Rent Carry on Regardless (1961)

Great British Comedy - Carry on Regardless review by GI

The fifth Carry On film has the usual ensemble cast led this time by Sid James but it is structurally just a series of sketches of differing lengths bound together by the story of an odd job agency. This is run by Bert (James) and called Helping Hands. It employs the usual bunch of hapless characters who get into a variety of scrapes carrying out the tasks that the agency has been employed to do. Some of the sketches are very funny, others a bit silly and the final one is simple slapstick comedy. What makes this an interesting British comedy is that it deals with social issues including unemployment, women's status in the workplace, addiction to smoking and the British attitude to foreigners. All very relevant for the early 60s and still relevant today! The usual regular cast are present including Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Charles Hawtrey. Hattie Jacques has a smaller role than in the previous films as she'd been ill before production started and Liz Fraser, who appeared in some of the later films, replaced Shirley Eaton as the glamorous character. Again this film gives a shot of nostalgia for Britain in the 1960s and it remains a genuinely funny British comedy. If you are a fan then this is a worthy addition to the Carry On series and worth checking out. These early carry Ons deserve rediscovery.