The Carry On films

[Ignatius_S]

Sorry have meant to post more and will do soon. In the meantime...

Someone texted me a link to a review of a one-man show that Jim Dale is currently performing – Just Jim Dale, which covers about 60 years of performing in 90 minutes and it's been getting excellent reviews.

Prior to the show, Dale did a number of try-outs, which has meant some of his career has been left out as the show evolved. Because the Carry On films aren't that well known over in the States, Dale's dropped them from the performance. Intriguing to think that over here, that's what he's most associated with, whilst his American career would be less recognised.

In one interview for the show, I rather liked this story about how he got the Harry Potter audiobook gig:

"When they were looking for someone to be the narrator, they obviously needed someone who could do voices," Mr. Dale said, offering some details not included in his show. An employee of the audiobook company mentioned that an English actor named Jim Dale was part of a four-person cast playing 33 characters in a production of "Travels With My Aunt" at a theater in Greenwich Village, and the reaction, understandably, was "wow." Mr. Dale was booked, the contract signed. Only then did the head of the company ask how many of those characters he played in the production. "And I said, 'Oh, just the aunt and the nephew.'
http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-cultural-conversation-with-jim-dale-1403044388

Here's one of the reviews of the show: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/theater/just-jim-dale-says-it-all-and-does-it-all.html?_r=1#

[neveragain]

Those Carry On Christmas specials are a mixed bag. The best is the first one, which has Frankie Howerd guest starring and stealing the show. But as Ignatius_S says, there are some extremely dodgy gags in the later ones, like Santa Sid leching over Barbara Windsor's schoolgirl, or a version of Aladdin with rape gags thrown in.

Watched them both on holiday at a colleague's apartment in Portugal, when the 'free with the Sunday Whatever' DVDs just happened to be lying next to the DVD player. And I don't mention the fact I was in Portugal as some sort of pathetic boast, merely to set the scene that it was incredibly odd watching this low-rent Christmassy Britishness in an unfamiliar hot climate, supping almond liqueur. And the rape gags were shockingly out of place, although sadly I can't remember any now.

[Custard]

I laugh each and every time I catch Camping on the telly. It's just fantastically throwaway, daft family fun.

Caught Doctor the other week, and that's pretty decent too. Though Williams playing a blokey bloke, with attempts at doing a deep blokey voice was a bit distracting. "Fanx doctarr mate"

Where do people stand on the Confessions films? I have 2 on DVD somewhere, and though they are a lot smuttier than Carry On, they also make me laff in occasion. Mostly the bits with Robin Askwith falling through windows an the like. Tony Booth is good in them too, though with limited screentime. And his wife's family, featuring Greengrass from Heartbeat as the dad. What a great comedic actor that bloke was

[Custard]

BTW, that Charles Hawtrey interview posted earlier is incredibly awkward, and tough to watch, isn't it? Utterly cringeworthy

Was he always like that off screen? Looked like he was completely mullered. And that hair. Surely a rug? Looked like you could blow it off with a whistle

Found that a bit depressing, honestly. He came across more like an old drunk they had found on a pavement somewhere. No wonder Williams found him repulsive to work with, if he ever rolled up to the set in that state

[another Mr. Lizard]

Where do people stand on the Confessions films? I have 2 on DVD somewhere, and though they are a lot smuttier than Carry On, they also make me laff in occasion. Mostly the bits with Robin Askwith falling through windows an the like. Tony Booth is good in them too, though with limited screentime. And his wife's family, featuring Greengrass from Heartbeat as the dad. What a great comedic actor that bloke was

I'm a huge fan, especially of CONFESSIONS OF A POP PERFORMER. Me and a couple of mates even set up a website devoted to the movie's band, Kipper, some years ago. I've interviewed Robin Askwith twice in front of a live audience* and he's always great fun, although keen to talk about his times working with Lindsay Anderson and Pier Paolo Pasolini as much as the stuff he's better known for. Bill Maynard, as you say, often steals the CONFESSIONS flicks, whether it be turning up at home dressed in a gorilla suit, or looking at the bill of fare in an Italian restaurant and complaining that "the only English thing on the menu is spaghetti...". Peter Cleall's role as Nutter Normington in POP PERFORMER is the crowning glory of that underrated comedy star's career, as good/significant a performance as Malcolm McDowell in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE as far as I'm concerned. And where the Carry Ons tended to stick to a stock company, the joy of watching CONFESSIONS is that (as was the trend in the moth-eaten British cinema industry at the time) some surprising guests stars pop up from film to film (as cleverly parodied by the Fast Show when Arthur Atkinson cameoed in a 70s sex comedy).



*  here's another Mr. Lizard chatting to Askwith on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_WryjOBNk4

[Custard]

Ha, lovely stuff. Thanks for that

Askwith has lovely hair. Still got a bit of the Lidl Mick Jaggers about him

Look what you've done. Now I'm gonna have to dig out the films!

[lauraxsynthesis]

The least Right On thing I like. Kenny's my fave - the miserable, reactionary bastard. I'm surprised to find there are frequent events for Carry On fans organised by historian Robert Ross - is he on here?

This one is this weekend including some actresses who were dolly birds in the films back in the day and Jim Dale's son who it turns out was briefly in Columbus.
http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/2023/robert-ross-presents-oh-what-a-carry-on-or-carry-on-up-the-cinema-museum-iv/

I find myself torn between extreme comedy nerdness and wondering if Carry On fan events in the 2020s is a step too far even for me. HOWEVER, this academic conference next May looks amazing.

https://carryonconference.wordpress.com/

Rather pleased the films aren't just disappearing into total obscurity. Yet. I think the funniest for me is probably Matron.

[The Bumlord]

Was he always like that off screen? Looked like he was completely mullered. And that hair. Surely a rug? Looked like you could blow it off with a whistle

Yes, always wore a terrible wig and was a full blown alcoholic wreck.

[El Unicornio, mang]

BTW, that Charles Hawtrey interview posted earlier is incredibly awkward, and tough to watch, isn't it? Utterly cringeworthy

Was he always like that off screen? Looked like he was completely mullered. And that hair. Surely a rug? Looked like you could blow it off with a whistle

There are a couple of photos of him sans wig when his house caught fire

He next hit the headlines after his house caught fire on 5 August 1984. He had gone to bed with a 15-year-old rent boy and had left a cigarette burning on his sofa. Newspaper photographs from the time show a fireman leading an ill-looking, emotional, partially clothed and toupeeless Hawtrey to safety.

[The Bumlord]

And there he is!



No wig but cigs

[shiftwork2]

Hawtrey's permanently shitfaced character in Abroad (his last Carry On) was supposedly a reference to his fondness for the bottle.

I love an irascible bastard celebrity.  I really must get on and read his biography. It's by that Wes Butters bloke who was on Radio 1 and it's supposed to be quite good.

[Famous Mortimer]

His Wikipedia page has a very odd title - "Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)". Only way it makes sense is if there are multiple Charles Hawtreys, both actors (born any year) and other guys (born in 1914 also).

Seems weird to bump a 9 year old thread for this, but so be it. Are there no more recent Carry On threads on CaB?

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Hawtrey was vile off-screen, it seems.

[imitationleather]

Carry On films were my first serious obsession and red flag that I had autism.

[shiftwork2]

Hawtrey was vile off-screen, it seems.

What makes you think that?

It was claimed that on his deathbed he threw a vase at his nurse who asked for an autograph

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Carry On films were my first serious obsession and red flag that I had autism.

I enjoyed Carry on Neurodivergency.

[imitationleather]

Ugh. You're a revivalist.

[Mr Banlon]

Yes, always wore a terrible wig and was a full blown alcoholic wreck.

His last Carry On was 'Abroad' and he was such a pisshead by then they just made his character a pisshead because he was going to be pissed anyway.

[lauraxsynthesis]

His Wikipedia page has a very odd title - "Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)". Only way it makes sense is if there are multiple Charles Hawtreys, both actors (born any year) and other guys (born in 1914 also).

Seems weird to bump a 9 year old thread for this, but so be it. Are there no more recent Carry On threads on CaB?

There was a "What's the best Carry on?" from 2020 but that didn't seem general enough. My understanding is Barry likes us to not create new threads unnecessarily?

I should have a look at that 2010 Hawtrey bio. I've read Roger Lewis' The Man Who Was Private Widdle which was bleak stuff. The odd references to Hawtrey in All the Devils are Here by David Seabrook were fascinating.

[Gurke and Hare]

His Wikipedia page has a very odd title - "Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)". Only way it makes sense is if there are multiple Charles Hawtreys, both actors (born any year) and other guys (born in 1914 also).

There's another actor, born in 1858 so the year is used to distinguish between them.

I thought when this was revived they were maybe finally going to make Carry On London.

[Ignatius_S]

His Wikipedia page has a very odd title - "Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)". Only way it makes sense is if there are multiple Charles Hawtreys, both actors (born any year) and other guys (born in 1914 also).

There was another actor by that name - Sir Charles Hawtrey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hawtrey_(actor,_born_1858)) who was a hugely famous actor-manager - who Hawtrey took his stage name from. The Wikipedia entry of the younger Hawtrey says he "encouraged the suggestion that he was Hawtrey's son". From various stuff I've read, I think it was more a case that when people made that assumption (and a fair few did), he would not disabuse them of that idea.

[Ignatius_S]

There's another actor, born in 1858 so the year is used to distinguish between them.

I thought when this was revived they were maybe finally going to make Carry On London.

Beat me to it!

[Ignatius_S]

There was a "What's the best Carry on?" from 2020 but that didn't seem general enough. My understanding is Barry likes us to not create new threads unnecessarily?

I should have a look at that 2010 Hawtrey bio. I've read Roger Lewis' The Man Who Was Private Widdle which was bleak stuff. The odd references to Hawtrey in All the Devils are Here by David Seabrook were fascinating.

The 2010 one is out of print and pretty expensive. I haven't read it myself, but have been told it's a lot better that the Lewis one... not that that's a high bar!

[Ignatius_S]

His last Carry On was 'Abroad' and he was such a pisshead by then they just made his character a pisshead because he was going to be pissed anyway.

When he's appears to be asleep sunbathing, Hawtrey was actually method acting.

re: what others said about him being unpleasant - I think that really came out through a mixture of increasing alcholcism and bitterness about how his career has panned out.

[Ignatius_S]

There are a couple of photos of him sans wig when his house caught fire

I haven't read the book that account is from, but a friend said that it was very gossipy and found some of the claims impossible to substantiate and weren't sure whether the approach was out of the Kenneth Anger playbook - however, there was some interesting stuff.

[daf]

My favourite's Peter Butterworth - who was brought in as a replacement for Kenneth Connor in 1965 for Carry on Cowboy. Apparently his name was suggested by scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell who was in Stalag Luft III with Butterworth during the War (Butterworth was one of the vaulters covering for the escapers during the famous Wooden Horse escape attempt!)

I had thought they were never in a film together, but they're first paired in Henry, it's Connor only in the next one (Matron), and then they're together for the last six films - from Abroad to Emmannuelle.

[Ignatius_S]

My favourite's Peter Butterworth - who was brought in as a replacement for Kenneth Connor in 1965 for Carry on Cowboy. Apparently his name was suggested by scriptwriter Talbot Rothwell who was in Stalag Luft III with Butterworth during the War (Butterworth was one of the vaulters covering for the escapers during the famous Wooden Horse escape attempt!)

I had thought they were never in a film together, but they're first paired in Henry, it's Connor only in the next one (Matron), and then they're together for the last six films - from Abroad to Emmannuelle.

Yes - and reported to have been when trying to get a role in the film based on it, that he didn't look the part. Charming!

I don't know if you've seen it, but the This Is Your Life with him was on YouTube - really quite fascinating.

One of my favourite lines Butterworth has in the films, is in Kyber, when he is translating a rabble-rousing speech for the British soldiers - it's something like 'He's giving them - what we call in ecclesiastical circles - a load of old flannel.'

He's always great value for money and, by all accounts, an absolutely lovely bloke.

[The Bumlord]

Butterworth was one of the few Carry On men Kenneth Williams got on with.

Big Berny Bresslaw too.

[daf]

Yes - and reported to have been when trying to get a role in the film based on it, that he didn't look the part. Charming!

Haha classic!

He's always great value for money and, by all accounts, an absolutely lovely bloke.

Oh that's great to hear - that bit in Behind reminiscing with Joan Sims in the Caravan is still probably my favourite bit - I love her too! "(my brother, the count!")

[imitationleather]

Bresslaw went to the same school as me. And Richard Madeley. And Rylan.

#TheLads