Carry On: Just a Bit of Fun

Carry On: Just a Bit of Fun!

By Rebecca Willer

The Carry On Films: silly post-card humour with some music hall traditions thrown in. beginning in the 1950s and growing in success in the 1960’s, these films are synonymous with British comedy. Good or bad, love it or hate it, the Carry on films they are a part of our national identity, something felt very strongly in the 1960’s. The audiences that watched them when released found connections with the characters and storylines. It is this – its unique Britishness and humanity that enable us to look at the films and those watching and take away a piece of history. Looking at the way in which those in the films were portrayed and how they were perceived by the public help us gain a better understanding of the real lives of the British public during the 1960’s.

It is all well and good to remember the 1960’s as this young and swinging era, completely new from what had gone before. And although there were little pockets throughout the country – especially in London and among youth cultures – it was not all mini-skirts and scooters. To some extent the Carry on films have deep routed connections with more traditional forms of British humour: as stated music hall and old fashioned seaside postcards full of innuendos. The Carry on films are jammed packed with slapstick comedy, stereotypes and innuendos.  Banana skins will be slipped on, villains are almost always played by someone foreign (with a terribly done accent), fat people are funny and all the women seem to have unrealistically large breasts, not to mention all the planned wardrobe malfunctions! It is this childish humour that brought so many film goers to the pictures to see the cheeky and plucky working-class hero navigate their way through a series of misunderstandings and just plain silly interactions. The working class population of Britain had characters in which they could connect to and share a common understanding. The starring roles in these films were not some upper class toffs who spoke the queens English, rather they were relatable to those watching and shared the same trials and tribulations and humour. They were an escape for many of the population, especially the working class audiences they attracted; the films offered a storyline where it was a character like them who could be the lead role and would act the way in which they would have.

In several of the films, the story lines and settings were focused on key areas of everyday British life. They were commonly set in British institutions, for example the NHS and “embodied a cheerful sprit of resistance to authority” (Dominic Sandbrook).  They poked fun at all areas of British society and its institutions: Carry on Nurse and others at the NHS. Carry on Sargent and the armed forces and Carry on at Your Convenience at trade unions. Carry on Henry at the Monarchy, and Carry on up the Khyber at Empire.  This form of comedy was also apparent with other comedians and films, notably Norman Wisdom films which played on similar ideas and humour based around British Institutions. The cheeky nature of the characters within these films make fun of authority figures and post-war society, yet are still likeable characters. The changes in post-war Britain allowed for these storylines and settings, where its own structure was being laughed at. The 1960s allowed for its foundations to be made into humours 80 minuet long films. By creating films so closely linked to British society and saying the things often people wanted to say themselves about it only further increased its popularity among its audiences especially the working classes, whom were the majority of its audience. It has been argued that even if not intentionally, the Carry on Films were created and designed to appeal to the working classes – those who appreciated toilet humour and vulgarity now and again.

Regardless, the Carry on films were enjoyed because they were funny, not insightful humour, but silly comedy that makes people of all ages and backgrounds laugh. They were risqué and naughty in their approach and relied on humour that had been around for generations, but it was during the 1960’s and due to the societal changes that were being made in Britain that the films were able to be made. Yes, the humour was nothing new, but it was new for it to be so open and racy in its approach. It was able to take more risks to get the audience to laugh and enjoy themselves. It seemed to pride itself in its cheeky and naughty yet never filthy nature. They were being allowed to be made and allowed to be enjoyed which shows a great deal about the society at the time and the changes being made. They poked fun at all areas of life, but now enable us to look back and understand more about what the population of Britain at the time was enjoying and how they viewed their own country. Yes, the jokes are the same in each film, the way the lines are delivered are pretty much the same and watching them today they are dated and shocking in places, but they are still funny; these writers and performers in the 1960’s achieved this – creating humour that stands the test of time, they are simply a bit of fun!