| Carry on Cruising (1962) | |
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Rating: 6.1/10 (3,171 votes) Director: Gerald Thomas, Ralph Thomas Writer: Eric Barker, Norman Hudis Stars: Sidney James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor Runtime: 89 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Comedy, Romance Released: 13 Apr 1962 |
| Plot: Captain Crowther's lot is not a happy one! Five of his crew have to be replaced and at such short notice before the voyage begins there isn't much to choose from. Not only does he get the five most incompetent shipmates ever to sa... | |
The sixth film in the series saw some behind the scenes problems which led to small changes in casting at the last minute. Joan Sims took ill just before filming, so was replaced by Dilys Laye at the last minute, which Charles Hawtrey demanded he received top billing, and so was dropped from the film – his role as the chef being given to Lance Percival. These last-minute changes may be a couple of the factors in why this ends up being one of the weaker entries.
Set on board a cruise liner, the film reverts back to the standard format with an experienced Captain (Sid James) about to embark, only to find that due to various matters five of his usual crew have been replaced – and the replacements are inexperienced in their roles. As expected, mistakes and complications ensue, as the new crew try to impress their Captain, but fail at every avenue. Kenneth Connor as the Doctor is, once more, unlucky in love and determined to woo Dilys Laye’s Flo (remember, the role was originally planned for Sims, who was often to focus of Connor’s romantic intentions), whilst Williams plays to type again as the pleasantly aloof First Officer Marjoribanks.
This is a pretty standard entry in the film series, and it just feels a little too repetitive of what we had already seen over the previous films. As mentioned, Hawtrey is absent, and his replacement doesn’t seem to sit well alongside the rest of the cast – Percival would not return for any future film – making the delicate balance of the gang seem a little off. On the flip side, Laye, who was drafted in only 4 days before shooting, steps up to the mark perfectly, and it is no surprise she would return for a few more films in the series at a later date. But overall, the core cast seem to just be phoning-it-in at this point, and there is less of the dynamic that we saw in the previous film, Regardless.
As the first foray into colour for the series, the film looks great, and the nod in the credits to P&O ferries identifies how it managed to look and feel like a cruise liner, but it is the execution of the proceedings that just feel a tad mundane. There are highlight moments, and a few scenes where the film picks up, but nothing truly memorable. This was the final film written by Norman Hudis, who had been involved since the start, and it shows that he had run out of steam by this point – no surprise given this was the sixth film in a 4 year period. A new writer would take over on the next film, and would redefine the series to what it became most famous for….
