Carry on Behind

CARRY ON BEHIND is the last of the great Carry Ons, I think. It really shouldn't be a good film; it's a virtual remake of CARRY ON CAMPING except in caravans rather than tents, and not as good. Half of the major cast members from the series are long gone, with Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, and Charles Hawtrey, all conspicuous by their absence.

Even so, CARRY ON BEHIND manages to recapture the old-fashioned humour and hijinks of the series at its best. It's all rather lowbrow, of course, with silly jokes and sillier characters, and yet I somehow loved it all the same. It may be that the remaining cast members seem to give it their all, realising that the shared weight of the film's success is on fewer shoulders. So Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims, and Kenneth Connor in particular give it their all, and then some.

The newcomers to the series aren't so bad either. Jack Douglas and Windsor Davies have a little double act going which makes up for wit with sheer energy. The person who really feels missed is, and I say this to my surprise, Barbara Windsor, because the women they bring in to replace her just aren't very good. I did like Elke Sommer (LISA AND THE DEVIL) though; she might be an imported Euro-star, but she gives it her best with the rest of them and her character is oddly appealing; she allows Kenneth Williams to shine for sure. Ian Lavender is also good value, although it's a shame that they bring Liz Fraser in, age her with an unappealing haircut, and then keep her off-screen for a very long time.

Highlights of this film include the Mynah bird, the clever and unexpected climax which recalls the set-piece glory days of old, the water main hijinks, the shower stalls, and every scene with Peter Butterworth, who really is at his best here. Plus, the scene between him and Sims late on in the production is unexpected and probably the most moving moment ever seen in a Carry On movie.

I'm a dissenting voice in the crowd as I actually rather like this late entry in the Carry On series. In fact, I'd probably have it in my top 5 Carry Ons.

There were so many reasons why this entry should have been below par. The previous film in the series, Dick, saw the last appearances of Sid James, Barbara Windsor and Hatties Jacques (we'd already just lost Charles Hawtrey) and importantly this film was the first in a very long time not to have been scripted by master of the double-entendre, Talbot Rothwell. There were only three Carry Ons after this one, and they were all seriously bad. On paper, this is the film where it should have gone wrong, but instead what we have is a likable film full of Carry On humour. It feels like a natural sequel to Carry On Camping. It's a roughly 50:50 cast split between Carry On regulars (Williams, Sims, Bresslaw and Connor) and newcomers (Davies, Posta, Lavendar), and there's a guest star thrown in, Elke Sommer. I've never been a great fan of guests in Carry Ons as they inevitably don't 'fit in' with the crew (like them or loathe them, Ted Ray, Harry H Corbett, Phil Silvers and Frankie Howerd all kind of stood-out as not quite being in the Carry On mould). Elke, playing a Russian archaeologist, adds greatly to this film, and she gets quite a lot of the funny lines, mostly from her misinterpretation of English words.

Although I very much like this film it isn't without its faults. The plot is thinner than usual and the ending is poor (there isn't really a story to conclude at all). I'm not a prude, but there are blatant breasts on display; the Carry Ons always seemed better when they were more innocent. Technically the film is shoddy, with an awful lot of dialogue having been added after filming - at several points the cast speak without even having to move their lips! But there's plenty to enjoy here, cameos from Marianne Stone and David Lodge, a larger role than usual for Patsy Rowlands, music by Eric Rogers, and the English love of life in caravans and under canvas.

Heartily recommended, the last great Carry On.

Ah, c'mon..! We *know* it's not a patch on Carry on up the Khyber and Carry on Cleo but it's still fantastic in it's own rubbish way. The whole universe of cuckolded, horny husbands, shrewish wives and anaemic-looking dolly birds still makes me laugh my ass off every time.

You can see the gags coming from a thousand yards away and the plot's wafer thin but Kenneth Williams cackles like a champ, Kenneth Connor sleazes for England and Elke Sommer still looks fantastic in that cheeky suede skirt.

I grew up with the Carry On films and watching one is like opening a can of Instant Nostalgia. I studied archaeology at university and people always ask me if I was inspired by Indiana Jones. I've got a sneaky suspicion it was really Carry on Behind.

I don't understand why this has such a low rating. I know some consider it a poor remake of Camping, but I think it is far from it. I've always thought it to be one of the best. It's such a shame that they followed up with England, Emmanuelle, and Columbus; had they ended here, I think 'Behind' would have been held in much higher regard.

There are some truly funny gags, fun performances, and great double acts: Windsor Davies and Jack Douglas, Kenneth Williams and Elke Sommer, Peter Butterworth and Joan Sims. These were great comedy teams. Elke especially did a great job; it was her first Carry On, and she was just splendid-likable, funny, with great delivery and a cheeky smile.

There are some truly funny moments: Peter Butterworth trying to coax Kenneth and Elke to hire his caravan, Elke looking for scrubbers, the striptease-lots to choose from.

Even the theme music makes me laugh; it's such a cheeky and funny tune-perfect for the film.

I've always loved the way that shower door suddenly developed a glass panel at the top, that caravan site really was advanced!

9/10.

Carry On Behind is dismissed by some fans of the series as an inferior imitation of Carry On Camping, a crass caper that desperately tries to keep up with the times by offering viewers an endless tirade of even more risqué innuendo, crude toilet humour and gratuitous female nudity (bums and boobs, but no bush). I don't understand the criticism: in my opinion, that sounds like the recipe for a whole lot of fun!

Sid James and Babs Windsor might not be along for the ride this time around (they were busy working abroad), and Charles Hawtree is also notable by his absence, but even without these stalwarts of the series, I had a great time: Carry On regulars Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Liz Fraser, Patsy Rowlands, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas ably represent the old guard, while new faces include TV talent Windsor Davies (It Ain't Half Hot Mum) and Ian Lavender (Dad's Army), sexy German actress Elke Sommer, and dolly bird Adrienne Posta (Adventures of a Taxi Driver/Adventures of a Private Eye).

Between them they deliver the goods: Williams falls in a cesspit, Sommer takes a shower and flashes her butt, desperate middle-aged married men Davies and Douglas lust after bikini babes Carol Hawkins and Sherrie Hewson (of Coronation Street fame), Bresslaw goes in search of a foul-beaked Mynah bird, Posta wears a preposterous blonde wig (surely that wasn't her real hair?), Butterworth gets romantic with Sims, and Connor accidentally books a stripper for his caravan camp cabaret act! It might no be all that sophisticated, but its good for some guffaws and a fair few 'phwoars'.