Remembering Peter Butterworth

As regular readers will know, Peter Butterworth is one of my all time favourite comedy actors and members of the brilliant Carry On team. Over the course of sixteen films, two stage productions and countless television episodes, Peter guaranteed himself a place in our hearts for his sensational comic performances. 

Sadly, today marks forty years since Peter's sad death at the age of just 59 in 1979. He was performing in pantomime in Coventry at the time of his death, as Widow Twankey in a production of Aladdin at the Coventry Theatre. After a performance, Peter returned to his hotel room where he suffered a heart attack. 

Peter worked on in a range of different productions following his last Carry On appearance, as Richmond the aged boot boy in Carry On Emmannuelle which was made in 1978. His last film, The First Great Train Robbery, was on general release at the time of his death. Peter's last role was that of Mr Bywaters in a television film broadcast just a few weeks after he passed away. The production was written by Alan Bennett and directed by Stephen Frears. This surely points to the fact that Peter would indeed have gone on to even more success in his career. Sadly it wasn't to be.

At the time of his death, there was no certainty over whether the Carry Ons would continue. However with the death of Hattie Jacques the following year, it became quickly apparent that the series could not possibly return. Kenneth Williams wrote of his shock and sadness at the news of Peter's death in his diary and sent condolences to his wife, the actress and impressionist Janet Brown. Kenneth was a friend of the couple and the usually picky Mr Williams was extremely fond of them both.

Peter Butterworth had been a familiar face on stage and screen since the late 1940s, following an impressive career in the forces during the war. A beloved children's entertainer on television in the 1950s, he worked consistently across all media throughout his life, always with the best, because he was the best. When Peter died, he left his wife, the actress Janet Brown and his children Tyler and Emma. He was one of those actors who everyone loved and admired. 

From his first role in the series as Doc in Carry On Cowboy to his final turn as Richmond in Emmannuelle, Peter never put in a bad performance. He excelled as Slowbotham in Carry On Screaming, as Citizen Camembert in Don't Lose Your Head and as Mr Fiddler in Carry On Camping. As for his finest performance in the films? Well I'm completely split on that one. Perhaps his beautifully played supporting turn as Brother Belcher in Up The Khyber? Who can forget his star turn in the dinner party sequence? Or maybe the excitable, desperate hotelier Pepe (or is it Mario?) in Carry On Abroad? Whichever role is your favourite, I think we can agree that Peter always gave us his best. 

Thanks for all the laughs, Peter. 

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Carry On Faces in Different Places: Floodtide

Here we go with a brand new 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.
  
Most recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up!

Today I'm going off track a bit with a blog about the 1949 romantic drama, with a bit of ship building thrown in, Floodtide.

Carry On Faces?

Quite a few Carry On connections in this film. There is a substantial supporting role for the wonderful Jimmy Logan playing Tim Brogan. This role is miles away from his parts as Bert Conway in Carry On Abroad and Cecil Gaybody (!) in Carry On Girls, but there is still plenty of cheeky charm! Also in the film is reliable Scottish character actress Molly Weir, playing landlady Mrs McTavish. Molly had a cameo in Carry On Regardless and much later, in the film of Bless This House.

Floodtide also co-stars the brilliant Janet Brown, years before her fame as Mrs Thatcher impersonator extraordinaire. Janet was of course married to Carry On legend Peter Butterworth from 1947 until his death in 1979. And the film leading couple are played by Gordon Jackson and Rona Anderson, whose main Carry On connection was that they were lifelong friends or Carry On star Kenneth Williams.

What's it about?

David Shields (Gordon Jackson), the son of a Scottish farmer, dreams of a life in the city. Against his father's wishes he obtains a job in the shipyards where his flair for design moves him swiftly up the ladder. This is resented by many of his colleagues, as is his impatience and dislike for performing menial tasks. However, David designs a revolutionary ship which impresses his boss, whose daughter (Rona Anderson) he is deeply in love with. Will he succeed in all he wishes to achieve?

Best Bit?

Much of the film is carried by the easy, affable charm of Gordon Jackson and his terrific chemistry with Rona Anderson and Jimmy Logan. My favourite scene sees a drunken Jackson lured back to the flat of scheming temptress Judy (Elizabeth Sellars). He is rescued just in the nick of time by Logan and Anderson and as Judy's true colours are revealed, Logan's Tim Brogan deals with her perfectly with the line "you'll get the jail for that caper, ye daft wee besom".

Did you know?

Gordon Jackson and Rona Anderson first met on the set of this film. They would go on to marry two years later, in 1951. They had an enduring marriage, which lasted until Gordon's early death from cancer in 1990. They worked together again on film in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969 and later still, when Rona surprised Gordon as one of the guest stars in an episode of The Professionals in 1981. The casting director Esta Charkham had kept Rona's casting secret from Jackson.


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Watch: Janet Brown's This Is Your Life

Now here's a lovely thing. Browsing the net the other day I came upon Janet Brown's This Is Your Life tribute show from way back in 1980. To those of a certain vintage, Janet will be best remembered as an impressionist and comedienne, most famous for her impression of Mrs Thatcher, her own shows on television and working with Mike Yarwood. 

To us Carry On fans, she is also known as the wife of the late, great Peter Butterworth. Janet was married to Peter from 1947 until his sad, early death in January 1979. Together they had two children, Tyler, still an actor to this day and very much his father's son, and Emma. As well as a long and happy marriage, Peter and Janet also starred together in many television shows during the 1950s, especially on children's television.

Janet's This Is Your Life is a really good watch, made even more poignant by the still recent loss of Peter. This is touched upon several times by host Eamonn Andrews and it's clear just how much love and affection there was for Butterworth. To Janet's credit, she threw herself into work in the early 1980s after taking time out to raise their children. Mostly known to us as Peter's wife it's great to see her in the spotlight for a change, although bittersweet that Peter wasn't sitting beside his wife, beaming with pride.

Janet would continue to make regular appearances on television and on stage well into her 80s. Her last film appearance came in 2010 while her last stage appearance was three years earlier, as Old Lady Squeamish in the West End production of The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Janet lived in Hove in her later years and was still very active until her death at the age of 87 in 2011. Sadly, her daughter Emma predeceased her, passing away at the age of just 34 in 1996. Tyler is now married, to the actress Janet Dibley and together they have two sons.

Although Janet never did make a Carry On, you may remember she popped up for a supporting role as Sid's departing neighbour Annie in the 1972 film Bless This House, a Carry On in all but name. 

However, for many of us she will always be remembered for this:

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The Other Sid to Carry On

 

The writer Sid Colin is a name not often mentioned these days. Although achieving a script writing career which endured for four decades, Colin's work is rarely discussed or even shown these days. Many Carry On fans will never have heard of him but he's more than worthy of a blog all to himself. The Carry Ons are mainly remembered as Talbot Rothwell's stomping ground as he was by far the most prolific writer to contribute to the series, however other men - Norman Hudis, Dave Freeman and yes, Sid Colin, were also part of the story.

Sid Colin's Carry On contribution was brief and fairly unremarkable, however over the course of his career he wrote for many of our favourite Carry On actors. He also struck up a writing partnership with Rothwell which lasted decades. Born in 1920, Sid started out not as a comedy writer but as a guitarist and singer during the Second World War. He was part of a beloved British dance band called Ambrose and the Squadronaires and penned the song "If Only I had Wings" for the RAF. It became an enduring hit within the organisation. After the war he began writing for radio comedy before branching out into film and television.

Let's start off by looking at Sid's brief flirtation with the world of Carry On. In 1964, Colin teamed up with his lifelong friend Talbot Rothwell to provide additional script ideas and dialogue for the gang's James Bond / Third Man spoof, Carry On Spying. Colin receives a credit in the film's titles although rumour has it the only payment he received was out of Talbot's own fee for writing the script. Sid returned to write for the Carry Ons again, six years later. In 1970 he worked with Dave Freeman on the Thames Television special, Carry On Again Christmas, which took on a Treasure Island theme and starred the likes of Terry Scott, Sid James and Charles Hawtrey. Sadly, Sid Colin never contributed to another Carry On. Given his closeness to Rothwell, it surprises me that Peter Rogers didn't ask Sid to contribute scripts for the series after Talbot rather sadly had to withdraw in 1974. 

During his long career, Sid Colin wrote for many of the top comedy talents in this country, including lots of familiar Carry On names. Sid's first work for television came way back in 1949 when he wrote for the series How Do You View? This series was revolutionary at the time, being one of the first television comedy series not to rely on radio roots for success. It starred Terry-Thomas in his instantly recognisable guise as the upper-class, mischievous cad. Regular comedic support came from husband and wife team Peter Butterworth and Janet Brown as well as the legendary Diana Dors. The series was made up of sketches, introduced by Thomas. It ran until 1953.

 

Next up was probably Sid Colin's most memorable creation, the television comedy series The Army Game. This black and white national service comedy series ran on ITV from 1957 until 1961 and many believe it contributed to the idea for the very first Carry On, Sergeant, released in 1958. Certainly the cast of The Army Game featured several well-known Carry On faces in William Hartnell, Charles Hawtrey, Norman Rossington and Bernard Bresslaw. Those first three actors all appeared in Carry On Sergeant in very similar roles. This series marked a return to stardom for Hawtrey, previously best-known for his work with Will Hay. It was also the big break for towering star Bernard Bresslaw, whose character Private Popplewell spanned the entire run and even led to a starring role in a spin off film, I Only Arsked, also written by Colin. 

In 1957 Sid co-wrote a series for Arthur Askey called Living It Up. His fellow writer was Talbot Rothwell. Probably their most famous collaboration came over ten years later when together they scripted the BBC series for which Frankie Howerd is probably still best remembered: Up Pompeii. Talbot wrote the first series in 1969 with Sid coming on board to help with the second the following year. This proved to be a popular association for Colin as it led to him writing the screenplay for the big screen version in 1971. This lavish comedy, made at Elstree Studios, again starred Frankie with a supporting cast including Michael Hodern and Barbara Murray. Bernard Bresslaw, Adrienne Posta, Lance Percival and Madeline Smith were some of the Carry On faces providing support. Sid Colin also co-wrote the two sequels, Up The Chastity Belt (with Galton and Simpson) and Up The Front with Eddie Braben, both released in 1972. Colin wrote again for Howerd in the 1973 BBC comedy Whoops Baghdad, which was along the same lines as Up Pompeii but not as successful.

 

Other notable works included the film version of the popular BBC radio comedy series, The Navy Lark, which Colin co-wrote with Lawrie Wyman in 1959. The film starred the likes of Cecil Parker and Leslie Phillips. In 1964 Sid Colin produced a rather bizarre series called How To Be An Alien which I doubt has ever been seen since. However, when you consider the cast comprised Frank Muir, Denis Norden, Ronnie Barker and June Whitfield, it surely can't have been all that bad? 

Another notable film credit came in 1974 when Sid wrote for producer Betty Box and director Ralph Thomas. He joined an impressive writing team of Harry H Corbett and Ian La Frenais to provide the script for Percy's Progress, the follow up to the successful 1970 comedy about the first male member transplant, Percy. I've never seen these films and view them somewhat dubiously however the cast of Progress is extremely impressive: Elke Sommer, Judy Geeson, Denholm Elliott, Vincent Price, Madeline Smith, Carol Hawkins, Bernard Lee, Barry Humphries, Judy Matheson and James Booth all signed up. 

 

Later credits on the small screen for Sid Colin included episodes of Crown Court and Love Thy Neighbour while his final writing project was contributing uncredited ideas to the Cannon and Ball film The Boys In Blue (which co-starred Jack Douglas and Suzanne Danielle) in 1984. Sadly Sid Colin passed away at the relatively young age of 69 in December 1989. 

I know very little about the man himself or what else his life comprised, so if anyone out there knows more, please do get in touch. I think it's a shame that such a prolific writer, who worked with so many comedy actors we still hold so dear, is shamefully neglected these days.

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Carry On, Bond!

 

There are probably only two film franchises that truly capitalise on what it means to be British. Both involved recurring actors and similar themes. Both were filmed at Pinewood Studios. And there the similarities tend to end. The Carry Ons and the James Bond films are so far apart in terms of style, content and budget that it is hard to believe they were produced in the same studios at the same time. Both franchises were highly successful though and mainly during a time when the British film industry was in crisis. The two series also occasionally used the same actors or crew. Here is a quick run down of when James Bond carried on (and no I don't mean the innuendo-encrusted Roger Moore era).

Probably the most famous link to the Carry Ons is Shirley Eaton. The original Carry On girl, who starred in early hits Carry On Sergeant and Carry On Nurse (as well as a cameo in Constable), played Jill Masterson in the 1964 epic Goldfinger. Appearing in the early part of the film, Shirley shared several scenes with the hero of the piece, Sean Connery, before meeting her untimely end after crossing Goldfinger himself. The iconic image of Eaton covered in gold paint lives long in the memory.

 

Shirley was not the only Carry On actress to be painted gold for that film. Model turned actress Margaret Nolan appeared in the stylish title sequence for the film, also sprayed gold. Margaret also grabbed an early acting role as Dink, again opposite Sean Connery in the same film. This was the year before her Carry On debut as Miss Jones in Carry On Cowboy. Nolan would go on to make five further Carry Ons - Henry, Convenience, Matron, Girls and Dick.

 

Another well-known Carry On face has made appearances in two James Bond films - one officially part of the series and one, a little more controversially, produced away from the traditional base at Pinewood. Valerie Leon made her Bond debut in the classic Roger Moore film The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977 with a few short scenes as a rather glamorous hotel receptionist. Six years later she appeared as the Lady in the Bahamas in the film Never Say Never Again, this time opposite Sean Connery, reprising his role as Bond after a twelve year absence. Valerie had by then appeared in six Carry Ons - Khyber, Camping, Again Doctor, Jungle, Matron and Girls. Leon also holds the rare distinction of appearing in all three cult British film series, with roles in not just the Carry Ons and Bond but also the Hammer Horror films.

This honour is shared with another actress from the same era, the very glamorous Madeline Smith. Smith had a cameo role as Mrs Pullitt in the last medical Carry On, Carry On Matron, made in 1971. So successful was Madeline in the role that the Carry On producers asked her back for a bigger part in the next film, Abroad. Sadly Madeline was busy and the role went to Sally Geeson. Madeline went on to appear as Miss Caruso, a young lady who appears in the opening scenes of Roger Moore's first outing as James Bond, Live and Let Die, in 1973.

 

Another major link with the Carry Ons actually took place behind the camera. Legendary cinematographer Alan Hume worked on countless Carry On pictures during his long career in the film industry. Although he was in great demand for many big budget films, he always made time for six weeks of constant giggling with Sid, Joan and the gang at Pinewood. Alan went on to work as Director of Photography on three 1980s Bond films, all starring Roger Moore. Alan worked on For Your Eyes Only in 1981, Octopussy in 1983 and finally A View To A Kill in 1985.

Another behind the scenes presence was the actress Nikki Van der Zyl. Nikki had the small role of the messenger in the 1966 Carry On classic, Don't Lose Your Head. She is the actress who runs up to the guillotine and drops the message in the basket for Charles Hawtrey to read later...Nikki spent most of her career as a voice over artist. Her vocal talents can be heard in nine of the James Bond films, beginning with Dr No in 1962 and ending with Moonraker in 1979. Apparently Van der Zyl also worked as a vocal coach to German actor Gert Frobe, who famously played Goldfinger in 1964. 

 

One final behind the scenes Carry On link, although technically he was seen on screen. Stunt man Nick Hobbs, still active in the profession, made several appearances in the Bond franchise, beginning with 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me and ending with Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. Early on in his career as a stunt man, Hobbs appeared in Carry On Girls, believe it or not, as stunt rider for Barbara Windsor in her role as Hope Springs! Although Barbara is seen riding the motorcycle (rather nervously) with Sid in the closing credits, the scene when Hope rides away from the pier was actually done using Nick Hobbs. Now there's a claim to fame!

Keep your eyes peeled for three other blink and you'll miss 'em Carry On Bond cameos. In 1963, Francis de Wolff played Vavra in the gypsy fight scenes in one of my all time favourite Bond films, From Russia with Love. The following year he filmed a cameo role as Agrippa in the wonderful Carry On Cleo. And in 1983, two small part Carry On players turned up rather unexpectedly in the Roger Moore Bond film Octopussy. Brenda Cowling and Gertan Klauber played two rather talkative Germans who give James Bond a lift! Brenda of course played Matron in the maternity hospital sequence in Carry On Girls, returning for an uncredited appearance in the audience of Professor Crump's lecture in Carry On Behind. Gertan Klauber meanwhile popped up in several Carry Ons - Spying, Cleo, Follow That Camel, Doctor, Henry, Abroad and Emmannuelle. He would return to James Bond with an uncredited role as a fairground cafe owner in 1987's The Living Daylights. He was also married to fellow Carry On actor Gwendolyn Watts.

 

Does the name Eva Reuber-Staier mean anything to you?The Austrian born model and actress played Rublevitch in three Rorger Moore James Bond films - The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy. Nearly a decade before her last Bond appearance, Eva had played one of the Birds of Paradise in Joan Sims' troupe who entertained the punters at the Old Cock Inn in Carry On Dick!

Finally, two very small but worthwhile Bond / Carry On links. The actor Michael Medwin, still going strong at nearly 93, played a doctor in the unofficial Bond picture Never Say Never Again in 1983. Over twenty years before this, Medwin had the cameo role as Ginger opposite Kenneth Connor and Norman Rossington in the second Carry On film, Nurse, released in 1959. And before I go, I must mention the wonderful Janet Brown. The famed Mrs Thatcher impressionist played the Iron Lady in the comic scenes at the end of the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. Janet was of course married to the Carry On legend Peter Butterworth.

So there are a fair few Carry On connections in the world of James Bond. Have I missed any out? Do get in touch if you can think of any others!

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Butterworth Time

Peter Butterworth is one of my comedy heroes. He has always been one of my favourite actors in the Carry On team and while diehard fans of the series love and appreciate his many performances, he tends to go unnoticed by a lot of people. Peter spent thirteen years as part of the gang, notching up sixteen film appearances, two theatre runs and countless television performances both in Carry On Laughing and some of the Carry On Christmas specials.

Despite this substantial contribution, Peter Butterworth often receives scant mention in tribute shows or books focusing on the success of the Carry Ons. He was also found very far down the cast list in many of the films, never really achieving star billing despite many of his creations being deeply memorable. Who can forget his Slowbottom in Carry On Screaming? His Brother Belcher in Carry On Up the Khyber? Or his Pepe (or is it Mario?) in the glorious Carry On Abroad?

Peter Butterworth was a true professional. He clearly loved playing the outlandish comic foil and he never, ever missed the opportunity for a bit of business. His facial reactions and mugging, often in the background of scenes are often inspired. His performances were also highly energetic - just think of the scene in Abroad when the hotel starts to crumble around him. Wonderful stuff.

Unlike the other main team members, Peter had the slightly unusual position of appearing in uncredited cameos in some of the films. After some barnstorming major supporting roles in Screaming, Don't Lose Your Head and Follow That Camel, Carry On Again Doctor began an inexplicable run of very minor roles for Peter Butterworth in the Carry Ons. In 1970 he appeared in one scene cameos in both Loving and Henry and while both were amusing, I can't fathom why he was restricted in this way. Was he just too busy with other work? I honestly don't know the answer to this, so if anybody does, please get in touch!

After missing both Carry On At Your Convenience and Carry On Matron, it apparently took a letter from Peter to producer Peter Rogers to get him cast as Pepe/Mario in Carry On Abroad. It proved a truly brilliant return to a major role in the series for Butterworth and he went on to appear in every film until the original series ran out of steam in 1978. 

Away from the Carry Ons, Peter Butterworth appeared in many other films and countless television roles during his career. He made his name as a children's entertainer on television in the 1950s and excelled as a pantomime dame. Peter was married to comedienne and impressionist Janet Brown for over thirty years and together they had two children, Emma, who sadly died in the 1990s and Tyler who followed in his father's footsteps and became an actor. It was terrific to see Tyler appear in Carry On Forever alongside Kenneth Connor's son Jeremy. It was lovely to hear that both Peter and Kenneth had been great friends over the years. 

Peter Butterworth was also a war hero, shot down over Germany during the Second World War, he was an inmate in a prisoner of war camp and took part in many daring escape attempts involving the famous Wooden Horse. Ironically, when Peter went up for a part in the film version, he was turned down! 

Working right up until the end of his life, Peter very sadly died at the absurdly early age of 59 in January 1979. He was appearing in pantomime at the time and was found dead in his hotel room after a performance. A terribly sad loss of a truly gifted comic actor, beloved by both his peers and his fans. 

Fortunately we still have many wonderful film and television performances to enjoy, however he remains much missed to this very day. 

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Not Quite A Carry On: Bless This House

I have decided to write about some of the other films Rogers and Thomas made during their prolific careers. Apart from their 31 Carry Ons together, the famous producer/director team also made many other films, particularly during their peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I have already blogged about one of my favourites, the sprightly Nurse On Wheels. Now I am going to look at one of their later efforts, Bless This House.

Bless This House, released in 1972, was a big screen spin off feature film of the incredibly popular Thames Television sitcom, starring Sidney James as the family man desperately trying to keep up with his wife and teenage children as the 1970s took hold. Co-starring Diana Coupland, Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson, the series was a ratings smash and probably Sid's most successful small screen outing. It tapped into a more domesticated, relaxed image for Sid and was probably the role most closely aligned to the man himself.

The 1970s saw many sitcoms get the big screen treatment, from Dad's Army and Steptoe and Son to On The Buses and Please Sir, they were all at it. Rogers and Thomas were signed up to capitalise on the immediate success of Bless This House and a film was quickly shot and released in between two Carry Ons, Abroad and Girls. This being the case, Bless This House features a hybrid cast from both these official Carry Ons. It is also interesting as it blends two well known sitcoms together, for moving in next door to Sidney Abbott and family are Terry Scott and June Whitfield, playing the Baines. Scott and Whitfield were already working together on television, however they would begin their own sitcom, Happy Ever After, two years later.

Bless This House fuses together three distinct storylines. One, is the arrival of Sid's new neighbours who he immediately falls out with. Two, the blossoming of a romance between Sid's son and Terry's daughter, causing all kinds of trouble. And three, Sid and Trevor's attempts to make their own booze. So basically what you've got is three sitcom half hours stitched together. Nothing wrong with that really, but for the most part it fails to ignite. I'm not saying it's a bad comedy film, it's just all a bit safe and predictable. Still not too bad for a Sunday afternoon viewing.

While the script might be a bit tired, the cast is terrific. Sid is joined by his television co-stars Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson and Patsy Rowlands (playing next door neighbour Betty). For some reason Betty's husband Trevor, while played by Anthony Jackson for the entire run on television, is played by Carry On regular Peter Butterworth in the film. Not quite sure why this is, but it's always good to see Peter Butterworth and he works well with Sid here. Also missing from the television series is Robin Stewart. For whatever reason, Robin Askwith came on board for the film to bring Sid's son Mike to cinematic life. Askwith would be cast in the next Carry On, Girls, the following year and then would be up and away with the Confessions films. Playing Terry and June's daughter is Carol Hawkins, fresh from Carry On Abroad. Carol of course would return to the Carry On fold three years later for Carry On Behind. 

The supporting cast is littered with familiar faces from the Rogers and Thomas extended Carry On family. We have great cameos from the likes of Bill Maynard, Marianne Stone, Patricia Franklin, Michael Nightingale, Wendy Richard, Molly Weir, Julian Orchard and Frank Thornton. Future Coronation Street regular Johnny Briggs also has a blink and you'll miss it appearance as a tradesman.

Interestingly, Peter Butterworth's real life wife, actress and impressionist Janet Brown, also has a supporting role although sadly I don't think Peter and Janet share any screen time. Also watch out for George A Cooper as a blunt and harassed cafe owner. Cooper would go on to play the janitor in Grange Hill for many years.

The film has loads of slapstick and all the usual cliches. There are domestic squabbles, food fights, and lots of Sid and Terry making fools of themselves while their wives know better. All ends well with a big wedding uniting the two families. If you like easy to watch, undemanding British comedy featuring a host of classy comic performers, Bless This House is definitely for you.

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Peter Butterworth's This Is Your Life

Peter Butterworth has long been one of my comedy heroes. He is just superb in each of his Carry On film appearances and crops up in a myriad of other film and television roles during his long career.

Sometimes the forgotten man of Carry On, his substantial contribution to the films should never be underestimated or ignored. He was, simply, a comedy genius. Peter had wonderful comic timing and never missed an opportunity for visual clowning or unexpected comedy business. 

Tragically, Peter died at the incredibly young age of 59. He was performing in pantomime early in 1979 when he suffered a massive heart attack in his hotel room. The world was robbed of a terrific talent with a lot yet to give. Peter was married for over thirty years to the Scottish actress and impressionist, Janet Brown. They had two children together, Emma who sadly passed away in the 1990s and Tyler who is now an actor, just like his dad. Tyler, who I think has a strong resemblance to his talented father, appeared in the Carry On Forever documentary last Sunday. 

Away from acting, Peter Butterworth had a distinguished war record, spending time in a prisoner of war camp in Germany during the Second World War. He was part of the famous wooden horse escape attempt and it was while in the camp that he met and befriended future Carry On writer Talbot Rothwell. 

I recently tracked down Peter Butterworth's This Is Your Life tribute on Youtube. While the Carry Ons are not heavily featured it is a great opportunity to learn more about Peter the man and his life away from acting. I thoroughly recommend it to fans of both Peter and the Carry Ons in general. The video is available here and is well worth a watch.

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