Displaying items by tag: Ed Devereaux

CARRY ON NURSE

UK, 1959, 86 minutes, Black-and-white.

Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims, Wilfrid Hyde White, Shirley Eaton, Terrence Longden, Bill Owen, Leslie Phillips, Susan Stephen, Susan Beaumont, Ann Firbank, Joan Hickson, Michael Medwin, Rosalind Knight, Norman Rossington, Jill Ireland, June Whitfield, Ed Devereaux, Susan Shaw, Irene Handl.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

In retrospect, very much a film of its time, British comedy in the late 1950s, beginning the transition to explicit comedy, still a lot of innuendo but also a great number of ogling male characters.

This is the second of the Carry on series, beginning with Carry on Sergeant. Sid James, a staple of so many of the later films, had not yet joined the cast. However, a great number of the continuing cast appear here, most of the men spending their time as patients in the hospital ward. The women are nurses or visiting their husbands and boyfriends.

Hattie Jacques begins her several appearances as matron, Joan Hickson as a rather strict numbers (anticipating Miss Marple), Shirley Eaton, five years before Goldfinger, leads the nursing staff, and Joan Sims, the most regular of Carry on characters appears for the first time. There are some guest appearances by Wilfrid Hyde White and Michael Medwin. And there are some amusing cameos by various British character actors including Bill Owen, a myopic Rosalind Knight, Irene Handl and an early appearance by Jill Ireland.

While Kenneth Williams is more subdued, less facial idiosyncrasies, he plays the superior patient, interested in studying, until, at the end, the men in the ward, with drink and laughing gas, trying to remove a bunion on Leslie Phillips‘ foot, Kenneth Williams in charge of surgery. Kenneth Connor, always plays quite a different role in each film and here he is a boxer.

A lot of the verbal humour, a lot of expected hospitals shenanigans in the ward, innuendo, the 1950s British male gaze – and seeming very much more slight and innocent the later developments in the Carry on series.

CARRY ON JACK

UK, 1964, 91 minutes, Colour.

Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Donald Houston, Percy Herbert, Jim Dale, Patrick Cargill, Cecil Parker, Ed Devereaux, Peter Gilmore, George Woodbridge, Anton Rodgers.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

This Carry on comedy came immediately after Carry on Cleo. One of the three Carry on films of 1964.

The film has a naval theme, even starting with the death of Nelson and the episode of “Kiss me, Hardy”. It is the first film completely written by Talbot Rothwell who was to continue the series into the 80s. He took over from Norman Hudis.

The first comment to be made is to note the absence of Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Hattie Jacques. Since most of the action is at sea, no major roles for Joan Sims or Hattie Jacques. The main serious role is taken by Donald Houston, a serious actor rather than a comedian, but it might have been taken up by Sid James but with much more irony than the straightforward anger of Houston. Bernard Cribbins has the central role which is very much a variation on a lot of the characters played by Kenneth Connnor.

But, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey are there, William is the captain of the ship, initially seasick, allegedly Captain Fearless, anything but. Charles Hawtrey has a better role but much the same shtick as a cesspool cleaner press-ganged onto the ship. They have plenty to do in the latter part of the film when the four central characters experience a mutiny and are put to see in a boat.

Bernard Cribbins does very well as the put-upon midshipman, his uniform ‘s and sword stolen by Juliet Mills who wants to stow away to meet her lover in Spain. And, there are many character actors as usual, Percy Herbert as the tough officer, Jim Dale as carriage courier, Patrick Cargill as a Spanish Governor, Ed Devereaux as a pirate and Cecil Parker as the lord admirable.

Something of a little parody of Mutiny on the Bounty and H.M.S.Defiant (and the film using some of their sets). Carry on with the lighter touch.

CARRY ON SERGEANT

UK, 1958, 84 minutes, Black-and-white.

William Hartnell, Shirley Eaton, Bob Monkhouse, Eric Barker, Dora Bryan, Bill Owen, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Terrence Longden, Norman Rossington, Hattie Jacques, Terry Scott, Ed Devereaux.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

The first of the Carry on films which were to continue into the 60s and 70s, all of them directed by Gerald Thomas. This film was typical enough of the comedy of the 1950s, a focus on the military, a group of national service for 10 weeks training, a motley and comical group, as well as a focus on the sergeant who wants to win an award for the best company, his corporal assistant and the commanding officer. Very much focus on the male characters.

However, Shirley Eaton, some years before Goldfinger, is the just married wife of one of the recruits, Bob Monkhouse, and Dora Bryan does her usual comic thing as a rather flighty cook.

In many ways, this is a straightforward British comedy, a basis for the future Carry on films, but very different from the jokey, sometimes a leering style of the subsequent films. (Comparison can be made with Operation Bullshine of 1959, the army, much more in the vein of the later Carry on films.)

Which means that this film is enjoyable for audiences of British comedy of the 1950s.

Interestingly, in view of the later Carry on films, the first list of cast seen in the opening credits highlights stars who were not regulars in most of the Carry on films (William Hartnell as the sergeant having top billing, Eric Barker, in some of the films, as the commander and the later top-rated billing of Bob Monkhouse). Then, the next list has the regulars who are there right from the beginning, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, then Hattie Jacques and even a glimpse at the beginning of Terry Scott, conversing with Ed Devereaux.

Kenneth Connor is an extreme hypochondriac, Hattie Jacques the doctor, Charles Hawtrey as usual, but enjoyable to see Kenneth Williams as an intellectual soldier, helping others, but his usual speaking style.

No Sid James until the third Carry on film. No Joan Sims, but she appeared in the next one.

For fans of the Carry on series, instructive and perhaps surprisingly enjoyable, especially with its reticence, reminding us how the series began.

CARRY ON CRUISING

UK, 1962, 89 minutes, Colour.

Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser, Dilys Laye, Esma Cannon, Lance Percival, Jimmy Thompson, Ronnie Stevens, Vincent Ball, Ed Devereaux, Anton Rodgers.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

Beginning in the later 1950s and continuing into the 1980s, the Carry on franchise was very popular, some films quite hilarious, some rather pedestrian, and the rest somewhere in the middle. This one is rather mild, pleasantly in the middle, so to speak.

A number of the regulars are present but many absent including Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale.

But, Sid James is present as the captain, in a wayalways the same, but always reliable and his performance fitting his character whether the captain of this cruise or Marc Anthony in Carry on, Cleo. And the two Kenneths are also present, Kenneth Connor as the ship’s captain, wanting romance, and showing his skill at doing impersonations. And Kenneth Williams does his usual with a wink and a nod and his familiar screwing up of his face.

There is some comedy with Esma Cannon, Australian actress long time in England and in several of the Carry on films. Two other Australians who worked in their early careers in the UK but then returned home to long Australian careers are Vincent Ball as the athletics instructor and Ed Devereaux as one of the officers.

This time the leading ladies are Liz Fraser and Dilys Laye – more straightforward in their romance and humour rather than innuendo.

A lot of slapstick as usual, a lot of puns and play on words, some of them very obvious but enjoyable nonetheless.

A carry on slightly entertainment.

WATCH YOUR STERN

UK, 1960, 90 minutes, Black-and-white.

Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Noel Purcell, Hattie Jacques, Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Sid James, David Lodge, Victor Maddern, Ed Devereux.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

Very much a comedy from the British past, especially around 1960. The late 50s saw the beginning of the Carry On franchise, 17 movies and television program as well as documentaries. And, there is the big cast of British comedy actors who continually appeared in the Carry On series.

And the Carry on films were directed by Gerald Thomas. And, he is the director of Watch Your Stern. And several of the Carry On stars appear here, the film as a star vehicle for regular Kenneth Connor, some prominence for Joan Sims, bumptious comedy role again for Hattie Jacques, and a rather more serious cameo for Sid James including having a beard. And one of the pleasures is to see Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan in cameo roles as electricians, Spike Milligan doing an Indian accent – and very popular with The Goon Show during these years. Australian Ed Devereux, working in British films at this time appears as an American!

The film starts momentarily seriously, the launching of an experimental torpedo by the Navy – but, then its getting out of control and boomeranging back to destroy the ship!

The action takes place more or less over the next 24 hours, and a poking fun at some of the Navy personnel and their limitations. (At the same time, the comedy On the Fiddle, with Alfred Lynch and Sean Connery, set during the war, pokes fun at a lot of the ineptitudes in connection with the RAF.)

Eric Barker maintains his seriousness as the less than efficient captain of the ship, relying on his second in command, Leslie Phillips in a typical role. And, on board, is one of the ratings who has a great knowledge of electronics and its vocabulary, Blissworth, Kenneth Connor’s character.

Blissworth seems to be in and out of the captain’s office all the time, but with many mishaps, especially the burning of the main copy of the plans for the torpedo. The only other copy is with the American visitor – and Blissworth having to chase him on a bicycle, accidentally knocking over the Admiral, not allowed to enter the train because of security reasons…

The main part of the film is having Blissworth do two impersonations of an expert being interviewed by the Admiral. The first is as a Scottish scientist, with a beard, care of some of the facial hair taken from Sid James’ character. And, fortunately, the Captain’s sister, played nicely by Joan Sims, is preparing the Navy concert and is able to do make up and costuming.

Noel Purcell is the blustering Admiral, suspicious of the Scottish expert (who looks like the later Scots actor, Brian Cox). Lots of comedy in his explanations. But, then it appears that the expert they were expecting is actually woman, Hattie Jacques. Which means that Blissworth has to be made up as a woman, the admiral very flirtatious.

So, how could it possibly end? In fact with Blissworth making a comment about the technology and the expert appreciating his advice, their working together, and a finale with the torpedo being fired again… and.

This is more straightforward comedy, especially compared with the satire and innuendo of the Carry On series – and, while this series was popular, this kind of comedy had a wider appeal.