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Carry On Matron

Another hospitalised ‘On, another chance to see the Jacques/Williams/Hawtrey medical triumvirate. To distinguish from the …Doctors and …Nurse, this is the one with Sid, Kenneth Cope and a dragged-up Nurse Bresslaw planning to rip off a cupboard full of contraceptives, with Terry Scott, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor as a perpetually expecting couple, Bill Maynard, Patsy Rowlands, Wendy Richard, Madeline Smith, Jack Douglas and perpetual player Marianne Stone.

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Lee James Turnock

    May 21, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    “I want to be wooed!”
    “Ooh, you can be as WUDE as you like with me!”
    For that exchange alone, this one instantly gets a thumbs-up from me.

  2. Paul Bovey

    April 27, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    It was Kenneth Cope dragged up as a nurse, not Bernard Bresslaw; he dragged up as a mother-to-be.

  3. Sidney Balmoral James

    December 6, 2021 at 11:55 pm

    I’ve always had a soft spot for this one as a. it has a proper plot (or at least a concept) – crooks planning to steal stocks of the Pill to sell abroad and b. it’s one of the oddly well-done late Carry Ons. Given they were running out of steam by 1970, they managed a few respectable late entries like this and Carry On Abroad – which have a certain relaxed charm. Dick however can’t hide how old and tired Sid and Hattie are, and the last few films were shockingly bad. Kenneth Williams must have felt a lot of loyalty to Peter Rogers to appear in a film as crappy as Carry on Emmanuelle. I am probably in a minority in liking Carry On Behind, but Windsor and Jack work well together, and are at least portrayed as unlikely to be be copping off any time soon with the young women (unlike Carry On Camping, where Sid seems to be genuinely in with a chance!), and Elke Sommer and Ken seem to have an unexpected rapport.

    • THX 1139

      December 7, 2021 at 12:12 am

      Best joke in Matron: Sid, interloping as a fake physician, is asked his name and he replies “Doctor Zhivago.”

      Best joke in Behind: heavily-accented archaeologist Elke brings up the “Weenus” artefact and Kenny is baffled: “Well, it’s neither one thing nor the other!”

  4. Droogie

    December 7, 2021 at 4:14 pm

    Does anyone know if Terry Scott is sporting a wig in this? He has a Beatles-style haircut and big sideburns in the movie, and is the only time I’ve seen him with a hairstyle other than his usual short back and sides. Scott always seemed too ultra conservative to grow his hair into something more fashionable of the time. Maybe it is a wig designed to make his character Dr Prod look younger?

  5. Sidney Balmoral James

    December 7, 2021 at 5:52 pm

    He has a similar syrup on Carry On Loving – or at least his curtain like fringe suggests a wig – and the luxuriant head of hair he sports in Carry on Up the Jungle as the fattest Tarzan in history is I suspect not his own either.

    • Droogie

      December 7, 2021 at 10:13 pm

      You are correct Sydney! I’m now wondering if Gerald Thomas really wanted a different actor to play a randy younger man for these movies, but couldn’t get Jim Dale so cast Terry Scott in a wig instead.

  6. Richardpd

    December 7, 2021 at 10:27 pm

    This is one of the decent mid range Ons, not quite a top rank but still fun to watch.

    By the 1970s many of the gang were getting on in years, so it’s was getting a little cringe-worthy for them to be playing characters on the pull. Even some of the younger members were getting on by this point, but still playing characters that were written as just into adulthood.

  7. Tom Ronson

    March 31, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    The whole scene where Kenneth Williams is trying to seduce Hattie Jacques (whilst Charles Hawtrey hides in the cupboard) is an excellent example of how to do farce on screen PROPERLY.

    • Richardpd

      March 31, 2022 at 10:26 pm

      Especially when Charles’s cigar sets some clothes on fire & Kenny sprays him with foam.

      • Tom Ronson

        April 30, 2022 at 11:01 pm

        Absolutely! By his own admission Kenneth Williams wasn’t great with props, and he looks hilariously awkward whilst spraying the fire extinguisher.

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