Sergeant Grimshaw is close to retirement, his one wish before he leaves the service is to win the coveted Star Squad award for the best drilled platoon in National Service. However, as his final band of men come trundling in it is obvious that he has been saddled with a bunch of misfits, idiots and general wasters.
So this be the first of what was to become a British institution with the Carry On film franchise. A franchise that veered of into the realms of saucy postcard humour to get the majority of its laughs. And oh how many of us lapped it up, not all were worthy films, but when on form the franchise entertained royally to those in the right frame of mind.
This picture however is very much a solid picture to be judged on its own merits, in fact there are no real signs of the smut filled comedy that would be the franchise's trade marks. This is based on a novel called "The Bull Boys" written by R.F. Delderfield, the plot is one that continues to be used in cinema at periodical intervals, basically it's the hopeless bunch of recruits thrust together creating many laughs and then heading towards a warm and fuzzy ending. William Hartnell, Shirley Eaton and Bob Monkhouse lead the cast, with Carry On stalwarts Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Keneth Connor and Hatttie Jaques laying down markers that would grace many more guffaws in the following films.
It's simple and safe and very watchable, but really it's a Carry On film in name only. 6/10
So this be the first of what was to become a British institution with the Carry On film franchise. A franchise that veered of into the realms of saucy postcard humour to get the majority of its laughs. And oh how many of us lapped it up, not all were worthy films, but when on form the franchise entertained royally to those in the right frame of mind.
This picture however is very much a solid picture to be judged on its own merits, in fact there are no real signs of the smut filled comedy that would be the franchise's trade marks. This is based on a novel called "The Bull Boys" written by R.F. Delderfield, the plot is one that continues to be used in cinema at periodical intervals, basically it's the hopeless bunch of recruits thrust together creating many laughs and then heading towards a warm and fuzzy ending. William Hartnell, Shirley Eaton and Bob Monkhouse lead the cast, with Carry On stalwarts Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Keneth Connor and Hatttie Jaques laying down markers that would grace many more guffaws in the following films.
It's simple and safe and very watchable, but really it's a Carry On film in name only. 6/10