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Carry On Sergeant is the first Carry On film. Its first public screening was on 1 August1958 at Screen One, London. 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 film also starred William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse, Shirley Eaton, Bill Owen, Dora Bryan, Norman Rossington and Terence Longdon. "Carry on Sergeant" is a normal expression for an army officer to use. 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) [1].
Plot summarySergeant Grimshawe is an Army sergeant responsible for training National Service recruits at Heathercrest National Service Depot. They arrive as civilians then leave ten weeks later as fully trained soldiers. Grimshawe is due to retire after the current intake has completed their training and is desperate to leave his job as a success. A rival sergeant tells Grimshawe he will never have the champion platoon. Grimshawe takes exception to this and agrees to a £50 wager, but privately has his doubts. Included in his new platoon are newly-wed Monkhouse, intellectual Williams, hypochondriac Connor and effeminate Hawtrey. The film follows the group as a whole and several of the trainees individually as they progress from almost certain failure to surprising success. The film ends on a happy note as the recruits bundle into a van and wave goodbye to a smiling Hartnell, now dressed in civvies and retiring from the Army. The film reflects the social structure of the time, with class divisions being very much in evidence. Grimshawe assumes one conscript is bound for officers' training because of his upper class bearing. It also highlights the difference between career soldiers and conscripts, and the differing backgrounds from which they are drawn. The characters can be seen as stereotypes, (Terry Scott's Paddy O'Brien being the Irishman, Gerald Campion the fat man), but the calibre of the principal actors makes them believable individuals. As the first film of the Carry On series, this set the tone for what was to follow, with emphasis on character to the fore. A few double-entendres were present, even at this early stage. The scriptwriting services of Hudis were retained for the next six films, and producer Peter Rogers and Director Gerald Thomas stayed with the series until the end (1993's Carry On Columbus). Trivia
Business dataFilming locations
Exteriors: Army camp - (Queen Elizabeth II Army Barracks, Whateley Road, Stoughton near Guildford, Surrey) Wedding scene - (St Mary's Church of England, Church Hill, Harefield, Middx.) Church scenes - (Beaconsfield, Bucks.) Notes
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