My Review: Not Now, Comrade

I decided late last year to treat myself to a few guilty pleasures. There are several films associated with the Carry Ons that I have never seen so I've decided to put that right. I have purchased copies of Doctor In Love, Please Turn Over, Not Now, Comrade and the vintage television sitcom Our House. As I'm a first time viewer of all of these classics, I am going to review each title for the blog. Today I'm Not Now, Comrade.

Oh dear, what can I say? Not Now, Comrade is a film version of a Ray Cooney farce. Cooney is well known as a stage farceur having written many plays over the years which seem to be performed again and again. His hits include Not Now, Darling, One for the Pot, Caught in the Net and Run for Your Wife. Over the years many familiar comedy actors have trod the boards in a variety of Ray Cooney farces and although the medium isn't my favourite, you can't help but admire his success.

Comrade was meant to help establish a regular series of films. Three years before Not Now, Darling had been a success in cinemas, starring the likes of Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor. Sadly Comrade wasn't nearly as successful and the series wasn't forthcoming. Having viewed the film for the first time now, I can see why. Although the film stars a wide variety of experienced performers and they all seem very game, the whole thing really fails to come off. Many comedy films made in Britain at this time were quickly and economically made however some managed to get away with it. Not Now, Comrade doesn't.

The plot of the film sees a Russian ballet dancer attempt to defect to the west with the help of a stripper, Barbara Wilcox. Unfortunately the dancer, Rudi, ends up in the boot of the wrong car and back at the house owned by Commander Rimmington. Much farce ensues, with people rushing about, doors banging, and many heavy-handed misunderstandings. The performances are mainly spirited which keeps it going for a time but it soon runs out of steam.

Carrying most of the film are the younger members of the cast, namely Carol Hawkins, Ian Lavender and Michele Dotrice. Carol, familiar to Carry On fans for her appearances in Abroad, Behind and Carry On Laughing, worked many times with Ray Cooney over the years and probably has the biggest role in the film. I like Carol and she does well with the part. Apparently this was the role she took on after turning down Carry On England due to the nudity involved. This didn't stop Carol dancing around in not very much at all outside the Royal Albert Hall at the beginning of Not, Now Comrade!

Leslie Phillips is the headlining star as Commander Rimmington, although he regularly dips in and out of the action. Dotrice plays his daughter Nancy and Lavender her boyfriend. Also along for the ride is the wonderful actor Roy Kinnear who does his best with the role of Hoskins, Rimmington's gardener. The Australian actor Lewis Fiander plays the Russian ballet dancer. Ray Cooney also makes an appearance as a rather sober man, Mr Laver, although he doesn't stay sober for long.

The film also includes cameos from Windsor Davies as the local policeman and his It Ain't Half Hot Mum co-star Don Estelle as Hargreaves. Although June Whitfield is given star billing she only pops up very briefly at the end of the film, playing Phillips' wife. 

Not the finest British film ever made but full marks to the cast involved for making the most out of it! Check it out if it's your thing but I'm not sure it would stand up to repeat viewings.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

Joan carries on ... as Calpurnia

This blog is part of a new regular series on Carry On Blogging. I'm going to attempt to blog about each of Joan Sims' wonderful roles in the Carry On films. Joan was the most prolific of all the actresses involved in the series, clocking up 24 films. Indeed, only Kenneth Williams made more Carry Ons. 

Today I am going to write about Joan's role in the classic Carry On Cleo. Cleo remains one of the most popular in the entire series thanks to its pastiche of the famous big budget film Cleopatra. Joan returned to the Carry Ons after a three year break, having missed four feature films with the gang. I have never really known why this gap occurred as by 1961 Joan was an integral member of the team. Apparently she was due to appear in Cruising in early 1962 but illness saw Dilys Laye replace her at three days notice. 

This does not explain why Joan did not appear in the films that followed: Cabby, Jack and Spying. Certain commentators have suggested something in Joan's personal life at the time saw her fall foul of producer Peter Rogers however as she appeared in several other films for Rogers during this period (Nurse On Wheels, Twice Round the Daffodils) I can't see this being the case. Perhaps Joan was just too busy with other work?

Anyway, I'm very glad she did rejoin the team at Pinewood for this hysterical historical adventure in July and August 1964. As Calpurnia, wife to Kenneth Williams' Julius Caesar, Joan turns in a spirited performance as a classic nagging wife. She is blessed with Charles Hawtrey as her dirty old daddy Seneca and together they prove to be quite a thorn in Caesar's side! 

While the rest of the gang play this very much as a Carry On, I do believe Joan's performance as Calpurnia could be something straight out of classic Shakespeare. Take the scene when she mourns the apparent death of Caesar. Terrific stuff and very convincing. Of course Kenneth Williams then wakes up and Joan goes into nagging wife mode again. This role would mark a sea change for Joan that would see her take on many more nagging, middle aged parts as the Carry Ons continued into the 1960s and 70s. While she was excellent in every role, I often wished she had been given more glamorous parts, particularly as she herself hit middle age in the 1970s. 

Sadly, Joan disappears half way through Cleo as James, Hawtrey, Williams and Connor set sail to visit Amanda Barrie's dippy Cleopatra. Making her final appearance as she waves them all off, she certainly left us wanting more. I remember Amanda Barrie saying on the audio commentary for the DVD that Joan's performance in Cleo was wonderful and she was constantly bouncing out the screen with energy and vitality. I think that's very true and she definitely forms part of the rogue's gallery that brought Cleo to life. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan  

Carry On Voting: Kenneth Williams' Best Performance

Monday 22 February would have been Kenneth Williams' 90^th birthday. You will all know by now that Kenneth is one of my all time favourite comedy performers. I have adored him since I was a child and he always makes me laugh, no matter how often I have seen his role in a particular film, radio show or chat show appearance. While there is always a certain sadness identified when Kenneth is discussed, mainly due to his revelatory diaries and the manner of his passing, he brought so much joy, fun and laughter to so many people during his life time and in the years since his death.

The recent announcement that the British Library had taken possession of his infamous diaries seems all the more fitting in this, his 90^th year. There is regret that he is not still with us, entertaining us as only he could, but we fortunately have a wealth of archive clips, radio recordings and film appearances to remind us of his unique and memorable talents. Nobody could tell a story like Kenneth Williams. Nobody could flare their nostrils like our Ken and nobody could ever master that glorious vocal swoop from posh landed gentry to common East End scallywag like our much-missed Ken. 

 

In the week of his 90^th birthday I will be posting a wide range of blogs on Kenneth. Some are old, some are brand new. They all seem fitting tributes to the great man. I have also decided, as with June Whitfield's 90^th birthday back in November, to run a poll on Carry On Blogging asking readers to pick their favourite of Kenneth's many performances. I have limited the poll solely to Kenneth's Carry On roles although as there as 26 of them there are still a myriad of choices! I will keep the poll open until the 20 February so there is plenty of time for you to cast your votes.

It may be an impossible choice for you though with so many classic roles to choose from. There's his definitive Khasi in Carry On Up The Khyber, not to mention his Citizen Camembert in Don't Lose Your Head and his memorable take on Julius Caesar in Carry On Cleo. Or perhaps you preferred his modern day roles? Maybe you enjoyed his turn as Dr Soaper in Camping or his clash with Professor Vooshka in Carry On Behind. 

 

Kenneth also created some wonderful characters in the medical Carry Ons. From the disgruntled patient Oliver Reckitt in Nurse and Dr Tinkle in Doctor to Frederick Carver in Again Doctor and finally Sir Bernard Cutting in Carry On Matron. We must also remember his earlier roles in those charming black and white Carry Ons – he turns in some terrific acting performances in the likes of Sergeant, Nurse, Teacher and Constable. 

 

Kenneth worked well with so many of the Carry On team. He was at his best when at loggerheads with his complete opposite, Sidney James. He bickered and flounced with aplomb in many, many films with Joan Sims. He displayed wonderful comic timing alongside Fenella Fielding in Carry On Screaming and both he and Peter Butterworth always brought out the best in one another.

The rules are quite simple: You can vote as many times as you want and for up to four characters each time. Voting will close on Saturday 20 February with the results announced on Kenneth's birthday.

Carry On Voting! 

 

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

 

Carry On Faces of 1964

 

This is part of a new series of blogs on Carry On Blogging. I plan to blog each year of Carry On, featuring photos of the most prolific actors for each year. Hopefully it will provide an interesting overview of the changing face of Carry On during the series' original mammoth twenty year run. 

It will turn the spotlight on the familiar faces who endured over the decades as well as those artists who came and went along the way. We are continuing today with 1964. Two films were made that year: Carry On Spying, the last black and white Carry On, in the February and Carry On Cleo during the July and August of that year. 

Pictured above we have the most prolific actors to appear in 1964. They are as follows: Kenneth Williams, as Julius Caesar in Cleo; Charles Hawtrey as Charlie Bind in Spying; Jim Dale pictured above as Carstairs in Spying; Bernard Cribbins as Harold Crump in Spying; Amanda Barrie as Cleopatra in Carry On Cleo; Barbara Windsor pictured as Daphne Honeybutt in Spying; Sidney James as Mark Antony in Cleo; Dilys Laye as Lila in Spying; and finally, Joan Sims as Calpurnia in Cleo. 

Of those featured above, only two actors (Williams and Hawtrey) were original cast members from the very first film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958. Only Williams, Hawtrey and Dale appeared in both films produced in 1964. Bernard Cribbins made his final Carry On appearance in Spying until Columbus 28 years later, although he was originally offered the role of Hengist Pod in Cleo, which eventually went to Kenneth Connor. Amanda Barrie makes her second and final Carry On with the starring, title role in Carry On Cleo.

Barbara Windsor made the first of her nine Carry On appearances in Spying, although it would a further three years before her next appearance in Carry On Doctor. Joan Sims returned to the Carry Ons after a break of four films with her supporting turn in Cleo.

Stay tuned for the Carry On Faces of 1965 coming up soon!

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

From the Archive: Whatever Happened To Judy Geeson?

As it's Judy Geeson's birthday today I thought I'd write a blog about her career and find out what happened to her after her one and only Carry On appearance. Judy starred in the notorious Carry On England which was released in 1976 to less than favourable reviews. Sadly this was her only appearance in the series but thankfully this dud did not seem to affect her acting career.

Born in Sussex in 1948, Judy Geeson attended the famous Corona Academy in West London. Corona produced many notable young actors including Dennis Waterman and Richard O'Sullivan (as well as the majority of the younger cast in Carry On Teacher). Judy's earliest screen appearances came on television with guest spots in the likes of Probation Officer, Dixon of Dock Green and Emergency Ward 10. These roles all came in the early 1960s. Although further television appearances would follow (including a major role in the classic serial Poldark in the mid-1970s and a recurring role in an early soap opera, The Newcomers), Geeson found her greatest fame on the big screen with a run of major film parts.

Judy Geeson's first big success in films came in 1967 which she took on the role of Pamela in To Sir With Love opposite Sidney Poitier. Incidentally, both actors reprised their roles in an American television movie sequel in 1996. Further films came her way, including the 60s classic Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, co-starring with Barry Evans, Adrienne Posta and Angela Scoular. This was followed by Prudence and the Pill, in which Judy worked with the likes of Joyce Redman, Edith Evans and David Niven. Judy also had another early role, playing Joan Crawford's naughty daughter Angela in the macabre British thriller Beserk! in 1967. The film also featured the likes of Robert Hardy, Diana Dors and Geoffrey Keen.


Another of Judy's famous screen roles came in 1971 when she played Beryl Evans in the film 10 Rillington Place. This film told the sinister true story of British serial killer John Christie, played by Richard Attenborough. John Hurt also starred as Judy's on screen husband. Judy followed this up with a run of classic British horror films, very much in vogue at the time. These included Fear In The Night (1972) starring Joan Collins and Peter Cushing; A Candle For the Devil (1973) and Dominique (1978) which co-starred Jenny Agutter, Jean Simmons, Flora Robson and Ron Moody. 

In 1975, Judy Geeson starred opposite Hollywood legend John Wayne in the police thriller Brannigan, which saw Wayne's character come to London to catch a Chicago mobster. The following year came Judy's sole Carry On role, as Tilly Willing in England. Judy was one of many new faces (including Patrick Mower, Diane Langton and Melvyn Hayes) who were drafted in to freshen up the film franchise. Unfortunately they couldn't play the Carry On comedy like the traditional regulars and the film flopped. This didn't stop Geeson signing up for two similar low-brow comedies at around this time. Judy starred alongside Robert Lindsay, Adrienne Posta and Barry Evans in the sub-Confessions film Adventures of A Taxi Driver and also appeared in the Betty Box and Ralph Thomas comedy Percy's Progress. 

Judy returned to big budget films later in 1976 with a supporting role in the Second World War drama The Eagle Has Landed. The film boasted an amazing cast which included Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Jean Marsh and Jenny Agutter.  Judy continued to work in British film and television until she took the decision to move to the United States in the early 1980s. 

Work in the United States came mainly from television. Judy won roles in the likes of The Love Boat, Star Trek, MacGyver, Mad About You and Charmed. Having settled in California, Judy Geeson took a break from acting in the 2000s, however she has recently returned to film, appearing in two horror films - The Lords of Salem in 2012 and most recently, the slasher film 31, released this year.

Judy Geeson is also of course the sister of Carry On and Bless This House actress, Sally. The two sisters have never acted together, as far as I'm aware but both had very successful careers as the 1960s started to swing. Judy lived with the set designer Sean Kenny in the early 1970s and following his death married the actor Kristoffer Tabori in 1985. They divorced in 1989. 

As far as I'm aware Judy has never spoken about her role in Carry On England. I would love to hear her thoughts on the production.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Carry On Guest Blogging!

Last year I wrote a guest blog for the wonderful History Usherette Blog which is run by @agathadascoyne . I wrote about the social history of the Carry Ons, comparing Carry On Cruising with Carry On Abroad, highlighting how Britain had changed over that ten year period. This experience got me thinking.

I have really enjoyed hearing from those of you who have submitted answers to my Carry On Fan of the Week blog series. I love interacting with fellow Carry On fans - if you want to take part in that, please do get in touch via carryonfan15@gmail.com. I want to open this idea up further now, though. 

If there are any keen bloggers out there who would like to try their hand at writing a guest blog for Carry On Blogging, do get in touch. It can be about anything, as long as it has a Carry On connection. Perhaps you could write about how you first discovered the Carry Ons or who your favourite actor is and why? Anything really that takes your fancy. All you need to do is get writing and email the results to carryonfan15@gmail.com.

Carry On Scribbling!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

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Carry On Hero of the Week: Dave Freeman

The whole idea of this new series of blogs is to flag up specific individuals who, in my humble opinion, really made the Carry On films what they were. So many of the actors and crew turned up at Pinewood again and again, working closely over the years to produce such a fine body of work. This week it's the turn of the man who had a relatively small role to play in the success of the Carry Ons, but did well given the difficult timing of his arrival on the scene.

This time, my Carry On hero of the week is the writer Dave Freeman. Dave is sometimes the forgotten man of Carry On, only writing his first full screenplay for the series in 1975 for Carry On Behind. Despite being the man who brought us the awful Carry On Columbus in 1992, I still think Dave deserves to be one of my Carry On heroes, and here is why.

Dave Freeman spent his working life as a prolific script writer, working with an impressive array of comedy legends. During his career, Dave collaborated with the likes of Tommy Cooper, Charlie Drake, Frankie Howerd, Sid James, Terry Scott, Arthur Askey and probably most frequently, Benny Hill. It wasn't until 1975 that the Carry Ons came calling. Regular screenwriter Talbot Rothwell had been suffering from exhaustion and would not write another Carry On after Dick was finished in 1974. Peter Rogers engaged Dave to write Carry On Behind, a modern follow up to the classic Carry On Camping, this time featuring a bunch of holidaymakers in a freezing cold campsite staying in caravans instead of tents!

Carry On Behind is actually quite a strong film for a later series entry and given the previous film saw the exit of so many key participants, Freeman does well to capture the spirit of many classic films in the series. It is therefore weird that he wasn't asked back for the next film in the franchise, Carry On England. Indeed it would be 1992 before Dave Freeman was engaged by Peter Rogers to write another film for the series. Although Columbus was an utter disaster, we can't really blame Dave Freeman for this alone. By all accounts he was only given ten days to come up with a script for a major feature film. No wonder the end product was patchy to say the least.

Dave Freeman also scripted the hugely popular big screen spinoff off the Sid James sitcom Bless This House, again for Peter Rogers, in 1972. Dave also wrote the Carry On Again Christmas television special in 1970 together with Sid Colin. His final Carry On connection was scripting four episodes of the ATV Carry On Laughing series in 1975. I think it's a shame Dave wasn't given more of a chance to contribute to the Carry Ons as Behind was a really good effort, particularly given the circumstances. 

Away from the Carry Ons, Dave Freeman wrote regularly for the television sitcom Bless This House. He also contributed regular scripts to the long running comedy series Terry and June. His major stage success was the farce A Bedfull of Foreigners which debuted in 1973 starring Terry Scott and June Whitfield. He followed this up with the plays Key For Two in 1982 and finally Kindly Keep It Covered in 1987, which starred Carry On actors Terry Scott and Amanda Barrie. 

Dave Freeman had a terrific comedy writing pedigree and despite only coming to the Carry Ons late on in their cinematic lifespan, I think he thoroughly deserves to be one of my Carry On heroes of the week. 

You can find out more about Dave at http://www.davefreeman.co.uk/ 


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan