Tuesday 27 March 2007

Carry On Flogging.


'My intimate friends call me Ding Dong.'
'I'd like to give you a clang some time.'
Joan and Sid exchange in '...Cowboy'

I was rather disappointed to see that on Ebay someone is selling a signed letter and photograph that they received from Kenneth Williams when they were a child. If this person has fallen on hard times then it is just about forgivable, but if they are just trying to make a quick buck then I find it reproachable. This is such a special and unique momento that if I were the fortunate recipient then there is no way I could part with it. I see this sale as a further inditement of the society we now live in. A society where everything has a price and this in turn leads to making everything worthless. Only a couple of months ago this individual was on an online forum saying how precious this keepsake was to her (it was definitely the same person because she included a link to a photo of the letter in the post.) Oh yes, it was such a precious keepsake that she's now flogging it to the highest bidder! Shame on you.

Sunday 18 March 2007

Stop Messin' About Website.


'My brother...the count'
Joan Sims in '...Don't Lose Your Head'

Does anyone know anything about what's happened to the Kenneth Williams dedicated website www.stopmessinabout.co.uk ? It seems to have disappeared. I was often on it and frequently posted on it too. It was up and running about a fortnight ago but then just disappeared. It'll be a sad loss if it's really gone forever.

Tuesday 13 March 2007

Carry On Polling.


First Man: I can't wait to get home and tear off my wife's knickers..
Second Man: Why?
First Man: They're too tight for me.

A joke of Hattie Jacques.

In response to the request (see comment regarding the post below this one) for a poll of favourite Carry On films I will set the ball rolling. To pick just one Carry On as a favourite is a somewhat daunting task. With the exception of '...England' and '...Columbus' there are parts in all of them that I enjoy. I know that in such polls '...up the Khyber' and '...Cleo' tend to come out at the top, however I've never been one to 'go with the flow', so I'm going to stick my neck out here. I suppose that the definition of 'favourite' is something that you come back to time and time again, something you select most frequently from a number of options. With this in mind I would have to say that my 'favourite' Carry On film is................ '...Abroad'. I can't quite put my finger on why I like it so much. Maybe it's because it was the last one to feature all the 'regulars' - it was Charles Hawtrey's last one (allegedly due to his escalating alcoholism.) Maybe it's because it is set in foreign climes, I tend to enjoy films and tv shows that feature Brits abroad. Maybe it's for the 'clunky' editing (note Sid and Joan's 'you rotten filthy beast' scene in the pub, where it's most obvious.) Maybe it's because I have warm (but somewhat hazy) memories of rolling in from the pub when I was at university and habitually putting on '...Abroad' whilst having tea and toast. Maybe it's none of these reasons. All I know is that I like it very much. All of my friends have been subjected at one time or another to watching it whilst I say the lines just before the actors do - terribly annoying for them :-) . So, that's my favourite - what's yours?

Sunday 11 March 2007

Innuendo Heaven.

'Have you got a large one?'
'I've had no complaints.'
Barbara Windsor asks Sid James in '...Abroad'

I'm soon going to be launching a range of innuendo laden t-shirts. If you have a funny piece of innuendo which could go with a very ordinary looking photograph then let me know and I'll see what I can knock up. One of my examples is a photo of a wet cat with the tagline 'her pussy had never been so wet before'. It's all in your filthy mind - it's just a wet cat! :-) Anyway, you get the idea.

Friday 2 March 2007

Don't Carry On.




''We've been treated like shit here this morning''
Barbara Windsor to Kenneth Williams during the filming of '...Camping'

Every so often we hear a rumour that there will be another Carry On film. Carry On London is the title which keeps popping up. It's on, it's off, on again, off again. My advice is to leave well enough alone. Was nothing learnt from the appalling '...Columbus'?

Jim Dale, June Whitfield, Leslie Phillips and Jack Douglas have all commented that it was a mistake and that perhaps they regret their involvement. It would seem that it's impossible to recreate the Carry On formula in these times. There can never be another Sid, Hattie, Joan, Charlie or Kenneth and it seems futile to try and do this. Also, we live in a world where political correctness has gone beserk and the Carry on humour is deeply rooted in being incorrect.

I think that the Carry Ons should be left where they are. I'm a great believer in the expression 'if it's not broken, don't fix it.' I adore the Carry On films but don't want to see a dead horse flogged. Let us remember these films as they were - period pieces. Humour has become much less 'nudge nudge wink wink' and blatant innuendo does not translate well to the Carry On genre. It seems to be that whenever something popular and long-running is resurrected it is either doomed to failure or proves to be a disappointing and flimsy offering.

If Carry On London ever gets made then I wish all concerned the very best of British, they're going to jolly well need it!
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