Carry on Admiral

When Eunice Gayson died, obituaries noted that she had been the first Bond girl, but otherwise tended to draw a veil over the rest of her career. Some years before Dr. No, she had a supporting role in this mediocre naval farce. An unlikely tale of confused identities, it is quite amusing in parts, but is really not that good. The best that can be said of it is that it passes the time in an inoffensive manner. The real enjoyment of something like this is spotting all those character actors who were once a staple of British films and television

With that title, you'd think CARRY ON ADMIRAL to be an early instalment in the long-running British Carry On series, but it actually predates it by a year and the title is just a coincidence. However, it IS a British comedy flick, directed by THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT's Val Guest and starring a cast of seasoned British performers in a story of mistaken identity set aboard a ship.

Sadly, CARRY ON ADMIRAL has dated far more than any of the genuine Carry On films from the era and it remains a rather quaint and sometimes twee oddity. The problem with comedies like this one is that they rely on the laughs for effect and there aren't really any laughs here. There are a couple of amusing moments, the best of which involves a torpedo fired by accident, but everywhere else this feels like a tame, old-fashioned farce.

The cast is also a disappointment given the quantity of familiar faces. David Tomlinson lacks the light touch he brought to the later likes of MARY POPPINS and Peggy Cummins plays a rather dull character; the little-used Eunice Gayson (THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN) is much better. Joan Sims, Joan Hickson, and Sam Kydd all appear in minor parts, but aren't involved in any comic moments.

Carry on Admiral is directed by Val Guest and is based on the play Off the Record written by Ian Hay. It stars David Tomlnson, Peggy Cummins, Brian Reece, Eunice Gayson, A.E. Matthews and Joan Sims.

Gentle Brit comedy about two old friends (Tomlinson/Reece) who get drunk and swap clothes and end up being mistaken for the other and thrust into working environments totally alien to them. All told it's pretty thin material before the creak of age old stage boards punctures the air. The cast are good value, undoubtedly, especially old warrior Matthews who was 88 when making this film! While the farce jinks are enough to induce smiles at regular intervals. But really it isn't a hidden comic gem from the treasure trove of either Val Guest or 1950s Brit-Coms. 5/10

An admiralty civilian and ship's officer get drunk one evening and swap uniforms. The following morning it is a case of hangovers and mistaken identity as each then knowingly undertakes the other's duties.

If you can get over the incredulity that these two men would allow themselves to be mistaken for each other, and go along with this for a whole day, then there's a chance you might enjoy aspects of this movie. But only a chance! A weak lead performance from Brian Reece, and an annoyingly bombastic yet doddery turn out from AE Matthews don't help this thin comedy. It is some of the cameo performances that steal the film - Joan Hickson and Joan Sims make the most of their bit parts, whilst the scene with Alfie Bass and Ronald Shiner steals the show (it provided the only scene I thought funny). It's a shame this is only about one minute long.

I bet the current boss of the Royal Navy would be rather envious at the start of this film as we are taken on a brief tour of a fleet that is somewhat larger than the one the UK has now! Parliamentarian "Tom" (David Tomlinson) is on an advance recce for his boss when he encounters old pal, and ship's captain, "Peter" (Brian Reece) and thanks to a mix up from chambermaid "Mary" (Joan Sims) they start mixing gin and whisky, swapping rooms, jackets and ending up steaming for the ultimate hangover. Next morning, they find themselves quite literally in each other's shoes causing confusion and mayhem - even firing a torpedo - before "Susan" (Peggy Cummins) and "Jane" (Eunice Gayson) realise that something is amiss and decide they need to rectify things before doddery Admiral "Godfrey" (AE Matthews) initiates an whole scale review of the service - and quite possibly starts a war! It's gently comedic with a decent effort from Tomlinson steering it away from the worst excesses of farce and imbuing a degree of the post wartime spirit quite warmly. It's more of a chuckle than a guffaw, but moves along quite quickly and nicely reminds us of what used to make us laugh.