Carry On Films

Carry On Films, hugely successful, long-running, notoriously economical series of British comedy films: an explosive combination of sexual innuendo, sitcom slapstick, and loyal team players. The first, Carry On Sergeant (1958), starred William Hartnell, fresh from the ITV military comedy The Army Game. Produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas, a partnership responsible for all 31 films in the series, it was scripted by Norman Hudis and presented a coy romantic tale of a newlywed drafted into the Ealing-like community of the armed services. Much of the cast later became an integral part of the series’ appeal: Kenneth Connor as the nervous coward; Charles Hawtrey, the bespectacled beanpole; Kenneth Williams, the supercilious big head; Hattie Jacques, the imposing, soft-centred authority figure. Filmed at the prestigious Pinewood Studios, the eternal home for the series, Carry On Sergeant was made in just six weeks and became the third most popular film of the year. A sequel, Carry On Nurse (1959), was rushed into production, retaining the core team of actors and merely changing the surroundings. Sid James, the loveable rogue, joined the team with Carry On Constable (1960), the handsome hero Jim Dale arrived with Carry On Cabby (1963), and the bubbly blonde Barbara Windsor first appeared in Carry On Spying (1964). From 1963 the scripts of Norman Hudis were replaced by the more gag-ridden parodies of Talbot Rothwell. No film genre was safe: biblical romps were sent up in Carry On Cleo (1964), the Western in Carry On Cowboy (1965), Hammer horror in Carry On Screaming! (1966), and the David Lean epic in Follow That Camel (1967).

The series reached its commercial zenith in the late 1960s with a guest-starring appearance by the lugubrious Frankie Howerd in Carry On Doctor (1968), the British Empire satire Carry On Up the Khyber (1968)—the series’s critical peak—and Carry On Camping (1969), in which Barbara Windsor’s flying bikini top became a cinematic icon. Television and stage spin-offs followed although cracks appeared with Carry On At Your Convenience (1971), which seriously underestimated audiences’ desire to see trade unions mocked even if those trade unions dealt with toilet manufacturers! By the mid-1970s other British comedies were sexier, smuttier, and more successful. The last hit, Carry On Dick (1974), saw the departure of Sid James, Hattie Jacques, and writer Talbot Rothwell, and the death knell was sounded with Carry On Emmannuelle (1978). Continual television exposure, video popularity, and a nostalgic renaissance for the double entendre saw Julian Clary and Rik Mayall jump aboard Carry On Columbus (1992) with veteran star Jim Dale. Although this relaunch was quickly grounded, the series retains a unique place within the nation’s affection.