British 60s cinema - The Carry On series The Carry On series British 60s cinema CARRY ON LAUGHING ? The Carry On films are such a staple of British cinema - is there anyone who has never seen one? - that it is surprising to realise that, until relatively recently, they were rarely analysed in any meaningful manner. My own relationship with them has gone through a number of changes and shifts over the years, but I have come to the conclusion in general that it is counter-productive to talk of CO films as a monolithic block, which ignores the variety of styles and narratives they deploy. I have mentioned elsewhere on this site that I attended a very interesting course on post-war British cinema at the UEA in Norwich a few years ago, and as the course was part of a wider certificate for those who wanted it, we were all required to write an essay from a list of possible titles. I chose to compare Carry On films with Ealing comedies, and as part of my research I drew up a list of CO films, looking at common themes.

Here is the list I drew up: Annex B Carry On films.doc Microsoft Word document [62.5 KB] My main contribution I suppose - I'd like to think it was reasonably original, but no doubt somebody said it before me, somewhere - was that there were 'sets' of Carry Ons. The series starts with what I have called 'profession' films; films that look at groups of people in the same job or institution - police, army, teaching etc. They then start to get mixed up, but the next set that features prominently is 'spoof' films, looking at current or traditinal cultural themes such as spying (obvious reference to James Bond), horror (particularly Hammer films), westerns and so forth. The third main batch of films then looks at more general 'groups', people thrown together in a situation. These include films such as Camping, Abroad, and Behind; almost all the group films come during the series' decline in the late 60s/early 70s.

'Profession' films Criminals rest easy - constables on parade The first four films look at the army, the police, hospitals and schools; after Regardless, which doesn't really fit into any pattern (I have referred to it as a series of 'linked episodes', but it could also be regarded as the first 'group' film) there is really only one other profession film - Cabby - before the series moves on into other areas, only returning to profession films with the hospital ones, Doctor, Again Doctor (a dead giveaway that the series was running out of steam) and Matron. Almost all these films centred on a story arc involving a group trying to get through training, or trying to retain the status quo, in naturally circular scenarios (the next group of recruits etc). The first film, Sergeant, had the recruits deciding to help the Sgt (played by William Hartnell, who of course went on to play the first Doctor Who) win the best platoon award before retirement, and in Teaching the story arc is the possible departure of the headmaster, played by Ted Ray (in his only CO film).

The early films usually featured a roster of light comedy players, such as Bob Monkhouse or Leslie Phillips, along with those we would now consider to be CO regulars, and their style was very much in tune with other British comedy films of the 50s such as Dentist on the Job; this scene from Carry On Teacher is quite typical of the light, pratfall style of comedy then prevalent: 'Spoof' films Cleo and Marc Antony have trouble with asps There are four 'spoof' films in a row, starting with Spying, followed by Cleo, Cowboy and Screaming (my own favourite). with Follow that Camel and Up the Khyber following (although the clumsy title of are clues that they were not originally intended to be part of the CO series). The real link with these films, which I think are easily the best of the COs, is not, as one might expect, Kenneth Williams, Sid James or even Charles Hawtrey (and certainly not Barbara Windsor) but the unsung Jim Dale. Dale appears in almost all the best COs, starting with Cabby and then in an unbroken sequence in the 60s until Doctor.

Unfortunately he missed out on Up the Khyber (I wonder why?) and ended with Again Doctor. There is no link between the spoof films and the cast etc that I can see, other than Jim Dale, to explain why I think they are the best of the COs; Sid James is in two of them but not Screaming or Spying, Kenneth Williams is ever-present but is also in lots of other inferior COs, and so forth. One big bonus for me in Screaming is the presence (in his only CO film) of Harry H Corbett.

25 years ago I shared a flat with a Polish woman, and one morning I casually mentioned that I had watched a Carry On film the previous evening, whereupon she asked 'What's a Carry On film?' Ths is actually quite a difficult question to answer, but i remember that I described the following scene as a typical example of CO wit: Cowboy was the first of the very few CO films to feature a title song, but it is often forgotten now in preference to films such as Cleo, Screaming and Khyber, but it gave Jim Dale a central role as Marshall P Knutt, a sanitary engineer whose first name leads to a mix up and he gets sent out to Stodge City (the COs were never too worried about their painful puns!) to 'clean up' the town, which needs it as The Rumpo Kid (Sid James) has taken over the town. Luckily for Marshall, Annie Oakley (Angela Douglas) is on the stagecoach with him, having come to seek revenge on The Rumpo Kid for killing her father, the previous Sheriff (memorably played by Jon Pertwee, in the second of his three cameo appearances in the 60s Carry Ons).

it is of course Annie who has saved the stagecoach from Indians just outside town, but happy for the hapless drainage man to take the credit, as he makes a dramatic entrance in town: 'Group' films You don't get many of those to the pound etc etc fnarr fnarr I associate most of the 'group' films with the series' decline, from about the time of Again Doctor and Camping in 1969. The end of the spoof films meant that something was lost, and this was simply replaced with cheap smut and tedious, infantile gags. I'm quite happy with infantile humour sometimes, but it needs to be delivered with some panache by quality comedians, and overall the likes of Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale were being replaced by Jack Douglas and Windsor Davies and it was all getting very threadbare and shabby. After Convenience (discussed below), which was I believe the first Carry On box failure (possibly as it took a few potshots at striking workers, forgetting that their core audience was largely made up of the same working class) the team looked at then-current themes and issues, such as Brits travelling abroad or the 'sexual revolution', though they were never satirical in nature.

Busty actresses like Imogen Hassall (Loving, above) and Margaret Nolan (Henry, Matron, Girls, Dick etc) found themselves in demand, along with starlets such as Carol Hakwins and Sally Geeson, who feature in this clip from Abroad (Hawtrey's last appearance in a CO film) Ironically, it was the increase in bawdy humour, and the more sexualised nature of the CO films, that hastened their decline; the more permissive climate in the 1970s meant that the COs were competing with soft porn series like Confessions of...series, the Adventures of... series, and one offs like Can you keep it up for a week?, and if you wanted tits and bums why bother with the COs? In a bid to win this audience back, the Carry Ons pushed the boundaries further, which led to embarassingly unfunny end-of-the-pier rubbish like England and Emanuelle, for which can only assume that someone held a gun to Kenneth Williams' head to make him sign on the dotted line.

One film I do like though is At Your Convenience; many years ago I went to an all-night showing of Carry On films at The Scala cinema in King's Cross, sadly no more. We all arrived after closing time, somewhat the worse for wear, having missed the first film. The second one was Screaming (the whole audience mimicking the squeals of baby Oddbod) and then it was At Your Convenience.

I've always liked the vignettes of home life with Sid James (in 'Bless this House' mode) and Hattie Jacques - and of course Joey (another from VirgLondon1): The case against Here is one unimpressed critic's view of the films: "the usual crap" (20 Dec 1961) "the script is a load of old rubbish as usual" (01 Jan 1962) Spying: "The script of Carry On Spying is so bad that I'm really beginning to wonder...the witless vacuity of it all..." (20 Feb 1964) Abroad: "...there was an air of staleness over everything...I thought the acting standard was rather bad throughout" (18 Apr 1972) Behind: "Read the Carry On Behind script. It is the worst I've ever read" (22 Jan 1975) Dick: "The script is utterly banal.

It is incredible that human minds can put such muck on to paper" (31 Jan 1974) "...monotonous and unfunny" (14 Mar 1978) " the dialogue [is] clumsy, inept and not a good joke anywhere" (30 Mar 1978) Henry: "I read the script of Carry On Henry and I think it's absymal...it is liberally sprinkled with filth" (13 Sep 1970) "...so bad in places...truly chronic dialogue...dreadful acting. Sid James had never been quite so bad as this. A collection of such rubbish you're amazed it could ever have been stuck together. Only an audience of illiterates could ever have found this tripe amusing." (19 Jan 1988) The punchline, of course, as I'm sure many of you already knew, is that the writer of the acerbic comments above is Kenneth Williams, in his diaries. This is one of the saddest books I've ever read, as Williams generally loathed what he did and yet couldn't tear himself away from the Carry Ons.

Indeed, he went on longer than almost anyone, appearing in the 'final' CO, Emmannuelle - I've not seen Columbus and don't really regard it as part of the series to be honest - and notching up more appearances than anyone else (25, if anyone's counting, beating Joan Sims' 24, Charles Hawtrey's 23 and Sid James' 19). Of course, in the diaries, Williams often contradicts his own damning judgements of the CO canon; on 04 Jan 1979 he wrote of Henry: "...amazing how well this was made! Everyone in it was competent and the sheer look of the thing was very professional" which is a rather different verdict to the ones he gives above. The case for For the first 7-8 years or so of their life, the Carry Ons were a very welcome part of the furniture, but as part of a traditon of comedy films which has long since departed. What I do find interesting now is that Rogers and Thomas made a number of other comedy films at the time, one of which, The Big Job, I've just written about in the 'Unsung films' section of the website.

it's reasonably common knowledge that three of the COs were not originally intended to be part of the franchise. Cabby was originally going to be called Call Me a Cab (which is why it's the last line in the film) and Don't Lose Your Head and Follow that Camel were originally released with those titles, before they came under the CO series a couple of years later, hence their rather clumsy titles. At their best (for me, Cleo, Screaming, Regardless, Cabby, Cowboy, Spying, Khyber, Doctor, Jack and maybe Convenience) the COs were a part of my growing up, a great introduction to some very talented comic actors, and provide some wonderful memories.

I'll finish with a classic scene from a film that is generally regarded as one of the best COs, Up the Khyber: There are different DVD box sets of all the Carry On films, which sell now for about £30 or so, or roughly £1 a film, whilst there are numerous books on the series, although one I've always liked, which I think I got at a boot sale many years ago, is 'What a Carry On' (above), which although a 'coffee table' book details all the films and the main actors. Carry On Abroad SE | DVD Review | Film @ The Digital Fix Carry On Abroad SE By Mike Sutton Mike Sutton Film Commentary, "Carry on Laughing" episode, Trailer, Stills Gallery, Trivia Soundtracks Subtitles English Mike Sutton has reviewed the Region 2 release of Carry On Abroad SE. One of the first wave of Carry On special editions from Carlton and a pretty impressive disc. There is a school of thought which claims that the �Carry On� films reached their peak in the mid sixties with Carry On Cleo or possibly Carry On Up The Khyber and went into slow decline from that point onwards.

Personally, I don�t hold with this for a moment. For me, old enough to have seen some of the later ones at the pictures, I think the Golden Era of Carry On stretches from Carry On Screaming to Carry On Abroad, with one final classic in the shape of the surprisingly inventive Carry On Behind in 1975. Carry On Abroad, of 1972 vintage, is the last of the series to feature a relatively full complement of the team and the swan song of the great Charles Hawtrey. More significantly, it contains Kenneth Williams at his comic peak, Sid James at the point where he finally became resigned to playing a dirty old man rather than a supposedly young Lothario, and a truly inspired comic double act from Hattie Jacques and Peter Butterworth. The plot, if I may use such a term, is an early usage of the familiar Brit-com staple, the dodgy Spanish holiday resort with a half-finished hotel and an unpredictable climate. Vic Flange (James) is hoping for a dirty weekend with buxom customer Sadie (Windsor) but is disappointed when his suspicious wife Cora (Sims) decides to come along as well.

They choose a Sunshine Tours weekend in the exotic Spanish resort of Ells Bells, staying in a particularly dodgy hotel run by Pepe (Butterworth) and his terrifying wife Floella (Jacques). Needless to say, it all goes horribly wrong, since the establishment is unfinished, with no glass in the sliding doors, shared bathrooms and furnishings, which are liable to collapse at a moment�s notice. The courier Stuart Farquhar (Williams) and his rather smashing assistant (Grainger) try to keep their customers� spirits up, without much success, and it all ends up with a mud-caked slapstick farewell party and a not entirely unexpected series of couplings.

The other passengers include Eustace Tuttle (Hawtrey), an ageing mother�s boy with a propensity to get pissed at the merest whiff of a bottle of vodka; Robin (John Clive) and Nicholas (David Kernan), one of whom is and one of whom might be; goodtime girls Marge (Hawkins) and Lily (Geeson), who are desperate for the attentions of any single man regardless of eligibility; a party of 12 monks from the Order of St Cecilia, including a particularly dim one (Bresslaw); ...Bert Conway (Logan), a womanising Scotsman; and Stanley Blunt (Connor) and wife Evelyn. (Whitfield), a couple who haven�t had sex since the Thirty Years War. In other words, no surprises, but a comforting array of stereotypes, all of them expertly played for whatever laughs can be wrung out of Talbot Rothwell�s script.

Rothwell, veteran scribe of most of the mid to late period �Carry Ons� (his last one being Carry On Dick in 1974), couldn�t exactly be described as a good writer but he is an ingenious one, managing to ring endless changes on the same collection of jokes without wearing the patience of this viewer at least. Sometimes - usually - it�s exactly what you expect, for example the following exchange at the beginning; �Have you got a large one ?� (referring to a serving of spirits), �I�ve had no complaints ! "Arg arg argh !!!�. That�s what we might call a classic double entendre, in that the audience is aware both of what is really being referred to and what connotation is being placed on it. Rothwell is fond of this, as we see later in the film with Charles Hawtrey�s attempt to entice the young ladies into a game of leapfrog - �Oh come on, you know you enjoyed it last time!�. It becomes the signifier with a varied denotation - leapfrog, a drink, a game of cards etc - but a fixed connotation of sex.

Sexual intercourse is never mentioned directly, which is broadly the difference between English farce and French farce, where sex is constantly and explicitly referred to. The English, and Rothwell in particular, enjoy applying the same concept to homosexuality where the �forbidden� as it were (this being considerably less enlightened 1972) is referred to solely in the context of double meaning -�What sort of a man are you ?� being a good example, or, not in this film itself, �Oh I do feel queer�. When you get a repressed homosexual in real life, such as Kenneth Williams, saying this sort of thing of course, there are echoes and suggestions which make the text all the more inadvertently fascinating. There�s also the use of the object, or the name of it, as amusing in itself because of its implication.

For example, �That�s a lovely pear� interpreted as �That�s a lovely pair (of breasts)�, or sometimes the other way round; �Where�s the crumpet?�, �Oh, I don�t think they serve us tea !� Rothwell�s ability to create variations on jokes he was writing ten years previously is his chief claim to some kind of immortality, and his ability is more impressive when you consider that none of the other writers who followed him - Dave Freeman, Lance Peters, David Pursall and Jack Seddon - managed to write the material with the same elan. You could equally argue that he just recycles the same old crap from the bottom of his barrel, but compared with the writers of dire British sex comedies such as Can You Keep It Up For A Week, he has the talent of Wilde and a truly Sophoclean knack for classical repetitions. The actors, given this sort of stuff, either give up and fade into the background or run with it. Sid James is very funny, managing to make every word he says sound like the filthiest thing you�ve ever heard, and then adding his trademark laugh just to confirm your suspicions.

He was a much better actor than he was given credit for being and if you doubt this, just look at the scenes between him and Joan Sims in Carry On At Your Convenience which are genuinely Pinteresque in their inarticulate sense of thwarted suburban longing. Kenneth Williams, who claimed to hate the whole thing, is actually in his element whether he realised it or not, and he gets some fine moments of comic confusion, notably a scene with a misbehaving switchboard. He also has a trademark moment when he says �Ohhhh, don�t be like that !�. His comic persona is so strong that he doesn�t need a name that sounds like �Fucker� in order to be funny - an example of the lazier side of Rothwell�s writing, the assumption that silly names are funny in themselves. If you don�t laugh at James or Williams then you�re probably clinically dead, but surely even those who turn their noses up at the very thought of a film featuring Charles Hawtrey getting kicked out of a brothel must admit to raising a smile when Hattie Jacques stokes up a fine fury at her �cock stove�.

Jacques and Butterworth are wonderful in this movie, with the latter running about as if in Feydeau farce as he tries to keep the hotel from collapsing around him and the delightful Hattie swearing in broken English while pouring meths over her impotent oven. Nice moments from Kenneth Connor too, playing his standard sex-starved middle aged Englishman, and Sally Geeson and Carol Hawkins flash lovely smiles while negotiating the trials of the Pinewood backlot during a freezing cold April, wearing only skimpy bikinis. I�d also like to mention the absolutely gorgeous Gail Grainger who seems to have vanished without trace after making this film. Technically, the film is more than competent. This is one of the hallmarks of the series and the reason that the Carry On films still look pretty good thirty years or more after their first release. Alan Hume�s cinematography is especially worthy of a mention, managing to just about hide the fact that the filmmakers went no nearer to Spain than Slough High Street.

The editing is efficient and sometimes excellent - a good montage of escalating jokes about the complaints going through the switchboard for example - and the director, Gerald Thomas, has a good eye for a visual joke despite the fact that his sense of composition is about as good as that of your dad lining you all up for a holiday snap. But Thomas serves his cast well, as his did in most of the films, and he�s a perfectly decent director for this sort of thing - again, compare him to the likes of Bob Kellett or Harry Booth if you want to see real examples of hopeless mediocrity. Carry On Abroad has an oddly melancholic feel to it, as if all involved are aware that it�s coming to the end of an era. Certainly, the freshness of the peerless Carry On At Your Convenience is missing but it�s still a good deal of fun to watch. If you surrender to the idiotic charm of it all then it�s bound to supply a few good laughs - and it�s even better after six pints of lager and a curry. The Disc The first releases of the Carry On films from VCI were generally disappointing.

After a nice disc from Carlton of Carry on Camping, the rest of the Rank films (Don�t Lose Your Head onwards) were very basic, fullscreen releases which looked pretty shoddy. Having had the rights pass to them Carlton have restored honour, bless them, with a new collection of Special Editions which, on the evidence of the three I�ve had the good fortune to see, are a must for fans of the series. The film is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 format. The films were made in fullscreen and then matted to this ratio for theatrical release and, in the opinion of this reviewer, this is the best way to watch them, reflecting the way they were originally shown. The quality of the transfer is very impressive. Comparing this disc to my off-air tape from ITV, the picture looks a good deal better with sharper definition and shadow detail and much richer colours. There isn�t the flatness which tends to characterise the films when seen on TV broadcast and the whole looks more �filmic�. There is a slightly grainy appearance throughout but far less of a problem with artifacts than on the original 2000 releases of the films.

The soundtrack is Dolby Digital Mono and it sounds absolutely fine, again reflecting the original theatrical presentation. There are a number of extra features. Following the animated menu, which contains sequences of jokes from the film, we get several bonus materials. Firstly, there is a very entertaining commentary track. Hosted by Robert Ross, expert on all things Carry On, this features John Clive, David Kernan, Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson. The four actors chat about the film and about their experiences while shooting and share copious recollections about the stars. An initial sense of �When did we make this ?� fades slowly, thanks to Ross�s occasional promptings, and the actors obviously enjoy their reunion. Most of the stories are familiar but worth another outing, especially the one about Kenneth Williams� cock. Also related to the film are the stills gallery, some trivia and the original theatrical trailer, all jolly voiceover and extended scenes from the movie. We also get a full 25 minute episode from the Lew Grade financed �Carry On Laughing� series of the early 1970s. This is called �Short Knights, Long Daze� and is, unfortunately, quite dreadful.

You�ll get the idea if I tell you that Jack Douglas plays an Arthurian knight called Sir Gay and that an early joke goes as follows; �I�m sorry sir, he�s having trouble with his instrument�, �His bugle�s not much good either�. Many more non-hilarious escapades ensue and it�s only worth seeing for Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and an amusing turn from Peter Butterworth as Merlin. This show really does look cheap and tends to make the film look much better in comparison. I can heartily recommend this DVD to all fans of Carry On or lovers of British comedy at its most basic. It�s not the best of the series but is still pretty good and recommended if you like a nice big one during an evening. Er, I mean, a nice big laugh. Carlton�s disc is well produced and the commentary alone makes it worth a purchase. Carry on Camping Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 15 out of 15 people found the following review useful: The best of British comedies! from Scotland 28 April 2005 This film is as British as fish and chips and beer. It is also one of my personal favourites. A real treat from beginning to end.

This film should be viewed at least once by everyone, even if only for the legendary sequence of Barbara Windsor doing exercises! Sid James is the randy bloke who, along with his gormless mate Bernard Bresslaw, hit on the idea of taking repressed girlfriends Joan Sims and Dilys Laye to a nudist colony to loosen them up, but end up at an normal family campsite. Kenneth Williams is the snooty headmaster of a girls' boarding school who, with matron Hattie Jacques, hits on the idea of getting their oversexed pupils, including a particularly oversexed Barbara Windsor, back to nature. The loner of the group is Charles Hawtrey, first discovered in compromising position in a tent with an attractive salesgirl. He finds refuge in the company of henpecked Terry Scott and his spirited wife Betty Marsden but ends up with the St Trinian's like schoolgirls! A real treat and a must for Carry On fans! Was the above review useful to you? 12 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Makes you proud to be British!

from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 12 June 1999 This film definitely has to be a strong contender for the title of best "Carry On" film ever. The whole film says "Carry On" from the characters and location to the plays on words (ie the finishing school for girls entitled "Chayste Place") and the inevitable double entendres. The fact that the film was shot on the back lot of Pinewood Studios, and not in a campsite in Devon, is really not important, as the atmosphere is captured marvellously. This is also another example of how it would be nearly impossible in real life to have such a collection of people in one place at one time. Including an old lecher, a hen-pecked husband, a camp camper and a party of girls from a finishing school. I would recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in comedy, British Cinema, or if you just feel like a good laugh. Was the above review useful to you? 8 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Gone for a P.

from Montreal 30 April 2005 This movie (a real guilty pleasure for me) contains one of the best convoluted gags in movie history. The boys drive up to what they believe to be the nudist camp they're searching for. A sign states "All Asses Must Be Shown". The boys guffaw, their girlfriends are appalled. Sid asks where the manager is. "He's gone for a pee" is the reply. Soon, the scruffy manager appears, hitching up his pants, carrying a wooden letter "P" which he proceeds to nail onto the sign so it now reads "All Passes Must Be Shown". Most of the other jokes are old as the hills (and welcome nonetheless), but whoever came up with this elaborate bit of business belongs in the Charles Kaufman/Preston Sturges/Jacques Tati club. Was the above review useful to you?

9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: congratulating the film on being wonderful Author: Louise Brailey 19 January 1999 This is a classic....One of the best Carry On films and of course the most well known (thanks to the famous bra popping scene...Yes you know!) Sid James is on top form along with Charlie Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams. It has all the regulars in it which contribute to it being so wonderful and funny. If you have never seen it (I don't believe you) see it because you will never see camping in the same light again. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Oh yeah, I go all the way! from United Kingdom 18 September 2009 Sid Boggle (Sid James) and his friend Bernie Lugg (Bernard Bresslaw) hatch a plan to take their girlfriends, Joan Fussey (Joan Sims) and Anthea Meeks (Dilys Laye), to a nudist campsite called Paradise.

However, when they get there it's not the paradise they envisaged, full of odd balls and bad British weather, things only perk up when a coach load of girls turn up. Trouble is, the guys must get shot of their girlfriends first. Oddly, Carry On Camping is a film that is revered by the series fans yet frowned upon by critics. Plot wise I'm inclined to agree with the critics, it's as basic as can be and is nothing other than a series of vignettes weaved together to create a lurid camping based holiday film. Tis true, but hell the comedy is good here, smutty and awash with innuendo and making the most of the double meaning of the word camping. It's also one of the series best roll calls as regards its cast, most of the big hitters are here, it's easier to just say Jim Dale and Kenneth Connor are the two notable absentees. From the sight of Barbara Windsor's bra shooting thru the air, to the hapless Terry Scott having buck shot removed from his posterior, Camping has no other intentions other than to titter the discerning Carry On fan.

What often gets forgotten tho, is just what great comedy actors some of these series regulars were, witness here a sequence in a tent as Terry Scott, Charles Hawtrey and Betty Marsden attempt to get ready for bed, comedy gold. So one for fans only it seems, hooray for me then because I love Carry On Camping, always have, always will. 8/10 Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: One of the best in the series 20 June 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** If you ask people to name a carry on film, many name Carry on Camping, perhaps due to the famous scene of "flinging" Barbara Windsor. However, it deserves to be memorable for other reasons, namely: * Sid James is at his comedic best (particularly when he mistakes Joan Sims' stew for his foot bath) * Amelia Bayntun (Joan Sims' screen mum, Mrs Fussey) is a perfect representation of the overbearing mother in law/overprotective mother. (She reprises this role as Charles Hawtree's mother in Carry on Abroad a few years later).

* The winning-formula familiar pairings of Sid James/Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams/Hattie Jacques. * The 60s references work well, and echo the times in places (Terry Scott looking at holiday brochures, at a time when foreign holidays were becoming viable for ordinary people, the hippy ending showing the class of generations). * The quaint references to pre-decimalisation money, notably when Sid James and Peter Butterworth are talking about the camping fees. For my money, Camping was the last great carry on. Convenience and Abroad were good, but Camping saw the regulars at the height of their powers, and it showed. Wonderful little film. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: A British comedy classic from south yorkshire, England 12 September 2001 85 minutes of pure fun, which is not, unlike much of today's comedy ruined by political correctness.

Innuendo, double-entendres and slapstick are the order of the day here as two friends- Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw-take their prudish girlfriends- Dilys laye and the incomparable Joan Sims- on a camping holiday to try and loosen them up. There are hundreds of things to recommend- the famous exercise scene with the lovely Barbara Windsor, Portly Hattie Jacques trying to seduce camp Kenneth Williams and an all too brief cameo by the gorgeous Valerie Leon as a shop assistant to name but a few. Some of the humour may be predictable, but overall, this is a quality movie. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: My brief review of the film from Perth, Australia 25 June 2005 One of the most popular films in series, it is broad and amusing, and accompanied by quite a good score this time, yet it is only intermittently very funny. The sexual humour is at times rather amusing, and Kenneth Williams sparkles in his role, but arguably it is sillier than the par of Carry On films, with the last ten minutes or so of the film being really utter nonsense.

In addition, having too many main characters means that they do not get a chance to be developed very well. But overall, it is quite an enjoyable experience nonetheless, with a number of very entertaining, even if not hilarious, scenes. Was the above review useful to you? 11 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Not High Art But Very Funny from Isle Of Bute, Scotland 9 January 2003 This certainly one of the better CARRY ON films which had me laughing out loud at the scene where the farmer is lecturing his pregnant daughter " You don`t know what his name was ? Couldn`t you have asked to whom do I owe the pleasure ? " The door is knocked and the farmer answers it to a man wanting some milk : " Oh hello there. I was round earlier and your daughter gave me it . And I would like some more please , but don`t worry I`m willing to pay for it this time " Cut to farmer aiming his gun Classic scene from Naxxar, Malta 9 February 2008 This is perhaps the quintessential "Carry On" film, which also means that it's terribly dated when viewed today!

That said, it's quite funny scene by scene  even if the plot itself is alarmingly thin and disjointed. In fact, it follows three separate narrative threads during the first half which then come together: one involving Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw and their girlfriends, sisters Joan Sims and Dilys Laye; another with bickering couple Terry Scott and Betty Marsden, who pick up annoying drifter Charles Hawtrey along the way; and the members of a finishing school (including perky Barbara Windsor) and led by the series' all-too-typically reserved authority figures  namely Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. With this film, the bawdiness which has since become synonymous with the series really took off  beginning with the very opening sequence, which finds James et al in a cinema showing a documentary about a nudist campsite!; a scene in which James and Bresslaw spy on the women's baths through a hole in the wall was subsequently much imitated.

Many of the film's best moments highlight Terry Scott  exaggerating his afternoon activity when asked by the wife how it was, knowing full well she isn't lending him the slightest attention; his encounter with a bull in a field; at the end, when he takes stock of the situation in his tent and forcibly throws out Hawtrey. Popular British starlet Valerie Leon, who appeared in a number of "Carry Ons", has a bit here as a salesgirl. By the way, CARRY ON CAMPING was trimmed by the BBFC on its original release; ironically, it ended up being the highest grossing film of the year in the U.K.! Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 4: Carry on Abroad (1972) - IMDb IMDb 18 January 2017 6:08 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A group of holidaymakers head for the Spanish resort of Elsbels for a 4-day visit.

When they get there, they find the Hotel still hasn't been finished being built, and the weather is awful.... See full summary » Director: a list of 22 titles created 29 May 2012 a list of 33 titles created 04 Jan 2013 a list of 33 titles created 24 Feb 2014 a list of 31 titles created 28 Jun 2014 a list of 30 titles created 8 months ago Title: Carry on Abroad (1972) 6.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A gang of thieves plan to make their fortune by stealing a shipment of contraceptive pills from Finisham maternity hospital. They assume disguises and infiltrate the hospital, but ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas This is the tale of industrial strife at WC Boggs' Lavatory factory. Vic Spanner is the union representative who calls a strike at the drop of a hat; eventually everyone has to get fed up ...

See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Dr Nookey is disgraced and sent to a remote island hospital. He is given a secret slimming potion by a member of staff, Gladstone Screwer, and he flies back to England to fame and fortune. ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas The Wedded Bliss computer dating agency aims to bring together the lonely hearts of Much-Snoggin-in-the-Green. Its owner, Sidney Bliss, has enough complications in his own love life, but ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Dick Turpin is terrorising the countryside around Upper Dencher. Captain Fancey and Sergeant Jock Strapp plan to put an end to his escapades, and enlist the help of the Reverend Flasher. ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Henry VIII has just married Marie of Normandy, and is eager to consummate their marriage. Unfortunately for Henry, she is always eating garlic, and refuses to stop. Deciding to get rid of ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas The popular Dr Kilmore is sacked after being discovered in a compromising position on the roof of the nurses' home. The patients are determined not to lose him, and so take on the might of ...

See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Sid and Bernie keep having their amorous intentions snubbed by their girlfriends Joan and Anthea. The boys suggest a camping holiday, secretly intending to take them to a nudist camp. Of ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Local councillor Sidney Fiddler persuades the Mayor to help improve the image of their rundown seaside town by holding a beauty contest. But formidable Councillor Prodworthy, head of the ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond looks after the British outpost near the Khybar pass. Protected by the kilted Third Foot and Mouth regiment, you would think they were safe. But the Khazi of Kalabar... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Professors Vooshka and Crump decide to visit an archaeological site to study the artifacts there. Lo and behold, it's right next to a caravan site where all manner of people are staying. ... See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas The Carry On team send up the Tarzan tradition in great style. Lady Evelyn Bagley mounts an expedition to find her long-lost baby. Bill Boosey is the fearless hunter and guide. Prof. Tinkle...

See full summary » Director: Gerald Thomas Edit Storyline A group of holidaymakers head for the Spanish resort of Elsbels for a 4-day visit. When they get there, they find the Hotel still hasn't been finished being built, and the weather is awful. And there is something strange about the staff. They all look very similar. To top it all off, the weather seems to be having an adverse affect on the Hotel's foundations... Written by Simon N. McIntosh-Smith <Simon.N.Smith@cs.cf.ac.uk> The holiday of a Laugh-time! Genres: 8 December 1973 (USA) See more » Also Known As: A Mad Holiday! See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia The car park at Pinewood Studios was covered in sand to portray the Spanish resort of Elsbels. See more » Goofs As Pepe runs into the office behind the reception desk (as he goes to get changed into the porters uniforms) there is a clock and some wall decoration above the door to the office. He then goes out to greet the guests and the wall decoration has gone.

See more » Quotes Second Policeman : [huge amounts of food arrive for the prisoners in the Spanish jail after Moira Plunkett sweet talks the Chief of Police] With the compliments of the Chief of Police... Technical Advisor - SUN TAN LO TION See more » Connections (United States) – See all my reviews This is a fun farce from the Carry On crowd. In this film, the group go on holiday to a place called Elsbels. The resort they stay in, The Palace Hotel, is not quite finished, which is part of the fun. There are shared baths (literally) and strange things happen when you turn on the faucet etc. So, the film relies on sight gags, double entendres and one liners and guess what? It succeeds. The young ladies in this film look great, like Sally Geeson, Gail Grainger and the bubbly, buxom Barbara Windsor. The men, who are lechers, repressed, undersexed (and so on) are fun to watch also. The movie is politically incorrect, which given the time makes sense, but its refreshing to watch today because of it. If you've seen other Carry On films, you know what you're getting.

With the ladies here, you're seeing a bit more than usual. This is a consistently fun film, so enjoy. 3 of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes

Question: Which of the Carry On films was set in an establishment called Paradise ?
Answer: CAMPING