Watch Your Stern

I couldn't dislike this amiable family comedy/farce, about a hapless and accident prone ordinary seaman, Blissworth, played by one of my favourite comedy actors of the 50's and 60's, Kenneth Connor. He's surrounded by many of the usual 'carry on' characters, such as Sid James, who's always a joy to watch, Hattie Jacques, who's cast as the well built and highly intimidating scientist, and the wonderful Joan Sims, playing the romantic interest on board the ship. The humour is gentle with dialogue not being peppered every two minutes with the explicit sexual vulgarity of the later 'carry on' films. The storyline about the plans for a new torpedo being lost by able seaman Blissworth gives Kenneth Connor full range to exploit his comic talents and impersonations, which hitherto he had demonstrated through the medium of radio in the 50's. I also loved seeing Noel Purcell, playing the growling and constantly outraged bearded admiral. For today's audience, the humour may seem dated but it does give film goers the opportunity to see a galaxy of British radio and TV stars all together in one film.

Watch Your Stern is directed by Gerald Thomas and adapted to screenplay by Alan Hackney and Vivian A. Cox from the play Something About A Sailor written by Earle Couttie. It stars Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Noel Purcell and Hattie Jacques. Music is by Bruce Montgomery and photography by Ted Scaife. Plot is set mostly aboard a British warship and revolves around the loss of top secret plans for an acoustic torpedo. With the Admiral coming to peruse the plans the captain and his charges must try to bluff the Admiral that the plans are still in safe hands. Not going to be easy since a top scientist is also on route to inspect the plans for a fault correction.

Potter, Impostor, Foster and Uncle Humpers.

Out of Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors and filmed primarily at Pinewood Studios, Watch Your Stern is put together by the production team responsible for the popular Carry On series of films. However, to lump it in with the more bawdy and boisterous Carry On series would be wrong, for this is Carry On lite, more amiable and delicate in humour, it's a picture driven by a fine cast and solid structure of writing. The premise of course is hardly ground shaking, but story is strong enough for a good deal of humour to shine through whilst allowing the likes of the excellent Connor to showcase his undoubted comedic talents. There's even some stand out work in the secondary support slots from Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes. Not all the characters are fully formed, and in some cases; such as with Leslie Phillips, actors are not utilised for better results. But pic is never less than charming, with there being enough quality in dialogue and set pieces to make it a safe recommendation to fans of British comedy movies from off of the Anglo-Amalgamated production line. 6.5/10

The crew of a British naval cruiser are assigned the mission of testing the new acoustic torpedo, code named The Creeper. The first test goes well but an accident involving gin, electrical plans for the ship's refrigeration system and bumbling OS Blissworth see the secret plans go up in flames. With the Admiral coming to the ship to view the plans and discuss the trials, Captain Foster and Lt Cmdr Fanshawe have to conceal the destruction from him until they can get the only other copy back to the ship.

Being a Carry On film in all but name, this film has more in common with the gentle humour of the start of the series rather than the crude innuendo of the later years. However this is not to say that it is funny and entertaining because, really it is far too slight to stick in the memory or provide more than basic, dated entertainment. The plot is solid enough to suit the gentle comic tone, although it is hardly the sort of narrative that you will be coming to it for. The laughs are gentle but does enough to provide a pleasant distraction on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon (which is just what it was when I watched it!), just don't expect to be rolling in the aisles with tears in your eyes because it isn't that sort of humour.

The cast help it be better than the material suggests it should be. Connor is given the "dressing up" role to deliver but he does it well and shows a nice comic touch throughout. Barker and Philips play the management-types well and provide some nice laughs. Sims doesn't have a great deal to do but Jacques makes an impression with her usual, boisterous characters. The rest of the cast are good but mainly just given cameo roles to deliver; James, Milligan, Sykes and a few others add some nice laughs and all make good use of their limited screen time. Connor though is the one that stands out and it was nice to see him having the lead with so many other famous names in support.

Overall, not the greatest of films and even fans of the period won't see it as anything more than a slight but fun little comedy. The plot sets up the usual gentle antics and the cast make the most of the comic tone to provide a nice distraction for viewers looking for an old fashioned British comedy to enjoy as part of a relaxing afternoon in front of a nice fire and a cup of tea.

There were a number of naval comedies made at this time,Carry On Admiral,Up the Creek,The Navy Lark.This is is one of the lesser examples of these nautical comedies.Kenneth Connor was a fine comedy character actor but he wasnt capable of carrying a film with a rather unfunny script.Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan contribute an unpleasant racist cameo

This is not a Carry On film but it does feature a lot of the regulars but also has less of the innuendo as well.

A naval ship are testing a new experimental torpedo but the top secret plans get accidentally destroyed so the crew have a scheme to sneak in another copy before the Admiral comes into inspect them with Doctor Potter, the top scientist.

Kenneth Connor gets the bulk of the screen time as he dons several disguises to get his hands on the plan. This is a gentle but dated comedy very reminiscent of those early black and white Carry On films but I never found it more than mildly amusing and nothing much stands out as most of the cast apart from Connor are playing it straight even Sid James.

The is an odd cameo from Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan with Milligan playing a comedy Indian character which is very much of its time. What is not of its time is the top scientist turns out to be female.