Carry On Jack
Encyclopedia
Carry on Jack is the eighth movie in the Carry On film
series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams
and Charles Hawtrey
appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins
makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On. Juliet Mills, Donald Houston
and Cecil Parker
make their only Carry On appearances in this film. Carry on Jack was the second of the series to be filmed in colour and the first Carry On film with a historical setting and period costumes.
) who has said that Britain needs a bigger navy with more men. Anton Rodgers
played Hardy. Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins
) has taken 8½ years and still not qualified as midshipman but is promoted by the First Sealord (Cecil Parker
) as England needs officers. He is to join the frigate Venus at Plymouth. Arriving to find the crew all celebrating as they are sailing tomorrow, he takes a sedan chair with no bottom (so he has to walk) to Dirty Dick's Tavern. Jim Dale
and Ian Wilson who plays his father carry the sedan chair.
Mobbed by women in the Tavern as he is holding a sovereign aloft (as advised by Dale), he is rescued by serving maid, Sally (Juliet Mills). She wants to go to sea to find boyfriend Roger but landlord Ned (George Woodbridge
) has let her down. She finds that Poop-Decker has not reported to the ship yet and is unknown to them so in a room upstairs, she knocks him out and takes his midshipman's uniform.
Poop-Decker wakes and dons a dress to cover his long johns and downstairs is shanghaied by a press gang, along with a cess pit cleaner named Walter Sweetly (Charles Hawtrey
), run by First Officer, Lieutenant Jonathan Howett (played with gusto by Donald Houston
) and his bosun, Mr Angel (Percy Herbert
). They come to when at sea and are introduced to Captain Fearless (Kenneth Williams
) who is anything but fearless.
Poop-Decker makes himself known but there is already a Midshipman Poop-Decker aboard - Sally, in disguise. Poop-Decker as a hopeless seamen then goes on to continually upset Howett by doing the wrong thing. Sally reveals herself to Poop-Decker after he has been punished and he decides to let things continue as they are.
After 3 months at sea and no action, the crew are very restless (no prize money) and when they finally see a Spanish ship, the Captain has them sail away from it. Howett and Angel plot and in the night hours, they make it look like the ship has been boarded by the enemy, with Howett and Angel dead or dying. Poop-Decker, Sweetly and Sally help the Captain into a boat, especially put there for this reason, along with the Captain's cow and they leave the ship. Leaving his cabin, the Captain gets a splinter in his foot, which later goes gangrenous. When they reach dry land, Captain Fearless reckons they need only to walk a short distance to reach Calais. Sally and Poop-Decker spot a party of civilians, speaking Spanish, and steal their clothes while they are bathing.
Now in charge of the ship, Howett and Angel sail for Cadiz and plan on taking it from Don Luis (Patrick Cargill
), the Spanish Governor. They do so but their plot is ruined by the four they have set adrift who recapture the Venus. Sailing back to England, they encounter a pirate ship. The Captain (Patch, played by Peter Gilmore
) turns out to be the Roger that Sally was searching for but she no longer wants anything to do with him. The old pirate ship is sunk as Venus is a much better ship. Patch and Hook (Ed Devereaux
) try to make them walk the plank but Poop-Decker manages to escape and by luck cuts down a sail which covers the pirates, so capturing them.
In Cadiz, the former crew of the Venus are taken to be shot but escape with five empty Spanish Men-o-War in the harbour, to take back to England for prize money and glory. They are within sight of England when they encounter the Venus. Below decks, the other three are working on cutting off Fearless's badly infected leg, to save his life. A fire gets out of control on deck and burns a sail which sets off the primed cannons, hitting all five Spanish ships and blowing them up or driving them onto the rocks where they are wrecked.
The four end up at The Admiralty as heroes. Fearless is promoted to Admiral and given a desk job. Poop-Decker and Sweetly are given the rank of honorary Captains, with pensions, but Poop-Decker reveals that he is going to leave the service to marry Sally.
Interiors:
Exteriors:
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
and Charles Hawtrey
Charles Hawtrey (film actor)
George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On. Juliet Mills, Donald Houston
Donald Houston
Donald Daniel Houston was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful...
and Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctive husky voice, who usually played supporting roles in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969....
make their only Carry On appearances in this film. Carry on Jack was the second of the series to be filmed in colour and the first Carry On film with a historical setting and period costumes.
Plot
Carry On Jack is the tale of Albert Poop-Decker, a newly commissioned Midshipman. The story starts with the death of Nelson (Jimmy ThompsonJimmy Thompson (actor)
James Edward Thompson was an English actor, writer, and director.He was born in Halifax and educated at St. Peter’s school in York...
) who has said that Britain needs a bigger navy with more men. Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
played Hardy. Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
) has taken 8½ years and still not qualified as midshipman but is promoted by the First Sealord (Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker
Cecil Parker was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctive husky voice, who usually played supporting roles in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969....
) as England needs officers. He is to join the frigate Venus at Plymouth. Arriving to find the crew all celebrating as they are sailing tomorrow, he takes a sedan chair with no bottom (so he has to walk) to Dirty Dick's Tavern. Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
and Ian Wilson who plays his father carry the sedan chair.
Mobbed by women in the Tavern as he is holding a sovereign aloft (as advised by Dale), he is rescued by serving maid, Sally (Juliet Mills). She wants to go to sea to find boyfriend Roger but landlord Ned (George Woodbridge
George Woodbridge (actor)
George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
) has let her down. She finds that Poop-Decker has not reported to the ship yet and is unknown to them so in a room upstairs, she knocks him out and takes his midshipman's uniform.
Poop-Decker wakes and dons a dress to cover his long johns and downstairs is shanghaied by a press gang, along with a cess pit cleaner named Walter Sweetly (Charles Hawtrey
Charles Hawtrey (film actor)
George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
), run by First Officer, Lieutenant Jonathan Howett (played with gusto by Donald Houston
Donald Houston
Donald Daniel Houston was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful...
) and his bosun, Mr Angel (Percy Herbert
Percy Herbert (actor)
Percy Herbert was an English character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
). They come to when at sea and are introduced to Captain Fearless (Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
) who is anything but fearless.
Poop-Decker makes himself known but there is already a Midshipman Poop-Decker aboard - Sally, in disguise. Poop-Decker as a hopeless seamen then goes on to continually upset Howett by doing the wrong thing. Sally reveals herself to Poop-Decker after he has been punished and he decides to let things continue as they are.
After 3 months at sea and no action, the crew are very restless (no prize money) and when they finally see a Spanish ship, the Captain has them sail away from it. Howett and Angel plot and in the night hours, they make it look like the ship has been boarded by the enemy, with Howett and Angel dead or dying. Poop-Decker, Sweetly and Sally help the Captain into a boat, especially put there for this reason, along with the Captain's cow and they leave the ship. Leaving his cabin, the Captain gets a splinter in his foot, which later goes gangrenous. When they reach dry land, Captain Fearless reckons they need only to walk a short distance to reach Calais. Sally and Poop-Decker spot a party of civilians, speaking Spanish, and steal their clothes while they are bathing.
Now in charge of the ship, Howett and Angel sail for Cadiz and plan on taking it from Don Luis (Patrick Cargill
Patrick Cargill
Patrick Cargill was a British actor known for his role on the British television sitcom Father, Dear Father.-Career:...
), the Spanish Governor. They do so but their plot is ruined by the four they have set adrift who recapture the Venus. Sailing back to England, they encounter a pirate ship. The Captain (Patch, played by Peter Gilmore
Peter Gilmore
Peter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
) turns out to be the Roger that Sally was searching for but she no longer wants anything to do with him. The old pirate ship is sunk as Venus is a much better ship. Patch and Hook (Ed Devereaux
Ed Devereaux
Ed Devereaux was an Australian actor, who lived in the UK for many years. He was best known for playing the part of "Matt Hammond" in the Australian children's television series Skippy. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes: Devereaux directed The Veteran , for which he received...
) try to make them walk the plank but Poop-Decker manages to escape and by luck cuts down a sail which covers the pirates, so capturing them.
In Cadiz, the former crew of the Venus are taken to be shot but escape with five empty Spanish Men-o-War in the harbour, to take back to England for prize money and glory. They are within sight of England when they encounter the Venus. Below decks, the other three are working on cutting off Fearless's badly infected leg, to save his life. A fire gets out of control on deck and burns a sail which sets off the primed cannons, hitting all five Spanish ships and blowing them up or driving them onto the rocks where they are wrecked.
The four end up at The Admiralty as heroes. Fearless is promoted to Admiral and given a desk job. Poop-Decker and Sweetly are given the rank of honorary Captains, with pensions, but Poop-Decker reveals that he is going to leave the service to marry Sally.
Cast and Crew
- Kenneth WilliamsKenneth WilliamsKenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
as Captain Fearless - Bernard CribbinsBernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
as Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker - Juliet Mills as Sally
- Charles HawtreyCharles Hawtrey (film actor)George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
as Walter Sweetley - Percy HerbertPercy Herbert (actor)Percy Herbert was an English character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
as Mr Angel - Donald HoustonDonald HoustonDonald Daniel Houston was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful...
as First Officer Jonathan Howett - Jim DaleJim DaleJim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
as Carrier - Cecil ParkerCecil ParkerCecil Parker was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctive husky voice, who usually played supporting roles in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969....
as First Sealord - Patrick CargillPatrick CargillPatrick Cargill was a British actor known for his role on the British television sitcom Father, Dear Father.-Career:...
as Spanish Governor - Ed DevereauxEd DevereauxEd Devereaux was an Australian actor, who lived in the UK for many years. He was best known for playing the part of "Matt Hammond" in the Australian children's television series Skippy. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes: Devereaux directed The Veteran , for which he received...
as Hook - Peter GilmorePeter GilmorePeter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
as Patch - George WoodbridgeGeorge Woodbridge (actor)George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
as Ned - Ian Wilson as Ancient carrier
- Jimmy ThompsonJimmy Thompson (actor)James Edward Thompson was an English actor, writer, and director.He was born in Halifax and educated at St. Peter’s school in York...
as Nelson - Anton RodgersAnton RodgersAnton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
as Hardy - Michael NightingaleMichael Nightingale-Selected filmography:* The Man Who Watched Trains Go By * Man in the Shadow * Ice-Cold in Alex * The Stranglers of Bombay * Watch Your Stern * The Young Jacobites * The Silent Weapon...
as Town Crier - Frank Forsyth as Second Sealord
- John Brooking as Third Sealord
- Barrie GosneyBarrie GosneyBarrie Gosney was a British television, film and theatrical actor.In a career spanning five decades, Gosney played roles in Up Pompeii, Last of the Summer Wine, Believe Nothing, Time Gentlemen Please, and Harry Hill .He is perhaps best remembered for his performances in Harry Hill's show in which...
as Coach driver - Jan Mazurus as Spanish Captain
- Vivian Ventura as Spanish secretary
- Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
as Girl at Dirty Dicks - Sally DouglasSally DouglasSally Douglas was a glamorous British supporting actress of the 1960s and 70s.She appeared in over 30 films and television series that were mostly comedies....
as Girl at Dirty Dicks - Dorinda Stevens as Girl at Dirty Dicks
- Jennifer HillJennifer HillJennifer Hill is a Canadian actress. Hill has appeared in numerous television shows and films and is best known in Canada for her hosting of Game On, a trivia based sports show which aired before the NFL game every Sunday afternoon.Hill has appeared in Entourage, Relic Hunter, Twice in a...
as Girl at Dirty Dicks - Rosemary Manley as Girl at Dirty Dicks
- Dominique Don as Girl at Dirty Dicks
- Marian Collins as Girl at Dirty Dicks
- Jean Hamilton as Girl at Dirty Dicks
- Screenplay - Talbot RothwellTalbot RothwellTalbot Nelson Conn Rothwell, OBE was an English screenwriter.Rothwell was born in Bromley, Kent, England. He had a variety of jobs during his early life: town clerk, police officer, and Royal Air Force pilot....
- Music - Eric Rogers
- Art Director - Jack Shampan
- Director of Photography - Alan HumeAlan HumeAlan Hume, B.S.C. was a British cinematographer.Hume started work at Denham Film Studios in 1942, and in the late 1940s he worked for Cineguild production company....
- Editor - Archie Ludski
- Associate Producer - Frank Bevis
- Assistant Director - Anthony WayeAnthony WayeAnthony Waye is a film production executive. He worked on a number of James Bond films, including For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill, The Living Daylights, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies and the 2006 version of Casino Royale.Anthony Waye is Pinewood through and through...
- Camera Operator - Godfrey Godar
- Sound Editor - Christopher Lancaster
- Sound Recordist - Bill DanielsBill DanielsRobert W. "Bill" Daniels was a pioneer in the cable television industry, commonly known as the "Father of Cable Television". He was an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and a founder of the United States Football League ....
- Unit Manager - Donald Toms
- Make-up Artists - Geoffrey Rodway & Jim Hydes
- Continuity - Penny DanielsPenny DanielsPenny Daniels is a communications consultant and trainer and a former American television news anchor who once hosted the TV show A Current Affair.- Early life and education :...
- Hairdressing - Olga Angelinetta
- Costume Designer - Joan Ellacott
- Technical Advisor - Ian CoxIan CoxIan Gary Cox is a former Trinidad and Tobago international footballer.Cox joined Crystal Palace from non-League side Carshalton Athletic for a fee of £40,000 in 1994...
- Producer - Peter RogersPeter RogersPeter Rogers was a British film producer.Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper before graduating to scriptwriting religious informational films...
- Director - Gerald ThomasGerald ThomasGerald Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull.-Early life:Thomas was training in medicine when the Second World War began. He then served in the British army during the war, in Europe and the Middle East...
Filming and locations
- Filming dates – 2 September-26 October 1963
Interiors:
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, Buckinghamshire
Exteriors:
- Frensham Pond