21 Facts on the ‘Carry On’ Film Franchise

Twenty-one random facts you might not know about the ‘Carry On’ film franchise.

The ‘Carry On’ films were a uniquely British set of slapstick comedies made between 1958 and 1992. The films were all scripted in a similar style, albeit in different settings, instantly identifiable by the humourous bawdy dialogue which was peppered with innuendos and double entendres. A lot of the films could be regarded as far from good by today’s cinematic standards and would be definitely be dubbed as being politically incorrect. However, if you’re like me, a big fan of the silly, rambunctious viewings that are the ‘Carry On’ films, then the following facts may be of interest:

1. There were a total of 31 films made in the Carry-On franchise. The first 30 were made between 1958 and 1978.
2. All 31 films had the same Producer, Peter Rogers, and Director, Gerald Thomas.
3. All the films were made at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire.
4. Due to limited budgets, most “on location” shootings were carried out within 20 miles of Pinewood Studios.
5.  Location filming for Carry On up the Khyber (1968) was carried out at Mount Snowdon, Wales.
6. The cast for the “Carry On” films was drawn from a regular pool of actors. Many made multiple appearances for the film franchise.
7. Kenneth Williams appeared in 26 of the 31 films, the most of any actor.
8. Carry On stalwart, Sid James usually cast as an archetypal working-class cockney, was South African. He moved to the UK just after WW2, when he was 32.
9. The words ‘Carry On’ appear in 29 of the 31 film titles. The words didn’t appear in Don’t Lose Your Head (1966) and Follow That Camel (1967).
10. The first film in the franchise, made in 1958, was Carry On Sergeant.
11. The last film Carry-On film ‘Carry On Columbus’ was made in 1992 after a 14 year hiatus.
12. Leading male stars of the Carry-On films, like Sid James, Kenneth Williams, and Charles Hawley was paid a maximum of £5,000 per film. Leading women were only paid about half of that fee.
13. By far the highest fee ever paid to an actor for appearing in a Carry-On film was £40,000. It was reputedly paid to Phil Silvers (Sargent Bilko) for starring in Follow That Camel! (1967).
14. The biggest fee paid to a leading lady was to German actress Elke Sommer for her outing in the 1975 ‘Carry On Behind’.
15. Phil Silvers was the second choice to Sid James for the role of the Sergeant in a Foreign Legion troop in ‘Follow That Camel’. Sid turned was unavailable due to other work commitments.
16. The first film, Carry On Sergeant was a spin-off of the British TV sitcom, ‘The Army Game’ (1957 to 1961).
17. A Carry On franchise was never planned. However, the first Carry-On film, Carry On Sergeant, was such a success they decided to ‘carry on’ with the winning formula.
18. Only three main cast members from the franchise are still alive (September 2019), Barbara Windsor (82), Jim Dale (84), and Leslie Phillips (95).
19. Well known for the notorious tight budgets, the films were all produced in 2 months or less. Carry On Up the Jungle was made in only 3 weeks.
20. The 31 films had just three distributors over the period of 1958 to 1992. Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors Ltd produced 12 films between 1958–1966, the Rank Organisation made 18 between 1966–1978, and United International Pictures made one in 1992.
21. Seven of the 31 films were made in black and white. The last was Carry On Spying in 1964, which was the 9^th in the series.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article! If you have, why not read our other features on the Carry On films at https://www.fiveminutesspare.com/entertainment/category/tv-and-films/