Follow That Camel

Another of the historical/costume Carry On's see's Phil Silvers join the Carry On team as a guest star. This was the first time one cast members name had been allowed to headline over the others and this was undoutbly done to increase the series appeal in America. However this is rumoured to have caused friction amongst the regular cast members which is possibly one reason for Kenneth Williams even more over the top than usual performance trying to out do Silvers.

The plot line follows Beau (Jim Dale) and his Butler (Petter Butterworth) join the foreign legion in the 1800's their they meet the conniving Seargent Knocker (Silvers). Seargent Knocker is pretty much just Seargent Bilko in the 1800's which is fine by me as Silvers creation of Bilko is a great character and funny even now over fifty years after the series was broadcast. However the problem being at times this does feel like the Phil Silvers show rather than a carry on. The rest of the cast do OK but it has to be said other than Dale and Breslaw they are either not on their usual high form (Williams and Hawtry as the commanding officers) or underused (an excellent Joan Simms who only appears for less than 10mins in total).

Follow that Camel is a funny film but not as funny as the best of the series Silvers adds star power but it hasn't got enough killer lines. There's not one joke that makes you remember this film like the best Carry On's for instance the daffodil in Nurse, Infamy infamy.... in Cleo or the diner scene in Khyber.

Out of 10 I'm giving it a generous 7 as I'm a big Bilko and Carry On fan. 7/10

Falsely accused of cheating at cricket by crafty love-rival Humphrey Bagshaw, disgraced British gent 'Bo' West (Jim Dale) abandons all hope of courting lovely Lady Jane Ponsonby (Angela Douglas) and heads for Algeria with his trusty manservant Simpson (Peter Butterworth), where the pair sign up with the French Foreign Legion. On hearing of Bo's hasty decision, Bagshaw confesses all; Lady Jane leaves immediately in pursuit of West, but is captured by nasty Arab Sheikh Abdul Abulbul (Bernard Bresslaw), who intends to make her his wife. When news of Lady Jane's abduction reaches Bo at the legion fort, he and a group of fellow legionnaires undertake a rescue mission, but soon become lost in the desert.

Despite missing the words 'Carry On' from its title, Follow that Camel is still considered to be part of the popular British comedy series, featuring as it does many of the familiar Carry On cast: Kenneth Williams, Peter Butterworth, Bernard Bresslaw, Charles Hawtree, Joan Sims and Jim Dale are all present and correct. Sid James, however, is nowhere to be seen…

With Carry On favourite James unable to appear in Follow That Camel due to prior commitments, the movie's producers, in a bid to secure a U.S. distributor, took the opportunity to cast American comedian Phil Silvers as disreputable legionnaire Sergeant Knocker. Drafting in Silvers was a bad move: not only did the lucrative stateside deal not happen, but the Sgt. Bilko star stuck out like a camel behind a palm tree, his comedic style completely at odds with the distinctly British humour. The result is one of the weaker 'Carry On' movies, the plot meandering as aimlessly as its lost legionnaires, the weak gags unable to quench this particular viewer's thirst for quality innuendo and silly slapstick.

Falsely accused of foul play during a cricket match, Bo West decides the only way to find his honour again is to join the foreign legion and, with his butler, sets off to join up. On their way they meet Sgt Nocker – sleeping in a bordello just a few hours before he pretends to have been on a dangerous mission. Using this information, West and Simpson get an easy ride – however everything changes when all three of them are captured by Sheikh Abdul Abulbul. Things become more urgent when Bo discovers that his lover, Jane Ponsonby has traveled to the region to find him and has herself been captured by Abulbul.

Quite rightly, this film is on this database without its 'carry on' rider, as this was not an official Carry On film but rather one that bore enough similarity to the series to allow it to be shanghaied into the group. While it doesn't stand out as being the best of the series it is still pretty enjoyable. The plot spoofs Beau Guest very loosely and it delivers the usual smutty puns and Carry On style laughs even if the material is not as sharp as it should have been. The main reason I liked the film as much as I did was down to one main factor – Phil Silvers.

Silvers dominates the film and he gets the majority of the laughs with what is essentially a foreign legion version of his own Bilko. If anything his presence unbalances the film as the rest of the cast, talented as they are, are all in his shadow. Dale is amusing in his usual stuttering role as the slightly daffy English ponce and he is ably supported by Butterworth in a small role. Williams plays his role very well, while Hawtrey does his usual effeminate performance to good effect. Douglas is OK but Sims has far to little to do. Bresslaw, as always, has the 'ethnic' role and he has quite a few good lines along the way but the film does lack the all round cast that quite a few of the Carry On films have. The support features a tent full of gorgeous women who, rather frighteningly, include the presence of one Anita Harris – so much for wholesome!

Overall this is not one of the better Carry On films but it is still amusing and quite enjoyable, mainly due to the Bilko-esque delivery from Phil Silvers who pretty much dominates the film, certainly stealing every scene he is in. The material is not the sharpest and I missed the presence of some of the other Carry On regulars but generally this had enough in the way of laughs to justify watching if you're a Carry On fan.

Originally released under the title Follow That Camel, Carry On Follow That Camel is the 14th entry in the long running series. Story plays out as a historical parody of the Beau Geste type of movies, thrusting Jim Dale and Peter Butterworth into the French Foreign Legion. There they are at the mercy of Commandant Maximilian Burger (Kenny Williams) and Sergeant Nocker (Phil Silvers brought in to try and boost American ticket sales).

Japery is prominent as the not so intrepid Legionnaires get involved with an angry army of Bedouins led by Sheikh Abdul Abulbul (Bernard Bresslaw). Joan Sims has a minor role as a big cleavage landlady, while it's Angela Douglas snagging the main gal role as Lady Jane Ponsonby, with a running gag of her sexual innocence being mined for all it's worth. It's actually a better film than the iffy reputation afforded it. True, missing big hitters like Sid James and Hattie Jacques is felt, but Silvers is ebullient playing a Bilko character, while it's nice to see the excellent Jim Dale bag the English lead and not letting anyone down.

It sits somewhere in the middle scale of Carry On films, neither too bawdy nor like the genial black and whites. But plenty of laughs to be had and it's a good production, the Camber Sands locations surprisingly passing muster as the Legionnaires desert hell. Well constructed battle sequences for the finale as well. 7/10

This is not one of their best films but I liked it. The story is admittedly thin with a slight overbalance of the Bilko of the Dunes, the film feels rushed sometimes and Joan Sims the great actress she was has sadly little to do here. That said, I liked the set and costume design and the cinematography was good. The script is full of puns and innuendos, and there are some fun jokes particularly the Mustapha Leek one. The acting is decent generally, some of the regulars such as Sims are underused, but Phil Silvers is really quite excellent here, and Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale and Charles Hawtrey play their parts well. Overall, not exceptional but decent. 6/10 Bethany Cox