Carry on at Your Convenience

I have seen this film so many times now, usually just because it is on British television so much, but even so, it is SO funny. (Enough "so"s for you??)

As well as providing a dense and long strand (oo-er!!) of toilet jokes, it also has a certain sociological insight into the strike riddled decadence of 1970s Britain with a classic portrayal of bolshy union official by an actor who did not appear in many (or any?) other Carry On roles.

The annual works trip to the sea-side is excellent too, just to see those places before they went into terminal decline.

You need a certain sense of humour and you need to be in the mood, but if you are... great fun!

This is my favourite "Carry On" film.

It has a gag per minute. Most of the gags are "telegraphed" and predictable but for me this makes them so much funnier.

The film is about a toilet making factory owned by WC Boggs (note to US readers - a toilet in England is called a "bog"). 90% of the gags are related one way or another to toilets or biological functions.

If you like slapstick and toilet humour then you will love this film.

If you are pretentious and claim only to like "serious" humour then take that corn-cob out of your Khyber and watch this film anyway.

Also recommended: "Carry on Abroad"; "Carry on Matron"; "Holiday on the Buses", and "Mutiny on the Buses".

At Your Convenience is the 22nd of the Carry On Series, at the time of its release, the film was deemed as controversial seeing as the plot circled around problems with the trade unions at the time. Many carry on fans choose to boycott this film.

Cause of all that At Your Convenience was the first financial flop at the box office. It's hard to believe that now this is rated one of the best Carry On films in entire series.

Why is it one of the best? Well lets start with the plot, is film is set at a local toilet making factory called W.C. Boggs & Son. Which is run by W.C. Boggs played by Kenneth Williams and his son Lewis played by Richard O'Callaghan.

The company is going through a bad patch and loosing money fast, due to the amount of strikes that the company has suffering. Which is Mainly caused by the lazy union representative Vic Spanner played by Kenneth Cope, who complains about the littlest thing in the factory and causes a strike.

The story also shows how the lives of our lead characters are having due to all the strikes, Sid Plummer played by Sid James who is repeatedly fed up of listening to his wife Beattie talking to her pet budgie all day. Sid is also very keen on the next door neighbour and fellow colleague Chloe played by Joan Sims. Chloe is also got problems at home with her husband, who is often away on business and if he is home he normally rejects any sort of affection she gives him.

Sid and Beattie also have a daughter Mrytle played by the always gorgeous Jacki Piper, who works in the factory as one of the canteen staff. Meryle is permanently being pursued by both Vic Spanner and Lewis Boggs. Which at times can be annoying for her, mainly because the both of them are just as bad as each other.

While Vic Spanner despite him being in his late 20's-early 30's... is still living with his mam, who is permanently having a go at him for the amount of lack of money he brings into the house and all the strikes he causes. His Mum who is played by Renee Houston, has been forced to take in a lodger who is the jolly Charles Coote played by Charles Hawtrey, who also works at the factory as a toilet designer. Vic's mother seems to treat Charles a lot better than Vic by being more polite and generous.

Vic also has a mate and a fellow colleague Bernie played Bernard Bresslaw, Bernie comes across as a bit daft and allows himself to be bossed about by Vic too much.

The plot isn't spectacular but its simple and the script is fantastic. The casting is 100% cast and all the regular faces are present, though Terry Scott had a deleted scene playing the part of a union big wig.

Everybody involved looked to be enjoying themselves which helps with there performance, they probably all looked forward to the trip to Brighton!

I found at times the film does take a couple of serious moments, one being there is a nice scene between Sid and Chloe who during a night shoot. Showing that both of them have got more feelings about each other, sadly the only thing missing about this scene was a nice kiss at the end. Anyhow the scene is well acted by both Sid James and Joan Sims. For this movie Sid is taken away from his usual dirty old man character and many of the cast have said this probably the closest how Sid was like in real life. To be honest its the same for Kenneth Williams who I find less camp in this film, this time round he is playing the straight guy.

At Your Convenience is probably the most Carry On I've watched the most. It's a nice gentle Carry On and shows what the Carry On's were all about... family friendly comedy.

If you haven't watched At Your Convenience then you must, I can only describe it as a beautiful looking Carry On and comedy. I give Carry On At Your Convenience a 8/10.

There's trouble brewing at Wm.C. Boggs' lavatory factory, where work-to-rule union rep Vic Spanner (Kenneth Cope) seizes every opportunity to bring out the workers on strike (especially if the local football team is playing at home): unless foreman Sid Plummer (Sidney James) can keep production going, the factory may have to close for good.

Times have changed a lot since the 1970s, the decade that saw Britain plagued by industrial action, and Carry On At Your Convenience's once topical 'union workers versus management' storyline now seems very dated. Even so, this film still delivers plenty of laughs thanks to spirited turns from most of the series' regulars (Babs Windsor is the only notable performer missing), lots of quality innuendo, and a script that wisely moves the action away from the shop floor, first to the Plummer home, where Hattie Jacques' budgie proves a winner at the gee-gees, and then to Brighton seafront for the factory's annual drunken day out.

The team is on cracking form here, Sid James guffawing for all he's worth while patting lovely Joan Sims on the bum whenever possible, Kenneth Williams putting in a fun turn as factory owner Mr. Boggs, the unwilling subject of his secretary's amorous advances, and big lunk Bernard Bresslaw copping off with a busty blonde in Brighton. Best of all, as far as I am concerned, is the presence of top Carry On crumpet Jackie Piper as pretty tea girl Myrtle, who sports tiny blue hot-pants for the trip to the coast and briefly strips to her bra and knickers after marrying the boss's lucky son Lewis (Richard O'Callaghan).

This is the Carry On film which took longest to make back its money. It's not difficult to see why as it is so disparaging towards the unions and the typical Carry On fan in the early 70s was working class. If you are going to insult your target audience then don't be surprised to find they don't go to see your film. Having said that the basic storyline has plenty of opportunities for Talbot Rothwell's seaside postcard humour especially as they go on a works outing to Brighton. One of the Carry On films' best points is the way they added those little details so you get a toilet manufacturer called WC Boggs, the foreman's name sounds like plumber, his daughter's name is Myrtle which is a plant that grows in bogs. If I could only buy a budgie like Sid Plummer's I'd be laughing even more.