Customer Reviews

Carry on Matron [VHS]

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After the failure of Carry On At Your Convenience (1971), Gerald Thomas (Director) and Peter Rodgers (Producer) decided to return to familiar terrority - the hospital. Previous medical titles Nurse (1958), Doctor (1967) and Again Doctor (1969) had proved immensly succesful at the Box Office and were regarded by some as some of the best entries in the long running series.

In my own opinion I have to say that I found Again Doctor (1969) to be the best of the medical carry on's, although this later entry is of good value. All of the familiar faces are here including Hattie Jaques in the title role, who plays the role marvelously, taking a calmer, more subtle approach to the role in comparison to the more ferocious stereotype as seen in Nurse and Doctor. Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Bresslaw, Charles Hawtrey, Terry Scott, Kenneth Connor, Jaki Piper and Patsy Rolands are all present as well as being joined by Kenneth Cope, Jack Douglas, Bill Maynard, Gwendoline Watts and none other than Wendy Richard, more famously known as the downtrodden Pauline Fowler in the hit BBC T.V soap, EastEnders.

There is a little more structure to the plot with it centering around Sid and his petty gang of crooks that plan to rob the maternity ward of fertlity pills, which are worth millions abroad. They send in Kenneth Cope in drag, posing as a nurse. Its all predictable stuff of course but there are some wonderful performances here including a lovley cameo from Joan Sims as an over-expectant mother who spends most of her time eating in bed, Terry Scott as the ever randy doctor and Kenneth Williams who is permantley paranoid about being struck down with some illness. The film develops at a leisurley pace making way all the slap stick mayhem etc although that is actually toned down considerably a lot in comparsion to most other entries. Regardles of that, it stands as a very good comedy and one of the best of the 1970's carry On's which were beginning to be almost preoccupied by smut which led to the series abruptly ending in 1978 with the worst film in the series, Carry On Emmannuelle. As for carry On Matrion, it remain true to the spirit of classic Carry on's. A classic. Recommended.

The medical Carry On's had always been a popular phenomenon in the series. Carry On Nurse (1959) topped the U.S box office charts and ran in some cinemas for over two and a half years. Carry On Doctor (1967) was virtually an updated re-make of that classic and this became a huge hit too. Carry On Again Doctor (1969) is my own personal favourite medical Carry On and was another enormous success too.

In the 1970's ideas were beginning to wear thin so producer, Peter Rogers and director, Gerald Thomas decided a return to the hospital, which had always proved a popular staple in the series, was what the series needed to give it an injection of life needed after the failure of Carry On At Your Convienience (1971).

Carry On Matron (1971) was made when the series was nearing its peak. The storyline actually had more of (dare I say it) structure to it than previous medical titles in the series.

Sid (Sid James) and his reluctant bunch of petty crooks (Kenneth Cope, Bernard Bresslaw and Bill Maynard) plan to rob a maternity ward of fertiity pills which are worth millions abroad. They send in Kenneth Cope in drag posing as a nurse. His identity is soon discovered by Nurse Ball (Barbara Windsor) and very soon they become lovers. Its all the usual predictable gags and corny old British jokes but there is something about the cozy little world of the Carry On's that remains refreshingly timeless.

The formidable, Hattie Jaques takes the title role as Matron, who plays this more gently than the usual ferocious steretype as seen in Nurse and Doctor. She soon falls in love with Dr. Bernard Cutting (Kenneth Williams) and eventually the pair marry. The on-off affair of Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jaques emerged through various entries in the Carry On's and finally it was concluded in this entry when they finally made it to the altar. Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jaques share some classic scenes together in this entry.

Kenneth Williams is another hilariously over the top, flamboyant and pompous figure whose blatant paranoya causes much amusement in the film as he fears he may be turning into a woman and so sets out to woo Hattie Jaques in order to prove his "manhood". Classic stuff!

Joan Sims turns up in a lovely cameo here playing an over-expectant mother who spends all her time eating constantly in bed and refuses point black to induce labour. Kenneth Connor plays the impatient father to be who spends most of the film pacing up and down in the waiting room shouting orders and being his usual bundle of nerves.

Terry Scott plays the ever-randy doctor, a part that was similar to the characteur JimDale used to play in the previous two medical titles. He pursues Kenneth Cope relentlessly not realising that he is infact a man and not the nurse hes posing as.

The overly effeminate Charles Hawtrey breezes in throughout the film and is as hilarious as ever. His comic partnership with Kenneth Williams is priceless.

The rest of the cast all get their moments with Sid James playing his usual rogue-like self, Barbara Windsor being as bubbly and loveable as ever, Bernard Bresslaw again as Sid James dopey sidekick, Patsy Rolands taking a minor supporting role as Kenneth Williams secretary and Jaki Piper playing a young nurse.

Carry On Matron is consistently funny and develops well to a fun climax. The scene where the ambulance crashes through into the hospital is actually quite amusing despite its silliness. If you're a fan of this genre of comedy, you'll love it.

Carry on Matron plot involves a gang of crooks, Sid James, Bill Maynard, Bernard Bresslaw & Kenneth Cope, robbing a maternity hospital of "the pill" and selling them to other less well off countries. The only way to get information on where the pill is stored is by Kenneth Cope, dressing up as a nurse and going inside the hospital. Kenneth Cope as a nurse attracts the attention of a randy doctor, played by Terry Scott, who takes a fancy to him. The plot rolls along with several running gags including one with Kenneth Connor as a train station master complaining about his much delayed baby. Hattie Jacques is the matron with the inevitable crush on the chief consultant, played by Kenneth Williams.

Joan Sims is reduced to a bit part really as Kenneth Connor's ever pregnant wife who just keeps on shovelling down food.

Barbara Windsor plays the sexy nurse who also falls for Kenneth Cope when his identity is revealed when he runs upstairs, falls as he does and she sees his trousers rolled up under his nurse's uniform. It's one of the better films in the series.

A typical, very funny Carry On film. Probably Hattie Jacques' finest hour.

Another fun-filled, laugh a minute, Carry On Adventure, set in, as quite a lot are, a hospital!
Old lovable rogue Sid Carter (Sid James) leads his bumbling gang of thieves in an escapade to steal a massive hoard of birth control tablets from Finisham Maternity Hospital, and gets his son Cyril (Kenneth Cope) to pose in drag as a nurse, with disastrous consequences.

Add to this the neurotic head of the hospital, Sir Bernard Cutting (Kenneth Williams), the bumbling and domineering Matron (Hatti Jacques)-who Sir Bernhard is curiously besotted with- and the blond and bubbly fun-girl Nurse Susan Ball (Barbara Windsor)-as the nurse who Cyril lands as his roommate- and you get a handful of disasters and laughs.

If you like the wonderful 70's and British Comedy , you will love this!