Carry On Regardless

Carry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of Carry On films to be made. It was released in 1961. By now a fairly regular team was established with Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams all having appeared in previous entries. Hattie Jacques - who was also a regular - makes a cameo appearance during a hospital scene. "Professor" Stanley Unwin appears in a guest role, playing his trademark "gobbledegook" speaking act. This would be the final appearance in the series for early regular Terence Longdon. Liz Fraser makes her debut in Carry On Regardless and would appear in a further three Carry On films.

Plot
Down at the local labour exchange, everyone is moaning about the lack of decent jobs, unaware that nearby Bert Handy and his secretary Miss Cooling are attempting to fill vacancies at a new enterprise called Helping Hands. When word gets round, people are quick to visit the agency notably Sam Twist, Francis Courtenay, Delia King, Gabriel Dimple, Lily Duveen, Mike Weston and Montgomery Infield-Hopping.

Bert decides to hire them all and at first business is slow. The only customer is a man who speaks gobbledygook, but since Francis (who can speak 16 languages) isn't present nobody can understand him and he goes on his way.

Within a few days business picks up and Delia has an assignment to try on a complete women's wardrobe for Mr Delling, a gentleman who is planning a surprise for his wife. However things get complicated when the mans wife arrives home unexpectedly.

Meanwhile Sam Twist is sent to a baby-sitting job, only to find that there isn't a baby to be sitted - instead there is Mrs Panting, a woman who needs to make her husband jealous.

The following day, Francis is assigned to take a pet for a walk, but when he gets to the owner's house he finds out it's a chimpanzee. He takes the chimp for a walk and soon discovers that people who work in the transport industry have an aversion to apes. They eventually end up at a chimps tea party enjoying a nice afternoon tea.

Next up is Lily Duveen, who has been employed at a wine tasting evening to collect invitation cards from the attendees. After she has performed this task, she samples some of the wines and makes a bit of a spectacle of herself.

Later a man from Amalgamated Scrap-Iron arrives in the Helping Hands office. He's obviously busy as he requests that someone take his place in the queue at the hospital outpatients department. Bert says he will get someone on the case, but the chap insists that the top man does the job himself, so Bert ends up queuing at the hospital where he is mistaken for an eminent diagnostician.

The next job that Francis undertakes is in the field of photography as a model. Obviously very chuffed that he has been chosen, he is crestfallen when he discovers that the job is an advertisement for a bee-keepers helmet.

His next job is between a bickering couple. The husband can't understand his wife, who continually berates him in her native German. Thanks to Francis getting a bit emotionally involved, the wife starts speaking English and the couple make up.

Lefty Vincent, a boxing friend of Berts, pops into the office. He requires four helpers to act as seconds for his fighter Dynamite Dan. When they get to the venue, Dan is terrified by his opponent, Mickey McGee, so pretends that he has sprained his finger. The fight is off until Gabriel takes on McGee instead.

Sam is excited over his next job. He thinks he's on a top secret spying mission, but due to a mix up all that is required of him is to make up a game of bridge.

When Sam gets back, he learns that the whole of Helping Hands have been engaged to demonstrate exhibits at the Ideal House exhibition. Needless to say all of the demonstrations end in calamity.

Sam's next job is at an exclusive men's club, where no matter how hard he tries he can't keep silent, which is a strict rule of the establishment.

Miss Cooling decides on a new filing system for a more streamlined operation and job cards are put in cubby holes for each of the workers. Disaster strikes when the cleaner knocks the box down and puts the cards back all mixed up. Everyone gets someone else's assignment, with misunderstandings all round.

Finally, the gobbledygook man turns up again and this time Francis is there to translate. He is their landlord and has been trying to inform Bert that he will have to vacate the premises, because he's had a better offer. Due to a show of unity by all the staff, the landlord agrees that they can stay on the provision that they do something for him. His main interest is property development and he needs a house cleared and cleaned. Unfortunately the team end up demolishing the house but thankfully it turns out that it needed demolishing for a block of flats anyway, so all ends well.

[edit] Cast and Crew

 * Sid James as Bert Handy
 * Kenneth Connor as Sam Twist
 * Charles Hawtrey as Gabriel Dimple
 * Kenneth Williams as Francis Courtenay
 * "Professor" Stanley Unwin as Landlord
 * Joan Sims as Lily Duveen
 * Liz Fraser as Delia King
 * Terence Longdon as Montgomery Infield-Hopping
 * Bill Owen as Mike Weston
 * Esma Cannon as Miss Cooling
 * Fenella Fielding as Penny Panting
 * Hattie Jacques as Sister
 * Joan Hickson as Matron
 * David Lodge as Connoisseur
 * Jerry Desmonde as Martin Paul
 * Ambrosine Phillpotts as Yoki's Owner
 * Nicholas Parsons as Wolf
 * Cyril Chamberlain as Policeman
 * Cyril Raymond as Army Officer
 * Eric Pohlmann as Sinister Man
 * Screenplay - Norman Hudis
 * Music - Bruce Montgomery
 * Art Director - Lionel Couch
 * Director of Photography - Alan Hume
 * Editor - John Shirley
 * Associate Producer - Basil Keys
 * Assistant Director - Jack Causey
 * Camera Operator - Dudley Lovell
 * Sound Editor - Arthur Ridout
 * Sound Recordists - Robert T MacPhee & Gordon McCallum
 * Unit Manager - Claude Watson
 * Hairdressing - Biddy Crystal
 * Continuity - Gladys Goldsmith
 * Make-up - George Blackler
 * Costume Designer - Joan Ellacott
 * Casting Director - Betty White
 * Producer - Peter Rogers
 * Director - Gerald Thomas

[edit] Filming and locations
Interiors: Exteriors:
 * Filming dates – 28 November 1960-17 January 1961
 * Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
 * The corner of Park Street and Sheet Street in Windsor, Berkshire, doubled for the Helping Hands Agency. The location was used again a decade later for the Wedded Bliss agency in Carry On Loving.