A Write Carry On: Titbits, Insights & Untold Tales!

 

How did A Write Carry On come to be? The idea for the book first appeared light bulb like in 2002. I'd recently taken a walk from the Devil’s Dyke in Brighton down to Fulking, the one-time home of Carry On scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

The village had changed little. Many of the memories of my formative years spent with Tolly came flooding back.

I sat on the very hill that overlooked his driveway, the one I’d been perched on when many of the Carry On regulars emerged from Tolly’s house after a long afternoon of laughs and booze.

What I witnessed (included in A Write Carry On) gave a unique insight into the actors.

From there I wandered down to the village pub, The Shepherd and Dog. I took a seat by the stream and could almost hear the chatter and laughter coming from the main bar as Tolly – as he had so many times – talked cricket, women and wickedly tall tales.

I’d also been reading up on the Carry Ons and was saddened by the lack of column inches given to Tolly. He had been so central to the series’ success. His double entendres and saucy seaside humour had given the series both its working class popularity and credibility.

Plus, when he did get a mention, it seemed to be the same few paragraphs repeated ad infinitum. I was sitting on a book worth of untold tales, ones that rightly painted a picture of Tolly as a talented, much loved and professionally respected treasure.

Here’s an insight into a few tales contained within the pages of A Write Carry On:

The Right-Wing 'Carry On' That Shed The Most Pounds

A little bit of politics in a mainstream comedy film can stem the flow of cash at the Box Office. Take ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’; the twenty-second film in the series.

With ‘Convenience’ a lot of audience goodwill went out the window. In a time of bitter industrial disputes, scriptwriter Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell explored the political themes of the trade union movement.

The script had a noticeable right-wing slant; both mocking and sending-up the unions of the day. In doing so, Tolly alienated the traditional working-class audience of the series.

Read the full article HERE

The Dark Side Of The 'Carry On' Funny Man: Tolly's time in the Palestine Police Force.

Tolly then smiled as he recalled that it hadn’t taken long for him to ingratiate himself into the very separate communities of the stallholders and shopkeepers from the city’s Moslem, Jewish and Christian Quarters. He said his natural way of being courteous and respectful had made him feel welcomed and seemingly above suspicion.

But one thing he didn’t’ take to was the chilly climate of the uplands of Jerusalem. He much preferred the more dependable summer and autumn seasons to be enjoyed in Tel Aviv.

Whilst on routine company patrols and manoeuvres Tolly recalled how he was a witness to the inner-workings and social-struggles of local families. Some mothers were raising as many as eight or nine children on an income of what Tolly classed as a pittance.

Read the full article HERE

This Is Your Life: Coming Out From Behind The Sofa With Kenneth Williams

At Tolly’s that winter’s evening, it was Kenneth Williams who was able to chop his producer down to my size. Of all the Carry On regulars who were there to raise a glass to Tolly’s success, it seemed that it was Kenneth alone who had the strength of personality to strip Peter Rogers of his apparent air of superiority.

Kenneth would not back down on any topic raised by his employer. As Rogers spouted forth on all manner of topics, Kenneth would respond with a witty anecdote that would show he knew more about the topic than its instigator.

I gradually uncurled from the back of the sofa and was soon joining in the chorus of hilarity being raised from the battle of two such great minds. Rogers was soon crying with laughter, and Kenneth had his nose raised as he drew in the air of victory. 

Read the full article HERE

A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

By Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

Available now at Amazon

Available now via iTunes

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War Of The Carry Ons: Kenneth Williams vs Sid James

Sid James was wandering the perimeter of the small paddock that sat at the rear of Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell's house. Tolly was, at the time, deep into his stint of being screenwriter to twenty-two of the iconic Carry On films series.

Sid was alone and looking somewhat haggard as I slipped out into the midday summer's sun and sat on a small bench at the side of the paddock.

He was dressed in khaki coloured slacks and an open lose fitting untucked check shirt. His sandals, like much of what he was wearing, looked very much on their last legs.

For at least ten minutes Sid kept his distance and remained deep in thought. From inside Tolly's house the sound of Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor holding court was clearly one of the reasons Sid was braving the direct intensity of the sun's rays. Kenny Williams wasn’t his cup of tea – that was common knowledge.

Later we were joined by Tolly. He patted me on the head and smiled and then ambled over to Sid and gave the actor a hearty pat on the back.

‘All right, old chap?’

‘That bloody Williams is getting on my tits, Tolly. I know I shouldn’t rise to it, but the way he looks down his nose at me and talks over the end of my sentences, drives me mad.’

‘He means well, Sid. Anyway, food's up and we are all about to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jim (Dale). Join us, come on.’

With that Sid wandered over, grabbed me by the arm and said: ‘If I ain’t getting out of this neither are you.’ We entered the house, painted on our smiles, opened our mouths and sang ‘happy birthday’ to a rather squiffy looking Jim Dale.

To read more on Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Sid James, Barbara Windsor and the rest of the Carry On cast and crew .. buy a copy of A Write Carry On .. Just CLICK HERE

A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

By Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

Available now at Amazon
Available now via iTunes
Read On Your Kobo

The Carry On School Of Modern Day Comedy

It's still possible to identify the Carry On influence in modern mainstream British comedy.

From the pseudo working men's clubs insights of Peter Kay, to the knowing tickle-yer-granny's funny bone 'off-the-cuff' sitcom sauciness of Mrs Brown's Boys .. the double entendre and innuendo laced humour of the Carry Ons are alive and well and on a DVD shelf near you.

Julian Clary, who features in the forthcoming ebook, Intimate Insights (Wholepoint Publications), starred in the ill-received Carry On Columbus, and, for his sins, found himself in a recent run of Celebrity Big Brother.

But ringing through the heart of Julian’s comedy persona are the infectious vowels and delivery of Kenneth Williams.

Even as far back as his days as The Joan Collins Fan Club, his modus operandi was to shock through use of his vocabulary .. a technique so expertly mastered by Williams.

Williams would also use song as part of his intellectual arsenal. Releasing two albums under his own name, Kenneth Williams on Pleasure Bent and The World of Kenneth Williams; he has been cited as a great influence on Tim Minchin.

Minchin is an Australian-British comedian, actor, and musician who describes his act as a ‘funny cabaret show’ and sees himself primarily as a musician and songwriter as opposed to a comedian.

His songs, he says: "just happen to be funny."  His reasoning for combining the disciplines of music and comedy was revealed in one interview when he said:

"I'm a good musician for a comedian and I'm a good comedian for a musician but if I had to do any of them in isolation I dunno."

 

 

Minchin’s self doubts over giving his talents to just one comedy genre are much like those of Williams.

The Carry On regular wanted most of all to be taken seriously, but is best remembered for his slapstick appearances in the long running comedy film series.

From the stadium-filling mainstream comedy of Michael McIntyre, to the sardonic observational comedy of Dylan Moran, we have the likes of Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Barbara Windsor et al to thank for coming up with the ideas first!

 

 

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley
 

Wholepoint Publications

Kenneth Williams: Amateur Hour With A True Professional

Watching an actor learn his lines is tantamount to watching paint dry. Even when said actor is Kenneth Williams and said lines will only be witnessed by the lucky few who squeeze into an unremarkable village hall.

It was a few days shy of Christmas and Kenneth had arrived at Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell's (Carry On scriptwriter), house with just three hours to learn his lines, rehearse his scenes and partake in a dress rehearsal.

So, with time short .. Kenneth did none of the above three. Instead he put on a show there and then, to an audience of just three.

Tolly, my dad and myself sat enraptured, though a little intimidated, as Kenneth delivered uncensored anecdotes on the behind the scenes going-ons of his fellow Carry On stars.

The air was blue, Tolly and my dad were blushing and fidgeting awkwardly in their chairs .. while I was in seventh heaven. Kenneth noted my youthful abandon and delivered many of his cutting/killer punchlines down his long nose and directly to my lugholes.

With an hour till showtime he tired of us and was whisked away to the local village hall. By all accounts, he adlibbed the local amateur dramatic society off of the stage, endeared himself to few of those in attendance, and loved every minute of the unforgettable and outrageous scene had he created.

My dad dined-out on the story for years to come. As time passed he somewhat elevated his part in that night’s proceedings. He really should have known better. There was only one performer that night, and he played a blinder!  

To read more on Kenneth Williams and the rest of the Carry On cast and crew .. buy a copy of A Write Carry On .. Just CLICK HERE

A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

By Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

Available now at Amazon
Available now via iTunes
Read On Your Kobo

A Write Carry On - A Screenwriting Bestseller

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

 

Imagine growing up with the Carry Ons. Getting to hobnob on a regular basis with the likes of Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Frankie Howerd, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Kenneth Williams. Well, I was that lucky guy. The catalyst for my meetings with the cream of saucy British comedy was Talbot‘Tolly’ Rothwell.

Tolly wrote the scripts for twenty-two of the big-screen Carry Ons, and was a close family friend for all of those glorious mega-grossing box office years.

 

A Write Carry On catalogues not only his eleven years with the Carry Ons, but also Tolly’s time as a Second World War captive at the notorious POW camp, Stalag Luft III (best known for two famous prisoner escapes that took place there by tunnelling, which were depicted in the films The Great Escape (1963) and The Wooden Horse (1950), and the books by former prisoners Paul Brickhill and Eric Williams from which these films were adapted).

Along the way you will get a behind-the-scenes peek at the lives and personalities of all the major Carry On stars. There were a lot of laughs but also a few tears. Oh, and the odd illicit affair too!

I really enjoyed reading about the real people that i only knew from the carry on films.
It was so interesting finding out about the man behind the scripts, a true genius.
Funny, sad and informative from an unusual perspective.
Would recommend this to all. (Verified Amazon Buyer Review)



‘The spine of the book lists his name. The title looks familiar. Even the dust jacket speaks of ideas that had once come so easily to him. But here, in this now unfamiliar room, his past belongs to another and the present holds few clues to his self. Fear takes a grip.’ ('A Write Carry On')

This was the moment when one of the great unsung heroes of British comedy writing knew the game was up. Having been responsible for a rollercoaster half-decade of screenwriting twenty Carry On films, as well as Up Pompeii and The Crazy Gang, Talbot ’Tolly’ Rothwell could no longer recognise the keys on his typewriter. His past had caught up with him.

 

Talbot went on to receive an OBE - yet still managed to be 'A Man In The Shadows’.

 

Featuring the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Frankie Howerd, Hattie Jacques et al, this gripping tale takes the reader deep into the complex characters who have, even after their passing, become a mainstay of British comedy.

 

‘A Write Carry On’ also take the reader behind enemy lines during the Second World War, when Talbot was incarcerated in the notorious Stalag Luft III. There he teamed up with Peter Butterworth to produce camp concerts which aided tunnelling escape efforts.

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" - Kenneth Williams (Julius Caesar) Carry On Cleo (1964)

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Getting Intimate With The Carry Ons

It was a scene blessed. The rolling South Downs covered in crisp late autumnal early morning dew, while - from my vantage point in the front room of the then Carry On scriptwriter, Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell’s house - I was being willingly given a poetic crash course in all things Mother Nature.

Tolly’s two Golden Retrievers were getting restless. All the talk of the great outdoors was sending them over the edge.

 

The four of us were soon stepping out and crossing the few feet from Tolly’s gravel driveway and on to the damp green blades of the Downs.

Talk on that half-term Wednesday morning soon turned to the somewhat surreal happenings of the previous Sunday. An afternoon dominated by grand arrivals and off-centre lessons in the complexities of adult gatherings.

The occasion had been one of the sporadic social get togethers of Carry On cast and crew. A time when the post midday hours were orchestrated by Kenneth Williams, and played out to a soundtrack of laughter and one-upmanship.

 

 

Tolly had been intrigued to what I had made of the event. He’d noted that Hattie Jacques had spent a good hour with me .. the two of us engaged in deep conversation.

I explained that she had raised the somewhat thorny topic of weight gain .. a ‘condition’ that had hung heavy on both our lives.

Hattie was sweet and understanding. I was barely in my teens and she geared the conversation towards my adolescent body image concerns.

 

Initially I was embarrassed that the topic had been raised. But Hattie’s almost sisterly approach instilled in me a new found confidence.   

Then there was Sid, the old rascal. Sid James, bless him. A man very much of his time. Flirty-yet-a-gentleman. Trustworthy, though would bet your granny if he thought the old nag would come home first.

At the party I’d also been accosted by Kenneth Williams. Don’t think he liked the fact I’d been happily sitting quietly with his fellow Carry On team.

 

 

Kenneth very much saw himself as the numero uno. So I was subjected to his full repertoire of peacock-like strutting. Much laughter was had!

 

Barbara Windsor had arrived well after the party had peaked. Kenneth made sure he was next to her, or there abouts, for the remainder of the afternoon.

 

I noted that while he was talking to Barbara his eyes were actually locked into an intense gaze with Sid's. It would be a few years before I knew what that was all about!

 

Tolly loved to hear these tales. He found the inner workings of the Carry On cast a great inspiration for his writing.

 

As lunchtime approached we dropped down from the hills and took lunch at his local, The Shepherd and Dog. Tolly's attention was soon lost to the throng. I think they loved him just about as much as I did!

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications
 

A Write Carry On: The Readers Offer Up Their Intimate Insights!

Feedback during the four months since the publication of A Write Carry On has been both enlightening and informative.

 

Sally Majors, from 'up Gloucestershire way', emailed to say as a teenager in the early 1970s whilst visiting her grandparents in East Sussex, they had all been excited to come across a 'somewhat jovial Sid James and Barbara Windsor' sat in the quiet alcove of an Alfriston pub.

Sally and her grandfather approached the couple when they were at the bar ordering more ‘liveners’. Both were friendly, and Sally remembers Barbara taking a keen interest in her somewhat ‘off-the-wall teenage attire’.

Considering, at the time, that the Carry On couple were having an unpublicised affair, Sally is, in hindsight, amazed at how open and forthcoming the duo were.

 

 

Another interesting insight, from a fellow A Write Carry On reader, arrived via a private message on my Facebook page.

Dan Carter, a self-styled ‘British comedy film buff’ clearly remembers tracking down Carry On scriptwriter, Talbot‘Tolly’ Rothwell, to the Shepherd and Dog, his local pub in Fulking.

A few whiskeys later and talk turned to the ins and outs of writing to deadline and the process that saw the scriptwriting project brought to completion.

Tolly told Dan that Carry On producer Peter Rogers, once a scriptwriter himself, was both meticulous and demanding when it came to perusing the various script drafts.

They would return to Tolly with red crossings and markings as well as being heavily annotated.

 

There would be a number of these exchanges, and Tolly felt it was his willingness to take on board criticism (justified or not) and his quick turn around in ideas and drafts that kept him onboard the Carry On team for twenty-two of the series thirty-one films.

 

 

Lastly, in this blog entry, the last hurrah goes to Annie Crocket, now based in Northern France, but during the early 1960s and late 1970s she was a resident of Eastbourne, in East Sussex.

Annie worked as an extra on many projects shot at Pinewood Studios. She had muted background scenes in a number of Carry On films, and got to know a few of the personalities behind their on screen characters.

Having read A Write Carry On Annie dropped me a long email. Firstly she congratulated me on bringing out the true essence of the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Jim Dale, Hattie Jacques and Charles Hawtrey.

It was the latter she chatted to the most. Annie said she found Hawtrey a loner who, when sober, was friendly and always welcoming of a quiet chat. She said he kept himself pretty much to himself, and that initially once he began drinking heavily he found it easier to be a part of such a close nit group of actors.

 

She also bonded with Kenneth Williams. Always 'on' and never predictable. A true Carry On trait if ever there was one! 

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

Beyond The Carry Ons: ‘Intimate Insights’ Coming To Wholepoint Publications

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) is not the whole story, it just marks the halfway point in my collection of reminisces about growing up with the Carry Ons.

The first ebook focused on my family's friendship with the big screen series long-term scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

The final part of the tale, Intimate Insights, is currently at the first draft stage and will be available for download (via Amazon/Kob/iTunes) before the year's end.

 

Like A Write Carry On, the new ebook has been picked up by Wholepoint Publications.

Intimate Insights will focus on my meetings with many of the regular Carry On cast. The majority of those off screen stumble-upons took place in Fulking (Sussex), at the home of 'Tolly' Rothwell.

A few of them, like my chance meeting with Julian Clary (Carry On Columbus), are worthy of their inclusion in Intimate Insights.

 

Julian was fine company; a thoughtful, engaging and open interviewee – despite being caught somewhat off guard.

 

 

As for the featured Carry On regulars (Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Barbara Windsor, Jim Dale, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Jim Dale), separately they were great company. Together, in certain combinations, they could be a nightmare. I had the (mis)-fortune to witness both!
 
Intimate Insights will also feature the illustrations of Mandy Hills. Mandy drew the cover for A Write Carry On, and has teamed-up with me in the past where she has supplied illustrations for poetry anthologies and magazines .. as well as drawing a mean Virginia Woolf!   

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

'Intimate Insights' - A Peek Behind The Carry Ons!

The forthcoming free mini-ebook 'Intimate Insights' will bring to a close the final chapter on my unique tale of growing up with the Carry Ons. In A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) I offered a glimpse into the life and times of the longtime series scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

'Intimate Insights' delves a little deeper into the household names who were so universally loved and respected; those icons of British comedy who included Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor, Frankie Howerd and Jim Dale.

Some of the mini-ebook’s insights have featured on this blog, others will be unique and previously unpublished.

‘Intimate Insights’ will be free to download from Scribd and this blog from 20^th October. Check back regularly for updates.

A Write Carry On is available now via Amazon – Kobo and iTunes .. click here for more details.

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

The Right-Wing 'Carry On' That Shed The Most Pounds

A little bit of politics in a mainstream comedy film can stem the flow of cash at the Box Office. Take ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’; the twenty-second film in the series.

With ‘Convenience’ a lot of audience goodwill went out the window. In a time of bitter industrial disputes, scriptwriter Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell explored the political themes of the trade union movement.

The script had a noticeable right-wing slant; both mocking and sending-up the unions of the day. In doing so, Tolly alienated the traditional working-class audience of the series.

It was originally conceived with the overtly communist title of 'Carry On Comrade' in reflection of the negative treatment of the union and union bosses.

The film was re-titled 'Carry On Working'. That title was ultimately retained in the film’s closing sequence, a dialogue scene that didn’t appear in Tolly's final draft of the script.

To add even further confusion, the word ‘convenience’ wasn’t used for lavatories in America or Australia, so the film was re-labelled 'Carry On Round The Bend' for release in those countries.‎

The plot centred on a bolshie union representative Vic Spanner, played by Kenneth Cope, who continually stirs up trouble in the works, to the irritation of his co-workers and management.

He calls a strike for almost any minor incident – or because he wants time off to attend a local football match.

Sid Plummer (Sid James) is the factory foreman bridging the gap between workers and management, shrewdly keeping the place going amid the unrest.

'Carry On At Your Convenience' took a full five-years to cover its full production costs.

Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

by Mike Cobley

Wholepoint Publications

Sid James & The Girl From The Evening Standard

Sidney ‘Sid’ James sat in his trailer sipping on a wisky and glancing absent mindedly at the new script he’d found awaiting him in a sealed brown envelope.

Sid had arrived mid-afternoon, having stopped off on the way for quick livener and a flutter on the Gee-Gees.

To do a full read through was too much like hard work, he decided. So he gave the script the quick once over before doing much the same to a passing Barbara Windsor. He watched her run to catch Kenneth Williams and wondered to himself what a nice girl like her was doing with a prat like him?

Sid was cold and wrapped himself in a blanket just as a light knock at the door sounded. He ignored it, but soon there came another, and then another. ‘Come in, why don’t you.’

The door opened and hesitantly a young blonde eased her way in, dusted herself down and turned to face Sid. ‘Kathy, Evening Standard, Mr Williams said it would be ok to talk to you.’

‘Did he now? The little fucker,’ smiled Sid. He patted the space next to him and Kathy nervously approached and brushed her skirt flat as she sat down.

‘Now, what can I do for you?’

‘Really, what I’m after is a few words on how you think the Carry On films have changed since Mr Hudis left and Mr Rothwell took over?’

‘Well, that’s different at least,’ cackled Sid. ‘Fancy a drink?’

You could say Sid was more than an average red blooded male. He worshipped the female form, and along with that came a deep respect for the love and support they could give him.

His much publicised affair with Barbara Windsor went beyond the simple attraction of an older man for a younger female. As Windsor has said on many occasions, what for her was a bit of a fling, was for him much more.

To find out what transpired when ‘Kathy, from the Evening Standard’, entered Sid James’ life .. read the bestselling ebook ..

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)

Available Now!

To purchase a copy CLICK HERE

Contact the author at editor@brighton.co.uk