Film #154 - Carry on Sergeant (1958)
Carry on Sergeant is the first in the series of “Carry On” films, but has very little in common with the series as it would come to be known.
Much has been made of the fact that one of the bawdiest series in film history began with this very straight army comedy. Starring William Hartnell (best known as the original lead actor from Doctor Who), it tells of a group of young recruits, brought in for their National Service. *
The principal new conscriptee is Charlie Sage (Bob Monkhouse), who is called up on his wedding day because he forgot to file his extension. He spends much of the film trying to get together with his young bride, Mary (Shirley Eaton). Then there’s Horace Strong (Kenneth Connor), a hypochondriac who goes from one imagined disease to another while dodging the advances of Norah (Dora Bryan). Also on call are Peter Golightly (Charles Hawtrey), the eriudite James Bailey (Kenneth Williams) and the son-of-an-army-man Miles Heywood (Terence Longdon). They are all held together (or *not* held together, more correctly) by Sergeant Grimshaw (Hartnell) and his right hand man, Corporal Bill Copping (Bill Owen). Grimshawe is trying to win the prize for top squad before he retires, but his last batch is one of the least likely to do the job for him. Much of the shenanigans that the squad gets into is possible because Grimshawe is trying a new approach on this bunch, using a gentler hand and less force.
The comedy arises from the clash of personalities, as well as the conscriptees lack of experience or affinity for the army life. There are a few risque moments, but nothing approaching the “nudge nudge” jokes that would define a “Carry On” film.
The strongest performances come from Hartnell and Connor. Connor, in particular, shows his diverse skills, as he portrays Horace’s transformation from scared rabbit to ladies man with ease. As the films got more bawdy (and Sid James became the frontman), Connor was kind of shifted to the side and more straightforward comedic roles. I think that’s a shame, as the early “Carry On” films showed he had a lot more to offer.
Not that the rest of the cast disappoints. They all serve their purposes quite well, especially the smaller roles filled by Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Hattie Jacques. It’s easy to see why they (along with Connor) were the early acting core of the series.
Carry On Sergeant is a great comedy of its era and it is easy to see why they wanted to recapture the success found here by placing their band of misfits into different situations. (Nurse - National Health, Teacher - the school system, Constable - the police force, etc.) That the series would take the bawdy turn it did is somewhat less easy to understand. (Not that there’s anything wring with that, just that I can’t imagine anyone saw it coming back in 1958.) As a “Carry On”, it is *very* different from what the series would become known for, but there are few series that can point to such a strong first entry; one that holds up as well today (though as a period piece) as it did when it was released.
*In Britain in the 1950s, there was a policy of conscription, whereby all young men had to serve in the armed forces, as a preparatory measure against another war. This period of forced association was used as fodder for many comedies of the day.