Carry On Behind (1975)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Please don't spend money on this.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

This is one of my favourite CARRY ON films. The departure of Sid James and Barbara Windsor, along with Hattie Jacques, from the series, led many people to switch off and stop watching any new CARRY ON films after CARRY ON DICK. Others dismissed the film as a lame remake of CARRY ON CAMPING. I disagree. It's better than CARRY ON CAMPING in my opinion (good though that film was).The departure of Talbot Rothwell from the series after CARRY ON DICK could well have led to the next film having a terrible script. Luckily that didn't happen... because they chose Dave Freeman. Dave Freeman wrote a few farces that I like, the best being A BEDFUL OF FOREIGNERS, which Terry Scott starred in as the lead. He knew how to write comedy and has a flair for sexual innuendo, and deriving effective humour from misunderstandings. It's hard to think of a better person to have taken over to continue the series. It's a pity this was the only film he wrote the screenplay for, since it's a work of genius in my opinion.There is even less of a plot to this film than the other entries in the series. But this doesn't stop the film being incredibly funny. A group of holidaymakers end up at a caravan site and much hilarity ensues. There are a few separate sub-plots that come together nicely. I don't want to give too much away so I won't say much on this point. One plot line involves an archaeologist (played by the late, great Kenneth Williams) and his assistant (played to perfection by Elke Sommer) excavating the site looking for Roman remains. They drive much of the film and get into many mishaps and misunderstandings. It's all a joy to watch on the screen.While all the cast members are brilliant and deliver spirited performances, I want to give special mention to quite a few actors who star in the film.Windsor Davies and Jack Douglas take on the roles played by Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw in CARRY ON CAMPING. Unlike Sid James, Windsor Davies isn't playing a stereotypical lecherous bloke with a "dirty" laugh. But he does have an eye for the ladies and even though he and Jack Douglas must be two of the least likely ladies' men ever to appear on film, you can't help but really like these blokes and root for them. The two actors seem to be having the time of their lives in this film.Kenneth Connor is fantastic as the lecherous Major Leep. He thoroughly enjoys himself and leaves you with the impression that he's been wanting to play this part for years. There is a slight touch of pathos in the character too, which is very effective and doesn't drag down the comical stereotype.Carol Hawkins is great as a camper who stays on the site. She has a screen presence in this film that wasn't there in CARRY ON ABROAD.There is plenty of witty dialogue in this film. Here's one of my favourite exchanges:Windsor Davies (referring to a beach ball burning on a fire): My ball's burning!Peter Butterworth: Don't stand so close to the fire!There are plenty more of the Donald McGill-type postcard jokes like that one. I love them!There is more nudity in this film than in the prior entries in the series. But the film as a whole comes across as fun for the whole family, not an adults-only sex comedy like the CONFESSIONS films for example. Most of the humour is cheeky and very British, with many of the jokes likely to go over the top of the heads of children who watch it.I could be here all day talking about the great qualities of this film but I think I've said enough. It's just a great British comedy from the golden age. Watch the film and enjoy!

I thought I would just give this film a try as I had not seen a Carry on for many years. I now know I was not missing anything. It is a mystery to me why performers who had some real comic talent ever got involved in a series like this. Kenneth Williams was a fantastically versatile actor and was able to handle drama and comedy. Why he lowered himself to continue in this kind of rubbish is puzzling. Ditto most of the other participants. I remember enjoying Carry on Sergeant and Carry on Teacher even Carry on Nurse (or was it doctor) - those were all black and white and fairly funny to a kid as I was at the time. Over the years the quality went down and down until they just became embarrassing to watch. The rot really set in when Barbara Windsor and Sid James joined the team. This particular film is just chronically awful in almost every respect - the performances by the main Carry on team are phoned in and the script is appalling. I am aware that there are people for whom Carry on films are the epitome of sophisticated humour and some people who love them because they are awful. I just cannot stand them.

Having had a hit with 'Carry on Camping', the team cover similar ground here; this time at a caravan park. Kenneth Williams plays Professor Ronald Crump, an archaeologist who is accompanied by Russian expert Professor Anna Vooshka, played by Elke Sommer, when Roman remains are found near the caravan park. Also present at the park are a couple of married men who have told their wives they are going fishing but spend the film trying to chat up the girls next door; a couple accompanied by the woman's mother and her myna bird and another couple with their huge dog. Over the course of the film we get the expected shenanigans; the myna bird keeps saying 'show us your knickers' whenever a girl is near and she naturally thinks it is one of the men, Crump constantly misunderstands Vooshka, thinking she is saying something rude; and the two 'fishermen' fail to get anywhere with the girls… over all a typical late entry to the Carry On series.This isn't the worst entry in the series but it is one of the weaker ones; where once we had gentle humour just about every joke was smutty; that isn't bad in itself but the jokes felt too predictable. The opening scene where Crump accidentally showed a film of a stripper rather than an archaeological dig let us know what to expect early on. The film certainly suffered from not having a full compliment of Carry On veterans; Williams was amusing as Crump and Kenneth Connor wasn't bad as the site owner but Joan Sims was reduced to playing the battleaxe of a mother in law. The story was okay and there were some (in)decent laughs, however the nature of the jokes meant the film probably isn't suitable for younger viewers while many of the jokes will seen puerile to older viewers.

By this time (1975) the humour of the double entendre was wearing thin - every line had been done over and over in previous Carry On movies, plus most of the original Carry On team had either passed away or just passed on appearing in this shocker. (Unfortunately, this wasn't the worst as Carry On Emmannuel was to follow and finally kill off the Carry On franchise.) Kenneth Williams can only flare his enormous nostrils so much before you want to stuff them with carrots. He wrote in his diary: "...it's the worst script I've ever read." "...it is unfunny and is mostly concerned with heavily contrived slapstick. Don't know why on earth they offer it to me." So, if it's a rainy winter's afternoon, you're not feeling well, there's nothing on any other TV channel and you PC is broken, then watch this... it'll pass the time. Otherwise, go do something else!