'Carry on Constable' (1960)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writers:

Norman Hudis (screenplay)
Brock Williams (idea)

Release Date:

9 January 1961 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

That hilarious "CARRY ON" Shower in their Greatest Laughter Hit !

Plot:

With a flu epidemic running rife, three new bumbling recruits are assigned to Inspector Mills police station...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Sergeant | Dog | Carry On | Sequel

Cast

Sid James	...	Sergeant Frank Wilkins (as Sidney James)
Eric Barker	...	Inspector Mills
Kenneth Connor	...	P.C. Charlie Constable
Charles Hawtrey	...	P.C. Timothy Gorse
Kenneth Williams	...	P.C. Stanley Benson
Leslie Phillips	...	P.C. Tom Potter
Joan Sims	...	W.P.C. Gloria Passworthy
Hattie Jacques	...	Sergeant Laura Moon
Shirley Eaton	...	Sally Barry
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Thurston
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. May
Irene Handl	...	Distraught Mother
Terence Longdon	...	Herbert Hall
Jill Adams	...	W.P.C. Harrison
Freddie Mills	...	Jewel Thief

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Peter Rogers Productions

Trivia:

Sid James made his "Carry On..." debut in this film

Goofs:

Continuity: The car that Sgt Wilkins gets into when he "checks on his constables" isn't the same one he gets out of.

Quotes:

Const. Charlie Constable: May I help you madam?
Agitated woman outside ladies' loo: [searching through her handbag] I could certainly use a copper!
[looking around, Charlie, noticing the ladies convenience behind them, pulls a coin out of his pocket and holds it up]
Const. Charlie Constable: Here you go, have this one on me!
Agitated woman outside ladies' loo: [accepting the coin] Oh, ta!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Carry on Quizzing (2006) (VG)

Amusing old fashioned fun with a nice touch of Carry On mischief

With a flu epidemic decimating the ranks of the local bobbies, the police are forced to quickly take on some new recruits who in other circumstances may not have quite made the ranks – a decision made by Inspector Mills and then dumped on Sergeant Wilkins to deal with. However not even Wilkins' low expectations are met when at least a handful of the new recruits turn out to be barely able to manage themselves, never mind the wider community.

This is quite an enjoyable little film that is never funny but manages to be amusing if you are in the mood for a light, dated comedy. The story is simply a rerun of Carry on Sergeant in the way that an efficient Sergeant (in this case Sid James) is charged with turning a bunch of bumbling, inept recruits (this time into the police) into an effective unit of men, encountering much amusing bumbling along the way (with even some of the same actors playing the same sort of characters). In this regard it is pretty much a cookie-cutter of a story but to look down on the film for being unoriginal and basic is to really miss the point when it comes to the Carry On films. Aside from the poor story, the film is actually quite amusing but never really made me laugh more than once or twice; certainly those not in a forgiving mood will dislike this because it doesn't have much life to it but those looking for a movie for a wet Saturday afternoon will maybe enjoy it.

The cast are a selling point and do manage to do quite a bit with the basic material even if they don't raise it that much. Sid James has a minor role in his first Carry On film and, although he is a good presence, he is less effective than he was in other films. Barker is a nice straightman and holds up that side well enough while the main comedy is brought off by the recruits themselves. Connor repeats his "uptight and resisting love" performance to reasonable effect. Hawtrey and Williams do good work with their usual stuff (Williams playing upper-class early in the series) while Phillips makes a nice addition with his usual stuff. Sims and Jacques are OK but have very little to do around the edges but are nice filler.

Overall this is nothing special but it is amusing in its own way despite never making me laugh. The script does throw up a few nice touches and is cheeky rather than smutty or anything like that and, despite being a rerun of Carry On Sergeant, it is still enjoyable in a rather amusing and light sort of way.