Next
June will mark Kenneth Connor's centenary. This feels like the right
time to celebrate the man's legacy and what better a legacy that his
seventeen glorious performances in the Carry On films. As I've already
done with the three main leading ladies of the series, I plan to embark
on a series of blogs profiling each of Kenneth's roles in the Carry Ons,
giving my own take on his contributions.
Kenneth
is another one of those actors who worked steadily, prolifically and
across all mediums throughout his career. From his very early days in
film before the outbreak of World War Two, through the 1950s which saw
him become an integral part of British radio comedy to the Carry Ons and
his unforgettable roles in several 1980s sitcoms, Connor was an
incredibly gifted actor. He worked right up until his death at the age
of 75 in November 1993. However unlike Sid, Kenneth Williams or Barbara
Windsor, I feel that Connor never really got the credit he deserved. He
didn't have an outrageous private life, no scandals to be told. He
shunned the limelight and his many performances as the ordinary man in
the street mirrored his own life away from the cameras.
Kenneth
was also one of the precious few actors who's career spanned pretty
much the entire run of the Carry Ons. He was there at the very beginning
in Carry On Sergeant and, a five year gap in the mind 1960s aside,
remained loyal to the films until the very end of the original run in
1978. Connor, along with Williams and Eric Barker were the only actors
to appear in the very first and the very last of the series. Kenneth was
still around when Columbus was made in 1992 but declined to take part,
probably very wisely. This new series of blogs will be a celebration of
all those wonderful comedy performances in the Carry Ons - from bumbling
romantic lead through to crumbling character parts, Kenneth could play
them all.
So let's continue with Kenneth's third role in the series, as bumbling science master Gregory Adams in the hit film of 1959, 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 - Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Williams, Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and of course, Kenneth Connor. 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 Kenneth's role in the film.
Kenneth is pretty much the star of the show in Teacher. In those far off pre-Sid days of Carry On, he was the closest there was to a leading man and he always played it so well. A delightful mix of caring teacher and bumbling romantic lead, Connor gets more screen time than any of the other regulars present. Kenneth's role is enhanced by the guest starring role for radio comedian Ted Ray. Ray sadly only made one Carry On but his contract elsewhere left room for Sid to join the fun for Carry On Constable so I suppose we shouldn't be too sad. Ted had played a great leading role in the other Rogers and Thomas release of '59, Please Turn Over. The pair also worked together regularly on Ray's A Laugh on radio so they very obviously had chemistry to exploit.
Most of Kenneth's role in the film surrounds William Wakefield (Ted Ray) and his attempts to soften the severe school inspector Felicity Wheeler by exploiting her very obvious feelings for Kenneth's Gregory Adams. There are some priceless two hander scenes in the headmaster's office between Ted and Kenneth. They are a joy and I wish they'd made more films together. We also get some lovely, gently romantic scenes between Rosalind Knight and Connor which act as a great balancing point with all the knockabout slapstick and childish japes. They make for a very believable couple and in 2015's Carry On Forever documentary Rosalind remembered working with Connor with great affection and clearly found him a joy to be with on set.
Away from the 1950s black and white romantics it's business as usual in Carry On Teacher and Kenneth C is only too happy to be one of the main players when it comes to the slapstick antics and messy pratfalls. He embraces it all like a true pro with rockets exploding into the ceiling, sacks of flour falling from above and super glue and boot polish making a simple phone call practically impossible. He also displays excellent comic timing in the memorable itching powder scene towards the end of the film and there is much humour to be had as he and Joan Sims rub each other up the right way!
Connor is also involved in the calamitous denouement as the dreadful little sixth formers cause havoc in the end of term school play. As the sprinklers inevitably shower down onto the stage, Connor takes to the stage and obviously soaked through, straddles the stage curtain as it rises beneath him! Carry On Teacher provides Connor with one of his best leading roles in the series. He shines playing opposite Ted Ray and Rosalind Knight and bickers and camps about with Williams and Hawtrey.
Stay tuned for my next blog in this series as we take a look at Kenneth Connor's performance as Constable Constable in erm, Carry On Constable!
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The lovely Dilys Laye has always been one of my favourite actors. Throughout her career Dilys tackled almost every aspect of the acting profession, from Carry On comedy to soap opera, live theatre, musicals and even a one woman show. Dilys was such a talented lady and always a cheerful, upbeat presence.
Dilys was also very obviously incredibly proud of her Carry On connections. Speaking on the DVD commentaries for both Carry On Cruising and Spying in 2006, she found the films fresh and funny and clearly loved her association with these low budget, innuendo-encrusted films. She was also full of praise for her colleagues, particularly the likes of Kenneth Williams and her life-long friend, Joan Sims. During her long career, Dilys found time to appear in four Carry Ons and I know many fans agree with me that she should really have appeared in more. Dilys herself said she wished she'd been in every single one as they were so much fun to make.
During the 1960s, Dilys appeared as the tiggerish Flo Castle, looking for a husband in Carry On Cruising; she vamped it up as double agent Lila in Carry On Spying, famous mimicking Kenneth Williams' snide character; she played Mavis Winkle, love interest to Bernard Bresslaw in Carry On Doctor and finally, the following year, she teamed up with Sid, Bernard and Joan to form the fabulous foursome in Carry On Camping. However how did Dilys first come to Carry On?
The original story, as told by Dilys herself, was that she was brought in to play the role of Flo in Cruising at very short notice, something like two or three days. She told the story of being whisked around the West End of London to buy various outfits for the film, which apparently she got to keep at the end. Surely an uncharacteristically generous move on the part of producer Peter Rogers?! Anyway, the role of Flo was originally written by Norman Hudis for series regular Joan Sims. Joan however was apparently struck down with an illness just before filming commenced so Dilys was drafted in. Although I'd have loved to see my favourite actor play that part in Cruising, for me it's definitely Dilys' part and she fills that film with a youthful exuberance and such jolly high spirits.
However I wonder what made Peter Rogers think of Dilys as an ideal replacement? Apart from the fact that Joan and Dilys were great mates and had already spent years touring in revues together, Dilys had already built up an impressive range of comedy film parts which must have made her the ideal choice. Most importantly she had already worked for both Peter and his wife, Betty Box.
Dilys made her debut for Peter and Betty in 1957 when she played the supporting role of Jasmine Hatchett in Doctor At Large. In that film her character had to make a play for leading man and matinee idol, Dirk Bogarde as Dr Simon Sparrow. Two years later, Dilys played an Agency Girl in the Betty Box comedy Upstairs and Downstairs, a film that boasted an all star cast of Rogers and Box rep company favourites. Probably the most significant early role for Dilys, which almost guaranteed her future appearance in a Carry On was that of Millicent Jones in one of my favourites, Please Turn Over, which was released in 1959.
Millicent Jones is a role Dilys herself seemed to really enjoy playing. Millicent was the secretary to lead character Edward Halliday, played by the wonderful Ted Ray. Millicent is in many ways a dual role as at first she is the sweet, reliable secretary but she soon turns into a double-crossing, money grabbing gold digger! It's a delightful performance and must have been huge fun to play! Watching that film again, Dilys is one of the highlights and it's easy to see why Peter Rogers would want to capitalise on that talent and make use of Dilys in future productions.
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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