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.

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

Guest Blog: Rogers and Rothwell

 

In this fantastic guest blog, Dr Laura Mayne describes and discusses two of the most influential and important men in the history of Carry On - Producer Peter Rogers and scriptwriter from 1963 - 1974, Talbot Rothwell.

Laura is a Research Associate on the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project ‘Transformation and Tradition in Sixties British Cinema’ (The 1960s Project for short!) run between the universities of York and East Anglia.

Peter Rogers was an interesting figure in British cinema. By the 1960s he and his wife Betty Box had, between them, practically cornered the market on low budget comedy, Box with the popular Doctor… films and Rogers with the Carry On… films, the series  which came to define British comedy and ideas about ‘Britishness’ for decades to come. While the success of the Doctor… series depended partly on Box’s longstanding collaboration with director Ralph Thomas, the fortunes of the Carry On… series very much depended on Rogers and his ongoing relationship with director (and brother of Ralph) Gerald Thomas. Over the course of 18 years, the two men worked with ruthless efficiency to bring each production in on time and under budget.

When Talbot Rothwell replaced Norman Hudis as scriptwriter for the series in 1963, it changed direction ever so slightly: whereas Hudis had affectionately lampooned institutions like the NHS, Rothwell’s more colourful, anarchic style veered into cinematic parodies and high camp. The more restrained comedic styles of Carry On Sergeant and Carry On Constable seemed a product of the 1950s, while a film like Carry On Screaming could belong nowhere other than the ‘Swinging Sixties’. In developing the character of the series for 1960s audiences, Rothwell’s relationship with Rogers was very important, and Rogers often had a hand in scriptwriting, even if he rarely took the credit. At heart, Rogers saw himself as a writer, stating in his private correspondence that ‘I am a writer first and a producer second’.[1]

Rogers pictured with Carry On star Joan Sims

And Rogers was quite unlike a ‘typical’ film producer in many respects. He was completely without bombast and roundly uninterested in adopting a movie showman persona. At a time when producers were inflating their budgets to make their products seem more attractive to exhibitors, Rogers would flat-out tell the press just how much (or in this case, how little) the Carry On films cost. When questioned, he could be acerbic about the industry and how it worked, and was cynical about the swagger and extravagance that characterised the modus operandi of some producers. Rogers made cheap, lowbrow productions, and he was not afraid to say so. Interviewed by The Times on November 5, 1959, he said:

‘Throughout the trade one hears people saying that you can’t make a film which will show a profit for under £500,000 – which is supposed to automatically make it a super production which will be able to break into world markets. I did not believe this, and I think I have proved my point’.

But the Carry On films were, above all, profitable. At a time when producers of low-budget British fare were finding it next to impossible to make a profit solely on the domestic cinema circuits, Rogers had been doing exactly that for many years. He had proved his point again and again by paring down budgets as low as they could possibly go (and the films really were made on the proverbial shoestring) while simultaneously producing films which made it into the box office ‘top ten’ every single year. 

Rogers: ‘I’d do anything for my actors – except pay them’

However, Rogers’ thrifty ways could add some friction to otherwise good working relationships. According to Joan Sims, Rogers had once said ‘I’d do anything for my actors – except pay them!’  - and it was a sentiment not too far from the truth, as Sims reportedly earned the same amount for her first film in the series, Carry On Nurse, made in 1958, as she did for her last, Carry On Emmannuelle, made a whopping 20 years later.[2] Rogers was keen to see that no one member of the cast of returning artistes got too big for their boots; this way, stars couldn’t hold the production hostage by demanding more money. When Charles Hawtrey asked for a salary increase before filming Carry On Cruising, he was unceremoniously dropped and replaced with Lance Percival, who was paid £600.[3]

Poor Charles…

Rothwell: ‘I’m about as ambitious as a eunuch at an orgy’

A series of letters between Rogers and Rothwell, housed in the Gerald Thomas Collection at the British Film Institute, reveals a genial and even affectionate relationship between the two men, but one which was (at times) beset by the same financial tensions which affected rest of the cast and crew in the continual effort to keep costs as low as humanly possible. In 1966 Kevin Kavanagh, Rothwell’s agent, was angling for Rothwell to take a percentage on Carry On Cowboy, to the apparent ire of Rogers. Two years previously Kavanagh had agreed with Rogers not to ‘up’ Rothwell’s fee for Carry On Cleo, but felt that Rothwell should in some way participate in the profits of further Carry On films. Rogers, unfortunately, wasn’t convinced, while Rothwell apparently regretted being caught up in these rather distasteful negotiations, writing to Rogers:

‘Believe me, I couldn’t care less about the percentage. As you well know, where money is concerned I’m about as ambitious as a eunuch at an orgy. It was just the if-he-doesn’t-like-it-he-knows-what-he-can-do bit that rankled. It’s not necessary, you know. You only have to say a simple ‘no’ to me, as any girl will tell you. Agents, on the other hand, have to behave like agents. ..this, invariably and unfortunately, always seems to create bad feeling’.

 

Talbot Rothwell

The following year, Rothwell’s agent became concerned that there had only been one down payment on one of Rothwell’s scripts. Still, Rothwell’s tone in his correspondence to Rogers remained placatory:

‘…he was merely worried because I seem to have been working almost a year now with only a down payment on one subject. We have never seriously fallen out over finances and I certainly don’t want to start now. You have always been very fair, and I very much appreciate that’.

Further correspondence reveals that Rothwell didn’t always make the most auspicious financial decisions with regard to his role in the series, however. He agreed to relinquish his percentage for Carry On Up The Khyber as compensation for some earlier financial confusion, even though ‘knowing my luck, Khyber will probably turn out to be a smasheroo’. As it turned out Khyber was not just a ‘smasheroo’ but the most financial and critically successful film of the entire series. 

By 1967 Rogers was keen to diversify into other media in the name of making the most out of the popularity of the series. With this in mind he asked Rothwell if he might like to do a side-line in Carry On paperback novels, with Khyber as one of the first novelizations. But Rothwell didn’t think much of the idea:

‘Regarding paperbacks, why Khyber anyway? I would have thought Carry on Doctor would have had far bigger public appeal, knowing their hunger for things medical. As I told you before, I would certainly like to do a book, but find I’m rather slow at writing prose’.

Despite his somewhat ruthless approach to budgeting, what Rogers did was impressive. During a time of extreme funding scarcity and economic uncertainty for British independent producers, Rogers made 31 films which were profitable in the domestic market (and abroad) over a period of more than two decades. It’s worth noting that though audiences loved them, the critics consistently hated the Carry On films, a fact which delighted Rogers – after all, it was what the audiences thought that mattered. As he often stated, his team would stop making the films when they stopped being profitable. And eventually they did, but perhaps the less said about Emmannuelle, the better.

Many thanks again to Laura for this fantastic guest blog. You can contact Laura via Twitter @1960sProject or follow the project on facebook. 

About the Author: Dr. Laura Mayne is a postdoctoral research associate working on the 3-year AHRC funded Transformation and Tradition in Sixties British Cinema project led by Professor Duncan Petrie. In 2014, she completed her doctoral thesis on the industrial impact of Film4 on British cinema as part of the AHRC-funded Channel 4 and British Film Culture project based at Portsmouth University. She has contributed to such works as the Journal of British Cinema and Television and has written numerous reviews for the BUFVCs Viewfinder journal. Her recent published papers include Mythologies of Chance: Historicising Luck  in the Film and Television Industries (2015) and Assessing Cultural Impact: Film 4, Canon Formation and Forgotten Films (2014). 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

---

[1] All quotations taken from the Gerald Thomas Collection at the British Film Institute, unless otherwise stated.

[2] Sims interviewed by the Daily Mail, 20 December 1998.

[3] See Richard Webber, 50 Years of Carry On (Century, 2008) p. 66.

Guest Blog: Carry On Stars At War

It's Remembrance Sunday here in the United Kingdom today so I thought it was a fitting time to post this wonderful guest blog again...

In the latest of the guest blogs written for this site, Sarah has blogged about what some of our favourite Carry On actors got up to during the war. It's a fascinating read and I'm so grateful to Sarah for taking the time to research and write this great blog...

I am of the opinion that the post war period was the golden age of British cinema.  The Ealing comedies and the early Carry On films for example all showcase talent that I don’t think we will ever see the like of again. I can’t think of any modern day actors that can touch the on-screen charisma of our stars from the 1950s. The kind of film that is released today fades from memory overnight; whereas we will be watching ‘Carry on Nurse’ or ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ for decades to come.

I think that the reason for this lies in the Second World War. This conflict mixed up society and moved people around on an unprecedented scale.  Ordinary British workers came into contact with situations and colleagues that they would never have previously imagined.  It gave them the opportunity to discover and develop strengths and talents that lay dormant or were unappreciated. This is particularly relevant in the case of our actors and entertainers because of the huge need for their talents during wartime.

When war broke out on 3^rd September 1939, cinemas and theatres were immediately closed down.   However, it was soon realised that entertainment was essential to morale. ENSA (Entertainment National Services Association) was already in the process of being set up.  This organisation comprised civilian entertainers who toured around various locations including army camps, factories and field hospitals. Later on, a service personnel version called Stars in Battledress would be formed. Think of any household name in the field of entertainment from the post war period, and the chances are that they did their bit for one of these organisations.  Established entertainers also continued to work in cinema and theatre, tirelessly keeping up the spirits of a bombed and worn out nation.

Wartime work such as this was by no means an easy task, and many worked in dangerous situations. During the Blitz, if an air raid siren sounded, the show went on for those that chose to not take shelter.  Actors, singers and dancers all performed near enemy lines and traversed the Middle East and North Africa to get to their audiences. There’s nothing like the sound of bullets and bombs in the near distance to focus the mind on the job in hand! I think that this combination of circumstances gave us the actors and scriptwriters that made British film great in the years afterwards, as that momentum continued.

The Carry On actors can be used as an example of how this worked, and I thought that it would be interesting to have a little look at the Carry On stars at war…what did they get up to?

The most fascinating of war time stories belongs to Peter Butterworth.  At the outbreak of war he joined the Royal Navy.  In 1940 he was captured in the Netherlands and then became a prisoner of war for the duration. He escaped from his first prison camp but was recaptured by a member of Hitler’s Youth movement. Peter was then sent to Stalag Luft III, where he met none other than Talbot Rothwell.  The pair formed an entertainment duo, which was deliberately rubbish.  The ensuing boos and catcalls as they performed effectively masked the sound of tunnels being dug by other potential escapees!

Kenneth Connor was another active serviceman. He was an infantry gunner, but he came from a family that liked to put on shows and he had acted from an early age.  His love of the stage led him to carry out some work for Stars in Battledress.  He was particularly noted for a role in Terence Rattigan’s play ‘Flare Path’.  As soon as he was demobbed he received an invitation to join the Bristol Old Vic.

Sid James served in the entertainment section of the South African army. Biographies describe in detail how he used this ideal opportunity to refine the comic persona that we all know and love. He also produced shows and auditioned participants.  It was his army gratuity that paid for his passage to Britain after the war ended.

Kenneth Williams was a little younger than those mentioned above, and didn’t receive his call up papers until 1944.  By the time he had completed his training the war in Europe was almost over.  He was posted to the Royal Engineers and arrived in India in April 1945. After a while, he secured a transfer to the Combined Services Entertainment (which had taken over from ENSA by then). This is where it all began for Kenneth, as he toured the Far East doing plays, revues and radio shows.  His diaries from this period mention several familiar names including Stanley Baxter (who would become a lifelong friend), John Schlesinger and Pete Postlethwaite. This shows how easy it was to become part of an “old boy’s network” and to make contacts that would prove useful in civilian life. The first entry in his book of post war letters was addressed to Val Gielgud at the BBC, describing his radio experiences and stating that he was “anxious to obtain work in the field of broadcasting.”

Away from the army, Joan Sims was too young to serve, being only nine years old at the outbreak of war. However, in her autobiography she describes her very first acting role as being a wounded casualty at the local St John Ambulance training sessions. Later on in the war, she would keep the spirits of Laindon up by performing in the local amateur drama club.  Hattie Jacques meanwhile was at the sharp end of medical matters, while working as a nurse during the Blitz. It is obvious to draw parallels with her status as Britain’s favourite matron – but I think that these experiences must have affected her profoundly. Hattie must have been witness to some truly awful sights.  I wonder how much these turned her into the apparently compassionate and caring lady that she is often described as – and informed her performances. Matron was never a one dimensional character no matter what the script presented to Hattie – she knew how to make her seem human.  She re-started her acting career in 1944 in revue, after leaving nursing and taking a job as a welder.

Only two of the actors most associated with Carry On were already established in the acting profession in the 1930s. Charles Hawtrey had worked in theatre and film since the 1920s.  He was a conscientious objector, but he continued to perform throughout the war.  Esma Cannon was in her forties and so would not have been required to take on war work, and she continued to tour the country in various plays.  Both probably got the opportunity to tackle a wider range of roles than they had done previously.

So, if it had not been for the war, Sid James might have stayed in South Africa, Kenneth Williams might never have developed his range of radio personas and Peter Butterworth might not have met Talbot Rothwell.  It doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?!

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What A Carry On in Brighton!

I spent a very nostalgic day in good old Brighton last Friday. I always love a trip to the seaside as I grew up by the sea and miss that special sea air in land-locked London. I've also got fond personal memories of Brighton and despite the fact it's probably no longer quite what it was, I never turn down the opportunity to go back.

Of course the Carry Ons have a long association with Brighton. Legendary scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell worked in the town for a time and I believe he met the famous stand up comedian Max Miller there. Miller was well known for his risque jokes and could be said to have laid the grown work for the many years of Carry On humour that followed.

Brighton was (and still is to some extent) a popular holiday destination for many and it is where the core Carry On audience would often be found back in the day. It was also the home to original Carry On leading lady, the late great Dora Bryan, for many years until her death last year. Dora's hotel even featured in two of the films, At Your Convenience in 1971 and Girls two years later. Patsy Rowlands was also based down in Brighton for much of her later life, sadly passing away there in early 2005.

The Carry On team did of course descend on Brighton twice during the early 1970s, marking very rare location filming for the gang. In 1971, the workers of Boggs' toilet factory travelled to Brighton for the annual works outing. This forms the basis for my favourite part of that classic film as the likes of Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims camp about the pier, telling dodgy jokes, eating cockles and enjoying the hospitality of several local establishments! It feels like the team are returning to their spiritual home in that film - it all fits together so perfectly.

Two years later, Brighton doubled as the dreary seaside resort of Fircombe in Carry On Girls. This is, rather unfortunately, a less optimistic view of the British seaside. Fircombe is basically a dump, where nothing happens and nobody has any fun (if Augusta Prodworthy has her way that is). In comes Sidney Fiddler with his idea of a beauty contest and the rest is rather dodgy cinematic history. Although Girls sees a welcome return to Brighton for the team, the town is treated less than favourably this time around which is a shame. Girls as a whole is hardly a favourite of mine so probably best to leave this well alone!

As I stood on Brighton pier the other day in the cold, autumnal October air, I felt goosebumps as I thought of all those Carry On legends who had once paraded up and down the promenade. Charles Hawtrey as the rather camp Mr Coote, resplendent in a brightly patterned matching shirt and tie; Joan Sims and Sid James, their characters hoping for some time alone together away from prying eyes; Kenneth Williams marauding around the pier telling filthy limericks; Patsy Rowlands in full Miss Withering mode- surely her best Carry On performance? 

Even after all these years, their presence on Brighton front is so real and tangible, it feels like they've only just left, back to London on the coach loaded with crates of Watney's ale! The Carry Ons affinity with Brighton should always be a joy and a chance for a wallow in nostalgia. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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Carry On Stars At War!

In the latest of the guest blogs written for this site, Sarah has blogged about what some of our favourite Carry On actors got up to during the war. It's a fascinating read and I'm so grateful to Sarah for taking the time to research and write this great blog...

I am of the opinion that the post war period was the golden age of British cinema.  The Ealing comedies and the early Carry On films for example all showcase talent that I don’t think we will ever see the like of again. I can’t think of any modern day actors that can touch the on-screen charisma of our stars from the 1950s. The kind of film that is released today fades from memory overnight; whereas we will be watching ‘Carry on Nurse’ or ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ for decades to come.

I think that the reason for this lies in the Second World War. This conflict mixed up society and moved people around on an unprecedented scale.  Ordinary British workers came into contact with situations and colleagues that they would never have previously imagined.  It gave them the opportunity to discover and develop strengths and talents that lay dormant or were unappreciated. This is particularly relevant in the case of our actors and entertainers because of the huge need for their talents during wartime.

When war broke out on 3^rd September 1939, cinemas and theatres were immediately closed down.   However, it was soon realised that entertainment was essential to morale. ENSA (Entertainment National Services Association) was already in the process of being set up.  This organisation comprised civilian entertainers who toured around various locations including army camps, factories and field hospitals. Later on, a service personnel version called Stars in Battledress would be formed. Think of any household name in the field of entertainment from the post war period, and the chances are that they did their bit for one of these organisations.  Established entertainers also continued to work in cinema and theatre, tirelessly keeping up the spirits of a bombed and worn out nation.

Wartime work such as this was by no means an easy task, and many worked in dangerous situations. During the Blitz, if an air raid siren sounded, the show went on for those that chose to not take shelter.  Actors, singers and dancers all performed near enemy lines and traversed the Middle East and North Africa to get to their audiences. There’s nothing like the sound of bullets and bombs in the near distance to focus the mind on the job in hand! I think that this combination of circumstances gave us the actors and scriptwriters that made British film great in the years afterwards, as that momentum continued.

The Carry On actors can be used as an example of how this worked, and I thought that it would be interesting to have a little look at the Carry On stars at war…what did they get up to?

The most fascinating of war time stories belongs to Peter Butterworth.  At the outbreak of war he joined the Royal Navy.  In 1940 he was captured in the Netherlands and then became a prisoner of war for the duration. He escaped from his first prison camp but was recaptured by a member of Hitler’s Youth movement. Peter was then sent to Stalag Luft III, where he met none other than Talbot Rothwell.  The pair formed an entertainment duo, which was deliberately rubbish.  The ensuing boos and catcalls as they performed effectively masked the sound of tunnels being dug by other potential escapees!

Kenneth Connor was another active serviceman. He was an infantry gunner, but he came from a family that liked to put on shows and he had acted from an early age.  His love of the stage led him to carry out some work for Stars in Battledress.  He was particularly noted for a role in Terence Rattigan’s play ‘Flare Path’.  As soon as he was demobbed he received an invitation to join the Bristol Old Vic.

Sid James served in the entertainment section of the South African army. Biographies describe in detail how he used this ideal opportunity to refine the comic persona that we all know and love. He also produced shows and auditioned participants.  It was his army gratuity that paid for his passage to Britain after the war ended.

Kenneth Williams was a little younger than those mentioned above, and didn’t receive his call up papers until 1944.  By the time he had completed his training the war in Europe was almost over.  He was posted to the Royal Engineers and arrived in India in April 1945. After a while, he secured a transfer to the Combined Services Entertainment (which had taken over from ENSA by then). This is where it all began for Kenneth, as he toured the Far East doing plays, revues and radio shows.  His diaries from this period mention several familiar names including Stanley Baxter (who would become a lifelong friend), John Schlesinger and Pete Postlethwaite. This shows how easy it was to become part of an “old boy’s network” and to make contacts that would prove useful in civilian life. The first entry in his book of post war letters was addressed to Val Gielgud at the BBC, describing his radio experiences and stating that he was “anxious to obtain work in the field of broadcasting.”

Away from the army, Joan Sims was too young to serve, being only nine years old at the outbreak of war. However, in her autobiography she describes her very first acting role as being a wounded casualty at the local St John Ambulance training sessions. Later on in the war, she would keep the spirits of Laindon up by performing in the local amateur drama club.  Hattie Jacques meanwhile was at the sharp end of medical matters, while working as a nurse during the Blitz. It is obvious to draw parallels with her status as Britain’s favourite matron – but I think that these experiences must have affected her profoundly. Hattie must have been witness to some truly awful sights.  I wonder how much these turned her into the apparently compassionate and caring lady that she is often described as – and informed her performances. Matron was never a one dimensional character no matter what the script presented to Hattie – she knew how to make her seem human.  She re-started her acting career in 1944 in revue, after leaving nursing and taking a job as a welder.

Only two of the actors most associated with Carry On were already established in the acting profession in the 1930s. Charles Hawtrey had worked in theatre and film since the 1920s.  He was a conscientious objector, but he continued to perform throughout the war.  Esma Cannon was in her forties and so would not have been required to take on war work, and she continued to tour the country in various plays.  Both probably got the opportunity to tackle a wider range of roles than they had done previously.

So, if it had not been for the war, Sid James might have stayed in South Africa, Kenneth Williams might never have developed his range of radio personas and Peter Butterworth might not have met Talbot Rothwell.  It doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?!

http://historyusherette.blogspot.co.uk

You can follow The History Usherette @agathadascoyne T
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