Another early outing for the 'Carry On' franchise featuring most of the familiar gang.
Although there's the usual dose of sexual innuendo - hardly to surprise in a military movie - the descent into toilet humour has yet to appear. Most of the jokes are of a military prescription, with a group of disparate conscripts drafted-in for national service. William Hartnell gives a believable turn as a sergeant hoping to pass-out his best-drilled company of soldiers prior to imminent retirement, only to find himself confronted by the misfits from hell.
The two Kenneths are in full flight, Williams as the campy hauteur that he plays to perfection, whilst Connor gags-up as a lovelorn hypochondriac. Bob Monkhouse features as a man conscripted on his wedding day. There's good old Hattie Jacques as authoritarian medic, and also - unusually - Dora Bryan working in the NAAFI.
Some of the humour will be lost on a modern audience because of the passage of time since its release, especially the military jokes, as most people today have no experience of the armed forces beyond the abstract medium of news bulletins. However, the continuing appeal of 'Dad's Army' suggests that there is still an interest in vintage military bullshine.
It's definitely one of the funnier 'Carry On's'.
The franchise was pretty much a busted flush by 1965.
Although there's the usual dose of sexual innuendo - hardly to surprise in a military movie - the descent into toilet humour has yet to appear. Most of the jokes are of a military prescription, with a group of disparate conscripts drafted-in for national service. William Hartnell gives a believable turn as a sergeant hoping to pass-out his best-drilled company of soldiers prior to imminent retirement, only to find himself confronted by the misfits from hell.
The two Kenneths are in full flight, Williams as the campy hauteur that he plays to perfection, whilst Connor gags-up as a lovelorn hypochondriac. Bob Monkhouse features as a man conscripted on his wedding day. There's good old Hattie Jacques as authoritarian medic, and also - unusually - Dora Bryan working in the NAAFI.
Some of the humour will be lost on a modern audience because of the passage of time since its release, especially the military jokes, as most people today have no experience of the armed forces beyond the abstract medium of news bulletins. However, the continuing appeal of 'Dad's Army' suggests that there is still an interest in vintage military bullshine.
It's definitely one of the funnier 'Carry On's'.
The franchise was pretty much a busted flush by 1965.