Films

Early films
From 1958 to 1962 the films' screenplays were written by Norman Hudis and mostly shot in black and white. Set in institutions of various types, the bungling protagonists usually fail, then eventually triumph in the face of some adversity.

The phrase "Carry on, Sergeant" was commonly used by a British officer telling a sergeant or other NCO to continue with his duties, and it was indeed so used several times in the first film. (The American equivalent is, "As you were.") It provided the title for the first film, and the template for the series. There is also a colloquial expression "What a carry-on!", meaning "What a fuss (about nothing)!", or "What a load of nonsense!"

A black-and-white film, Carry On Spaceman, was planned for release after Carry On Regardless, but was abandoned. Plans for a revival of the film in 1962, under Dennis Gifford, also failed.

[edit] 1963-1969
In 1963 Talbot Rothwell took over the role of screenwriter. The settings became more ambitious, often parodying well-known films or genres. In keeping with the changing times, they featured more risqué sexual jokes and situations. The films made in colour in the '60s remain among the most popular of the series.[citation needed]

At one point, Talbot Rothwell sought and received permission to borrow several one-liners and quotes that Frank Muir and Denis Norden had written for the successful radio comedy series Take It From Here. Rothwell was a friend and colleague of Muir and Norden.
 * Carry On Cabby (1963)
 * Back to black-and-white; originally scripted as a non-Carry On film called Call Me a Cab. Jim Dale's debut. The first Carry On not to feature Kenneth Williams.


 * Carry On Jack (1963)
 * In colour again.


 * Carry On Spying (1964)
 * In black-and-white as a deliberate spoof of film noir in some sequences. Barbara Windsor's debut.


 * Carry On Cleo (1964)
 * In full colour again (as were all the rest that followed), using costumes and sets left standing from filming portions of Cleopatra; contains the line voted[10] as the funniest comedy movie line ever: "Infamy! Infamy! they've all got it in for me!" (Kenneth Williams delivered this line.)


 * Carry On Cowboy (1965)
 * This film was reportedly the favourite of Joan Sims and Sid James.[citation needed] James played The Rumpo Kid. It was the only Carry On film where he used an American accent. South African-born, James usually used a Cockney accent in his Carry On roles. The first film of 16 for Peter Butterworth and the first film of 14 for Bernard Bresslaw.


 * Carry On Screaming! (1966)
 * A film spoof with the Gothic atmosphere of a Hammer production. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted this the 40th greatest comedy film of all time. Harry H. Corbett guest-starred in the Sid James role. Most famous line is a lustily-delivered "Frying tonight!" from Kenneth Williams.


 * Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
 * A Scarlet Pimpernel spoof.


 * Follow That Camel (1967)
 * A Foreign Legion parody, and an unsuccessful attempt to break into the American market by casting Phil Silvers as the lead. Sid James, who does not appear, suffered his first heart attack around the time the film began production.


 * Carry On Doctor (1967)
 * Sid James, recovering from a heart attack, had a reduced and less strenuous role as a patient in bed throughout most of this hospital-based film.


 * Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)
 * The location sequences set in India were fimed in Snowdonia, Wales. This was the furthest location from the Pinewood studio lot of any Carry On film.


 * Carry On Camping (1969)
 * The highest grossing film that year in the UK.


 * Carry On Again Doctor (1969)
 * Jim Dale's last Carry On role until his lead in the revival Carry On Columbus

Don't Lose Your Head and Follow That Camel were originally released without the "Carry On" prefix due to the change of distributor from Anglo-Amalgamated (who claimed rights to the "Carry On..." titling) to Rank. When ownership of the titling was later resolved the films were re-issued with a Carry On... prefix.

[edit] Early 1970s
The series continued to be popular in the 1970s. British society was becoming more accustomed to seeing sexual content on screen, and the innuendos typical of the series no longer had the impact they once had had. The films evolved in line with this, including more direct references to sex, and increased nudity. Rothwell continued as writer.
 * Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)
 * A Tarzan spoof.


 * Carry On Loving (1970)
 * This film introduced younger stars into the mix, incorporating such newcomers as Jacki Piper, Imogen Hassall and Richard O'Callaghan in key roles.


 * Carry On Henry (1971)
 * This historical spoof starred Sid James as Henry VIII.


 * Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)
 * This parody about union trouble at a toilet factory featured Richard O'Callaghan, Jacki Piper and Kenneth Cope in key roles alongside the Carry On regulars. It was the first box office failure of the series and did not return full production costs until 1976 after several international and television sales.[11]


 * Carry On Matron (1972)
 * After the problems caused by the topical and political nature of the previous film's story, this was a lightweight farce that returned to the familiar Carry On setting of a large hospital. Matron featured all the main regular cast of the period with the exception of Peter Butterworth, and was the final Carry On for recurring players Terry Scott and Jacki Piper. The first appearance for Jack Douglas.


 * Carry On Abroad (1972)
 * This film, about a disastrous package holiday, was Charles Hawtrey's last Carry On film.


 * Carry On Girls (1973)
 * A struggling seaside resort attempts to organise a beauty contest, which is opposed by militant feminists. This was the first film where key regulars Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey were both absent. The sexual humour in this film is notably less subtle than its predecessors. Robin Askwith played a sexually naïve youth; he would play a similar character in the later Confessions films.


 * Carry On Dick (1974)
 * This Dick Turpin spoof was the last Rothwell film, and the last to feature Sid James and Hattie Jacques. It was the last acting role for Barbara Windsor in a Carry On film. Relative newcomer Jack Douglas progresses to a leading role.

[edit] Late 1970s
Rothwell ended his run as writer (due to ill health) in 1974. Fewer of the established cast were now appearing in the films; Abroad had been the last Carry On film appearance for Charles Hawtrey and Dick the last for Sid James, Hattie Jacques.
 * Carry On Behind (1975)
 * Set on a campsite like the earlier Carry On Camping, this film starred several established Carry On... regulars along with an influx of new actors in key roles including Windsor Davies, Ian Lavender, Adrienne Posta and headlining guest star Elke Sommer. The final Carry On film appearance for Bernard Bresslaw and Patsy Rowlands.


 * Carry On England (1976)
 * This film featured an almost entirely new cast. Although Carry On regular Kenneth Connor had a leading role, the only other long term regulars present, Joan Sims, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas, had only small roles. Windsor Davies, who had joined the series with the preceding film, again plays a major role. Other key roles are taken by established and recognisable actors Judy Geeson and Patrick Mower. A major commercial failure, this film was withdrawn from some cinemas after just three days.[12]


 * That's Carry On! (1978)
 * A compilation of clips with specially filmed linking footage presented by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor.


 * Carry On Emmannuelle (1978)
 * This film placed increased emphasis on sexual matters. Jack Douglas plays a character other than his stuttering Alf Ippititimus-type persona, in this case a snooty butler. The final film of Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Kenneth Williams.

[edit] 1992 revival
In 1992, an attempt was made to revive the series with Carry On Columbus, coinciding with the production of two serious movies on the subject and the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' first landing in the Americas. The producers managed to persuade a number of alternative comedians such as Rik Mayall, Alexei Sayle, Peter Richardson, and Julian Clary to appear in the film as well as the comic actress Maureen Lipman. It was heavily panned by most critics, but achieved fair commercial success, actually taking more at the UK box office than the other two Columbus-inspired movies that were also released that year.

Of all the original Carry On stars, only Jim Dale (playing the title role) and Jack Douglas appeared in the film – many of the others had either died or didn't wish to be involved. A handful of other actors who had played a few roles in the original films, such as Peter Gilmore, Bernard Cribbins and Jon Pertwee returned, as did June Whitfield and Leslie Phillips, who played the King and Queen of Spain. The roles were originally intended for Joan Sims and Frankie Howerd, but Sims turned it down and Howerd died before production commenced.

The script, by Dave Freeman, included comment on colonialism as well as the obligatory innuendo and slapstick.

[edit] Unmade films
Several other films were planned, scripted (or partly scripted) or entered pre-production before being abandoned:[13] [14] [15]
 * What a Carry On... (1961)
 * Carry On Smoking (1961)—the story revolved around a fire station, and various attempts to train a bungling group of new recruits.
 * Carry On Flying (1962)—scripted by Norman Hudis, about a group of RAF recruits. It got as far as pre-production before being abandoned.
 * Carry On Spaceman (1962)—see section below.
 * Carry On Again Nurse (1967 and two other attempts)—see section below.
 * Carry On Escaping (1973)—scripted by Talbot Rothwell, a spoof of World War 2 escape films. The complete script was included in the book The Complete A-Z of Everything Carry On.
 * Carry On Down Under (1980)—Gerald Thomas did some location scouting while on holiday in Australia and spoke to the Australian Film Commission. The production was abandoned when finance fell through.
 * Carry on Dallas (1981)—a planned spoof of the popular US series Dallas. A script was written and casting offers made to Williams, Connor, Douglas, Sims, Hawtrey and Dale. The production was abandoned when Lorimar Productions demanded a royalty fee of 20 times the total production budget.

[edit] Carry On Spaceman
Carry On Spaceman was to be released shortly after Carry On Regardless, in 1961. It was scripted by Norman Hudis, and was to satirise interests in the space race from the Western world's point of view, and was to have been shot in black and white.

The cast was to consist of three would-be astronauts who constantly bungled on their training and their mission into outer space - most likely the trio would have been played by the trinity of Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, and Leslie Phillips that had been established in Carry On Constable.

Attempts to revive Carry On Spaceman in 1962 under Denis Gifford, again by Hudis, failed, and the project was subsequently abandoned.

[edit] Carry On Again Nurse
Three scripts were written for an intended sub-sequel to the successful Carry On Nurse film, the second installment of the Carry On series. All three attempts failed, and so the film has never been made.

[edit] 1967
The first attempt to create Carry On Again Nurse came in 1967, but was later released as Carry On Doctor. It is unclear why the film was renamed, though it is possibly because Anglo-Amalgamated Ltd owned the first 12 Carry On films, and Rank did not wish to enter a lawsuit. Despite all this, Carry On Nurse was alluded to twice in Carry On Doctor, firstly with the sub-titles (one reading Nurse Carries On Again and Death of a Daffodil), and again in a later scene with Frankie Howerd commenting on a vase of daffodils in his ward.

[edit] 1979
A second attempt at Carry On Again Nurse came in 1979, after the franchise left Rank Films and moved to Hemdale. A completed script had been written by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn in 1977. It was cancelled due to the financial losses of Carry On England and Carry On Emmanuelle.

[edit] 1988
The final attempt to create Carry On Again Nurse came in 1988, with a script written by Norman Hudis (the script is included in the book The Lost Carry Ons), but with a budget of 1.5 million was deemed too expensive.

[edit] Carry On London
A new film, Carry On London, was announced in 2003 by producer Peter Rogers and producer James Black but remained in pre-production well into 2008. The script was signed off by the production company in late March 2008, and "centred on a limousine company ferrying celebrities to an awards show."[16] The film had several false starts,with the producers and cast changing extensively over time. Only the rather unknown Welsh actress Jynine James remained a consistent name from 2003 to 2008.[17] Daniella Westbrook, Shaun Williamson and Burt Reynolds were also once attached to the project. In May 2006, it was announced Vinnie Jones and Shane Richie were to star in the film, which was to be directed by Peter Richardson, though Ed Bye later replaced him as the named director.[18] At the 50th anniversary party held at Pinewood Studios in March 2008, Peter Rogers confirmed that he was planning for a series of Carry On films after London, subject to the success of the first.

In early 2009, Carry On London or Carry On Bananas was once again 'back on', with Charlie Higson attached as director, and a different more modern cast list involving Paul O'Grady (as the acidic Kenneth Williamsesque character), Jynine James, Lenny Henry, Justin Lee Collins, Jennifer Ellison (as the saucy Barbara Windsor type), Liza Tarbuck (Hattie Jacques), Meera Syal, James Dreyfus, and Frank Skinner (filling in the Sid James role). Despite new media interest and sets being constructed at Pinewood film studios the film once again was put on hold. Following the death of series producer Peter Rogers the project was shelved.[19] The company set up to produce the film Carry On London LTD was undergoing liquidation proceedings as of February 2010.[20]

[edit] Non-Carry On films
Please Turn Over (1959), Watch Your Stern (1960), No Kidding (1960), Raising the Wind (1961), Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), Nurse on Wheels (1963), The Big Job (1965) and the television programme spin-off Bless This House (1972) were all also directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers and utilised the same writers and some of the same cast and crew of the Carry On films. They are not part of the Carry On series.

Carry on Admiral (1957), which has Joan Sims in the cast, predates the Carry On series.