigade's high pressure hosepipes to blast firemen off their ladders, after being called to a suspected fire at Consolidated Dairies' HQ.

Who's in it?

Norman is joined by his regular co-stars Jerry Desmonde (playing Hunter) and Edward Chapman in the role of Mr Grimsdale. The film also co-stars John Le Mesurier, Bryan Pringle and Paddie O'Neill.

Carry On faces?

Norman's regular co-star Jerry Desmonde played the cameo role of Martin Paul in Carry On Regardless. Carry On Screaming supporting actor Frank Thornton turns up playing a drunken doctor while Carry On Doctor cameo star Dandy Nichols appears in the brief role as a woman flooded out of her house by milk!

Reliable character actor Harry Locke (who appeared in the first three medical Carry Ons) pops up as a Commissionaire while future Carry On Loving star Imogen Hassall takes on an early film role as Sir Roger's Secretary. Three other Carry On faces appear in small, uncredited roles: Fred Griffiths as a man in a lift, David Lodge as an angry husband and finally, Tony Sagar as a fireman.

Did you know? 

The Early Bird was the first Wisdom comedy to be shot in colour. 

The film was in the top 15 most popular films at the British Box Office in 1966. 
  

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Carry On Faces in Different Places: Yield to the Night

Here we go with another in my series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii and the brilliant John Gregson and Diana Dors vehicle, Value for Money.
  
More recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up! and the the Gordon Jackson drama, Floodtide. 

And last week I looked at the Carry On links with the wonderful film I'm All Right Jack

Today I'm going to blog about the 1956 prison drama, Yield to the Night.

 

What's it about?

Yield to the Night is a 1956 British crime drama film starring Diana Dors. It was directed by J Lee Thompson. The film is based on the novel of the same title published in 1954 by Joan Henry. Dors plays Mary Price Hilton, a woman who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, and she spends her last days in the condemned cell in a British women's prison.The storyline bears a superficial resemblance to the Ruth Ellis case, which had occurred the previous year. The film received much positive critical attention, particularly for the unexpectedly skilled acting of Dors, who had previously been cast solely as a British version of the typical "blonde bombshell.

 

Who's in it?

The undoubted star of the film in the superb Diana Dors, playing a very different role from what we'd usually expect. Casting aside her usual glamorous persona, Dors shows real acting skill in this downbeat, often traumatic role. She shines throughout. Co-starring with Diana are Yvonne Mitchell as prison matron Hilda MacFarlane, Michael Craig as Jim Lancaster and reliable character actor Geoffrey Keen playing the Prison Chaplain.

 

Carry On Faces?

Quite a few reliable British character actors appear, however fleetingly in the film. Of those who went on to grace the Carry Ons, special mention must go to the brilliant Harry Locke, who plays Fred Hilton. Harry co-starred in three of the medical Carry Ons - Nurse, Doctor and Again Doctor.

Carry On Doctor guest star Dandy Nichols also appears in the film as Mrs Price, while semi-regular Carry On face, the ever-reliable Marianne Stone crops up in the role of Matron Richardson.

And of course, leading man Michael Craig worked several times for either Peter Rogers or his wife Betty Box, with credits including Doctor in Love, The Iron Maiden and Upstairs and Downstairs. The wonderful Athene Seyler also adds support here as Miss Bligh. Athene played a supporting role in the 1963 district nurse comedy, Nurse On Wheels.

Did you know?

Diana Dors remained intensely proud of her association with this film. It would remain one of her favourite screen performances.

The film was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.


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Whatever Happened To ... Dandy Nichols?

 

I realised the other day that I had never written a blog about that celebrated character comedy actress, the late Dandy Nichols. Famed for her many years playing Else, the "silly moo" in Johnny Speight's legendary BBC comedy, Till Death Us To Part, Dandy enjoyed a long and varied career. Her Carry On contribution may have been brief but it still means she's worthy of a blog all of her own.

Dandy joined the Carry On gang in 1967, the year after rising to fame in Speight's sitcom. Playing the grumbling wife of Sid James' hospital patient, Nichols is glorious in a couple of short scenes which see her moan on about her dreadful life. Sid plugs in his headphones, barely uttering a word which makes Dandy's scenes joyous monologues. Beautiful but sadly all too brief, sadly Dandy didn't make another Carry On. The height of the films' success saw her also at her peak, working on Till Death Us Do Part from 1966 until 1975 alongside Warren Mitchell, Una Stubbs and Tony Booth. Dandy is so recognisable and defined by the character of Else however in the original BBC pilot Else was played by Gretchen Franklin (famous as Ethel in EastEnders). When the series was commissioned, Franklin was in a play and her contract could not be broken so Nichols was cast. 

The idea was revived for one series in 1981, over on ITV with the title Till Death... this series added Patricia Hayes to the cast while Una Stubbs reprised her role as Rita for a few episodes. However the BBC later revived the series again in 1985 with the new title In Sickness and in Health. Again starring Mitchell and Nichols, the cast also included the likes of Pat Coombs, Arthur English and Harry Fowler. Sadly, Dandy only appeared in the first series and was now mainly seen in a wheelchair due to ill health. The series continued until 1992, six years after Dandy had sadly passed away.

Dandy was born Daisy Sander in Fulham in May 1907. She bagan her working life in a factory before taking acting and diction lessons. She was spotted in a charity show and started working in rep. The war years saw Dandy (adopted as her stage name - it was a childhood nickname) doing office work before joining ENSA (Entertainments National Service Assocation). After the war she began acting professionally on stage and in films. Her big screen debut was in Hue and Cry in 1947. Some of her most notable early films included roles in The Winslow Boy, Nicholas Nickleby, The Fallen Idol and Mother Riley Meets the Vampire. Later films included Ladies Who Do, Georgy Girl, Doctor in Clover, The Birthday Party, Help!, O! Lucky Man, Confessions of a Window Cleaner (as Robin Askwith's mother Mrs Lea) and another Askwith film, Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital in 1982. Dandy only appeared in the first Confessions film with her role recast with On The Buses actress Doris Hare for the remaining three films.

 

On television, Dandy starred opposite the wonderful Alastair Sim in The Generals Day. She also made appearances in The Tea Ladies, Bergerac, The Trouble with Lillian and The Bagthorpe Saga. One of Dandy's most successful stage roles was that of Marjorie in David Storey's 1970 play, Home. Set in a mental asylum, Home starred John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Mona Washbourne. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, Home premiered at The Royal Court theatre in London before transferring to Broadway with the same cast. Later in the run, Dandy's part was played by Jessica Tandy. The original British cast also filmed the play for broadcast in the Play For Today slot on television in 1972. 

Dandy Nichols was married to a newspaper editor, Stephen Bagueley Waters from 1942 until their divorce in 1955. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nichols was dogged by ill health but continued working right up until her death at the age of 78 in February 1986. A gifted actress, many of Dandy's performances are still remembered and cherished over thirty years after her death.

 

 

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Do you remember George Webley?

 

I came across a photo online of the late great Carry On actor Patsy Rowlands with fellow comedy legend and one-off Carry On guest star Dandy Nichols. I did some digging to find out what production the photo came from and it turns out to be a sitcom I've never heard of...until now.

Inside George Webley was a comedy series produced by ITV over two series, the first of which was broadcast in the autumn of 1968. The second followed two years later. Although only running to twelve episodes in total, the series had a strong pedigree. It was written by Keith Waterhouse (Billy Liar, That Was The Week That Was, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell) and Willis Hall (who often worked alongside Waterhouse and was at one time married to Carry On supporting actress Valerie Shute). One of the directors on the series was Bill Hitchcock who was married to Carry On actor and comedy great Liz Fraser until his death.

The main characters of George and Rosemary were played by two of my favourite actors - Roy Kinnear and Patsy Rowlands, both sadly no longer with us. The series also featured a peppering of amazing guest stars. Over the entire run of episodes the likes of Dandy Nichols, Hattie Jacques, Frank Thornton, James Bolam, Peter Butterworth, Les Dawson, Roy Hudd, Clive Dunn and Gorden Kaye all made appearances. 

The BFI website features scant information about Inside George Webley, however the British Comedy Guide provides the following summary:

George Webley, pseudo-intellectual, hypochondriac, obsessive compulsive and bank clerk - is married to Rosemary and they live 'happily' in their little council house in Leeds. He is constantly trying to better himself and his inability to see himself as others do leads him into situations where he is totally out of his depth.

So what happened to this sitcom then? Has it ever been repeated or dare I ask, has it been wiped from the archives? The quality of the writing team and cast of creative talent suggests it should be repeated or made available somewhere to download or buy. If anyone out there has more information on the show, has seen episodes or remembers it from its original broadcast, do please get in touch! 

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