''Carry On Screaming!'' is a 1966

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

horror film, the twelfth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was the last of the series to be made by

Anglo-Amalgamated Anglo-Amalgamated Productions was a British film production company, run by Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy, which operated from 1945 until roughly 1971 (after which it was absorbed into EMI Films). Low-budget and second features, often produced at M ...

before the series moved to

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

. Of the regular cast, it features

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

, Charles Hawtrey,

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

, Bernard Bresslaw and

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

. It also features

Harry H. Corbett Harry H. Corbett OBE (28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor and comedian, best remembered for playing rag-and-bone man Harold Steptoe alongside Wilfrid Brambell in the long-running BBC television sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'' ( ...

in his only series appearance and

Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding, OBE (born Fenella Marion Feldman; 17 November 1927 – 11 September 2018) was an English stage, film and television actress who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and was often referred to as "England's first lad ...

making her second and final appearance.

Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born 29 October 1940), born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory comp ...

makes the second of her four Carry On appearances. ''Carry On Screaming'' is a parody of the Hammer horror films, which were also popular at the time.

Plot

The film opens in the

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victor ...

in Hocombe Woods, where Doris Mann (

) and Albert Potter (

) are courting. When Albert searches the woods for a

peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

, Doris is abducted by a monster named Oddbod ( Tom Clegg), which leaves a finger behind. Albert, finding the finger, rushes to the police station and reports the matter to Detective Constable Slobotham (

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

), who in turn tells his superior, the henpecked Detective Sergeant Sidney Bung (

), who has been investigating similar disappearances in the same woods. After searching the woods for further clues, the group stumble across the eerie Bide-A-Wee Rest Home, and are shown to the sitting-room by the butler, Sockett ( Bernard Bresslaw – a not dissimilar character to Lurch in ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

''). Sockett informs the mistress of the house, the seductive Valeria (

), of their presence, and she in turn awakens her electrically charged brother, Dr. Orlando Watt (

). Dr. Watt speaks to the three men, who are frightened from the house when Dr. Watt vanishes and re-appears when his electrical charge runs down. The next day, Bung, Slobotham and Potter interview Dan Dann ( Charles Hawtrey), a lavatory attendant who once worked at Bide-A-Wee as a gardener, but Dann is silenced by Oddbod before he can reveal anything. Meanwhile, the police scientist ( Jon Pertwee) accidentally creates a second creature—Oddbod Junior (Billy Cornelius)—when subjecting Oddbod's finger to an electrical charge. After killing the scientist, Oddbod Junior makes his way to the mansion, where Valeria and Watt are turning people into mannequins (in the manner of '' House of Wax'') to sell. Bung arrives at the house to investigate Dann's death, but becomes infatuated with Valeria instead. The next day, Potter discovers Doris—in mannequin form—in a milliner's shop but no proof can be found that it really is Doris. Bung returns to the house and discovers evidence that links Valeria and Watt to the mannequin but remains oblivious. Believing him to be on their scent, Valeria and Watt use a potion to turn Bung into

Mr. Hyde Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...

and order him to steal the mannequin for them. After recovering the next day, Bung and Slobotham decide to set a trap in Hocombe Woods, with Slobotham disguised as a woman for bait. Bung's sharp-tongued wife Emily (

) follows, thinking Bung to be having an affair, and is captured by Oddbod Junior while Slobotham is captured by Oddbod. Bung, now teamed up with Potter, makes his way to the house whilst following their footprints. After failing to dispose of Bung and Potter with a snake, the Oddbods are dispatched to deal with them. Bung and Potter are reunited with Slobotham and manage to return Doris to human form, but discover that Emily has been turned into a mannequin. A battle follows, in which Albert (in Mr. Hyde form) defeats the Oddbods. Dr. Watt menaces them with petrifying liquid but is threatened by the re-animated mummy of Rubbatiti, which has come alive following a lightning strike. Rubbatiti and Watt fall into a boiling vat in the cellar, killing them both. Albert and Doris marry some time later, only to discover that Bung, whose home lacks electricity, is unable to return his wife to human form, and is now living with Valeria.

Production

Production of the film ran from 10 January 1966 to 25 February 1966; it was filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. ''Carry On Screaming'' was the second film in the series to have a sung main title theme. The theme song "Carry On Screaming" (film version only) was credited as "Anon" and was thought to have been sung by

, who appears in the film. The singer is actually

Ray Pilgrim Ray Pilgrim (born 1936 in London, England) was one of the most prolific big band singers, radio broadcasters, recording and session singers in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Music career He recorded mainly for UK's Embass ...

, a session singer who sang for the

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

label. A vinyl 45 rpm version of the song was also released in 1966 (Columbia DB 7972) by vocalist

Boz Burrell Raymond "Boz" Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for his singing with King Crimson (1971–1972) and bass playing in Bad Company (1973–1982, 1998� ...

, before he became bassist for the bands

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

and

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...

. In the 2005 album ''What a Carry On'', the theme was sung by

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

, with the

Royal Ballet Sinfonia The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House and on ...

conducted by Gavin Sutherland. Deborah Kerr was initially offered the role of Valeria, but declined. The character is frequently referred to as a vampire, despite the film never stating her to be. Rather, she is more a parody of

Morticia Addams Morticia Addams (née Frump) is a fictional character from the '' Addams Family'' multimedia franchise created by American Charles Addams in 1933. She plays the role of the family's reserved matriarch. Morticia Addams has been portrayed in seve ...

. The character of Orlando Watt was initially written as Valeria's father. This was changed at the request of actor Kenneth Williams, who wanted to play his own age (39), so that Orlando and Valeria are brother and sister in the finished version. Charles Hawtrey was added to the cast at the eleventh hour, after American distributors specifically requested him, as he was such a hit and crowd-pleaser with audiences there. He replaced

Sydney Bromley Sidney Charles Bromley (24 July 1909 – 14 August 1987GRO Register of Deaths: AUG 1987 18 2293 WORTHING - Sydney Charles Bromley DoB = 24 Jul 1909 aged 78), credited as Sydney Bromley, was an English character actor. He appeared in more than si ...

in the role of Dan Dann, in what would have been a minor role in the film. Hawtrey thereby has the unique distinction of being the only actor to have a leading credit in a Carry On for less than five minutes' screen time.

replaced

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

, due to being committed to appearing as one of the robbers in the pantomime "Babes in the Wood "at the London Palladium, which ran until June 1966.

Cast

as Detective Sergeant Sidney Bung *

as Dr Orlando Watt *

as Albert Potter * Charles Hawtrey as Dan Dann *

as Valeria Watt *

as Emily Bung *

as Doris Mann * Bernard Bresslaw as Sockett *

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

as Detective Constable Slobotham * Jon Pertwee as Doctor Fettle * Michael Ward as Mr Vivian * Tom Clegg as Oddbod * Billy Cornelius as Oddbod Junior *

Norman Mitchell Norman Mitchell Driver (27 August 1918 – 19 March 2001), known professionally as Norman Mitchell, was an English television, stage and film actor. Born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, his father was a mining engineer and his mother a ...

as Cabby *

Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in ''Are You Being Served?'' and its sequel ''Grace & Favour'' (''Are You Being Served? ...

as Mr Jones *

Frank Forsyth Frank Forsyth (19 December 1905 – 2 May 1984), sometimes credited as Frank Forsythe, was an English actor, active from the 1930s. He was born on 19 December 1905 in London, England. He appeared in several TV programmes, including '' Department ...

as Desk Sergeant *

Anthony Sagar Anthony Sagar (19 June 1920 – 24 January 1973) was an English character actor and a member of the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre. He was prolific screen performer and appeared in many films (including seven of the ''Carry On (franchi ...

as Policeman *

Sally Douglas Sally Douglas (30 November 1941 – 1 September 2001) was a British supporting actress of the 1960s and 1970s. She died in September 2001 at the age of 59 from cancer. She appeared in many notable films and television series. Comedy film credi ...

as Girl *

Marianne Stone Marianne Stone (23 August 1922 – 21 December 2009) was an English character actress. She performed in films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, typically playing working class parts such as barmaids, secretaries and landladies. Stone appe ...

as Mrs Parker * Denis Blake as Rubbatiti *

Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director, best known for the long-running '' Carry On'' series of British film comedies. Biography Born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, Thomas was educated i ...

as Voice of Oddbod Junior (uncredited)

Filming and locations

* Filming dates: 10 January – 25 February 1966 Interiors: * Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire Exteriors: *

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, Berkshire *

Fulmer Fulmer is a village and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England. The village has along most of its northern border a narrow green buffer from Gerrards Cross and is heavily wooded adjoining neighbouring villages of Iver Heath and Wexham. ...

, Buckinghamshire

References

Sources

* *

External links

* *
''Carry On Screaming''
at The Whippit Inn * * *

{{Gerald Thomas 1966 films 1966 horror films 1960s historical comedy films 1960s comedy horror films 1960s parody films British comedy horror films British historical horror films British parody films 1960s English-language films Screaming! British detective films Films directed by Gerald Thomas Films produced by Peter Rogers Films set in the 1900s Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in Berkshire Films shot in Buckinghamshire British haunted house films Mannequins in films Police detective films Films with screenplays by Talbot Rothwell 1960s historical horror films 1966 comedy films 1960s British films