Carry On Cruising (1962)

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Carry On Cruising finds Sid James as captain of a cruise ship and as he sees it a right good captain too. The secret of his success is that he works with the same people all the time. But during muster he notices several new faces. As he hopes to get command of a transatlantic ship James knows that his chances for promotion ride with the success of the current voyage.If you had such people as first officer Kenneth Williams, doctor Kenneth Connor and most of all a seasick cook in Lance Percival you'd be concerned too. As for the newbies there all in fear and nervous of their captain.Adding to the fun are romance hungry ladies Liz Fraser, Dilys Laye and senior citizen Esma Cannon all target other passengers and some crew members. Cannon is really quite good, that old lady like Thelma Ritter in Pillow Talk can drink anyone under. Laye herself gets completely frazzled herself.Not quite as good as some of the Carry On series, but the troupe does carry on valiantly.

Generally amusing Carry-On farce with a smaller than usual Carry-On cohort (James, Williams and Connor the only regulars aboard) sees hijinks on the high seas as the crew of a cruise ship encounter zany guests like the imbibing old duck Esme Cannon who can apparently drink anyone under the bar, even Ronnie Stevens who remains permanently submerged in a cocktail binge to mark each destination. Meanwhile Liz Fraser supports Dylis Laye desperately seeking a husband, initially enamoured with James, later settling for the romantic doctor Connor who's smitten by the vivacious blonde (there's a great scene where he serenades the drunken Stevens by mistake).Light, early Carry-On isn't nearly as bawdy as the series later became, with James playing a straight character for a change, while occasional Carry-On alumni Liz Fraser has her chance to impress with a sizeable supporting role showcasing her comic seductions. Good also to see Australian actors Ed Devereaux and Vincent Ball in small roles, while future "Fresh Fields'" Anton Rodgers also appears in the cast.The best scenes include Esme Cannon as the seemingly kindly old lady whose mental alacrity and physical stamina bely her age, while the stern and stoney-faced James cheerfully conceals his inner child as a bystander to the unfolding madness. Williams as usual is a scene-stealer and his jealous exchanges with most of the other characters at some stage throughout the cruise make for rib-tickling humour. If you prefer the more austere Carry-On variety, then your ship's come in with "Cruising".

I enjoyed Carry on Carry on Cruising, but I don't consider it one of the better entries. The story is pretty basic, some parts aren't as funny as others and this film could have done with a Barbara Windsor, a Hattie Jaques or a Jim Dale. It looks great though, and the score is nice and quirky. While there is nothing absolutely hilarious, some dialogue is funny and there are some decent gags. The acting is good if nothing more than that. Sidney James and Kenneth Williams are both underused but they do a fine enough job with what they have, though James does appear somewhat more subdued here. Kenneth Connor is amusing here, Liz Fraser is pleasant enough and Dilys Lane is good too. Overall, unexceptional but charming and pretty entertaining. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Over-reliant on crude physical falling about type comedy. Liz Fraser does it best when she "collapses in a dead faint" (she's a big lass). The clowning tends to hide the plot. There is one of sorts: the rookie crew are trying to impress, and the doctor (Ken Connor) is in love with Florence (Dilys Laye), who's hunting a husband in all the wrong places. Keep watching, though, as there are some very funny lines. When Laye throws herself at the captain he growls: "Flo! Ebb a bit!" Kenneth Williams is as brilliant as ever. When the captain calls for the barman, Tree, Williams ripostes something like "Where's Tree? I don't know, but there's a potted palm outside the first class dining room." And when the Captain reads him out a long list of tasks, he breaks into song "and a partriiiiidge in a pear tree - oh, sorry sir." Williams had a good voice and so did Connor (he gets Liz Fraser on his side by serenading the sleeping Laye). It's a shame Connor is so, so, so painfully unfunny. Oddly, Williams thought he was hilarious.