GusF The first "Carry On" film in colour, this is enormous fun. Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Sid James (once again playing the straight man) are at the top of their game, although the absences of Charles Hawtrey (for the only time until he was dropped from the series in 1973), Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques are very noticeable. He has a fairly small role but the untalented Lance Percival makes for a very poor Hawtrey substitute. All I could think was how much better Hawtrey would have as Haines, the violently seasick ship's chef who can't cook. The comic potential of the character is wasted. On the bright side, Dilys Laye is more than worthy of filling Sims' shoes, particularly in the drinking scene. Esma Cannon gets more to do than in the last two films and is absolutely hilarious. The contrast between her and James is brilliant.

Jackson Booth-Millard I have to be completely honest in saying first that I fell asleep somewhere in the middle, so I cannot give a full opinion about the film until I see it in full. Basically The SS Happy Wanderer is ready to set sail, but Captain Wellington Crowther (Sid James) has only just found out that loads of staff members have been replaced at such short notice. New members include First Officer Leonard Marjoribanks (Kenneth Williams), Doctor Arthur Binn (Kenneth Connor, cook Wilfred Haines (Lance Percival) and barman Sam Turner (Jimmy Thompson), so the Captain not only has to put up with their incompetence, but the passengers aboard turn out to have strange qualities too. Also starring Liz Fraser as Glad Trimble, Dilys Laye as Florence 'Flo' Castle, Esma Cannon as Bridget Madderley, Ronnie Stevens as Drunk Passenger, Vincent Ball as Jenkins and Cyril Chamberlain as steward Tom Tree. That's pretty much all can say about the film until I see it again in full, but I will say it has only three regulars, all male, but where are Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor and Joans Sims when you want them? Okay!

MARIO GAUCI With a story by "Carry On" alumnus Eric Barker, this is a fairly weak entry in the series – and, as I said with respect to ANTS IN THE PANTRY (1936; The Three Stooges short which preceded it), going through a succession of films featuring the same actors, one becomes rather weary of the repetition. In this case, it's the characterization of individual members which hardly changes from one outing to the next (particularly at this early stage in the series, when the style of comedy more or less followed established rules rather than going all the way for double entendres and general tastelessness)! For instance, Sid James is once again the flustered authority figure who has to mould his underlings – these are forever eager but incompetent, led by know-it-all Kenneth Williams and nervous Kenneth Connor (who, invariably, is given a hesitant romantic attachment); their effeminate usual cohort, Charles Hawtrey, is absent here but his replacement is the resistibly goofy Lance Percival as the new chef on James' ship. In fact, what drowns the film (pardon the pun) is the latter's schtick – as well as the presence of diminutive and dotty old lady Esma Cannon (also seen in CARRY ON REGARDLESS [1961] and CARRY ON CABBY [1963]). It doesn't help, then, that the most prominent actresses during this early phase of the "Carry Ons" – Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims – are also missing from this one…though it must be said that the two young female leads (Liz Fraser – also from REGARDLESS and CABBY – and Dilys Laye, who proves to be a surprisingly adept comedienne) are highly appealing.Incidentally, this was the first film in the series to be shot in color and, as such, has added curiosity value – even if the overall quality isn't really up to the usual standards.

lucy-19 Over-reliant on crude physical falling about type comedy. Liz Fraser does it best when she "collapses in a dead faint" (she's a big lass). The clowning tends to hide the plot. There is one of sorts: the rookie crew are trying to impress, and the doctor (Ken Connor) is in love with Florence (Dilys Laye), who's hunting a husband in all the wrong places. Keep watching, though, as there are some very funny lines. When Laye throws herself at the captain he growls: "Flo! Ebb a bit!" Kenneth Williams is as brilliant as ever. When the captain calls for the barman, Tree, Williams ripostes something like "Where's Tree? I don't know, but there's a potted palm outside the first class dining room." And when the Captain reads him out a long list of tasks, he breaks into song "and a partriiiiidge in a pear tree - oh, sorry sir." Williams had a good voice and so did Connor (he gets Liz Fraser on his side by serenading the sleeping Laye). It's a shame Connor is so, so, so painfully unfunny. Oddly, Williams thought he was hilarious.