Carry On Regardless is one of the earlier, British, Carry On films and as such is a black and white offering. Like them or loathe them the phrase Carry On has become part of our British language, as well as plainly representing this series of farcical comedy films. They are dated, often sexist by modern standards, over-the-top but still very funny. Carry On Regardless was released in 1961 and, to my mind, is Carry On at its very best. This film may be mistaken for being the first in the series but it is actually the fifth film out of the 29 made. The story line, although sketchy as always, to say the least, comes together quite nicely in this film. The Carry on team is a group of unemployed men and women who are struggling to find work. Being unable to do so they decide to team up and set up an agency called Helping Hands. This firm will supply the perfect person for most jobs, matching the temp with suitable work. Of course it all goes horribly wrong, especially when a muddle with the allocation cards sees the strangest matches with each job handed out. Small Spoiler* Here are a couple of my favourite bits. Kenneth Connor travels to Scotland to the Forth Bridge with visions of espionage and the Thirty-Nine Steps racing through his brain, when actually the hirer wants a fourth person to play bridge. Ken later gets a job in an all-male gentleman's club where he gets a fit of the giggles, which he cannot suppress, as a snoring old geezer's wig gently slips slowly down its owners face. Add to this Kenneth Williams, as the expert in speaking Chinese, accosting a group of school girls who he believes to be Chinese, but are all middle class English girls and it is classic carry-on. Spoiler finished* For me this film is so innocent, silly, of its day but still worth a giggle. There is very little which could be classed as offensive, if anything at all. There may be the odd double entendre but they are not vulgar as they sometimes appear in the later Carry On films but just a little naughty. Regulars from The Carry On films who are cast in this film are: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Hattie Jacques. Stanley Unwin has a somewhat minor role and I always loved this guy and still do; other people, such as my Hubby, cannot stand him to this day. Strange thing humour I know. Among the other well-known names of the day are Bill Owen, who became Compo in last of the Summer Wine and the delightful, tiny Esma Cannon who appeared in so many comedy films of the day. Sadly most have now departed this world. As usual this Carry On is directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. Running Time is a brief 90 minutes. It is rated PG, but really there is nothing in it to worry a family audience. What more can I say other than Carry On! IMDb
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