Carry On Up the Jungle

Carry On Up the Jungle

Original UK quad poster
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Produced by Peter Rogers
Written by Talbot Rothwell
Starring Frankie Howerd
Sid James
Charles Hawtrey
Joan Sims
Terry Scott
Kenneth Connor
Bernard Bresslaw
Jacki Piper
Music by Eric Rogers
Cinematography Ernest Steward
Edited by Alfred Roome
Distributed by Rank Organisation
Release dates
 March 1970 (UK)
Running time
 89 mins
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget £210,000

Carry On Up the Jungle is the nineteenth in the series of Carry On films to be made, released in 1970. The film marked Frankie Howerd's second and final appearance in the series. He stars alongside regular players Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Terry Scott and Bernard Bresslaw. Kenneth Williams is unusually absent. Kenneth Connor returns to the series for the first time since Carry On Cleo six years earlier and would now feature in almost every entry up to Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978. Jacki Piper makes the first of her four appearances in the series. This movie is a send-up of the classic Tarzan movies.

Plot

In Edwardian England, camp ornithologist Professor Inigo Tinkle (Frankie Howerd) tells a less-than-raptured audience about his most recent ornithology expedition to the darkest, most barren regions of the African wilds in search for the legendary Oozlum bird, which is said to fly in ever decreasing circles until it disappears up its own rear end. Financing the expedition is Lady Evelyn Bagley (Joan Sims) and the team are led by the fearless (and lecherous) Bill Boosey (Sid James) and his slow-witted African guide Upsidasi (Bernard Bresslaw). Also on the expedition is Tinkle's idiotic assistant, Claude Chumley (Kenneth Connor) and June (Jacki Piper), Lady Bagley's beautiful but unappreciated maidservant. The journey does not get off to a good start, with a mad gorilla terrorising the campsite and the travellers' realising they have ventured into the territory of the bloodthirsty "Noshas", a tribe of feared cannibals.

On the first night of the expedition, at dinner Lady Bagley reveals that she has embarked on the journey to find her long-lost husband and baby son who vanished twenty years ago on their delayed honeymoon, whilst out on a walk. Her husband is believed to have been eaten by a crocodile, but she hopes to find her baby son, Cecil's, nappy pin as something to remember him by. What the group do not know is watching them from the bushes is named Ug (Terry Scott), the bungling yet compassionate Tarzan-like jungle dweller that wears a loincloth and sandals. Ug has never before seen any other white people, especially a woman. The next day, June stumbles across a beautiful oasis where she saves Ug from drowning and the two begin to fall in love.

That night, Ug wanders into camp and encounters Lady Bagley in her tent (mistaking it to be June's tent) and she is astonished to see that Ug is wearing Cecil's nappy pin, and that Ug is in fact her lost son Cecil. But before they can be reunited, Ug flees in fear and Lady Bagley faints with shock. The next day, the travellers are kidnapped by the Noshas, but manage to bribe their way out of being cannibalised by giving the tribal witch doctor Tinkle's pocket watch. Tinkle however delays and promises the witch doctor that their gods will bestow a sign of thanks upon them. Intending rescue, Ug accidentally catapults himself into the Nosha camp and starts a fire. In the chaos, Ug, June and Upsidasi manage to escape but the enraged Noshas apprehend the other travellers and prepare to kill them.

As they wait to be put to death, they are suddenly rescued by the all-female Lubby-Dubby tribe led by the stunning Leda (Valerie Leon) from the Lost World of Aphrodisia. They are taken to Aphrodisia and meet the king of the tribe Tonka who turns out to be Lady Bagley's missing husband Walter Bagley (Charles Hawtrey) who was taken by the Noshas years ago, but saved and brought to Aphrodisia by the tribal women. Evelyn Bagley is infuriated that he never bothered to search for their missing son and laments she has seen him but has once again lost him. June and Ug are revealed to be living happily together and June is teaching Ug to speak English.

Bill Boosey, Prof. Tinkle and Chumley enjoy the attention given to them by the tribal women, and Tinkle and Chumley are stunned to find that their elusive Oozlum Bird is in fact a sacred animal to the Lubby-Dubby females. It transpires that the Lubby-Dubbies need the menfolk to save themselves from extinction, as no males have been born in Aphrodisia for over a century. The men think their dreams have come true....until Leda makes it clear that the Lubby-Dubby women have no intention of letting them go. Tonka implies that the last man who tried to escape Aphrodisia was murdered by the tribe.

Three months pass and the men now hate the pressures forced on them by Leda, who in turn is outraged that none of the men's "mates" have gotten pregnant. She overthrows Tonka and assumes his place, threatening harm to the men. However Upsidasi arrives disguised as a woman and says he has brought soldiers to save them. Ug and June also search for their friends and Ug summons a stampede of animals to create chaos and enable the men to get away. During the confusing, Tinkle snatches the Oozlum Bird and the team escape along with Tonka. After the chaos, Leda and her army chase after the men, but are more interested in the trampled soldiers. She says to let the others go not needing them now that they have "some real men." Lady Bagley is reunited with her beloved son and the group return to England. Tinkle unveils his Oozlum Bird to his audience....only to find it vanished up inside itself. June and Ug are happily married with a baby, and live in a treehouse in the suburb whilst Ug goes to work in only a bowler hat and suit.

Cast

Crew

Filming and locations

Pinewood Studios was used for both interior and exterior filming.

Production and casting

Carry On Up the Jungle is, in part, a parody of Hammer Film Productions' "Cavegirl" series: One Million Years B.C. (1966), Slave Girls (1967)[1] and more particularly Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series of books and films.

Bernard Bresslaw learned all his native orders in Swahili; however, the "African" extras were of Caribbean origin and did not understand. But Sid James, who was born in South Africa, recognised it and congratulated him.[2]

The storyline is partly referenced in the Christmas Special Carry On, when all the characters sit down for Christmas Dinner and eat the Oozlum bird instead of a traditional Turkey.

Charles Hawtrey (born November 1914) as Walter Bagley plays the father of Ugg/Cecil Bagley Terry Scott (born May 1927) despite being merely twelve and a half years his senior. Joan Sims (born May 1930) as Lady Bagley plays his mother though she is three years his junior.

Reception

The film was among the eight most popular movies at the UK box office in 1970.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Sinclair McKay (2007) A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films: 105
  2. ↑ Ross and Collins, The Carry On Companion, B. T. Batsford: London, 1996. ISBN 0-7134-7967-1, p87.
  3. ↑ a Staff Reporter. "Paul Newman Britain's favourite star." Times [London, England] 31 December 1970: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.

Bibliography

External links

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