Carry On Jack

Plot synopsis:
Carry On Jack starts with the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson (Jimmy Thompson), whose last words are that Britain needs a bigger navy with more men, followed by his famous request for a kiss to Hardy (Anton Rodgers). In the main story, Albert Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins) has taken 8 1⁄2 years and still not qualified as midshipman, but is promoted by the First Sea Lord (Cecil Parker) as England needs officers. He is to join the frigate Venus at Plymouth. Arriving to find the crew all celebrating as they are sailing tomorrow, he takes a sedan chair with no bottom (so he has to run), carried by a young man and his father (Jim Dale and Ian Wilson, respectively) to Dirty Dick's Tavern.
Mobbed by women in the tavern as he is holding a sovereign aloft (as advised by Dale), he is rescued by serving maid, Sally (Juliet Mills). She wants to go to sea to find her shanghaied boyfriend Roger, but landlord Ned (George Woodbridge) has let her down. She finds that Poop-Decker has not reported to the ship yet and is unknown to them, so in a room upstairs she knocks him out and takes his midshipman's uniform.
Poop-Decker wakes and dons a dress to cover his long johns, and downstairs, along with a cess pit cleaner named Walter Sweetly (Charles Hawtrey), is shanghaied by a press gang run by the Venus' First Officer Lieutenant Jonathan Howett (Donald Houston) and his bosun, Mr Angel (Percy Herbert). They come to when at sea and are introduced to Captain Fearless (Kenneth Williams). Poop-Decker makes himself known, but there is already a Midshipman Poop-Decker aboard – Sally, in disguise. Poop-Decker, as a hopeless seaman, goes on to continually upset Howett by doing the wrong thing. Sally reveals her true identity to Poop-Decker after he has been punished, and he decides to let things continue as they are. Eventually, in the course of the film Poop-Decker and Sally fall in love with each other.
After three months at sea and no action, the crew are very restless, and when they finally see a Spanish ship, the Captain has them sail away from it. Howett and Angel hatch a plot, making it look like the ship has been boarded by the enemy during a night raid and using Poop-Decker as an expendable dupe to get the Captain leave the ship on his own volition. Poop-Decker, Sweetly and Sally thus help the Captain into a boat, and they leave the ship, but while leaving his cabin, the Captain gets a splinter in his foot, which later goes gangrenous. When they reach dry land, Captain Fearless reckons that they are in France and they need only to walk a short distance to reach Calais, while they are actually standing on Spanish soil. Sally and Poop-Decker spot a party of civilians and steal their clothes while they are bathing.
Now in charge of the ship, Howett and Angel sail for Cadiz and plan on taking it from Don Luis (Patrick Cargill), the Spanish Governor. They are successful, but their plot is ruined by Poop-Decker's group, who stumble into Cadiz (believing it to be Le Havre) and recapture the Venus. Sailing back to England, they encounter a pirate ship, whose crew seizes the Venus. The Captain (Patch, played by Peter Gilmore) turns out to be Sally's lost love Roger, but upon seeing him as a coarse, brutal rogue, she no longer wants to have anything to do with him. In order to force her compliance, Patch and Hook (Ed Devereaux) try to make Poop-Decker and Fearless walk the plank, but Poop-Decker manages to escape and cut down a sail, which covers the pirates, capturing them.
In Cadiz, the former crew of the Venus are taken to be shot, but escape with five empty Spanish Men of War to England for prize money and glory. They are within sight of England when they encounter the Venus. While Poop-Decker, Sally and Walter are working below decks on cutting off Fearless's badly infected leg, a fire gets out of control on deck and burns a sail, which sets off the Venus' primed cannons, hitting all five Spanish ships and thus once again thwarting Howett's shot at fame and glory. Poop-Decker and his companions end up at the Admiralty as heroes. Fearless is promoted to Admiral and given a desk job. Poop-Decker and Sweetly are given the rank of honorary Captains, with pensions, but Poop-Decker reveals that he is going to leave the service to marry Sally.

Tags: historical fiction

Review:
Many would say if the Name "Carry On Jack" was mentioned, "I haven't seen that one" or "That was terrible wasn't it." To many Carry On Fans..the film is often very underrated.This is due to a very large lack of regulars within it.Sid James is not in it, nor is anyone common from the Hudis films such as Liz Fraser or Ted Ray.This was in fact the first film "written" by Talbot Rothwell (though Carry On Cabby was screened first but written second).The film i feel is a classic.The jokes come thick and fast.Many are quite visual!
(wont spoil it for you!) Superb Performances from Charles Hawtrey, Jim dale (In the little part he plays) and Bernard Cribbens(in fact his first carry on outing!).8.7/10.
Kenneth Williams gives his usual over-the-top performance as the anything-but-fearless Captain Fearless, Juliet Mills gives the most amusingly unconvincing impersonation of a man since Some Like It Hot, and Bernard Cribbins is great as the good-hearted, but woefully naive Albert Poopdecker.
Charlie Hawtrey plays his usual character as well as ever, and all in all the plot once more becomes just the backdrop for all the gags, double entendre, and slapstick we all expect and love from the movies we know so well..
It is also well written although I must say I did not find it very funny, there are not that many laughs but kids I think will love it.I have found it interesting that the carry on movies are no longer as funny as I recalled them as a child.
Juliet Mills is utterly delightful and as always does a great job in the film.Of course its really pushing the boundaries of belief that the crew actually thought she was a bloke.
Cribbens was a great talent and so much better than the awful Kenneth Connor who was the weakest link in all the Carry on movies.
Not a great film nor a great Carry On but it is amusing and broad enough to satisfy fans.
While Albert tries to cope with this, he unwittingly finds a plot by First Officer Jonathon Howett to remove Captain Fearless from command of the Venus.I'm not entirely what to make of the decision to show this film on the day also taken to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar (28th June 2005) but I decided to watch it anyway.
Notable for being the first time that the Carry On series went for a full on historical setting with full costumes this film isn't really notable for anything else.
This is not to say that it is not amusing because, like many of the series, it is broadly entertaining in a very basic way and is fun if you like the series  just don't expect to be bowled over by it.The lack of the regulars is a bit of a problem but the film soldiers on regardless.
Cribbins takes on the role usually played by Jim Dale (who turns up in a minor role) and does it reasonably well.
Hawtrey is his usual self again to good effect.Overall not a great film or a great entry in the series but it is broadly amusing and will please fans of the series.
This title  intended as a spoof on the troubled MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962)  emerges as the odd one out in the "Carry On" series: not only do we only find just three regular performers here (Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale), but there's little typical material; taken on its merits, however, it isn't bad at all and not quite the dud described on the series' official website!
Incidentally, the irregular actors are the ones who score best  particularly Bernard Cribbins as an unlikely but likable hero (his character is named Poop-Decker!) and Donald Houston, intense as the villain of the piece; on the feminine side, there's the surprise casting of Juliet Mills (as a floozie who passes off as a midshipman  she sets out in search of her lost love, who turns out to be a pirate leader!).
As I said, the "Carry On" stalwarts rather play second-fiddle here (especially Dale, who only gets an inconsequential bit early on), though Williams and Hawtrey manage to assert themselves during the film's latter half (when Houston and cohort Percy Herbert instigate a mutiny and our heroes are cast off at sea).While there are obviously a number of laughs scattered throughout, the general tone is atypically serious: Williams  playing the cowardly skipper of the "Venus", he's given the unsurprisingly ironic name of Captain Fearless  even loses a leg and, consequently, gets twice the "desk job" he so craved for.
Also in the cast is Cecil Parker as the long-suffering Admiral who sets the naïve, bumbling Cribbins off on a naval career and reappears at the end to decorate him and his companions (Houston has blackmailed Spanish Governor Patrick Cargill into yielding his entire fleet and is taking it victoriously back to England, when it's unwittingly destroyed by Cribbins & Co.
I do like the Carry On films in general, and while Jack is not the best, it is still amusing.
However, the film looks great, great costumes and sets, and while never absolutely hilarious it is amusing enough.
And the acting is fairly good, Charles Hawtrey almost steals the show, Kenneth Williams isn't given as much to do but he is good, Jim Dale's is small but he is hilarious, Juliet Mills is pleasant (and has a great derriere), while Bernard Cribbins is very likable.
Despite only having TWO (albeit the best two) regulars (Williams and Hawtrey) (Dale could not be considerd a regular at this point), this remains one of my favourites.
It stars Bernard Cribbins, Kenneth Williams, Juliet Mills, Charles Hawtrey, Donald Houston & Percy Herbert.
It's the 8TH of the popular film franchise that would eventually finish at 31.Albert Poopdecker (Cribbins) is all set to finally take up assignment on HMS Venus when he loses his uniform in a house of ill repute.
However, there's mutiny afoot and Albert soon finds himself at the centre of all sorts of misunderstandings.Not one from the series that is name checked by fans or critics, Carry On Jack is a little better than its reputation suggest it is.
It's also a very important entry in the Carry On pantheon,for it was the first time Rothwell, the man who shaped the series, would be in sole charge of writing.
Cribbins, too, is full of life and raises enough laughs as he plays off of the reliable Hawtrey.Not overtly smutty or as manic as some of the other historical parodies that followed it, Carry On Jack is a fun and tidy time filler.
Not at all convincing.The cow in the lifeboat bit was good.The amputation joke would have NEVER existed in American film or television back in '64.The one joke I always recalled was 'the captain fell on deck right where that plaque is.'"I'm not surprised, I nearly tripped over the silly thing the other day myself."When I first heard that line, I had to do a triple take.
No, Sid James, Kenneth Conner, Joan Sims, dear Hattie and Barbara Windsor (thus far, I have only seen her in one, Carry On Spying) weren't in this one.The interchanging performers basically doing the same characters is a standout for this assortment of movies.
Winsome bar wench Sally (Juliet Mills) steals the identity of bumbling midshipman Albert Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins), taking his place aboard frigate HMS Venus in the hope of sailing to France to find her missing sweetheart Roger.
Meanwhile, the real Albert is press-ganged into service on the same ship, but no-one will believe his unlikely story.The mere thought of the lovely Juliet Mills being able to pass for a man is, of course, utterly ridiculous (reminding me of a similarly silly episode of Blackadder), but despite this preposterous conceit, the notable absence of many of the series' major players, and a lack of any truly classic gags, I can't help but enjoy this movie.
With its well-realised period setting, Miss Mills obvious charms (she looks great even posing as a man), Jim Dale's brief but hilarious turn as a money-grabbing sedan chair operative, and some of the scurviest pirates ever to set sail for the seven seas, this rousing Carry On tale is still good for a Yo Ho Ho!.
Warming Up. Carry on Jack is not the most memorable Carry On, in fact its all a bit silly really and lacks much of the sauciness of latter films.
The title comes from what they used to call British sailors, Jack Tars.Midshipman Albert Poopdecker played by Bernard Cribbins is little thrown out of sea school just to make room and given his first assignment on the HMS Venus a frigate ship of the line.
But on his way there Cribbins is waylaid in a cat house where one of the girls played by Juliet Mills steals his uniform and credentials.
To make matters worse a press gang comes along and takes Cribbins and Charles Hawtrey.The HMS Venus has a Regency fop for a captain in Kenneth Williams and a first officer in Donald Houston who'd like to take his place.
And Juliet Mills on board playing a midshipman named Albert Poopdecker.
Her breasts are just super spectacular man boobs if she'd let the crew see them and confirm their beliefs.In the end after surviving a mutiny, a capture by pirates and saving the United Kingdom from invasion, Hawtrey, Cribbins, Mills, and Williams, are national heroes.But it's how they do it that provides loads of laughs in this Carry On classic..
Watched this for the first time since I was 5 or 6 last night and it pre-dates Carry On's golden age and is a bit boring to be honest, okay I was watching it at midnight, but I dozed through the third quarter and considering I was wide awake and laughing out loud through an episode of the IT crowd at 1am the movie has to take some of the blame!
The film struggles because most the carry on team are missing!
In fact the best moments come from Jim Dale's cameo right at the start of the movie.
Jim Dale does a generic west country accent rather than a proper Plymouthian "Janner" accent which would've been amazing, but he's still the best thing in the movie.To summarise, awful script, few laughs, few carry on stars, too long.
I've given it 2/10 rather than 1/10 for Jim Dale's cameo.If you are looking for Carry On movies at their hilarious best then, try Carry on Sergeant, Cowboy, Cleo, Up the Kyber and Screaming.
Although it's not up there with the best of the CARRY ON series, CARRY ON JACK proves to be as likable and inoffensive as the majority of the films.
This one suffers from a lack of regulars (only Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey & Jim Dale appear) but makes up for it with great authenticity in the costumes and early 19th century locales.Bernard Cribbins (CARRY ON SPYING) stars as a Midshipman who's accidentally pressganged into working aboard one of the British's fleets ships.
Cribbins plays it straighter than you might expect, and doesn't get many gags (saying that, the one involving his sword and a carriage wheel is a classic), although Williams has fun as the cowardly Captain Fearless and both Dale and Hawtrey are delightful..
Old enough to know that no sailor worth his salted pork and rum ration would think anybody with a classical "cliffhanger" backside like Juliet Mills had at that time could possibly be a man.
Bernard Cribbins makes his series debut as naive 'Albert Poop-Decker', who gets posted to the H.M.S. Venus, commanded by the sheepish 'Captain Fearless' ( Kenneth Williams ).
The night before the ship is due to set sail, he heads for 'Dirty Dicks', a disreputable inn near the docks, where he meets the lovely 'Sally' ( Juliet Mills ).
While he struggles to prove his identity, the First Officer ( Donald Houston ) the Bosun ( Percy Herbert ) are plotting secretly to organise a mutiny...'Jack' looks great, and there are some amusing moments scattered about, such as Jim Dale and Ian Wilson as a pair of scoundrels who run a carrier service.
Juliet Mills had appeared in two other Peter Rogers/Gerald Thomas pictures - 'Twice Round The Daffodils' ( 1962 ) and 'Nurse On Wheels' ( 1963 ).The use of actors such as Donald Houston, Anton Rodgers, Cecil Parker, Patrick Cargill unfortunately negates the 'Carry On' atmosphere.
Messrs Hawtrey and Williams play to their strengths and Miss Juliet Mills has the requisite English Rose quality for her role.
With scurvy pirates,fiendish Frenchies and flashy - eyed Spaniards,"Carry on Jack" has a lot of fun at the expense of several movie genres but always in a good - natured way.
An average Carry-On. This isn't the best of the carry-ons but its nowhere near the worst.There are only three of the regulars in Carry-On Jack,and they are Kenneth Williams,Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale and if you can count Peter Gilmore as the fourth as he did appear in a few other Carry-Ons{Henry,Up The Kyhber,Cabby}in brief roles.However Carry-On Jack does have a splendid cast such as Juliet Mills,Bernard Cribbins,Patrick Cargill and some other famous faces from British cinema,who you will easily recognise.The jokes in this one are very few and far between although the idea of the whole story is amusing,a woman stealing an officers clothes so that she can impersonate him and run off to sea.The story is quite good and would be very amusing for kids,as it has the usual slapstick humour and also has battle scenes and pirates.This Carry-On is rarely seen on TV these days and is probably one of the first Carry-Ons to be made in colour.Id highly recommend this one for the under twelves,although its also mildly amusing if your an adult..
Not The Best Thus Far. I have just watched my first two "Carry On" films: this one and Carry on Cleo.
I am a big fan of Round the Horne, so I was overjoyed to find out that Kenneth Williams (whom I have never seen in real life- on film or TV, etc.) would be the star.
However, I was disappointed with Carry on Jack; either it is because Williams doesn't have a very big part as he did in C.O. Cleo, or there was two much action and a very unfunny side plot (the first-mates or whoever plotting against the captain).
In spite of the welcome return of Kenneth Williams, this is my least favourite film in the series so far.
The only other member of the core "Carry On" team present is Charles Hawtrey but that would not be a problem if the script were better.
It doesn't really feel like a "Carry On" film.
Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills and Cecil Parker were all good but even good actors trying their best can't save a comedy with a bad script.
However, Donald Houston, who is good in other films, is horribly over the top and his scenes are fairly painful.
Basically Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins) has managed to get himself aboard frigate Venus, commanded by actually quivery Captain Fearless (Kenneth Williams), and they all have adventures on the high seas through Spanish waters, rebelling and shipwrecking.
Also starring Juliet Mills as Sally, Charles Hawtrey as Walter Sweetly, Donald Houston as First Officer Jonathan Howett, Percy Herbert as Mr. Angel, Ed Devereaux as Pirate Hook, Jim Dale as Young Carrier, Ian Wilson as Ancient Carrier, George Woodbridge as Ned, Cecil Parker as First Sealord, Jimmy Thompson as Adm. Horatio Nelson, Anton Rodgers as Hardy, Patrick Cargill as Spanish Governor Don Luis and Peter Gilmore as Pirate Captain Patch/Roger.
I can see why this film is not as memorable as most of the others, I did lose interest a little ,and didn't understand everything going on, and there was hardly any innuendo at all, only some jokes about the woman disguised as a man, and it has only three regulars, all male, where are Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor and Joans Sims when you want them?
A wonderful Carry On film with only a couple regulars.
They get Bernanrd Cribbins, Juliet Mills and Charles Hawtrey.
Juliet Mills takes Cribbins name so she can go to Spain and find the man she loves.
Kenneth Williams gives his second best performance on the entire collection of Carry On films in this film.
Cribbins, Mills and Williams make this film so enjoyable.
This Carry On film features surprisingly few of the regulars; Bernard Cribbins plays Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker; a naval officer who hasn't passed his training despite being at it for eight years.
Once aboard he tries to explain the situation but comes up against First Officer Howett, an officer who is not impressed with him claiming to be Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker when he is already aboard of course he is Sally but nobody seems to notice despite the fact that she doesn't look at all masculine!
The ship is commanded by the cowardly Captain Fearless who wishes all his crew to be happy; and to that end avoids any conflict with the Spaniards.
The best performance came from Donald Houston as by the book Howett who believes in strict discipline and is willing to take the fight to the enemy; he played the part fairly straight while those around him provided the gags.
Kenneth Williams was suitably cowardly and incompetent as the captain and Juliet Mills was fine as the beautiful Sally.
With so few of the Carry On regulars in main roles this could almost have been a comedy that just happened to feature a few of the team; it had some good moments though and as it contained less innuendo than most Carry On films can be enjoyed by children with out parents worrying they will be asked to explain some double entendre.