Follow That Camel
Encyclopedia
Follow That Camel is the fourteenth Carry On
film and was released in 1967. Like its predecessor Don't Lose Your Head
, it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title (although for screenings outside the United Kingdom it was known as Carry On In The Legion, and is alternatively titled Carry On ... Follow That Camel). It parodies the much-filmed 1924 book Beau Geste
, by P. C. Wren
, and other French Foreign Legion
films. This film was producer Peter Rogers
's attempt to break into the American market; Phil Silvers
(in his only Carry On) is heavily featured in a Sergeant Bilko-esque role. He appears alongside Carry On regulars Kenneth Williams
, Jim Dale
, Charles Hawtrey
, Joan Sims
, Peter Butterworth
and Bernard Bresslaw
. Angela Douglas
makes the third of her four Carry On appearances. Anita Harris
makes the first of her two Carry On appearances.
, followed by his faithful manservant Simpson. Originally mistaken for enemy combatants at Sidi Bel Abbes
, the pair eventually enlist and are helped in surviving Legion life by Sergeant Nocker, although only after they discover that when he is "on patrol" he is actually at the local cafe with the female owner, ZigZig.
Meanwhile Lady Ponsonby, having learnt that Bo was really innocent, heads out to the Sahara
to bring him back to England. Along the way she meets Sheikh Abdul Abulbul and ends up becoming a part of his harem
and planned 13th wife.
Nocker and Bo are kidnapped by Abulbul after being lured to the home of a belly dancer. Simpson follows them to the Oasis El Nooki but is also captured. After entering Abulbul’s harem and discovering Lady Ponsonby, Bo and Simpson give themselves up while Nocker escapes (or rather is allowed to by Abulbul) back to Sidi Bel Abbes to warn Commandant Burger of Abulbul’s plans to attack Fort Zuassantneuf (Soixante-neuf, Fort 69).
However during this time ZigZig has told the Commandant about Nocker's true destination when on patrol and therefore upon his return his story is not believed. It is only when Knocker mentions Lady Ponsonby (the Commandant was previously her fencing teacher and they met again while she was looking for Bo) that they realise he was telling the truth and the Commandant organises a force to head to the fort.
Along the way they discover Bo and Simpson staked to the ground at the now abandoned oasis. The force marches on towards the Fort but heat, lack of water and a sand castle building competition gone wrong decimates the force to a handful. The remaining members reach the Fort to find that they are too late; the attack has already occurred and the stationed garrison wiped out.
After learning that Abulbul's celebration of the successful attack includes marrying Lady Ponsonby, Bo, Burger, Nocker and Simpson rescue her from his tent, leaving Simpson behind dressed as a decoy. When Abulbul discovers the deception he chases Simpson back to the fort where, through the imaginative use of gum arabic, coconuts, gunpower and a cricket bat, the group holds off Abulbul’s army until a relief force arrives.
Back in England the group reunites for a game of cricket. Bo is batting but when he hits the ball it explodes. The bowler is then shown to be Abulbul who exclaims “Howzat!” to which Bo, with a broken bat and burnt clothes, responds “Not out!”
in East Sussex, England. Shooting had to be halted several times because there was snow on the sands.
The fort and town sets were built at Pinewood Studios
. The final cricketing scenes at the stately home in England were shot on the lawn behind Pinewood House, the headquarters of Pinewood Studios.
Some of the elaborate town sets were reused the year after in the production of Carry On Up The Khyber.
Interiors:
Exteriors:
in the Sahara desert. The name refers to cigarettes, such as the Craven A
brand, which had a cork tip.
Phil Silvers was paid a great deal more than any other cast member provoking a great deal of animosity among the regular Carry On team. Despite Talbot Rothwell writing in January 1967 that the part "simply yells for Phil Silvers all the way along. I just can't get this Bilko image out of my mind", the central role of the fast-talking Foreign Legion Sergeant had originally been earmarked for Sid James. However, with a commitment to the ITV series George and the Dragon Sid's part was recast. Sid suffered a heart attack on the 13th May 1967, less than two weeks into the filming schedule.
The song used by Bo and the others to trick Abdul into thinking there are reinforcements coming is "Durch die grüne Heide", a marching song used by the German Army during World War II.
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....
film and was released in 1967. Like its predecessor Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On film . It features regular team members Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims. French actress Dany Robin makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head. It was released in 1966...
, it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title (although for screenings outside the United Kingdom it was known as Carry On In The Legion, and is alternatively titled Carry On ... Follow That Camel). It parodies the much-filmed 1924 book Beau Geste
Beau Geste
Beau Geste is a 1924 adventure novel by P. C. Wren. It has been adapted for the screen several times.-Plot summary:Michael "Beau" Geste is the protagonist. The main narrator , by contrast, is his younger brother John...
, by P. C. Wren
P. C. Wren
Percival Christopher Wren was a British writer, mostly of adventure fiction. He is remembered best for Beau Geste, a much-filmed book of 1924, involving the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, and its main sequels, Beau Sabreur and Beau Ideal Percival Christopher Wren (1 November 187522...
, and other French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
films. This film was producer Peter Rogers
Peter Rogers
Peter Rogers was a British film producer.Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper before graduating to scriptwriting religious informational films...
's attempt to break into the American market; Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
(in his only Carry On) is heavily featured in a Sergeant Bilko-esque role. He appears alongside Carry On regulars 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
, Peter Butterworth
Peter Butterworth
Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
and Bernard Bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best remembered for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.-Biography:...
. Angela Douglas
Angela Douglas
Angela Douglas , born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress.-Early life:She was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire...
makes the third of her four Carry On appearances. Anita Harris
Anita Harris
Anita Harris is an English actress, singer and entertainer....
makes the first of her two Carry On appearances.
Plot
His reputation brought into disrepute by Captain Bagshaw, a competitor for the affections of Lady Jane Ponsonby, Bertram Oliphant West a.k.a "Bo" decides to leave England and join the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, followed by his faithful manservant Simpson. Originally mistaken for enemy combatants at Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel-Abbes is capital of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya , Algeria. It is named after a Muslim holy man who is buried there. It is the commercial center of an important area of vineyards, market gardens, orchards, and grain fields. It is surrounded by a wall with four gates and there is a...
, the pair eventually enlist and are helped in surviving Legion life by Sergeant Nocker, although only after they discover that when he is "on patrol" he is actually at the local cafe with the female owner, ZigZig.
Meanwhile Lady Ponsonby, having learnt that Bo was really innocent, heads out to the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
to bring him back to England. Along the way she meets Sheikh Abdul Abulbul and ends up becoming a part of his harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
and planned 13th wife.
Nocker and Bo are kidnapped by Abulbul after being lured to the home of a belly dancer. Simpson follows them to the Oasis El Nooki but is also captured. After entering Abulbul’s harem and discovering Lady Ponsonby, Bo and Simpson give themselves up while Nocker escapes (or rather is allowed to by Abulbul) back to Sidi Bel Abbes to warn Commandant Burger of Abulbul’s plans to attack Fort Zuassantneuf (Soixante-neuf, Fort 69).
However during this time ZigZig has told the Commandant about Nocker's true destination when on patrol and therefore upon his return his story is not believed. It is only when Knocker mentions Lady Ponsonby (the Commandant was previously her fencing teacher and they met again while she was looking for Bo) that they realise he was telling the truth and the Commandant organises a force to head to the fort.
Along the way they discover Bo and Simpson staked to the ground at the now abandoned oasis. The force marches on towards the Fort but heat, lack of water and a sand castle building competition gone wrong decimates the force to a handful. The remaining members reach the Fort to find that they are too late; the attack has already occurred and the stationed garrison wiped out.
After learning that Abulbul's celebration of the successful attack includes marrying Lady Ponsonby, Bo, Burger, Nocker and Simpson rescue her from his tent, leaving Simpson behind dressed as a decoy. When Abulbul discovers the deception he chases Simpson back to the fort where, through the imaginative use of gum arabic, coconuts, gunpower and a cricket bat, the group holds off Abulbul’s army until a relief force arrives.
Back in England the group reunites for a game of cricket. Bo is batting but when he hits the ball it explodes. The bowler is then shown to be Abulbul who exclaims “Howzat!” to which Bo, with a broken bat and burnt clothes, responds “Not out!”
Filming
Location work was shot during the early months of 1967 when scenes set in the Saharan Desert were filmed at Camber SandsCamber Sands
For historical information on the area, see Camber articleCamber Sands is a beach at the village of Camber , East Sussex, England...
in East Sussex, England. Shooting had to be halted several times because there was snow on the sands.
The fort and town sets were built at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood 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...
. The final cricketing scenes at the stately home in England were shot on the lawn behind Pinewood House, the headquarters of Pinewood Studios.
Some of the elaborate town sets were reused the year after in the production of Carry On Up The Khyber.
Cast
- Phil SilversPhil SilversPhil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
as Sergeant Ernie Knocker - 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 Bertram Oliphant "Bo" West - Peter ButterworthPeter ButterworthPeter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
as Simpson - 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 Commandant Burger - 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 Captain Le Pice - Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
as Zig-Zig - Angela DouglasAngela DouglasAngela Douglas , born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress.-Early life:She was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire...
as Lady Jane Ponsonby - Bernard BresslawBernard BresslawBernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best remembered for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.-Biography:...
as Sheikh Abdul Abulbul - Anita HarrisAnita HarrisAnita Harris is an English actress, singer and entertainer....
as Corktip - John BluthalJohn BluthalJohn Bluthal is a Polish-born British film and television actor, mostly in comedy. He is best known for his work with Spike Milligan and for his roles in the television series Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width and The Vicar of Dibley.-Early life:Bluthal was born in Galicia, Poland, of Jewish...
as Corporal Clotski - 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 Captain Bagshaw - William MervynWilliam MervynWilliam Mervyn was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the Bishop in the clerical comedy All Gas and Gaiters.-Life and career:...
as Sir Cyril Ponsonby - Julian HollowayJulian HollowayJulian Holloway is an English actor now based in Hollywood, CA, United States. He is the son of the comedy actor and singer Stanley Holloway and former chorus dancer and actress Violet Lane...
as Ticket collector - David GloverDavid GloverDavid Moore Glover FRS FRSE is a British geneticist, current Balfour Professor of Genetics at Cambridge University and a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.- References :...
as Hotel manager - Larry TaylorLarry TaylorLarry Taylor is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis...
as Riff - William Hurndell as Riff
- Julian OrchardJulian OrchardJulian Dean C. Orchard was an English comedy actor.-Biography:Orchard was educated at Shrewsbury School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama...
as Doctor - Vincent BallVincent BallVincent Ball is an Australian actor who has worked both in Australia and in the United Kingdom....
as Ship's officer - Peter Jesson as Lawrence
- Gertan KlauberGertan KlauberGeorge Gertan Klauber was a British character actor.He played small roles in many of the Carry On films, and appeared as mad king George III in Blackadder the Third....
as Spiv - 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 Nightingale - Richard Montez as Riff
- Frank Singuineau as Riff
- Simon Cain as Riff
- Harold KasketHarold KasketHarold Kasket, was a British actor in films and later TV from the 1940s. Kasket usually played Arabs or mainland European types in many films and TV programmes such as Maigret, The Saint, Danger Man, Z-Cars, Department S and The Tomorrow People. His last role was in the TV mini series War and...
as Hotel gentleman - Edmund PeggeEdmund PeggeEdmund Pegge is an Australian actor, who has worked in both Australia and the United Kingdom.His television credits include: Division 4, Matlock Police, Moonbase 3, Doctor Who , Secret Army, Return of the Saint, Codename Icarus, Bird of Prey, Tenko, The Day of the Triffids, One by One, Howards' Way,...
as Bowler - Carol SloaneCarol SloaneCarol Sloane is an American jazz singer born in Providence, Rhode Island, who has been singing professionally since she was 14, although for a time in the 1970s she worked as a legal secretary in Raleigh, North Carolina. She currently lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.One of her early efforts was...
as Harem girl - Gina Gianelli as Harem girl
- Dominique Don as Harem girl
- Anne ScottAnne ScottAnne Scott is a Scottish television continuity announcer and former broadcast journalist.During the early 1990s, Scott was a news reporter for Anglia Television, covering North Cambridgeshire, South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk from a newsroom in Peterborough...
as Harem girl - Patsy Snell as Harem girl
- Zorenah Osborne as Harem girl
- Margot Maxine as Harem girl
- 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 Harem girl - Angie Grant as Harem girl
- Gina Warwick as Harem girl
- Karen YoungKaren YoungKaren Young may refer to:*Karen Young , American film and TV actress*Karen Young , American romance novelist of the late 20th / early 21st centuries...
as Harem girl - Helga Jones as Harem girl
Crew
- 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
- Production Manager - Jack Swinburne
- 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 - Alfred RoomeAlfred RoomeAlfred Roome was a British cinematographer, film editor and occasional director. Born in London, on 22 December 1908 he first worked in the film industry as a film editor on the 1932 British comedy film Thark...
- Art Director - Alex VetchinskyAlex VetchinskyAlex Vetchinsky was a British film designer, nominated for BAFTA Film Award.-External links:...
- Camera Operator - Alan HallAlan HallBerthold Allan Couldwell Hall , commonly known as Allan Hall, was an English professional footballer who played for Park Labour, Doncaster Rovers, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Lincoln City, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackpool and Gainsborough Trinity.- Football career :Hall began his career at non-League...
- Assistant Director - David Bracknell
- Continuity - Joy Mercer
- Assistant Editor - Jack Gardner
- Make-up - Geoffrey Rodway
- Sound Recordists - Dudley Messenger & Ken BarkerKen BarkerKen Barker is an Australian Roman Catholic priest. He is the moderator of the Missionaries of God's Love religious congregation and founder of the Young Men of God Movement....
- Hairdresser - Stella Rivers
- Costume Designer - Emma Selby-Walker
- Dubbing Editor - Wally NelsonWally NelsonWallace Floyd Nelson was an American civil rights activist and war tax resister.Wally Nelson died at the age of 93 after more than a half-century of war tax resistance and activism...
- Location Manager - Terry Clegg
- 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...
Dates and locations
- Filming dates – 1 May-23 June 1967
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:
- Rye and Camber Sands, Sussex
Production notes
The character named "Corktip" is a parody of "Cigarette" in the 1936 film Under Two Flags, a movie about the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
in the Sahara desert. The name refers to cigarettes, such as the Craven A
Craven A
Craven "A" is a brand of cigarette which were made in Canada, Jamaica, Vietnam, and North Korea. The cigarettes exhibit the English-style flavor of a Virginia-tobacco dominant blend, with that plant's attendant nutty sweetness. The cigarette was named after the third Earl of Craven in 1860.Craven...
brand, which had a cork tip.
Phil Silvers was paid a great deal more than any other cast member provoking a great deal of animosity among the regular Carry On team. Despite Talbot Rothwell writing in January 1967 that the part "simply yells for Phil Silvers all the way along. I just can't get this Bilko image out of my mind", the central role of the fast-talking Foreign Legion Sergeant had originally been earmarked for Sid James. However, with a commitment to the ITV series George and the Dragon Sid's part was recast. Sid suffered a heart attack on the 13th May 1967, less than two weeks into the filming schedule.
The song used by Bo and the others to trick Abdul into thinking there are reinforcements coming is "Durch die grüne Heide", a marching song used by the German Army during World War II.