Tuesday 30 January 2007

Review - The Kenneth Williams Diaries.

"Do you have to be doing those Carry Ons, couldn't you get into something better?"
Joan Sims' mum.

I've read the diaries three times now, and each time they leave me feeling sad. Kenneth Williams was something of a loner (which is of course well documented). He also loved being the centre of attention which presented something of a dichotomy for him. In the book we learn he was a hygiene freak, a prolific writer, a perfectionist, he liked a drink, he loved his mum, he was in turn polite and vitriolic to fans, he could be a wonderful friend , he craved peace and quiet, he was a snob, he was rude, he was funny, he was miserable - he was real!
From my readings of his diaries I've always taken away a dark feeling. He contemplated suicide often and had his stash of painkillers and various drugs for the execution of this. He was very unlucky in love and was afraid of sharing his ordered life with anyone. His sex life was plagued with problems. On the occasions he did 'indulge' in some jiggery pokery he always seemed to 'catch' something from his partner. He felt as if God didn't want him to have a sex life at all. He had a masochistic streak which is only just touched upon in the diaries. The diaries are heavily edited which is evident when comparing the back cover of the book (which has an example of a diary entry in his own hand) with the entry for the same day. Even with the editing we are still given quite a detailed insight into the mind of this sometimes deeply troubled man.
The diaries fiercely conflict with the public image we have of Kenneth Williams and I like him all the more for that.

Thursday 25 January 2007

Carry On Bouncing.

"Why is your bum so hard? Do you leave it out at night?
Fenella Fielding to Kenneth Willams during the filming of '...Screaming'.

I've always been slightly bewildered by the attention given over the years to Barbara Windsor's bust. Constant reference is made to it and Barbara herself perpetuates the 'myth' of her large assets. The fact is that she has never been more than averagely endowed in this department. She is of course by no means flat chested, but in all honesty there's not much there. Take a look at the overwhelming evidence. In the films where we do get a glimpse of her 'bits' it is obvious to all that she is only about average with regards to her natural 'gifts'. In ...Abroad', '...Henry', '...Dick', '...Again Doctor' and (of course most famously) in '...Camping' if you actually watch the 'reveal' closely you can see that she has 'nothing to write home about'. Peter Rogers or Gerald Thomas (I can't remember which) commented during the filming of '...Again Doctor' that the 'Bristol's Bouncing Baby Food' gag would have to go (although it stayed) when he saw Barbara topless. In the films we're relentlessly drawn to Barbara's bust "Ooh what a lovely lookin' pear/pair" et al, and I would imagine that that the public forever associate Barbara with her bosom.
But what is this association built on? Not reality, that's for sure. It's built on repetition, if you hear something often enough you start to believe it. If you are told time and time again that something is true then you eventually believe that it simply must be. You can find the word 'bra' twice in Barbara's name - I believe that she needs neither :-). I don't of course lie awake at night thinking about this, but it is always something that's astounded me (much in the same way people believing that Wendy Richard can act!!!) You may well be reading this and be tutting or mouthing words like heresy or sacrilege, if so then put your keyboard where your mouth is and let your thoughts be known.

Tuesday 23 January 2007

Review - High Spirits.

"I need a couple of valium before I come on the set with this woman!"
Frankie Howerd talking about Joan Sims (in a good way) regarding working with her on '...Doctor.'

Like many of her fellow 'Carry On' team Joan Sims was not adverse to the odd drink or ten and if she wasn't an alcoholic then she was about the closest you can get to one. She is not shy talking about this aspect of her life in the book. She never married, but was not without suitors. Like Kenneth Williams she lived alone (for many years just a few streets away from me in Fulham, although I was unaware of this until I read the book). She had a long career which is highlighted in the book, although the book takes the form of 'snippits' from her life in comparison to Kenneth Williams' diaries which of course offer a chronological view of his life. When this book was released I went to a bookshop on Oxford Street where Joan appeared and answered questions about her life and career before signing copies of it. She was absolutely delightful and had everybody in fits of laughter. She firmly remains my favourite 'Carry On' actor, mainly due to the different sorts of characters she played in the films. From the seductive 'Ding Dong' in '...Cowboy' through to the awful harridan wife in '...Cleo', she pulled each off (ooh err) faultlessly and seemingly effortlessly. The book is not as long as you might hope, but it is a real 'warts and all' look at this lovely lady's life.

Review - The Carry On Companion.

"Fakir...off"
Bernard Bresslaw in '...Up The Khyber.'

This is probably the most comprehensive of all the available 'Carry On' books. It details all of the 31 films and offers behind-the-scenes 'secrets' and a pretty exhaustive explanation of each film. You will learn interesting facts, figures and 'gossip' that is unavailable elsewhere. Before watching one of the films now I always refer to it first in 'The Companion' and watch out for certain things mentioned in the book. It gives you a new way to look at the films. I found it both informative and interesting. I highly recommend it.

Carry On Appealing.

"I like smutty jokes."
Kenneth Williams.

The appeal of 'Carry Ons' to me is many-fold. The simple (without being blatant) rudeness (except in later outings which were more 'in your face).' The familiarity of the actors who returned to the 'Carry On' fold time and time again. The sense of morality. If a character did actually manage to commit adultery they were always made 'to pay' and were eventually reconciled with their spouse. Adultery was however uncommon and although there was much teasing, flirting and temptations it was rarely brought to fruition. 'Carry Ons' were cosy and homely, teeming with caricatures, the lech, the harridan and the busty temptress for example. They evoked a time in England which only really half-existed. You know what you are going to get when you watch a 'Carry On', there aren't any surprises. They enable you to lie on the sofa, forget your troubles for 90 minutes and laugh at the ridiculous and contrived circumstances of the characters. there is an innate warmness to the 'Carry Ons' and as the series continued so did the audience's identification with the actors and the genre. This identification I feel is similar to the way people react to characters in soap operas, where a constant 'drip drip' of them into your living room results in caring about what happens to them.

My First Time.

"In front of the camera it's often terribly difficult not to react, because the scenes are so funny, if one person starts twitching at the mouth it can be enough to set everybody off"
Joan Sims.

It was a Sunday, I remember because we'd not long had a 'big dinner' and 'big dinners' only happened on Sundays. Also it was the middle of the afternoon and I wasn't at school so this backs up my Sunday theory. Saturdays were normally spent visiting one of my numerous relatives or shopping. This was my first memory of watching a 'Carry On'. 'Carry On' films were 'rude'. I knew as much from the way my Mum had previously disapproved of me watching one. However, on this day Mum was having a bit of a siesta and so I could watch what I pleased. The very fact that it was labelled 'rude' appealed greatly to me, for I wanted to know all there was to know of such things. I sat enthralled for an hour and a half. There were of course parts that went straight over my young head, but I still loved it. My appreciation of 'Carry Ons' began that day and even now I return to them again and again, laughing at the same bits or groaning in pleasure at some of the awful puns and double entendres. That first film was 'Carry On Camping'' and I was hooked!
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