''Carry On Constable'' is a 1960

British comedy In film, television, and radio, British comedy has produced some of the most renowned characters in the world. In it, satire is one of the features of British comedy. Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively hosted on the BBC. History ...

film, the fourth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released in February 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor,

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was a British actor and comedian. 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 ''Carry ...

, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, and Hattie Jacques. Sid James (who would later appear in the ITV sitcom '' Bless This House'') makes his debut in the series here, while early regulars

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

Eric Barker Eric Leslie Barker (12 February 1912 – 1 June 1990) was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British '' Carry On'' films, although he appeared only in the early films in the series, apart from returning ...

, and Shirley Eaton also turn up, although Phillips did not appear again in the series for 32 years. It was the first ''"Carry On..."'' film to include some nudity with Connor, Hawtrey, Williams, and Phillips baring their behinds during a shower scene. The film was followed by ''

Carry On Regardless ''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hand', run by Sid James's character, Bert Handy ...

'' (1961).

Plot

A suburban police station is understaffed due to a flu epidemic, and Sergeant Wilkins, under pressure to maintain staffing levels, is pleased to hear that three new recruits, fresh out of training school, are due shortly. On their way into the station, the three policemen inadvertently assist some bank robbers into their getaway car, and are embarrassed when they learn the truth. The new constables are self-proclaimed intellectual and amateur psychologist PC Stanley Benson, former socially well-connected playboy and cad PC Tom Potter, and extremely superstitious PC Charles Constable. The arrival of WPC Gloria Passworthy, with whom Constable falls in love, and Special Constable Timothy Gorse completes the roster. Out on the beat, the new constables try hard, but are less than successful. Benson nearly arrests a plainclothes detective, and Constable believes he has heard a murder being committed, but it turns out to be a radio play. Potter investigates a report of an intruder, but finds a young woman in the bath and engages in a civil conversation with her about her recently broken relationship. Gorse, tasked to patrol with a police dog, is unable to control it. With their careers on the line, they double down and have better luck when a wages robbery takes place. Benson and Potter locate the getaway car (a Plymouth Cambridge), and all four engage in a confrontation with the thieves, arresting them and recovering the money. Commended for his efficiency and excellent results, Inspector Mills is promoted to a training position and Wilkins is promoted to replace him. Charlie Constable gets his girl (with a little help from Sgt. Moon) and stops being superstitious.

Cast

* Sid James as

Station sergeant Station sergeant (also known as crown sergeant, senior sergeant or staff sergeant) is a police rank senior to sergeant and junior to inspector in some British and Commonwealth police forces. The rank insignia is usually a sergeant's three chevrons ...

Frank Wilkins *

as Inspector Mills * Kenneth Connor as Constable Charlie Constable * Charles Hawtrey as Special Constable Timothy Gorse *

as PC Stanley Benson *

as PC Tom Potter * Joan Sims as WPC Gloria Passworthy * Hattie Jacques as Sergeant Laura Moon * Shirley Eaton as Sally Barry *

Cyril Chamberlain Cyril Chamberlain (8 March 1909 – 30 April 1974) was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early '' Carry On'', '' Doctor'' and '' St. Trinian's'' films. Chamberlain's first film appearance was in the 1936 Mich ...

as PC Thurston *

Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series '' Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number of ...

as Mrs May *

Irene Handl Irene Handl () (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Aus ...

as Distraught Mother * Terence Longdon as Herbert Hall * Jill Adams as WPC Harrison *

Freddie Mills Frederick Percival Mills (26 June 1919 – 25 July 1965) was an English boxer, and the world light heavyweight champion from 1948 to 1950. Mills was tall and did not have a sophisticated boxing style; he relied on two-fisted aggression, relen ...

as Jewel thief *

Brian Oulton Brian Oulton (11 February 1908 – 13 April 1992) was an English character actor. Biography Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, Oulton made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor. During the Second World War he served in the British Army, and retu ...

as Store manager * Victor Maddern as Detective Sergeant Liddell *

Esma Cannon Esma Ellen Charlotte Littmann (''née'' Cannon; 27 December 1905 – 18 October 1972), credited as Esme or Esma Cannon, was an Australian-born character actress who moved to Britain in the early 1930s. Although she frequently appeared on televis ...

as Deaf old lady * Hilda Fenemore as Agitated woman * Lucy Griffiths as Miss Horton * Noel Dyson as Vague woman * Dorinda Stevens as Young Woman

Crew

*Screenplay –

Peter Rogers Peter Rogers (20 February 1914 – 14 April 2009) was an English film producer. He is best known for creating the ''Carry On'' series of films. Life and career Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper, before graduat ...

& Norman Hudis *Story – Norman Hudis *Idea – Brock Williams *Music – Bruce Montgomery *Art Director – Carmen Dillon *Director of Photography – Ted Scaife *Editor –

John Shirley John Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of horror, fantasy, science fiction, noir fiction, westerns, and songwriting. He has also written one historical novel, a western about Wyatt Earp, ''Wyatt in Wichita'', and ...

*Production Manager – Frank Bevis *Camera Operator – Alan Hume *Assistant Director – Peter Manley *Sound Editor – Leslie Wiggins *Sound Recordists – Robert T MacPhee & Bill Daniels *Continuity – Joan Davis *Make-up – George Blackler *Hairdressing – Stella Rivers *Dress Designer – Yvonne Caffin *Set Dressing – Vernon Dixon *Casting Director – Betty White *Producer –

*Director –

Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director best known for the long-running ''Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' series'' of British film comedies. Early life Born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding ...

Role of Sergeant Wilkins

Initially, the role of Sergeant Wilkins was intended for Ted Ray following his work on the previous film '' Carry On Teacher''. However, Ray was contracted to ABC (despite being unused by them), who distributed the ''Carry On'' films to cinemas. Unhappy seeing one of their contracted actors in a rival production, they threatened to stop distribution, so

reluctantly dropped him from the films and replaced him with Sid James, thus beginning James's 19-film long membership on the ''Carry On'' team.

Filming and locations

*Filming dates – 9 November-18 December 1959 Interiors: *

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, Buckinghamshire Exteriors: * The streets of

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

, London The exterior of the police station is Hanwell Library, Cherrington Road, W7. Other scenes were filmed along the

parade of shops A shopping parade, also known as a parade of shops, suburban parade, neighbourhood parade, or just a simply a parade is a group of between five and 40 shops in one or more continuous rows, mostly being retail and serving a local customer base; in ...

on The Avenue in

West Ealing West Ealing is a district in the London Borough of Ealing, in West London. The district is about west of Ealing, Ealing Broadway. Although there is a long history of settlement in the area, West Ealing in its present form is less than one hundre ...

, W13, with the Drayton Court Hotel visible in many scenes. The Royal Mail Sorting Office in Manor Road and the railway footbridge over the GWR out of West Ealing is also seen as still standing today. Other scenes were filmed on and around St Mary's Road (including St Mary's Church) and the surrounding streets, Ealing W5. The store used was F.H. Rowse department store. The building was demolished in the early 1980s and was situated on the junction of Green Man Lane and Uxbridge Road in Ealing.

Release

The fourth film in the classic British comedy film series, ''Carry On Constable'' premiered at London's Plaza cinema on 25 February 1960.

Reception

Box office

It was the third most popular film at the British box office in 1960, after '' Doctor in Love'' and ''Sink the Bismarck!''.

Critical

'' Variety'' wrote, "At times it seems that the team is hard put to it to keep up the laughter pressure but, all in all, this achieves its objective of providing harmless merriment." Geoffrey M. Warren of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' noted, "Most of the gags are visual in the tradition of

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

, the Marx Bros. and others, though no individual performer is of this caliber of comic performer." He went on, though, to praise director

for having "accomplished a remarkable amount of good cinema here. The situations are worked to perfection and always held within the limits of the possible, if just barely." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote, "The 'Carry On' series looks like becoming an anthology of all the slap-and-tickle music-hall jokes that have ever been cracked. The laughter here centres on dropped trousers, ample bosoms, innuendo, female impersonation, lingerie and male nudity. Out of this frayed material a little comedy is coaxed by the familiar cast as they grapple with the random situations that pass for a plot."

Bibliography

* * * * *''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'' by Simon Sheridan (third edition) (2007) (Reynolds & Hearn Books) * * * * *

References

External links

* *
''Carry On Constable'' at BFI Screenonline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carry On Constable 1960 films Carry On films 1960s English-language films British crime comedy films British black-and-white films Films directed by Gerald Thomas 1960s crime comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Peter Rogers Films with screenplays by Norman Hudis 1960 comedy films 1960s British films English-language crime comedy films