Carry on Regardless (1961)
Directed by Gerald Thomas, Ralph Thomas

Film Review

One of the characteristics of the early Carry On films is the lack of a strong central storyline.  Instead, they consist of numerous unrelated sketches hanging from the thinnest of narrative backbones.   Nowhere is this more apparent than in Carry on Regardless, the fifth and least structured of all the Carry On films.  It is as if writer Norman Hudis had accumulated a large backlog of jokes but couldn't work out what to do with them; you might say that he carried on regardless.

By this stage, the Carry On team that audiences came to know and love had at last solidified, with most of the main players present and correct (Babs Windsor wouldn't join the team until Carry On Spying, four films down the line).  In only his second Carry On film, Sid James (famously described in this film as the man with a face resembling a relief map of the Himalayas) already stands out as the king pin, the comedy general whose first officers, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims are more than ready to go over-the-top (and in the case of Williams, way, way over-the-top).   Liz Frazer and Fenella Fielding both make memorable Carry On debuts, whilst Stanley Unwin takes unintelligibility to its limit in the weirdest cameo of any Carry On film, speaking in the gobbledegook language Unwinese that had brought him national fame (God knows why) in the 1950s.

Whilst it may not be as satisfying as the previous Carry Ons, Regardless is far from being a let down, offering plenty of good laughs and some memorable comedy routines.  The highlights include Kenneth Williams playing mother at a chimps' tea party; Joan Sims getting sozzled and beating up Nicholas Parsons at a wine tasting event; and Charles Hawtrey showing what a man he is in the boxing ring.  Kenneth Connor was still considered (by the film's producer, director and screenwriter at least) to be the most important member of the team and hence gets most of the screen-time, and more than his fair share of misfired gags.  It would not be long before Sid James and Kenneth Williams would knock Connor into the ranks, taking their rightful place as the true stars of the Carry On films.

Film Synopsis

The brainchild of the entrepreneur Bert Handy, Helping Hands is a company that offers to undertake odd jobs for anyone, anytime, anywhere.  Bert's staff is made up of seven enthusiastic men and women who are prepared to tackle any challenge that comes their way.  Whether it's taking a chimpanzee for a walk, modelling kinky underwear for a married man, working as a bouncer in a strip club, or showing off the latest mod cons at the Ideal House Exhibition, the staff of Helping Hands are always ready to oblige.  But who is the strange old man who keeps showing up at Bert's office, speaking in a language that no one can understand?  Is he a customer or a harbinger of doom..?