User reviews

The film centred around The Helping Hands business is full of laughs.Favourite sketch is Sam Twist (Kenneth Connor) in the club as steward and is told not to make a sound.You can't help but laugh as he gradually loses the plot when he sees an old man's fly undone on his trousers,an old man falling asleep reading a book and an old man sleeping as his wig slips down over his face.Top notch.A film (like all Carry On films)that I never get sick of watching with all the early Carry On regulars present.Typlical Carry On gags and double-entendre with the campness of Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams always guaranteed to make me laugh.

For their fifth venture, the usual "Carry On" suspects (Sidney James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey. Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques) are joined by other irregular members (Fenella Fielding, Liz Fraser, Esma Cannon, Terence Longdon, Bill Owen, David Lodge and Norman Rossington) and some surprising cameos (Stanley Unwin, Jerry Desmonde, Kynaston Reeves, Howard Marion Crawford and Patrick Cargill) in a frequently hilarious but ultimately patchy and disjointed romp.

James' Bert Handy heads "Helping Hands", a well-meaning but hopelessly incompetent firm providing any services the customer may require: and, so it is that James is asked by an eccentric millionaire to take his place in the queue at a hospital's waiting room and is consequently mistaken for him and waited on by the matron (Jacques, naturally); Connor is in top form here: ostensibly hired as a babysitter, he finds himself acting as Fielding's lover to arouse her neglectful husband, being a librarian driven to hysterics when attempting to observe a public library's rule of silence, getting himself all wet when, completely misunderstanding a client's request, he engages in some Hitchcockian espionage aboard a train full of sinister passengers, getting engulfed by the "Bed of the Century" when attending an Ideal Home exhibition and, best of all perhaps, going "cold turkey" after his sixth attempt to stop smoking; Sims also has a memorable bit when she ends up drunk at a wine-tasting event and makes a shambles of the place to the chagrin of organizer Crawford; Hawtrey goes into the ring against a massive opponent when, acting as his second, he inadvertently injures the challenger!; Williams enjoys a tea party with a group of chimps at the zoo, etc.

The finale shows Cannon's infallible filing system going bonkers with each member of the group being sent out on the wrong assignment and, afterwards, the whole gang join forces in demolishing a dilapidated building…even if their original task was merely to clean it up a bit! In a notable appearance, celebrated comedian Stanley Unwin speaks his trademark nonsense language and drives the entire crew to distraction during his intermittent visits to their office…before multi-linguist Williams manages to explain that he is their landlord and is about to throw them out!

As one can make out, there are several funny bits in this film but it is also evident that its inherently episodic structure (which entails that some of the gang members are given precedence over others) fails to coalesce into a cohesive and completely satisfying whole.

A bunch of out of work folk are delighted when several positions come onto the market at the Helping Hands Agency...

As most reviews attest to, this fifth Carry On film barely has a plot to get your hands on. Pic basically takes the seven members of the agency through a series of vignettes, the jobs they are assigned to do ranging from chimp walking to modelling underwear!

Each slot allows for some amiable comedic opportunity, the best of which finds Joan Sims getting sloshed at a wine tasting function, Charles Hawtrey landing in a boxing match with a hulking brute, Kenneth Connor involved in a 39 Steps parody, and all of the workers pitched into chaos during an Ideal Homes Exhibition. Back at the Helping Hands office Sid James and his secretary Esma Cannon are flummoxed by the continuous appearance of Stanley Unwin talking his gobbledygook, which all leads to the big finale as the whole cast get to have a grand old time of things. While as usual there's fun to be had spotting the future stars of British TV and film who pop up in cameos.

Carry On Regardless finds the creators on safe and amiable ground. It's no high point of the series but it's good fun and lets some under valued comic actors work their respective charms. 7/10

With work sparse in England, the labour exchanges have become almost a social club with so many men hanging around without joy. It is in this environment that Bert Handy spots an opening for a firm carrying out any odd-jobs on request and thus the "Helping Hands Agency" is born. Recruiting a gang of odds and sods, Bert quickly finds that there are all manner of jobs out there to be done that don't fit anywhere. However can his men all cope with the sheer range of jobs thrown at them? About 10 minutes into this film I started to realise that this had no plot. At regular intervals from then on this view was reinforced as the film just became a series of sketches using the odd-job company as a frame for setting each one up. This sounds like a criticism because it is but surprisingly it was not a real problem because the sketches are mostly pretty funny and the amusement they make up for the total lack of any actual narrative drive. The sketches mostly stand alone but are not that contrived or forced – only the mixed up jobs part is a little forced; the wine tasting, the translated argument, the home improvement show and others are all consistently amusing even if none of them had me rolling in the aisles.

The cast all take to the sketch format with their comedy background. James has the least role since he has to act as the glue holding the funny bits together but he does get some laughs and he is rarely less than interesting and amusing. Connor, Williams and Hawtrey all do the characters they had done in the previous four films – all of them are funny and they do well in their various sketches. Owen joins the male cast in a minor role while Sims and Fraser are stuck with "pretty young girl" roles which minimise their comic impact a little bit. Support from Jacques, Hickson, Cannon, Alexander and others is good and they make the film feel fuller than it would have done with only the main roles filled with well known faces.

Overall on the surface of things this is a plot less mess that has no rhyme or reason to it; however it does set up a series of sketches that are mostly pretty amusing. It won't be remember as fondly as the later Carry On films that produced laughs with a fuller plot and costumes but it is still an enjoyable film that shows how good the group were as comics. Not quite what you think of when you think Carry On but an entertaining collection of sketches nonetheless.

It's the early sixties and jobs are tough to come by, enter Helping Hands, an agency that can fulfill any post.

These earliest carry on films seem like a totally different group of films to the latter offerings. Regardless is funny, charming and truly light hearted, there was an innocence to this earlier movies that was replaced with something more adult in later years, possibly more smutty.

There isn't a tight plot, it's very loose in a way, a series of sketches hang together before a mad cap slapstick ending. Every sketch had its moments, Kenneth Connor's sniggering at the gentleman's club is hilarious, as is a drunken Joan Sims. I wouldn't say there's a particular standout, but Stanley Unwind and Esma Cannon although being supporting characters provide great laughs. Liz Fraser is great, such a sensational beauty.

Carry on Regardless is one of the early carry on films, and there's a lot of fun to be had here. Starring a lot of the regulars (Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey and Liz Fraser) and some funny cameos.

The plot is basically Sid James sets up a job finding industry and obviously every job the characters go to they mess up or something ridiculous happens in a series of sketches, it's not one of the most inventive carry on films but it is a lot of fun, especially the end sequence where they're meant to repair an old mansion.

6/10: Good

The fifth movie in the popular Carry On series, Regardless opens in an employment office where many of the Carry On regulars are seeking work. When someone spots an advertisement in the local newspaper for a vacancy at The Helping Hands agency, there is a stampede to the office, where boss Bert Handy (Sid James) gives all of the hopefuls jobs, sending each member of staff on an assignment with disastrous results.

With a virtually non-existent plot, the film being little more than an episodic series of comedy sketches tenuously linked by the Helping Hands agency, this is one of the least engaging of the Carry On capers. As wonderful as the performers all are, there is little they can do with the lacklustre material, and there are precious few genuine laughs to be had as each character goes about their appointed task. The not-so-hilarious escapades include snobbish Francis Courtenay (Kenneth Williams) taking a chimp for a walk, neurotic chain-smoker Sam Twist (Kenneth Connor) believing that he is involved in espionage, and lovable Lily Duveen (Joan Sims) getting tipsy at a wine tasting event.

On the plus side, there's no shortage of crumpet on show to elicit a few 'Phwoar's from male viewers: voluptuous blonde Delia King (Liz Fraser) models lingerie for a husband who is trying to buy a present for his wife, busty brunette housewife Penny Panting (Fenella Fielding) tries to make her husband jealous by dressing sexily and canoodling with Sam, lucky boss Bert gets to examine a line-up of young nurses stripped to their underwear (which, this being the 1960s, involves sexy stockings and suspenders), and Sims' fans get to see Lily in the bath (although copious bubbles preserve her dignity).

I rate Carry On Regardless a disappointing 5/10, but deduct one point for Stanley Unwin, whose dreadful gobbledygook routine soon becomes extremely tiresome (he appears in the film numerous times as a potential client who cannot explain his requirements because no one can understand him).

This film is definitely in the top three of Carry On films.

Alongside the early line-up of usual players - Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor and Sid James - this film is notable for its host of cameo roles by other comedy greats. Some, such as Hattie Jacques and Fenella Fielding, had greater prominence in other Carry On films. Some, such as Betty Marsden, became famous elsewhere in comedy. Further familiar faces in cameo roles here include Molly Weir, Terence Alexander, Joan Hickson and Nicholas Parsons.

The five main actors listed above are ably assisted by Liz Frazer, Bill Owen, Esma Cannon, Terence Longdon and Stanley Unwin, all united around an agency that aims to help customers in whatever way they can. Hence the great range of cameo roles available.

Joan Sims performs one of her greatest drunk roles; Kenneth Connor does his best tongue-tied shy man, both in the company of temptress Fenella Fielding and when he's attempting to give up smoking; Charles Hawtrey wins a boxing match; and Kenneth Williams gets to walk a very unusual pet.

The humour in this film is far superior to the sex and toilet jokes that later filled (and possibly destroyed) this great series of films. This is a film that the family can watch time and time again.

The Carry On gang had one of their best outings in Carry On Regardless, the story of an employment agency run by Sid James where they handle temporary and unique job situations. The nature of the film with the various Carry On troupe members sent on assignment is perfect exhibiting the comedy styles of all the regulars.

Such a structure tends to be episodic but in this case hilarious. During the course of the film we see Kenneth Williams get hired as a pet walker and the pet turns out to be a chimpanzee. Great scene when they end up at the London Zoo with Williams and his charge at tea time with his peers. There's also Joan Sims hired to help out at a wine tasting party by Howard Marion Crawford and getting absolutely polluted. And we can't forget Charles Hawtrey hired as a boxing ring second stepping into the ring and taking over when his fighter can't perform. Each skit fills the comic style of the performer perfectly.

A really marvelous comedy from Great Britain courtesy of the ever ready Carry On troupe this time at the Helping Hands Employment Agency.

This is a great Carry On. The unemployed group together (under Sid James aka Mr Handy) to provide 'services' to various people for a fee. Special treat is Stanley Unwin who is desperately trying to warn them of their impending eviction, but due to his gobbldygook language, they don't understand. Until Kenneth Williams (an equally skilled orator) comes to the rescue. Best bit definitely Kenneth Connor in the Gentlemans club. Almost as good - Kenneth Williams walking the Chimp, Kenneth Williams interpreting for the German Woman, Kenneth Connor and Joan Simms (No sweets, no draws), Stanley Unwin all the time, Charles Hawtrey boxing ..... no, there's too many good bits to recount.

"Carry On Regardless" is one of the most loosely plotted in the entire franchise. There's only a basic outline: Sid James is advertising his new business of "Helping Hands" and can't attract any potential employees. Suddenly, a rush of several people storm his office looking for work. They are all hired on the spot. That's it, as far as story is concerned. The film is focused on the various misadventures of all the employees: Kenneth Connor believing he's been engaged on a mission involving spies and espionage (an affectionate tribute to "The 39 Steps"); Charles Hawtrey attempting to be a boxer as a last minute replacement. But it's Kenneth Williams who comes off best. He has some hilarious experiences, including being a babysitter to a chimpanzee, acting as a translator during a domestic argument etc. He was in his element and manages to steal the film.

"Bert Handy" (Sid James) opens his new "Helping Hands" venture with a view to providing skilled employees to employers looking for a variety of qualified workers. Well? Kenneth Connor ("Twist"); "Dimple" (Charles Hawtrey); "Courtenay" (Kenneth Williams) and "Weston" (Bill Owen) are amongst his talent pool so along with "Lily" (Joan Sims) you can easily guess just what kind of mayhem is going to ensue as this bunch of no-hopers try to turn their hands to the simplest of tasks with the most ridiculous of results. There is less emphasis on the dialogue here, more on a series of slapstick-style stunts that work to varying effect. Esma Cannon always made me smile - just by being there - and there are plenty of other household names involved to keep the pace flowing along well enough. It's far too long, though - the idea is fun, but it gets stretched out beyond the point where the joke stands up and I just didn't really like Connor's one-gear style of comedy. Still, it's playing to the usual stereotypes in a gentle and un-abrasive fashion that does what it says on the tin.

This isn't much of a film in a sense as it has a very loose almost non-existent plot, it's more a selection of sketches. Not necessarily a criticism though as almost all these sketches are funny. I remember seeing this a couple of times years ago and I thought it was one of the weaker of the series but on rewatch I actually think it's one of the better ones as far as the entertainment value goes.

The scene with Joan Simas tasting wine made me lose it, I haven't laughed so much in so long! The acting remains good from all the cast and despite the lack of plot it's entertaining and is worth a look.

The Carry On movies at one time were the very soul of British humour. I used to love them. And I have fond memories of a London stage Review "Carry On London" on one of my first visits there in the sixties. But, alas, the movies, at least this one, have not worn well. I eagerly looked forward to watching this item when it turned up on one of our specialty channels. After all, Sid James is/was a very funny man! But, sad to say, I found it trite, predictable, clichéd,dated,juvenile and not really all that funny. I guess it was right for the times, a product pre-dating IRA bombing campaigns, the common market and the Americanization of English life. But in 2005, unlike some other "oldies", it just doesn't make it.

Bert Handy with the help of his elderly secretary Miss Cooling run the Helping Hands employment agency a company that will seemingly find the right job for anyone. When 7 keen and willing applicants come storming through his door, he soon finds work for them, but it seems that the jobs Bert has lined up for them weren't quite what the applicants were expecting...

One notable thing with this Carry on film is its absence of a plot, but this isn't necessarily the issue here (others in the franchise have had weak plots, but have still managed to be hilarious).

The problem with Regardless lies with its execution; the idea of the characters taking on bizarre jobs or jobs that don't suit their particular character is a great idea and should have been funny, but here it just doesn't work. Whilst the usual misunderstandings and pratfalls arise, it's all done with a distinct lack of wit and flair; there's also a lack of witty one-liners, sharp dialogue and a snappy script which also makes the film feel a little underwhelming. It's also worth noting that this was one of the early Carry on films where Sid James plays the straight-man role (something which he was ill-suited to and which thankfully changed in the later films). Unusually for the franchise, Kenneth Connor gets a chunk of the screen time, but after seeing his bumbling act time after time it does start to grow tiresome; I haven't watched the film's in chronological so if you are watching them in order then his role here may not seem like such an issue. I personally thought he was at his best in films like Carry On Camping and Carry On Abroad where he does something different; the man can act he just tended to be limited at what he could do by the writers and producers!!

Another thing I couldn't help but notice is with the odd way that the film is structured; it didn't even feel like I was watching a Carry on film, but instead it came across more like a sketch show. Many of the characters seemed to be doing their own thing in different scenes and there seemed to be very little interaction between the cast (surely another reason why this film fails).

The main cast all work well together and I'd be lying if I said that there weren't laughs to be found here and there, but overall the jokes, the wit, the innuendo and the sharp dialogue were mostly absent in this particular offering.

Going back to my summary and the subliminal meaning I think the reason for this title coming to fruition was a conversation between the production team about this film and its overall quality. I can imagine several parties showing their dissatisfaction with the overall product, but them someone just saying "Oh who cares just Carry on Regardless." The way that the film's title is included as the final line of the film is also a bit desperate and lame.

HONOURABLE MENTION; Liz Fraser's bra and panties scene. I never knew she had such a shapely and lovely figure.

This "Carry on" as other writers have noted has no plot but that does not detract at all from enjoying it because its like a series of delightfully funny sketches. Lets face it plot was never very important in this series any way. The sketches are fun. Some of course are more successful than others but there are moments in this Carry on that are simply priceless. One problem is the usual weak link in the series, Kenneth Connor. The producers must have been very fond of him because he is always given more to do than the others. The 39 steps send up is dull. He annoys me. It is not that he is a bad actor, far from it its that the characters he played do not hold up today. He is not quite as annoying as I usually found him and his scene with the great Finella Fielding is a joy. This wonderful actress graced the screen when ever we saw her. I wonder if she always played this character because she did it to perfection. What a brilliant actress! There are plenty of other great performers in this movie. Australians will recognise June Jago a small role and the great Ed Devereaux in an all all too short appearance as an insanely jealous husband. Of course the more one reads about the great Charles Hawtrey makes one wonder what was really going on in his mind in that scene with the incredibly cute boxer who strains his finger. Hawtrey is in great form here. Kenneth Williams is brilliant and he gives one of his best. The chimp scene is lovely and that little animal gives a great performance too. I hope there was no cruelty to the beautiful creature, one worries about these early films. Sid James is nicely restrained. Fine old actors like Esma Cannon and Joan Hickson are as always brilliant and although Hatti Jaques only has a small role, she lifts the film as always. The Joan Sims drunk scene is a master piece. She was always a winner. The scene when we are meant to be convinced she is fat does not work. I find her very attractive. This is one of her very best. The best performance comes from gobbledegook talker Stanley Unwin. I don't know how he does it but I have not laughed so much in a while. Esma Cannon's reaction to him are hilarious. A fun movie. For me it gets an 8.I must say it is Unwin who steals the film... remarkable and what an incredible gift. I cannot do it nor can many people.

Not as good as the first 4, it got a bit daft in this one, not funny, just daft, this situation comedy is set in a employment agency.

Sid James is the lead for the 2nd time as the boss of the agency, and the rest of the Carry On team are the workers Bill Owen is back and they have a new glamorous face in Liz Fraser, very nice. Terry Longden does his last, but he had plenty of work after, he retired in 2003 and sadly passed away in 2011 aged 88. Joan Hickson is also back, in a cameo, this time swapping roles with Hattie Jacques who plays the sister. Other cameos are with Terence Alexander, Fenella Fielding, David Lodge and Victor Maddern Again. Julia Arnall provided a bit more glamour. Norman Rossington did a few of these early Carry On's this was his last also, he only had a bit role, he passed away in 1999 aged 70, his last role was in 1996, strangely enough he is in one film in 2018 liste on imdb, it is actually 2 old TV episodes cobbled together to make a TV movie.

It is still in a fifties style but with a bit of daftness creeping in, not to great but not that bad. It gets better.

This Carry On does not seem to have a story line- it is more of a series of sketches linked together only by "Helping Hands". However this is a good one, NOT quite what the tagline suggests, but a good one. Most of the main stars (to date) are here, and they all get their own sketches. My fav being the Kenneth Williams/Chimp one (But this could be because KW is the best "Carry On-er"!). Other highlights are the Joan Sims' sketch at a wine tasting party and the end scene whare all the gang demolish a house. Apart from Stanley Unwin (I can't stand the way he talks) this is a good-un.

Despite their being much decried at the time of their release, the Carry on Films are, and will become even more so with time, an integral part of English Comedy Culture. Most of the protagonists of these films are as of today, dead, and nothing as side-splitting has unfortunately come to replace them. They are films you can watch over and over again, when you are feeling down in the mouth, even when you know the stories. In France, the equivalent is called ' L'Equipe du Splendide " who made films of the "Les Bronzés" series during the seventies, but their output was far less prolific and the protagonists are still alive today as far as I know. As for the carry-ons, there are so many of them, that one is never short of a good laugh, and today, there is none of the good light hearted humour of those fifties and sixties. Unfortunately, the late twentieth century plague called "political correctness" has seen to that and what a shame it is too ! Carry on regardless is one of the funniest carry-ons, unfortunately in Black and White, but with the added attraction of Stanley Unwin speaking "gobbledygook" (charabia) and this had me reeling in fits of laughter. Mind you, I'd already seen Stanley several times on English TV years ago but I can't remember in what context. Anyway, carry on watching ..............they're nearly all now available on DVD for about £10 or 15 € !!!

Carry On Regardless is an entertaining film in my mind, but it is not among the best for me, not like Cleo, Up the Khyber and Screaming. There is a complete surfeit of story, the film feels more like a handful of sketches, and Stanley Unwin I found more irritating than funny. However, the gags are funny constantly, with Kenneth Williams baby-sitting a chimp and Joan Sims getting hammered the highlights. The film is well directed, has a snappy script and looks nice too. The acting, other than Unwin, I have little to complain about. Kenneth Connor gives one of my favourite Carry On performances of his, and while he could have done with more to do Charles Hawtrey is good as well. Sid James seems to having a lot of fun, and Esma Cannon simpers superbly, while Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims come off best. Overall, a fun entry that entertains even with an uneven story. 8/10 Bethany Cox