Carrying On with … Crooks in Cloisters!

It's time to take a look at yet another classic British comedy film with strong Carry On connections. Crooks in Cloisters, made in 1963 and starring Ronald Fraser, has recently premiered on the ever excellent channel, Talking Pictures TV. So it seems the perfect time to  feature it on Carry On Blogging. 

What's it about?

After pulling off a small train robbery, 'Little Walter' and his gang are forced to hide out on a remote Cornish island in an abandoned monastery, disguised as monks. With them comes 'Bikini' (Walter's girlfriend, who is given the job of cook to the group, despite never having cooked in her life. After a few initial setbacks, they slowly adjust to their new contemplative life of tending animals and crops, surviving the added tribulations of visits by a group of tourists and two of the real monks who had been forced to sell the monastery after falling on hard times, including Brother Lucius.

Gradually the gang adjusts to its new pastoral life, which turns out to be much to their liking. A return to a life In the city less appealing by the day. With the help of Phineas, a fisherman, they continue to receive and dispose of stolen goods. The crooks change and are kinder and gentler but 'Brother' Squirts begins to place bets on the dogs and the police become suspicious. When Walter decides it is safe to leave none of them want to go including Willy (Hayes), who has fallen for June, Phineas's granddaughter; these two manage to get away safely together. Walter gives the deeds of the island to the real monks who had originally owned the island and just as the rest of the gang say goodbye they see the police waiting for them.

Carry On Faces?


I can't go much further without mentioning Barbara Windsor's leading role as Bikini. Following her great success in Sparrow's Can't Sing, Barbara was hot property and this film showed off her comedic flair. It's no surprise that she was soon cast in a Carry On. Co-starring with Barbara is her Carry On Spying pal Bernard Cribbins. Bernard also starred in Carry On Jack and Columbus.

Future King Rat and all round entertainer Davy Kaye plays Specs in the film. He had supporting roles in two Carry Ons - as the Undertaker in Carry On Cowboy and Benny the Bookmaker in At Your Convenience. Future Carry On England and Carry On Laughing actor Melvyn Hayes appears as Willy. Hayes was already a star thanks to appearances in several Cliff Richard films. And future Steptoe and Son legend Wilfrid Brambell co-stars as Phineas. Wilfrid had a rather brief if memorable cameo in Carry On Again Doctor in 1969.

Two further, small mentions to make. Norman Chappell, an instantly recognisable character actor, plays Benson in Crooks in Cloisters. Norman played Albright in Carry On Cabby and returned for small roles in Carry On Henry and Carry On Laughing. He was also in Carry On Loving but sadly his role was cut from the final print. Finally, future Dad's Army great Arnold Ridley appears in the role of a Newsagent. Arnold went on to cameo in Carry On Girls as a councillor ten years later.

Did You Know?

The film features early supporting roles for two future stars - Francesca Annis plays Wilfrid Brambell's daughter June while Corin Redgrave, part of the famous Redgrave acting dynasty crops up as Brother Lucius.

Barbara Windsor credits Bernard Cribbins as helping her a great deal during the making of Crooks in Cloisters. The pair became close friends and met up again the same year in Carry On Spying, Barbara's first in the series.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram  

Art & Hue Presents: Funny Men

To bring style and fun to your walls, Art & Hue has launched a new collection of stylish pop art prints featuring British comedians and comic actors.

Funny-"ha-ha", in a humorous and comical way, but also funny-"peculiar" with their offbeat, quirky characters and work, these unique talents have brought joy to countless listeners & viewers across the years through their idiosyncratic performances.

Peter Sellers, John Cleese, Benny Hill, Tony Hancock, Frankie Howerd, Bernard Cribbins, John Inman, Leonard Rossiter, Ronnie Barker, & Ronnie Corbett all get the pop art treatment in this collection of iconic funny men from British film & television. 

An official collaboration with Studiocanal, Art & Hue has delved into the archives to uncover images of classic British comedy stars which have been transformed into ten stylish pop art prints.

Exclusively by Art & Hue, the collection is available in three sizes and 18 colour options, printed on museum-quality archival card of 310gsm, made from 100% cotton, with fine-art pigment inks for longevity.

Visit artandhue.com/funnymen to see the full collection.

And if you are looking for something extra special for Valentine's Day check out the Art & Hue range of stylish cards and pop art here: http://artandhue.com/valentines-day/


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram  

Art & Hue Presents: Funny Men!

To bring style and fun to your walls, Art & Hue has launched a new collection of stylish pop art prints featuring British comedians and comic actors.

Funny-"ha-ha", in a humorous and comical way, but also funny-"peculiar" with their offbeat, quirky characters and work, these unique talents have brought joy to countless listeners & viewers across the years through their idiosyncratic performances.

Peter Sellers, John Cleese, Benny Hill, Tony Hancock, Frankie Howerd, Bernard Cribbins, John Inman, Leonard Rossiter, Ronnie Barker, & Ronnie Corbett all get the pop art treatment in this collection of iconic funny men from British film & television. 

An official collaboration with Studiocanal, Art & Hue has delved into the archives to uncover images of classic British comedy stars which have been transformed into ten stylish pop art prints.

Exclusively by Art & Hue, the collection is available in three sizes and 18 colour options, printed on museum-quality archival card of 310gsm, made from 100% cotton, with fine-art pigment inks for longevity.

Visit artandhue.com/funnymen to see the full collection.

And if you are looking for something extra special for Valentine's Day check out the Art & Hue range of stylish cards and pop art here: http://artandhue.com/valentines-day/


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram 

Join Bernard, Bob and June for some Punch Lines!

Here's a lovely thing from the BBC Radio archives. As you'll probably know, the great Bernard Cribbins recently celebrated his 90th birthday. To help mark this momentous occasion, BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast a range of special programmes from the BBC archive.

Punch Line was a comedy panel game from Radio 2, originally broadcast in the mid 1970s. The show came from an idea by Myles Rudge, a song writer who was known for writing musical revues in the 1950s and 1960s and for crafting a range of novelty pop songs for the likes of Joan Sims and Cribbins himself.

This episode, from 1975 features the glorious Bernard alongside two other comedy legends, the great Bob Monkhouse and the recently departed and much-missed Dame June Whitfield. Another icon of radio, Terry Wogan, acts as referee.

You can listen to this slice of comedy magic right here


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Bernard Cribbins confirmed to star in Gold's Dad's Army Episodes

Last year it was reported that Bernard Cribbins might be cast in the three episodes of Dad's Army Gold are remaking in 'The Lost Episodes' strand. Well today it's thankfully been confirmed! Cribbins will be playing Private Godfrey and I for one think it's inspired casting. 

The three episodes being filmed were all from 1969 and sadly the originals were destroyed after broadcast. Back in the day it wasn't so easy to preserve programming and many now classic shows fell victim to the decision to wipe recordings so tape could be reused. The episodes - A Stripe For Frazer, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker and Under Fire will feature new casts playing the well loved characters and the whole endeavour is being supported by the estates of the series' creators, Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

Kevin McNally (who has played Tony Hancock in the past) will star as Captain Mainwaring and Robert Bathurst as Sergeant Wilson. Interestingly, Bathurst played John Le Mesurier, the actor who played Wilson between 1968 and 1977, in the 2011 biopic Hattie, about the life and career of Hattie Jacques.

Meanwhile Kevin Eldon will play Corporal Jones, Matthew Horne will be Walker, David Hayman will star as Frazer and playing Private Pike will be Tom Rosenthal. 

Hopefully these remakes will be true to the original style and humour of Dad's Army and the rest of the casting will be both interesting and sympathetic to the original series and its superb band of actors. 

It will also be splendid to see Bernard Cribbins back on our screens.

Bernard's autobiography was recently published and you can find out more about that here. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Happy 90th Birthday Bernard Cribbins!

Many happy returns to that legend of British comedy, Bernard Cribbins, who rather unbelievably celebrates his 90th birthday today. What a joy it is to see Bernard still going strong after all these years.

To us Carry On fans, Bernard will always be remembered for his starring roles in two early 1960s Carry Ons, Jack and Spying. He returned to Pinewood for Columbus in 1992 but not even Cribbins could help that ship sail!

The Carry Ons are only a minute part of Bernard's career, which dates back to the 1950s. He is a legend in children's television, having been a part of both The Wombles and also a prolific storyteller on one of my favourite shows, Jackanory. He has appeared in countless plays and many superb films including Two Way Stretch, She, the Dr Who film Daleks: Invasion Earth, The Railway Children and Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy.

On television, Bernard has appeared in everything from The Avengers and Fawlty Towers to Coronation Street, Last of The Summer Wine and Worzel Gummidge. 

And he even dabbled as a pop star in the 1960s:

You can read my review of Bernard's wonderful autobiography, published last year, right here

Whatever Bernard is up to today, I hope he has a smashing birthday!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

A Celebration of Cribbins on BBC Radio 4 Extra

The wonderful BBC Radio 4 Extra have been celebrating the joyous Mr Bernard Cribbins this Boxing Day as the great man prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday on 29 December.

At 11am they broadcast some of Bernard's Favourite Stories, taken from some of his very best Jackanory appearances for the BBC. Classics featured include The Wind in the Willows, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Winnie the Pooh. You can listen again here.

Coming up after that is a repeat of a radio drama from 2000 called Looks Like Rain by Jimmie Chin. The play was written especially for Bernard and tells the story of Stan and Joyce, who unearth some strange long buried secrets after the death of their mother. Joyce is played by the late great Dora Bryan, a fellow Oldham original! You can hear it here.

And finally, at 6.30pm is a repeat of a retrospective celebration of Bernard's career from back in 2013. Bernard is featured in conversation with Martin Jenkins and discusses his own personal highlights from his long, diverse and hugely successful career. The programme includes contributions from the likes of Richard Briers, Barbara Windsor, Barry Cryer, David Tennant and Russell T Davies. This programme can be found right here.

All three programmes are available to listen to live on the radio or online and online shortly after broadcast.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Spend Boxing Day with Bernard on BBC Radio London!

Here's a lovely festive treat for all fans of classic British comedy. The legendary Bernard Cribbins, who celebrates his 90th birthday on 29 December, will be presenting a very special programme this Boxing Day on BBC Radio London.

Bernard Cribbins' Comedy Classics will feature Bernard playing some of the records that make him laugh, along with loads of stories and anecdotes about the stars he's worked with over the years. These include The Goons, Peter Sellers, Joyce Grenfell, Stanley Holloway and many more. I'm sure Bernard might even play a couple of his own tracks over the course of the show!

Cribbins isn't exactly a stranger to recording his own music and you can enjoy a few of his classic records right here

It's been a busy few months for Bernard, with the publication of his autobiography. And given how much the nation loves Cribbins, Isn't it time he was knighted?

Bernard Cribbins' Comedy Classics will be broadcast on BBC Radio London on Boxing Day from 10am. And of course, if you're not in the London area you can listen online live or after the programme is broadcast. You can access the programme page to listen again right here.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carrying On with Norman - The Girl On The Boat

This is part of a brand new series of blogs looking back at some of my favourite Norman Wisdom films. Although never as fruity or innuendo-laden as the Carry Ons, Sir Norman's films share a similiar feel to many of the early Carry Ons. Indeed they quite often shared the same production base - Pinewood Studios - and Wisdom's films often co-starred some very familiar Carry On faces. 

Norman Wisdom was one of the most bankable British film stars in the 1950s and early 1960s. His stardom lasted long after his peak at the box office too. He appealed to a cross section of society and young and old loved him in equal measure. His cheeky, child-like charm, excellent comic timing and sheer energy catapulted him to fame and he's very clearly one of our most talented comedy stars full stop. 

I've already blogged about the films Trouble in Store from 1953, Just My Luck from 1957, Follow A Star from 1959 and On The Beat from 1962. My most recent blogs focussed on A Stitch in Time and The Early Bird. We're continuing this series of blogs with a look at another one of Norman's 1960s films - The Girl On The Boat from 1961. 

What's it about?

During the 1920s, two young men returning to England on a transatlantic liner fall in love with two fellow passengers. The story is based on the novel of the same name by P.G Wodehouse. 

Who's in it?

A strong cast supports Norman in this film, although regular collaborators Edward Chapman and Jerry Desmonde are noticeably absent. Norman's co-stars include Richard Briers, Millicent Martin and Athene Seyler.

Carry On faces?

Future Carry On Cleo supporting actress Sheila Hancock grabs a leading role in this film playing Jane Hubbard. Also starring is the great Bernard Cribbins, a couple of years before he starred in Carry On Jack and Carry On Spying. Bernard plays Peters in the film.

The actor Martin Wyldeck appears in the role of J.P Mortimer. Three years earlier Martin had the small role of Mr Sage, Charlie's father, in the opening scene of Carry On Sergeant. Apparently the reliable character actor Harry Locke also makes an appearance in The Girl On The Boat but in an uncredited bit part. If you spot him let me know!

Did you know? 

This film marked a bit of a departure for Norman Wisdom and featured different material from usual. Although not a disaster at the box office, Wisdom returned to more familiar content for his next films.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carry On Faces in Different Places: Two Way Stretch

Here we go with another in my series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii and the brilliant John Gregson and Diana Dors vehicle, Value for Money. 
  
More recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up! and the the Gordon Jackson drama, Floodtide. 

I've also looked at the Carry On links with the wonderful film I'm All Right Jack

Recently I blogged about the Billy Fury and Amanda Barrie musical film I've Gotta Horse , the classic 1954 school comedy The Belles of St Trinian's and the 1959 romantic comedy from the Betty Box and Ralph Thomas stable, Upstairs and Downstairs. You can also check out my blog on the 1956 drama Lost. 

Today I am going to write about the 1960 classic British comedy, Two Way Stretch.

What's it about?

Three prisoners nearing the end of their jail sentences; 'Dodger' Lane, 'Jelly' Knight and 'Lennie the Dip', are visited by a vicar seeking to find employment for them. He is actually smooth-talking conman 'Soapy' Stevens, who proposes a large-scale diamond robbery. They will also have the ultimate alibi; they will break out of prison, commit the robbery and then break back in.

With the assistance of Dodger's girlfriend Ethel and Lennie's mum, they smuggle themselves out in a prison van. The operation is almost foiled by the disciplinarian 'Sour' Crout, the new Chief Prison Officer who is replacing the easy-going retiring Jenkins.

The diamond heist goes like clockwork and the three break back into prison, hiding the proceeds in the Governor's office. When they 'officially' leave prison, they manage to take the loot with them. All goes well, until the sack of diamonds is lost on a train. Stevens is recognised and arrested, but the others get away – minus the diamonds.

Who's in it?

Leading a wonderful cast of British comedy talent is Peter Sellers as Dodger Lane. His fellow cons are played by Bernard Cribbins (Lennie The Dip Price) and David Lodge as Jelly Knight. Also look out for the legendary Wilfrid Hyde-White as Soapy Stevens and the peerless Lionel Jeffries as Prison Officer 'Sour' Crout! 

Carry On Faces?

Plenty! As I've already mentioned, there are starring roles for Bernard Cribbins and David Lodge as members of Peter Sellers' gang. Bernard would go on to star in Carry On Jack, Spying and Columbus while David Lodge cropped up in supporting roles in Regardless, Girls, Dick, Behind and England, as well as many episodes of Carry On Laughing for ATV in 1975. Carry On Nurse guest star Wilfrid Hyde-White also stars here as the aforementioned Soapy Stevens.

Having proved a winning double act in 1959's I'm All Right Jack, Irene Handl and the late Liz Fraser were back for Two Way Stretch. Irene, who had cameos in Carry On Nurse and Constable plays Mrs Price while Liz, seen in Regardless, Cruising, Cabby and Behind, plays Ethel. Carry On Emmannuelle guest star Beryl Reid pops up in the small role of Miss Pringle while Carry On Jack actor George Woodbridge appears as Chief Prison Officer Jenkins.

There are also small roles for Carry On regular Cyril Chamberlain as Gate Warder - Day, Carry On Cleo actor Warren Mitchell as a Tailor and Ian Wilson, who had small roles in the likes of Carry On Regardless, Cabby, Jack and Cleo, as a Milkman.

Did you know?

The film was the fourth most popular film at the British Box Office in 1960.

Liz Fraser later described Two Way Stretch as one her favourites of all the films she made during her long career.

Liz couldn't yet drive when making this film and during scenes involving the Aston Martin, she kept stalling the car, so in the end ropes had to be used to pull the car out of shot.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

My Review: Bernard Who? 75 Years of Doing Just About Everything!

I've written recently about the launch of Bernard Cribbins' new autobiography, Bernard Who? 75 Years of Doing Just About Everything, and having finished this mighty tome I thought I would blog my thoughts on Bernard's book.

For a start, I think Bernard's memoirs are well overdue! Bernard has been a part of all our lives for decades and holds a pretty unique place in the nation's heart. To some he's a renowned children's entertainer, famed for his countless appearances on Jackanory or voicing The Wombles. To others, he's the voice behind a catchy string of novelty records in the 1960s. He's also the man who transcends generations with his association with Doctor Who. And for the rest of us, the peerless actor who made some cracking comedy films like Carry On Jack, Carry On Spying, Two Way Stretch, The Wrong Arm of The Law, Crooks In Cloisters, not to mention The Railway Children and Hitchcock's Frenzy! And he's still going strong at nearly 90!

Bernard's autobiography is very much written in his own voice and feels thoroughly authentic. Having enjoyed such a long and successful life, it must have been quite a job deciding what to include and what to leave out. We're all familiar with so many aspects of Bernard's career but even the bits I knew felt comforting, like a warm mug of cocoa. The whole tale is told with Cribbins' unique sense of humour and the art of quiet self-deprecation. What I enjoyed most was learning more about Bernard's early life in Oldham, his family background and how he got started in the business, working his way up in rep at the local theatre. Valuable experience for the life that lay ahead. It's refreshing to read of a happy home life, loving parents, warmth and support. There were fascinating early encounters with future greats like Dora Bryan and Eric Sykes too.

I also really enjoyed reading about Bernard's eventful time with the parachute regiment. Quite a time he had, but I think we can call it character forming! He tells these stories with humour and realism, glorying in his triumphs, being honest about his mistakes and not holding back on the downsides of being on active service.

We don't learn that much about Bernard's private life, although he's obviously extremely proud of his long, happy and successful marriage to his wife Gill. It's quite refreshing yet again that it's not a warts and all biography and just because he's telling his life story doesn't mean we need to know everything. Bernard's devotion to the dogs in his life was also a joy to read about as it's a shared passion of mine too. And his fishing exploits are good fun if that's your kind of thing!

Most interesting of all, to us comedy fans, are his tales of working on some of the films for which he's best remembered. He writes very fondly of working and befriending the likes of Peter Sellers, David Lodge, Irene Handl and Peter Cushing. He also got on really well with the Carry Ons' leading man, Sidney James, recounting funny tales of working (and socialising) with Sid while filming the Tommy Steele musical comedy film Tommy the Toreador. And as for the Carry Ons? Well most of the stories I'd heard before, the avid fan that I am, but it's interesting to hear how much he preferred making Carry On Jack to Spying. For me Spying is the better film because it's more in line with the rest of the Carry On series, but Bernard obviously enjoyed the more straight forward swashbuckling high jinks of Jack and loved working with the likes of Juliet Mills and Cecil Parker. There is also a touching few words in tribute to Dame Barbara WIndsor and her current battle with Alzheimer's. 

I recommend Bernard's autobiography to you all. It's a credit to him and his impressive life and career. Cribbins means so much to so many of us and in so many ways so I'm sure this book will be the success it deserves to be. And may Bernard continue to entertain us for many more years to come.

Thank you Bernard, for putting pen to paper and thank you too to James Hogg for all his work on this very special project.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Bernard Cribbins to star in Dad's Army Lost Episodes Remake?

Intriguing news today involving a certain Mr Bernard Cribbins. Apparently the television channel Gold will be remaking three classic episodes of Dad's Army for broadcast early next year and Cribbins will be playing Private Godfrey.

The three episodes being filmed were all from 1969 and sadly the originals were destroyed after broadcast. Back in the day it wasn't so easy to preserve programming and many now classic shows fell victim to the decision to wipe recordings so tape could be reused. The episodes - A Stripe For Frazer, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker and Under Fire will feature new casts playing the well loved characters and the whole endeavour is being supported by the estates of the series' creators, Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

While no official casting announcements have been made, it is believed Bernard will be playing the aged Private Godfrey, originally brought to life by the wonderful Arnold Ridley. Other names thought to be involved are Kevin McNally (who has played Tony Hancock in the past) as Captain Mainwaring and Robert Bathurst as Sergeant Wilson. Interestingly, Bathurst played John Le Mesurier, the actor who played Wilson between 1968 and 1977, in the 2011 biopic Hattie, about the life and career of Hattie Jacques.

Hopefully these remakes will be true to the original style and humour of Dad's Army and the rest of the casting will be both interesting and sympathetic to the original series and it's superb band of actors. 

It will also be splendid to see Bernard Cribbins back on our screens in this his 90th year.

Bernard's autobiography was recently published and you can find out more about that here. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram