| Carry on Sergeant | |
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Carry On Sergeant promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Gerald Thomas |
| Produced by | Peter Rogers |
| Written by | Norman Hudis John Antrobus |
| Starring | William Hartnell Bob Monkhouse Shirley Eaton Eric Barker Dora Bryan Bill Owen Kenneth Connor Charles Hawtrey Kenneth Williams Terence Longdon Norman Rossington Hattie Jacques Gerald Campion |
| Music by | Bruce Montgomery |
| Cinematography | Peter Hennessy |
| Editing by | Peter Boita |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated |
| Release date(s) | August 1958 |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £74,000 |
Carry On Sergeant is a 1958 comedy film starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; It is the first Carry On film. The film was based on a play The Bull Boys by R. F. Delderfield and was adapted into a script by Norman Hudis with John Antrobus contributing additional material. It was directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers, a partnership which would last until 1978. Actors in this film, who went on to be part of the regular team in the series, were Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor and Terry Scott. The first public screening was on 1 August 1958 at Screen One, in London.
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Carry on Sergeant had not been conceived as the start of a movie series; only after the film's surprising success did the producer Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas set about planning a further project. After reusing the Carry On prefix and some cast members in their next project Carry On Nurse (1959) and having success with that film, the Carry On series of films evolved.[1]
Blushing bride Mary Sage (Shirley Eaton) is distraught when her husband Charlie (Bob Monkhouse) receives his call-up papers during their wedding breakfast. En route to Heathercrest Natonal Service Depot, he chats to weedy Horace Strong (Kenneth Connor), a fellow recruit who doesn't bode well for Sergeant Grimshawe (William Hartnell). Grimshawe is retiring from the army and takes on a £50 bet with Sergeant O'Brien (Terry Scott) that his last bunch of squaddies will be his first champion platoon. With beady-eyed inspection from Captain Potts (Eric Barker) and disgruntled support from Corporal Copping (Bill Owen), Grimshawe struggles to take his squad through basic training. What with failure Herbert Brown (Norman Rossington), upper-class cad Miles Heywood (Terence Longdon), rock 'n' roller Andy Galloway (Gerald Campion), delicate flower Peter Golightly (Charles Hawtrey) and supercilious James Bailey (Kenneth Williams), his attempts seem doomed. Moreover, Mary is determined to spend her wedding night with her husband and blags a job in the NAAFI, while Horace spends most of his time complaining to Medical Officer Captain Clark (Hattie Jacques). It is only the love of doe-eyed NAAFI girl Norah (Dora Bryan) that makes him a man, just as the squad are inspired to become real soldiers for their departing Sergeant.
"Carry on, Sergeant" is a normal expression for an Army officer to use; the American equivalent is, "As you were." The title was used to cash in on the popularity of the 1957 film Carry On Admiral, which was written by Val Guest. At the time, the success of Carry On Sergeant prompted applause and audience laughter in serious settings where the phrase was used, including amongst audiences of the film The Devil's Disciple (1959).[2]
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On 10 June 2008, the Royal Mail issued a stamp that featured Carry On Sergeant, the first in a series to celebrate Carry On and Hammer horror films.[3][4]
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