Carry On Sergeant was the first film in back 1958 which at the time starred Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques who went on to star in many of the follow up films. Many of the other prominent and most famous faces in various other films were, Sid James, and Bernard Bresslaw ( see list below for full list of others actors).
The Cast varied slightly with each film, but the acting greats are what the films are remembered for. Kenneth Williams' "Ooh, matron", Sid James' dirty laugh, and Barbara Windsor's giggle will forever be associated with these movies, not forgetting Charles Hawtrey's hilarious entrances in each film, always accompanied by his signature: "Oh, hello!".
The films were produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas. Norman Hudis wrote the screenplays for the first six films then Talbot Rothwell went on to take over with the next 20 films, at the height of the series' success. Dave Freeman wrote the screenplays for Carry On Behind and Columbus. David Pursall and Jack Seddon wrote England , Tony Church for That's Carry On, and the Emmannuelle screenplay was written by Lance Peters.
Bernard Bresslaw
Peter Butterworth
Esma Cannon
Cyril Chamberlain
Kenneth Connor
Harry H. Corbett
Bernard Cribbins
Jim Dale
Windsor Davies
Angela Douglas
Jack Douglas
Sally Douglas
Fenella Fielding
Liz Fraser
Dave Freeman
Sally Geeson
Peter Gilmore
Angela Grant
Charles Hawtrey
Frankie Howerd
Hattie Jacques
Sid James
Dilys Laye
Bob Monkhouse
Bill Owen
Leslie Phillips
Jacki Piper
Terry Scott
Joan Sims
June Whitfield
Kenneth Williams
Barbara Windsor
Stage Shows
The Carry On stage shows were music-hall type shows with comic sketches, song and dance routines and variety acts. They included many of the regulars of the team and highlights of Carry On London could be seen in the TV special What a Carry On!
Carry On London (1973-75)
Carry On Laughing (1976)
Television Series: Carry On Laughing (1975)
The Carry On Laughing series was a collection of 30 minute programmes filled with all the humour you'd expect from a feature length film. The cast was made up of many of the regulars. You can find some Carry On Laughing episodes as extra features on the special edition DVDs.
The Prisoner of Spenda
The Nine Old Cobblers
The Case of the Coughing Parrott
Who Needs Kichener?
The Sobbing Cavalier
One in the Eye for Harold
The Baron Outlook
The Case of the Screaming Wrinkles
Lamp Posts of the Empire
Under the Round Table
Short Knight, Long Daze
And in my Lady's Chamber
Orgy & Bess
TV Specials:
Some of the TV specials can be found on VHS by some eagle eyed viewers!
Carry On Christmas (1969)
Carry On Again Christmas (1970)
Carry On Christmas (Carry On Stuffing) (1972)
What a Carry On! (1973)
Carry On Christmas (1973)
Carry On Laughing's Christmas Classics (1983)
The Films:
Everyone has a favourite Carry On film, whether it be the gentle humour of Sergeant, the slapstick of Cleo or the cheekiness of Camping. They began almost half a century ago in 1958 with Carry On Sergeant, and ended some 30 films later in 1992 with Carry On Columbus. There is talk of a 32nd film, Carry On London, taking place in the next couple of years, and the Carry On fans are split down the middle with some excited to see the series reinstated, and some wishing the Carry On series be laid to rest with Columbus (or, ideally, a couple of films before!).
The Carry Ons are filled with English postcard humour, slapstick, and are as innuendo filled as an actress and a bishop eating a meal of meat and two veg. There is enough falling down for the kids, great one liners for the parents, and cheeky chappy rudeness for the gran to make these films a must for any family.
The films were set in numerous locations and timepoints, but the ones set in hospitals are some of the most popular of the series. Hattie Jacques was the archetypal matron, with Kenneth Williams her partner in crime as the snooty doctor. Jim Dale took the lead roles as the doctor in question in Carry on Doctor and Carry on Again Doctor, and Barbara Windsor sent blood pressures soaring as nurses in both Doctor and Carry on Matron.
Other popular films in the series are Carry On Screaming, Carry on Cabby, Carry On Camping, Carry on Up the Jungle, Carry On Up the Khyber, and Carry On Cleo, which includes perhaps the most famous of Carry On lines: Kenneth Williams as Caesar "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" (which doesn't quite work as well when read, but never the less it's still classic).
With age, the Carry Ons did lose some of their sparkle. They began gently in 1958, and when they began to be made in colour they, well, began to be more 'colourful'. The scripts got that bit more cheeky, and slapstick became the norm, and it was during this period (Camping, Doctor) that the films were at their peak. In the mid seventies the films took a bit of a turn, and many people think that perhaps they should have stopped after Carry on Behind in 1975. After Sid James died in 1976 (his last Carry On was Dick in 1974), many of the cast stopped appearing and because the cast was primarily what made these films so brilliant, the films after Dick lacked lustre. After Emmannuelle in 1978, the production stopped.
In 1992, the 31st Carry On film was made, and Jim Dale donned his Carry On hat once again for the title role as Columbus was released. Out of the cast for this film, Jim Dale was one of seven who had been in any of the 'original' films. Columbus on paper should have been a success - it included the cream of the British comedy crop, such as Rik Mayall, Julian Clary, Martin Clunes, and Richard Wilson. It was not a broad success, however, and many say it is not a true Carry On.
The talk of Carry On London in 2006 has split fans of the series. Will it be brilliant? Will it be a Columbus-shaped disaster? Will it even be made? Who knows. Reports of casting problems as well as location problems don't look too promising. Watch this space!
Whatever the future holds for the Carry On series, the films will always be remembered for the silly antics that they were, and they will be remembered with fondness for many years to come.