Joan joins Ronnie for an Odd Job

Joan Sims wrote very fondly of the great Ronnie Barker in her autobiography, High Spirits. The pair worked together several times during the 1970s, with Joan even guesting in the infamous Two Ronnies sketch, The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town! It's clear Joan admired Ronnie's gift for comedy acting and writing and they shared a terrific sense of humour, as can be found in Joan's legendary Tit Boxes, a rather unusual present from Mr B!

Anyway, in early 1971 Joan co-starred with Ronnie in an episode of his television comedy series, Six Dates with Barker. Each episode was its own individual comedy playlet, as it were. The LWT series, rarely heard of today, also featured Ronnie's close friend and regular co-star David Jason. Joan's episode, broadcast in January '71 is called The Odd Job.

Ronnie plays Arthur Harriman, a rather boring suburban middle aged man lacking in imagination. Joan is his wife, Kitty, who having had more than enough of Arthur, packs her suitcase and leaves him telling him in no uncertain terms to drop dead! In comes David Jason as odd job man Clive. Arthur decides to end it all, but when faced with the grim task, he can't go through with it. So he asks Jason's Clive to do it for him. Of course, being a comedy show from the 1970s all does not go to plan, particularly when Arthur and Kitty are reunited and Clive really doesn't take the hint.

Despite Ronnie's star status, this half hour is really a showcase for the blossoming young talent of David Jason. Joan, although smashing as always, is given another nagging middle aged wife to play and while she does it admirably, I wish she'd been given something a little more challenging to do.

Anyway, it's a rarely seen blast from the past and you can view it here:

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Favourites in Five: Stuart Ball

I started a brand new series of blogs a couple of weeks ago, asking some of my favourite people to write in about the five most important influences on their lives from the world of theatre, film and television. You can read Sarah Miller Walters' wonderful blog here 
and actress Judy Matheson's super piece is here

Today it's the turn of writer and blogger, Stuart Ball.

Laurel and Hardy

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were my very first comedy heroes and they remain special to me today. As a young lad, I remember watching Stan and Ollie with my late father. They were his absolute favourites and, through laughing alongside him at their on-screen antics, they became my favourites too. When my father was 70, we had a family party to celebrate. Myself and a very dear friend of mine formed a guitar/vocal duo for a time and provided part of the entertainment for the party. We included Laurel and Hardy's famous signature song Trail of the Lonesome Pine in our set and very quickly the whole room was singing along with us. It was a treasured moment  

Laurel and Hardy were the perfect combination really. Stan developed all of their gags and routines and was very much the creative force behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Oliver Hardy, or Babe as he liked to be called, liked to unwind after filming by playing a round of golf. He fully trusted Stan's ability as an all-round filmmaker and knew he would always make sure everything was 100% right. Stan was perfectly happy being left to the creative side and knew Ollie wasn't as interested as he was in that side of things. Babe just liked to concentrate on acting..

On-screen, they were both magical. Stan's supreme skill as a physical comedian was equal to anything that Charlie Chaplin could do. Oliver Hardy's superbly executed mannerisms, such as the exasperated camera look and his bashful tie-twiddle, have become legendary and those moments are often what I look forward to most when watching one of the Boys' films. What always comes across to me when watching Laurel and Hardy is their real-life warmth and obvious affection for each other. I think that is the secret to their long-lasting appeal through a number of generations - genuine warmth and a desire to simply make people laugh.  

Sid James

Those who read my Sid's Place blog and follow the accompanying Twitter page will know of my great admiration and affection for the wonderful Sid James. Although Laurel and Hardy were my very first comedy heroes, Sid was not very far behind. I think the first thing I ever saw Sid in was a TV screening of Carry On Cleo when I was around seven or eight. Of all the stars in that film, Sid was the one who immediately grabbed my attention. The raucous laugh, mischievous twinkle in the eye, roguish smile and wonderfully crinkled features all appealed greatly to my young self. Despite playing the villainous Mark Antony to perfection, Sid still managed to convey a great warmth and humanity, You couldn't help but like him. As a kid, I always rooted for Sid, even when he played villains.

Through writing the Sid's Place blog, I've been lucky enough, and indeed honoured, to get to know Sid's son Steve James  I have also had the pleasure of chatting to some of Sid's co-stars such as the lovely Sally Geeson  When my book A Question of Carry On was released last year, I was fortunate to be a guest on a number of BBC local radio shows across the country. On every show, the one person that everyone wanted to talk about the most was Sid James. That shows the continuing appeal of the man, both as an actor and a human being. 

Sir Christopher Lee

As with my first two choices, Christopher Lee has been a hero of my mine since I was younger. This was back in the day when horror films were, in the main, a lot tamer then they are today and were just fun to watch. I wouldn't recommend letting children watch the kind of horror films they make today but, to utilise the old cliche, 'back in my day' it was all about monsters, old castles and mad professors. 

Christopher Lee had such a magnetic screen presence. He commanded your attention whenever he appeared on-screen, combining his tall stature, continental-style looks (gained from his Italian ancestry) and rich, cultured voice to startling effect. Of course, as the man himself said many times, he was much more than simply a star of horror films. Indeed, when you look at the incredible amount of films he appeared in over his amazing near-seventy year career, horror films account for quite a small percentage. He was one of James Bond's most memorable foes, Scaramanga, in The Man with the Golden Gun, battled Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the form of Saruman and, like his dear friend Peter Cushing before him, became a part of the Star Wars universe as Count Dooku..

Although the Official Christopher Lee Website no longer exists, I still own my premium membership card which I first received over 15 years ago. In addition to the card, premium members received a welcome letter from the man himself, an autographed picture and priority notifications of personal appearances and events.One year, we even received a Christmas card from Sir Christopher and family. To this day, the card never fails to make an appearance on the mantelpiece every festive season.

In 2003, I got to meet the great man himself. All these years later, I can still vividly recall the feeling of excitement mixed with a whirlpool of nerves. Members of the website had been invited to a special screening at the ICA, London of the film Nothing But the Night. Sir Christopher Lee gave a screen talk after the film and then we all got the opportunity to individually meet him afterwards. It is a day I will never forget.

Ronnie Barker

Of the many great comedy actors that Britain has produced over the years, I believe Ronnie Barker to be the greatest of them all. His ability to totally inhabit a character and make that character his own still amazes me to this day. To my mind, his performance as wily old lag Fletcher in the classic comedy series Porridge is the finest in sitcom history. The greatest compliment I can give is that, whenever I watch Porridge, I never think of Ronnie Barker being in it. Instead, it really is Norman Stanley Fletcher on that screen. Compare Fletch with the rascally shopkeeper Arkwight in Open All Hours and, apart from some physical similarities, you really would not think it is the same actor. 

The Two Ronnies were a huge part of my childhood. Saturday night television in the seventies and eighties was a special event and The Two Ronnies show was one of the main reasons for that. Christmas telly was never quite the same after Ronnie Barker retired. I have very fond memories of Christmas evenings spent at my Nan's house, her silver Christmas tree sparkling in the corner as we all sat together laughing at Ronnies Barker and Corbett.

As with many of my choices, Ronnie Barker remains so beloved today because, in addition to being a fine comedy actor and writer, he was simply a nice man. His warmth always shone through, whether he was scheming as Fletcher, devising ways to make money as Arkwright, pispronunciating words as an official spokesman or mercilessly plaguing Ronnie Corbett at a party.  

Sir David Jason

It is such a shame to think that, out of my five favourites, only David Jason is still alive. Of course, David had a long history with Ronnie Barker, whom he affectionately called The Guvnor. When Ronnie retired in 1988, that mantle passed to him. 

Arguably, David Jason is the most beloved British actor of all-time. The British public took him to their hearts many, many years ago and he still retains a place there today. The character of Derek Trotter in the magnificent Only Fools and Horses is right up there with Porridge's Fletcher as the greatest  in history. David Jason has that special ability to make you laugh uproariously one minute and then hold back a tear the next. His physical comedy skills are also of the very highest order. If you are in any doubt about that, just re-watch the famous scene in Only Fools when Del falls through the bar.  

Sir David Jason remains at the very top of my list of people I would like to meet. After writing my first book Trotter Trivia back in 2012, I luckily got to meet, and in some cases become friends with, a lot of the Only Fools cast, The wonderful David Jason remains on my wish list! 

Thanks once again to Stuart for taking the time to write this wonderful blog. You can visit Stuart's blog here: Sid's Place 

And you can follow him on Twitter: @sidjamesplace


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

Whatever Happened To ... Imogen Hassall?

So many of the actors who appeared in the Carry On films are well known to us. Their lives have been well documented both on screen and off. While we always love hearing about them, sometimes it can feel a bit repetitive or that we are collectively raking over old coals.

I want to start an occasional series of blog posts looking at some of the lesser known actors who appeared in Carry On films. Sometimes we will know a fair amount about them but for whatever reason they have not garnered much publicity. Others will be a complete mystery. 

So far I've written about Carry On supporting actors Gail Grainger, Marianne Stone, Esma Cannon and Carol Hawkins. Very different supporting actresses, each providing something special in the films they popped up in. Today I want to write about Imogen Hassall. It's rather a tragic story but one definitely worth sharing. 

Carry On fans will instantly remember Imogen for her role as Jenny Grubb, a character transformed from dowdy and prim to the object of Terry Scott's desire in Carry On Loving. Imogen Hassall was terrific in the film, putting in an assured performance opposite Scott and alongside other younger performers (namely Jacki Piper, Julian Holloway and Richard O'Callaghan) who were drafted in to help update the series as they entered the 1970s. I love the scene where Terry Scott first meets Jenny, her mother (the fabulous Joan Hickson) and the rest of the family. It is pure farce and Imogen displays fine comic timing.

Sadly this was Imogen's only role in the Carry Ons which I still can't understand. I thought she was a natural so I just don't get why she didn't come back for more. Perhaps she asked for more money or just wanted to get away from the role of glamour girl? Who knows. Whatever the reason, it's a great shame.

Away from the Carry Ons, Imogen Hassall appeared in some classic television and film of the era. She cropped up in The Avengers, The Champions, The Persuaders, Softly Softly and Jason King. On the big screen she started off with two small roles in Norman Wisdom films The Early Bird and Press For Time. She progressed to larger parts in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Incense for the Damned, Take a Girl Like You and a rather strange film called White Cargo. Imogen starred opposite a young David Jason in the latter film. Jason recounts his memories of working with her on this quite dreadful film in his recent memoirs.

Having trained at the Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the early 1960s, Imogen went on to spend a season working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. From what I have read, this is the kind of work she really wanted to concentrate on, however sadly it just wasn't to be. As she became increasingly well known for her glamorous image, Imogen was quickly pigeon-holed by the media and casting directors as only capable of playing certain roles. One can only imagine how frustrating this must have been for someone who was clearly talented.

Imogen Hassall was given the nickname "The Countess of Cleavage" by the press, mainly due to the series of scantily clad glamorous roles she played in her early career. Finding it difficult to escape this image, offers of serious work seemed to dry up for the actress who later in her career was mostly known for her appearances at glitzy film premieres. Imogen, who was married twice, sadly took her own life in November 1980 at the young age of just 38. What a terrible waste. Who knows what Imogen Hassall could have gone on to achieve both personally and professionally? 

On the DVD commentary for Carry On Loving, both Jacki Piper and Richard O'Callaghan spoke fondly of Imogen, sharing many happy memories of working with her on the film. It was nice to hear them talk of her but sadly such a shame she was not still with us to share her own memories.

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