Long a film I had wanted to see, Carry On Up the Jungle (Gerald Thomas, 1970) features much of the typical Carry On regulars, with the added wonderfulness of NGoN #18, Valerie Leon.Carry On Up the Jungle features Sid James the intrepid hunter Bill Boosey, Frankie Howerd as Professor Inigo Tinkle, Joan Sims as Lady Evelyn Bagley, and Bernard Bresslaw as native guide Upsidaisi.
The movie is not without its problems, notably Bresslaw's performance in blackface. This is not minstrel show blackface. It is actually quite effective, as I did not realize it was him for quite a while. It is also not overly offensive, as that type thing goes. Upsidaisi is very much like Florence from The Jeffersons, rather than being an Amos & Andy type performance. I am not sure what the reasoning for the blackface is. Fans of The Avengers may know that there were no people of color in the show as directed by the network. However, there are black actors in side roles.
For the most part, the story is pretty solid. Professor Inigo Tinkle is searching for rare birds, and Lady Evelyn Bagley is looking for a memento from her son, lost twenty-five years previous. Boosey is their safari guide. Not only do they discover a rare bird, believed to be extinct, and the child and husband of Lady Bagley, but also a tribe of women who never have male offspring (led by Valerie Leon). Things get a bit shaky at times, story-wise, but is full of jungle film tropes that will keep fans of that genre either pleased or enraged.
Watch it on YouTube
Carry On Loving (Gerald Thomas, 1970) was on the same DVD as Carry On Up the Jungle. I had no particular interest in it, but as long as I bought it, I was going to watch it.Being set in then-modern times, it is the story of a marriage agency and its clients. It stars Sid James, as Sidney Bliss, Hattie Jacques as Sophie Bliss/Plummett, Joan Sims as Esme Crowfoot, and Kenneth Williams as Percival Snooper. Sidney Bliss has a habit of overly vetting the female clients, which eventually causes problems for him as well as many of them.
This one was pretty enjoyable, but not exactly a favorite. Some good gags. More cheesecake than Up the Jungle. Very typical twists of the mistaken-identity variety and general innuendo. Worth watching, but far from my favorite.
Watch it on YouTube
2 comments:
Hey, Darius, I totally agree that JUNGLE has one of the stronger stories. I think it covers most of the famous jungle-tale tropes and sends them up brilliantly. Glad someone took the time to put it on Youtube.
Hi Gene, I did think this one one of the stronger entries, though I like anything with Valerie Leon ;-)
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