bkoganbing
Watching the Carry On Christmas show from Thames television in 1973 put me in mind of the Christmas specials in the past when in America folks like Bing Crosby, Perry Como and the like did Christmas. No Christmas carols in this show and the comedy sketches are not anything you would see on American television. Where was Mrs. Whitehouse?Carry On regular Sid James hosts the show and its quite the romp. James is one raunchy department store Santa Claus, but after an encounter with a mother and an overdeveloped 13 year old girl on Santa's lap, he wishes nostalgically for a more traditional Christmas.Like they had during the 17th century, during World War I, in caveman times before there was Christmas and in the days of Robin Hood when he made Marian. That's to give you some idea of Christmases past which turn out to be in the raunchy Carry On style.Benny Hill couldn't have been more raunchy. Fun, but Bing Crosby wouldn't have had a Christmas special like this.
Tony Rome
The holidays are examined from quite a different approach, a crazy comedic approach. Sid James is quite funny as Santa. I like the flashbacks to other era's, the soldier sketch is the best. Kenneth Connor does a good job playing the sort of "dirty old man" store manager. These specials are hard to find in the US. I have only been able to locate this special and Carry on Stuffing (1972) I would like to get a copy of Carry on Christmas (1969) and Carry on Again Christmas (1970). Carry on Christmas (1973) follows the same approach as Stuffing, but I tend to prefer Carry on Stuffing (1972) mainly for Kenneth Connors portray as the war general. Hopefully these will be released as a set in the US, like some of the films were earlier this year.
Roger W Worsley (lulliclo6)
David, you have truly hit the nail on the head - this is brilliant! My family enjoy watching the video whenever we need something to help banish the blues. I really enjoy the banter between Santa and the store manager at the beginning, while my mother and sister grin like the Cheshire Cat during the Ballet sequence! The characters are very well written and performed (especially Jack Douglas's clumsy, hard of hearing butler, Crapper), and as for the names (Senna Pod, Crapper, Mr Belcher etc) - well, what can you say? This is a wonderful record of the Carry On team at their hilarious best. (Personally, I think the team are much funnier without Kenneth Williams)
davidlloyd38
Ironically, the last Carry On Christmas special is the funniest out of the four, produced from 1969-1973. This one hasn't been shown on TV since it was first broadcast, but was released on video in the early 90s. If you can get a copy - get it!It's quite surreal at first, watching a made for TV Carry On, after growing up with all those films, but the jokes and performances are on par with any film made during this period. Strangely, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey's aren't missed from this show, as they were when they weren't in one of the films.Carry On Christmas is a sort of sketch show, introduced by Sid James as Mr. Belcher, the local Dept. Store's Santa Clause. These little sketches are great fun, and the first with Barbara Windsor as the schoolgirl and Joan Sims as her mother 'Yes, well we had a French student living with us - she probably got it from him' - 'I wouldn't be at all surprised' are wonderful. Then Babs, who is clearly enjoying herself in this show, gives a great retort when Sid asks what her name is. 'Virginia, then Mum says we call her virgin for short, and then you say not for long, alright?'. Sid James' shocked reaction is priceless.The first sketch is 'Carry On Caveman', and its a shame this idea was never made into a a full film (even though caveman scenes feature in Carry On Cleo). All the regulars are brilliant, and painfully shows what talented character actors they were - some of the best Britain has produced. Kenneth Connor's old man caveman is a great character - he's been asleep all year, and because of it, has nearly been buried twice. The sketch doesn't really come to life until Sid James turns up with Barbara Windsor as 'Crompet' (i.e. the Crumpet)! The next sketch is an Elizabethan after dinner party, giving Jack Douglas his best name 'Crapper', and his best performance, when his twitching act doesn't come across as annoying. Barbara Windsor must be praised for her Fanny - Sid James' wife in this sketch. She gives it her all, and you can tell she isn't taking any of it seriously, which makes it so funny.The last two sketches are a mixed bag. The first, a sort of 'Carry On Banging' is set in the trenches, 1917 (think Blackadder Goes Forth). Talbot Rothwell liked the situation so much, he was going to turn it into a full length Carry On after Carry On Dick (1974), but he retired after that picture, due to illness. This WW1 sketch is both hilariously funny, and touching. There's a segment where Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw, Joan Sims and Barbara Windsor sing 'silent night', and it almost brings a tear to your eye, watching these old pro's singing a Christmas Carol with such pathos. The comedy soon returns with Sid James' Sgt. Ball 'we haven't got any Private's left, they were all cut off in the last attack', and Bernard Bresslaw's brilliantly named Captain Ffing-Burke!The final sketch is a Carry On Robin Hood, with Kenneth Connor as Will Scarlet and the excellent Peter Butterworth as Friar Tuck. This sketch doesn't work as well as the others, and the pay-off is pretty average (Barbara gets her bosoms out again), but its funny and typical Carry On.Watching this on Christmas Night is a must. You just don't get television like this any more. These actors and actress' were so talented, and brought so much energy to the screen. The whole atmosphere is fun, silly, naughty and above all, innocent. This is what Christmas TV should be - for the family. Forget about watching repeats of Fools and Horses, spend your Christmas with the Carry On team!
