Carry On Sergeant (1958)

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I'm not sure that anyone had the idea of a series when Carry On Sergeant was made. Carry On regulars like Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Hattie Jacques are here, but are down the cast list. With the title of Carry On Sergeant the title role could only be played by William Hartnell who made a career on the big screen playing tough British army sergeants, most prominently in The Way Ahead.Hartnell is getting out of the army and would like to have an honor platoon with the lot that's been assigned to him for basic training. British people had to do National Service mostly in their armed forces although certain jobs were accepted in lieu of. In his memoirs for instance Tommy Steele said that his in lieu of service was as a steward on an ocean liner.Hartnell looks like he's to have his hopes shattered, but strange things do happen with proper motivation. Of the regulars Kenneth Connor has the best role as the lovesick serviceman taken from wedding night bliss to basic training. That would upset any red blooded British boy when its Shirley Eaton he's taken from.There's also Norman Rossington who was a great British comic actor who plays a permanent private. He can't pass out of basic training and just has permanent residence. He has the best part in the film. A lot of this reminded me of those wonderful weeks in Fort Polk where we had a platoon of misfits similar to this bunch. We wore it as a badge of honor.A good, but modest beginning to the Carry On series.

When this film was made it is a safe bet that nobody thought it would start a long running series of films; the Carry On films may not have been the greatest ever made, in fact some were terrible, but they are certainly a British institution. Made in 1958 'Carry on Sergeant' isn't non-stop smut like some of the later films; instead it is genuinely laugh out loud funny! The film follows the training of the unfortunately named Able Platoon; a group of National Servicemen who for the most part don't seem like army material; Pvt. Strong is a hypochondriac, Pvt. Golightly is… well he is Charles Hawtrey and Pvt. Brown has failed the course several times already. They are trained by soon-to-be-retired Sergeant Grimshawe who is determined to win the award for the best platoon. As one would expect their training does not go well; bayonet training and the assault course going particularly badly… of course by the end the platoon have come together and it is just a question as to how well they can do in their final tests. Besides their training there is a sub-plot involving one of the conscripts who was called up on his wedding day and his trying to get some time with his new bride who has followed him to the camp and got a job in the Naafi.When I sat down to watch this I thought it may have dated somewhat but actually it seemed surprisingly fresh and I laughed far more than I expected; it was certainly a lot funnier than many of the later instalments to the series. The cast included several actors who would go on to become regular members of the Carry On team including the excellent Kenneth Williams who played Pvt. Bailey; probably the most competent of the platoon, Kenneth Connor who played the hypochondriac Strong and Hattie Jacques who played the camp doctor. If you have enjoyed other early Carry On films I'd recommend this as it was surprisingly good… don't be put off by later rubbish like 'Carry on England'.

I really like the Carry On movies in general. Later on, the humour did get smutty and then when regulars left or died the series went downhill faster than you could say "bob's your uncle". Carry on Sergeant holds the honour of being the first of the series, and in my mind it is one of the better ones, even with the too-short length and occasionally lacking story. I do think though it looks good, the film is very efficiently directed, the film goes at a fine pace and the music is nice and quirky. The script and cast are what make this entry work. The script is great, it is still very funny but its tone is gentler and I liked that. A lot of the early Carry Ons had this gentle humour, and it is a tone I kind of prefer actually. The cast once again give it their all, not just William Hartnell and Bob Monkhouse who are splendid, but also sterling support from regulars Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams(a smarmy know-it-all here), Hattie Jacques and Charles Hawtrey. Overall, a very entertaining and re-watchable entry and a solid debut. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I started my reviews of the Carry On's at the end of their run. Most of the ones at the end went to far and counted on dirty jokes and sex to sell the story. It is refreshing to go back to the first one and see how that stuff was not needed. I don't mind seeing a girl in a sexy outfit, but we don't need filthy humor.Carry on Sergeant takes place at a training camp for new soldiers. A lot of the men don't want to be there and don't try very hard. They are the worst of the camp. We have a lot of regulars here: Kenneth Conner, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques & Terry Scott. Also William Hartnell plays the Sergeant and does a great job playing him. Shirley Eaton plays a newlywed who sneaks on the base to be close to her husband. There is a funny scene where they keep marking the progress of the group and it keeps going down each week. The guys find out the sergeant is retiring after the last day of training, so they decide to give him a great showing and they win the contest against all the other groups. This makes him very happy and they give him a lighter as a gift in the last scene. That was a really nice touch and it put a lump in my throat.This first film had a different tone than the later ones. I liked it and it really grew on me. That's not to say, I did not like the style as they went ahead. I love Sid James and he did not come in to be the main guy until the mid 60's.