Hattie Carries On ... As Grace Short

 

Having covered every one of Joan Sims' 24 Carry On roles it now only seems fair that I turn the spotlight onto another great and loyal member of the team. Sticking with the wonderful women, I've decided to focus on all 14 of Hattie Jacques' Carry On appearances. Hattie's contribution to Carry On comedy was immense. Although appearing in far fewer films that Joan, Hattie created some iconic roles, none more so that the infamous Matron, a character which came to dominate her later career.

However there was far more to Jacques than that. She played Matron in all four of the medical films but there were ten other roles to enjoy too, from a budgie obsessed housewife to an angry, aggressive Spanish cook! So sit back and enjoy a run of blogs which looks at Hattie's Carry On contribution from the very first film in 1958 right through to her last supporting role in Carry On Dick 16 years later. So let's continue our journey today with a look back at Hattie's third role in the series, as Maths Mistress Grace Short in Carry On Teacher.

I absolutely adore Carry On Teacher. It's probably as close to a gentle Ealing comedy that the Carry Ons ever got. The film tells the story of a group of school children who turn mischief makers when inspectors visit the school in the hope it will stop beloved headmaster William Wakefield (Ted Ray) leaving for a new post. Teacher boasts a compact cast of Carry On favourites - Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and of course, Hattie Jacques. There is also the great Ted Ray in a guest starring role which could have led to further parts in the series had Ray not been contracted elsewhere. 

One of the joys of Teacher is the cast of wonderful young actors, led by the cheeky Richard O'Sullivan who would go on to massive success, mainly on television. The skill of Gerald Thomas is clearly seen in this film as he coaxes wonderful performances from so many young actors including O'Sullivan, Carol White and Paul Cole. Thomas had worked on a classic Children's Film Foundation production, Circus Friends with Carol White two years before and obviously knew how to work with child actors. 

 

Teacher continued the trend of the early Carry Ons under the guidance of Norman Hudis which saw broad comedy and slapstick blended effectively with poignant moments or real pathos and tinges of social commentary. This was often missing from later series entries which I think was a shame. Anyway, on to Hattie's role in the film.

Hattie was already known for playing strong, formidable women in the Carry Ons. Both her previous roles had a medical theme but this time around she was the fearsome Maths teacher Grace Short at Maudlin Street School. As always with Hattie, there is a real touch of humanity and a sense of fun behind the fearsome exterior. Hattie's character is all for the traditional forms of punishment in schools and comes up against the more liberal attitudes of Kenneth Williams and Leslie Phillips. It's an interesting premise for a light comedy and that's really down to the great Norman Hudis. It takes a truly great actor like Hattie to get away with that but she does.

There is also a touch of feminist politics in Teacher as the two female school teachers (Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques) try to confirm they are as clever or even more so than the men. They do this by attempting to hunt out the ringleaders from amongst the pupils. While they are not completely successful, it's an interesting diversion in a film that is mainly dominated by male characters and actors. Joan and Hattie were terrific, close friends in real life but rarely appeared together on screen in the Carry Ons. As with Joan and Dilys Laye in later films, the real life closeness of the actresses definitely adds something extra special to these scenes.

My all-time favourite scene sees Grace Short and her pupils run rings around Leslie Phillips' academic in the maths class. Leslie's Alistair Grigg is attempting to play a clever trick on the children but it backfires rather dramatically and it's a super little scene. Hattie plays it relatively straight and low key while Leslie takes centre stage. When Paul Cole catches Leslie out, Hattie's gift for scene stealing looks comes into play as she shows she clearly approves of the children sending up Mr Grigg. It's a lovely moment.

Hattie is also involved in the tear jerking finale which sees Wakefield about to punish the ringleaders who carried out the sabotage on the school play with a few whacks from the dreaded cane. Hattie offers Ray's William Wakefield a few words of advice and it's a real moment of pathos that never fails to bring a tear to my eye. It once again demonstrates what a fine actor she was.

In the end all is well. As always with Carry On finales, warring couples are reunited and everyone gets a happy ending. There is a real surge of happiness at the end of Carry On Teacher that leaves the audience grinning from ear to ear. It's nothing like the bawdy, bra-bursting comedies which would follow in the years to come but I still think Carry On Teacher has a special place in the Carry On cannon. Perfect viewing for a rainy Sunday afternoon and Hattie' role as the firm but fair Grace Short is one of the main reasons for Teacher's success.   

 

Watch out for the next entry in this series looking back at Hattie's roles in the Carry Ons. Next up is Hattie's role as Laura Moon in Carry On Constable. 

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Carry On Audio Commentaries

Several people recently have commented on my love of the audio commentaries that accompany all of the Carry On DVD releases. Many of you have mentioned that although you own all of these DVDs you have never listened to the commentaries. Well I think you are missing out on several lovely treats!

It can be an odd experience to get used to, listening to people talk over a film. Sometimes it works better than others I admit, but there are some real gems out there and I encourage you to listen. There is also a poignancy to some of them now as sadly since the recordings in the early 2000s, several of those involved have passed away. I must admit that there are a few I'd also avoid like the plague. I wouldn't suggest starting out with anything involving Peter Rogers! His commentaries for Up The Khyber and That's Carry On are particularly gruff and monosyllabic and I've not completed either of them.

As a general rule, the commentaries which feature more than one actor are the best. Poor JIm Dale provides commentaries for four of his Carry On films and eventually it does feel like he's running out of things to say. Robert Ross does a great job as moderator/interviewer although he sometimes struggles with less forthcoming guests!

So here, in no particular order are my favourites:

Carry On Spying: Putting Bernard Cribbins and Dilys Laye together in a recording booth for 90 minutes was an act of genius. These two old pros go at the task at hand with complete and utter relish for the duration of Carry On Spying, sending each other up, reminiscing with great affection and laughing at the corny old gags. There is a real warmth here with these two and I never tire of hearing them. Wonderful stuff.

Carry On Abroad: Reuniting the younger cast of Carry On Abroad was a wonderful idea. Apart from this recording, we haven't heard nearly enough from Sally Geeson, Carol Hawkins, David Kernan and John Clive over the years. They reunite with great warmth and good humour and clearly love going back over the years to the making of the film. They also don't stop to take themselves too seriously which is a joy. Carol in particular roars with laughter throughout which is completely infectious! 

Carry On Cabby: One of the few solo commentaries which works well is this offering, which sees legendary actress Liz Fraser chat with Robert about everything and anything almost without drawing breath! Liz is a real force of nature and never shy of voicing an opinion or two, which is exactly what you need to liven these things up! She speaks with a great deal of warmth and affection about the likes of Hattie, Sid and Kenneth Connor which is lovely to hear. She also sends both herself and Robert Ross up hilariously throughout. She's a cracker!

Carry On Teacher: This is riotous good fun from the off. It's a joy to reunite Richard O'Sullivan, Larry Dann and Paul Cole, three of the mischievous saboteurs from Teacher. All three came from the Corona Academy so it's fascinating to hear tales from their careers as child actors in the 1950s and 1960s. They are quite simply having a ball and entertaining from the word go. 

Carry On Screaming: This commentary brings together two wonderful Carry On leading ladies. Fenella Fielding is always wonderful to hear from and she shares many memories from the making of this Carry On classic. She is paired with the delightful Angela Douglas for this commentary and it's great to hear the two stars back together again forty years after making the film. 

Of course there are many others to choose from. Other commentaries come from the likes of Dora Bryan, Shirley Eaton, Amanda Barrie, June Whitfield, Leslie Phillips, Jack Douglas, Patsy Rowlands, Valerie Leon, Alan Hume, Richard O'Callaghan and Jacki Piper.

So why not pick out one of these classics, stick in on tonight and give the audio commentary a try. It's well worth it! 

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Whatever Happened To ... The Saboteurs?

I've been blogging about some of the less well known but nevertheless still significant actors involved in the Carry On films. When we think of Carry On actors we think of the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James or Barbara Windsor. However the films always boasted a wide range of top quality British supporting players who were instantly recognisable but often never got the recognition they deserved. 

So far I've written about Marianne Stone, Esma Cannon, Carol Hawkins, June Jago and Peter Gilmore. Today I'm following the same theme but approaching it in a slightly different way. Perhaps rather ambitiously I'm going to look at what happened to the young actors who made up the "saboteurs" in that classic early Carry On, Carry On Teacher.

The first film Rogers and Thomas made together was a Children's Film Foundation picture called Circus Friends, in 1956. The film makers quickly demonstrated their ability to coax great performances from young actors and this was evident again three years later when Teacher was released. Carry On Teacher was much more like an Ealing comedy or a St Trinian's film than a Carry On but I love it. It features a top notch cast of regular Carry On stars and a terrific guest star in Ted Ray. So what happened to the child actors who starred in this film?

Let's start with the chief saboteur - Richard O'Sullivan, who played Robin Stevens. Richard had the biggest child role in the film and it was the beginning of big things for the young actor. Richard would go on to become one of the ultimate 70s heartthrobs, starring in hit sitcoms Man About The House and Robin's Nest. Earlier in his career he appeared in two Cliff Richard films, The Young Ones and Wonderful Life and also had a role in the opulent epic Cleopatra opposite Elizabeth Taylor, in 1963. Richard more or less retired from public life in 1996 and although he contributed to a DVD commentary for Teacher in 2006, has sadly suffered from ill health in recent years.

Carol White had a supporting role as Sheila Dale in Carry On Teacher. Having previously appeared in Circus Friends for Rogers and Thomas, Carol would become famous for her starring role in the classic Wednesday Play, Cathy Come Home in 1966. The documentary style drama, written by Ken Loach and co-starring Ray Brooks, tackled the issue of homelessness and led to the creation of the charity Shelter. Despite being seen as one of the most promising actors of her generation, White spent her later years in Hollywood battling addiction problems. She died in Florida at the young age of 48 in 1991. As a footnote, Carol's real life sister Jane also had a small role in the film, playing Irene. 

The actor Larry Dann had a minor role as a school boy in the film. He would later return to the Carry Ons for three supporting roles in Behind, England and with his most substantial role in Emmannuelle. Larry went on to play Sergeant Peters in The Bill from 1984 for eight years and still acts in theatre productions today. Paul Cole, who played Atkins, was a prolific child actor, appearing in the likes of Please Turn Over, The Mouse On The Moon and Billy Bunter. He took part, along with Larry Dann and Richard O'Sullivan, in the DVD commentary for Teacher.

Roy Hines played Harry Bird in Teacher. Sadly Roy died at the age of 40 in 1982 having suffered from lung cancer. Roy was the brother of Emmerdale actor Frazer Hines. George Howell appeared as Billy Haig. Howell found success acting in Scottish television productions including Garnock Way, High Road and Strathblair. Diana Beevers played Penelope Lee. Diana continued to act, appearing in the likes of Father Dear Father, Within These Walls and Rumpole of the Bailey. Her last acting credit came in 1990. Finally, Jacqueline Lewis played Pat Gordon. Very little is known about the rest of Jacqueline's career with only three other uncredited performances to her name.

While the majority of these former child actors are still around, it's a shame there's so little information to be found on what they did next. I'd love to find out what paths their lives have taken since their Carry On experience. 

What you may not have realised is that several other well known actors appeared in Teacher in non-speaking extra roles as school children. First up is future Star Wars actor Jeremy Bulloch. Jeremy went on to appear as Boba Fett but has had a long and varied career ranging from the film Summer Holiday to television in the likes of Agony, Doctor Who and The Professionals. He's still acting today. Future Carry On actor Diane Langton also appeared as an extra. Diane would later appear in several episodes of Carry On Laughing in 1975 and Carry On England the following year. A star of many musical theatre productions, Diane continues to act today, currently a regular in Channel Four soap opera, Hollyoaks. 

Also appearing in Teacher are two future Please Sir! actors, Peter Cleall and David Barry. Peter is still around today but gave up acting to run a theatrical agency. Barry meanwhile is now a successful author. Finally, did you know that the very successful actress Francesca Annis made an early screen appearance in Carry On Teacher? Apparently so! I've never spotted her in the film but according to reliable sources she is in some of the crowd scenes. As she began her training at the Corona Academy it is likely she was involved as that's where the production team found most of their young actors for Teacher. 

So there you go, quite a mammoth blog post but I hope you enjoyed it!

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