Carry On Sergeant (1958)

“‘Out of 24 men, I’m lumbered with one hypochondriac, one natural-born candidate for the glass house, a rock and roller, a shadow of a man haunted by lord knows what, a poppy-chasing layabout and some lethal idiot who gets himself locked in you know where.'”

Carry On Sergeant was the beginning of the long-running Carry On series. Producer Peter Rogers’ main coup was his casting of William Hartnell in the title role, his combination of aggression and affection is invaluable.

Fellow refugees from ITV were Norman Rossington and Charles Hawtrey, while others included Bob Monkhouse, Gerald Campion, Terence Longdon, Kenneth Williams and Kenneth Connor.

While the eccentric squad members gave the comic vignettes the full flamboyant treatment, Monkhouse wanders through the proceedings as Charlie Sage – an everyman caught up in frustrating bureaucracy.

It is he who is separated from his young wife, Mary (Shirley Eaton) and bluffs and whines his way through the hellish National Service system.

It is undoubtedly Connor, though, who leaves the deepest comedic paw print on the film as terminal hypochondriac Horace Strong.

While the dubious romantic ducking and diving and stolen kisses of Monkhouse and Eaton are at the plot’s centre, the real joy of the script is the army environment and the battle between officialdom and the man in the street.

Training Sgt. Grimshawe (Hartnell) accepts a bet that his last platoon of National Servicemen before he retires will pass out as a Star Squad. His hopes are dashed when he meets the recruits.

The finest moments come from the recruits’ failure at every turn of their basic training: the priceless unease of Connor as he swings on the rope, Williams’ high-brow objections to the bayonet practice, Rossington’s bumbling and eventual quick skill at dismantling the rifle.

The film’s ultimate message is the love and affection that the recruits hold for the dreaded figure of Hartnell.

Made for the relatively small sum of £74,000, the film’s original title was The Bull Boys (conceived initially as a straight romantic drama about two ballet dancers conscripted into army service until Peter Rogers got his hands on it).

Filming took place between March and May 1958 at the Queen’s Barracks in Guildford and Pinewood Studios.

The film was a box office success and eventually took over £500,000.

Sgt. Grimshawe
William Hartnell
Charlie Sage
Bob Monkhouse
Mary Sage
Shirley Eaton
Captain Potts
Eric Barker
Nora
Dora Bryan
Cpl. Bill Copping
Bill Owen
Horace Strong
Kenneth Connor
Peter Golightly
Charles Hawtrey
James Bailey
Kenneth Williams
Miles Heywood
Terence Longdon
Herbert Brown
Norman Rossington
Capt. Clark
Hattie Jacques

Director
Gerald Thomas

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