Carry On Sergeant is the first Carry On film, and its first public screening was on 1st August 1958 at Screen One, London. The film starred William Hartnell as Sergeant Grimshawe, and Bob Monkhouse, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, and Charles Hawtrey as his new recruits. Jump to: navigation, search The Carry On films were a long-running series of British popular low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... William Hartnell as the First Doctor William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908–April 23, 1975), a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. ... Robert (Bob) Allen Monkhouse (June 1, 1928 - December 29, 2003), was a British entertainer in the traditional sense, though primarily known as a comedian and game show host. ... Kenneth Charles Williams (February 22, 1926 - April 15, 1988) was a British comic actor, star of over twenty films and notable radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne, as well as a witty raconteur on a wide range of subjects. ... Kenneth Connor (6 June 1916 – 28 November 1993) was a British comedy film and TV actor, best known for the Carry On films. ... There have been two notable actors named Charles Hawtrey: Sir Charles Hawtrey (1858-1923), stage and silent film actor; Charles Hawtrey (1914-1988), who named himself after the earlier actor, and is best known for the Carry On films. ...

Plot outline:

Sergeant Grimshawe is an Army sergeant responsible for training National Service recruits at Heathercrest National Service Depot. They arrive as civillians 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. National Service was the name given to the system of military conscription employed in Great Britain between 1949 and 1960. ... The Dragons Regiment is a fictional regiment of the British Army featuring in the film Carry On Sergeant. ...

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. Jump to: navigation, search Terry Scott (May 4, 1927-July 26, 1994) was a comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. ... Gerald Theron Campion (April 23, 1921 – July 9, 2002) was an English actor best-known for his role as Billy Bunter in a 1950s television adaptation of books by Frank Richards. ...

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). Peter Rogers (born 20 February 1914 in Rochester, Kent) is a British film producer. ... Gerald Thomas (1920 - 1993) was a British film director. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Trivia

• William Hartnell went on to become the first actor to play The Doctor in Doctor Who, staying in the part for three years and 134 episodes.
• The film was inspired in part by the success of The Army Game, also starring Hartnell and several other cast members.
• In 1928 a completely unconnected black and white silent film called "Carry On Sergeant" was made in Canada.
• The film was based on a play The Bull Boys by R.F. Delderfield. Norman Hudis adapted this into a script with John Antrobus contributing additional material.
• Shirley Eaton, who plays Bob Monkhouse's new wife, became one of the first James Bond Girls in 1964's Goldfinger, where her character (Jill Masterson) was murdered by being covered in gold paint.
• Bob Monkhouse appeared in other comedies (such as Dentist On The Job with Shirley Eaton) during the 1960s but later made a name for himself as a game show host, notably with Celebrity Squares, and Bob's Full House.
• Hattie Jacques appears as a formidable army medical officer, who examines Connor many times, but can't find anything wrong with him. This is the pattern of many 'Matron' types Hattie would play throughout her Carry-on career.
• Terry Scott made a brief, and often unnoticed first ever Carry On appearance in this film as the fellow Sergeant that makes the £50 bet with Grimshawe (Hartnell). Ironically, his fee for this work was £50!

The Doctor is the only known name of the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also featured in a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series. ... Main article: History of Doctor Who Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television at 5:15 p. ... The Army Game was a British television series about life in National Service broadcast between 1957 and 1961 by Granada Television . ... Jump to: navigation, search 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... ... Jump to: navigation, search 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2002 Penguin Books paperback edition Goldfinger is the seventh novel by Ian Fleming, featuring James Bond, secret agent 007, published in 1959. ... Hollywood Squares is a American television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. ... Josephine Edwina Jacques (February 7, 1922 - October 6, 1980), better known by the stage name Hattie Jacques, was a British comedy actress born in Sandgate, Kent. ...

External links

• The Whippit Inn Information on the Carry On film series
• Carry On Sergeant at the Internet Movie Database