I love Carry On Cruising! But it could quite easily have been another Sergeant clone like Constable, had Norman Hudis chosen to send up the Navy. Instead he chooses to place the crew on a cruise ship which obviously gives scope for plenty of interaction between the crew and the civilian passengers, or the boys and the girls as it transpires!
Again we have a collection of misfits, this time a bunch of new crew members on Sid James well established cruise ship. Sid doesn't like new faces, they make him nervous. And so they should, the scrapes they find themselves in.
Kenneth Connor once again finds himself romantically entangled. This time with Dilys Laye. The difference this time is that he isn't burdened with neuroses and superstitions, his problem lies in the fact that she's just not interested! So the comic situations arise from his attempts to get her interested, which of course he does in the end. The Kenneth Connor/Dilys Laye romance is perhaps my favourite from the Hudis' films.
Although Sid, Kenneth Williams and Kenneth Connor are all on top form, my favourite performances come from Esma Cannon and Dilys Laye, ultimately in the bar scene where they try to out-drink each other. Just the simple introductions have me in tears...
Esma - Call me Bridget Dilys - Florence! Esma - No dear, Bridget! Dilys - I'm Florence! Esma - Oh Yes! Florence. Liz - I'm Glad! Esma - So am I! Oh well, now that's all sorted out!
And then the pair of them start drinking......
Dilys - Mud in your eye! Esma - Really? Oh well, never mind they say it's good for the skin!
and........
Dilys - Down the hatch! Esma - Oh not likely! I know a much better place! Liz - Oh come on Flo. Dilys - My round, my round. Name it Bridget. Esma - Flo dear....... Dilys - ...Two Flo dears neat! ............... I thought you meant the name of a drink, two Flo dears!
It's a fabulous scene that ranks as my favourite along side the dinner party scene from Up The Khyber.
I even love Lance Percival's performance as Wilfrid Hanes. He definitely stamps his mark on the role, so much so that I don't even notice the absence of Charles Hawtrey. In fact after the sterling work from Lance I find it difficult to imagine Charlie in the role! Similarly I don't even notice the absence of Joan Sims, who I must stress is my favourite Carry On performer. Dilys Laye is outstanding, having joined the film at just 2 or 3 days notice when Joan fell ill.
This is by far my favourite Hudis' Carry On and I'd recommend it to Carry On fans and non-Carry On fans alike!
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Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Production Year: 1956 - Comedy - Director: Joshua Logan - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Betty Field, Hope Lange, Eileen Heckart, Arthur O'Connell, Casey Adams, Hans Conried, Robert Bray
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
A Life on the ocean wave with the Carry On crew! Sid James is the long-suffering Captain ... more
of the luxury cruise liner S.S. Happy Wanderer, a ship full of misfits who don't know their portholes from any other holes! It isn't long before the luckless passe...
A life on the ocean wave with the Carry On crew! Sid James is the long-suffering Captain ... more
of the luxury cruise liner S.S. Happy Wanderer a ship full of misfits who don't know their portholes from any other holes! It isn't long before the luckless pas...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Carry On Cruising [DVD] [1962]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78176951.jpg "Carry On Cruising [DVD] [1962]")
Aug 27th, 2000
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