Carry On Nurse/Carry On Sergeant

Rating:
Summary: The Very First Two Carry On Movies
Review: When Carry On Sergeant hit cinemas in 1958 nobody could have predicted how long the series was actually going to run. The very first Carry On film saw Peter Rogers as the producer and Gerald Thomas as the director (together they made all 31 Carry on films). A low budget farce, the film doesn't entireley encapsulate the feel of a typical Carry On film though gave mere hints of what was to come over the next 20 odd years. An army based comedy where strict, no-nonsense drill sergeant, William Hartnell (who was not a bit unlike his ferocious character in real life) attempts to train a bunch of eccentric, accident-prone young men into soldiers fit for fighting the war. Of course when you have the likes of Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Connor amongst the cast you pretty much can guess what happens. Several slap-stick mishaps raise a chuckle with the flamboyantly camp characterisations of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey causing the most amusement. The film does hold a surprisingly refreshing sentimental ending which was not untypical of 1950's British comedies. Amongst the rest of the cast is the delightful Hattie Jaques who is given a supporting role, Bob Monkhouse in his first and only Carry On (who also receives top billing), Leslie Phillips and the glamorous Shirley Eaton (a one-time Bond girl) who provides the sexual charisma that would later more famously be provided by Barbara Windsor. An entertaining first entry in the series.

Carry On Nurse saw the series hit the jackpot with this proving an enormous box office suucess in the U.S.A where it ran in some cinemas for an astounding 2 and a half years! Whilst some firmly regard this as one of the best of the entire series, it has to be said that this film has nothing on some of the later medical entries such as Doctor (1967) (even though that was a virtually an updated remake of Nurse), Again Doctor (1969) and Matron (71). The film develops at a leisurley pace and has no real back bone of a plot. Hattie Jaques plays the no-nonsense Matron which would become something of her trademark in the series, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor and Leslie Phillips are amongst the patients and Joan Sims makes her debut apperance in a Carry On film (who would stay with the series through to Carry On Emmanuelle in 1978) as a clumsy, accident-prone nurse. A gentle comedy that doesn't quite hit the delights of some of the series future entries but with the vast majority of the regulars being involved its defintley worth a look!