Displaying items by tag: Terence Longden

CARRY ON REGARDLESS

UK, 1961, 90 minutes, Black-and-white.

Sidney James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Bill Owen, Liz Fraser, Terrence Longdon, Hattie Jacques, Esma Cannon, Sidney Tafler, Terrence Alexander, Stanley Unwin, Joan Hickson, Fenella Fielding, David Lodge.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

The fifth film in the series, by now getting underway, and this film having most of the cast from the early films.

The screenplay was written by Norman Hudis who wrote the early screenplays before the transition to Talbot Rothwell who wrote most of the subsequent Carry on films. This one is very straightforward. Sidney James and Esma Cannon run the Helping Hand agency, ready to help out in any emergency. Meanwhile, at the labour exchange, there are a whole lot of characters looking for jobs and who descend on the agency – at one stage, in a scene at the agency, nine of the popular members of the cast are all assembled in the one room.

There is no plot as such. Rather, the film is a succession of farcical episodes, slapstick comedy, each of the new members of the agency going out on jobs and generally mucking them up. And, for a variation, in the last part of the film they go to a mixup of addresses, again with some disastrous results. And finally, their gobbledygook-speaking landlord, Stanley Unwin, interpreted by Kenneth Williams’ character who speaks 16 languages! indicates that he wants the premises renovated. Needless to say, they all help but create disasters, only to find that with all the mess that they have made, it will be all right because the landlord has decided to demolish the building.

Not so much innuendo in this particular version – though, Liz Fraser does offer an opportunity for some sex comedy. And, it is interesting to see Sid James in a fairly straightforward role. And, it is a pleasure to see most of the members of the staff as well as a number of supporting British character actors who appeared in a number of films in the series.

CARRY ON CONSTABLE

UK, 1960, 86 minutes, Black and white.

Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Eric Barker, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Shirley Eaton, Cyril Chamberlain, Joan Hickson, Irene Handl, Esma Cannon, Terence Longden, Jill Adams, Victor Maddern.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

One of the earliest of the Carry on series, two years after it began, the atmosphere of British filmmaking in 1960, popular comedy, the transition to the more permissive 1960s. In the retrospect of the later films, Carry on Constable seems comparatively innocent certainly some sexual references, some shower and bathroom scenes, some ogling by the male stars but, in comparison with later films, rather more of the light touch.

In fact, the film was written by the writer of the earlier Carry on films, Norman Hudis. Then there was a transition to Talbot Rothwell who scripted most of the Carry on films, more explicit with sexual themes, a great deal of innuendo.

This was the first Carry on film with Sid James, rather more straightforward role, sometimes sympathetic, but he was to develop into the chuckling lecherer during the 60s and 70s. But, it is pleasing to see so many of the regulars in this film, the two Kenneths and Charles Hawtrey, much more explicitly gay in this film than later, especially with the cross dressing of Kenneth Williams and Hawtrey, Hawtrey even passing passably for female.

Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques are happily present and there are a whole number of guest female stars, young like Shirley Eaton, three years before Goldfinger, and Jill Adams, and veterans like Esme Canon as a deaf old lady trying to cross the road, Irene Handl erupting about a misbehaving boy, and, especially, two scenes with Joan Hickson as an aristocratic alcoholic showing her as an excellent comedienne as well as dramatic actress, later Miss Marple.

Eric Barker, doing his usual shtick as a befuddled authority, is in charge of the police station and employing four new recruits, the two Kenneths, Charles Hawtrey and, appearing in several of the Carry on films, Leslie Phillips.

A whole lot of farcical situations in the office and a succession of muddled police activity with special sequences for each of the four, their own kind of comedy which was to develop during the success of films.

Popular and easy humour, easy to watch.

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.