Carry On Constable (1961, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey)

Carry On Constable reunites the actors and actresses who had already become the mainstay of the series – Leslie Phillips, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims – with a new stalwart to the cast: Sid James.

Here, the gang takes a strong line on law and order, essentially breaking as many laws and creating as much disorder as possible in 90 minutes. When a flu epidemic hits a local police force, Inspector Mills (Eric Barker) is forced to accept new recruits Tom Potter (Phillips), Charlie Constable (Connor) and Stanley Benson (Williams) along with Special Constable Timothy Gorse (Hawtrey) as a stopgap remedy to his staffing problems.

The four of them are incompetent to the point of being dangerous, and it is left to doughty sergeant Frank Wilkins (Sid James) to whip them into shape. This is no easy task: from being so inadequate to the point of slipping on banana peels, the rookie cops are cheerfully befriending the local villains and dragging innocent old ladies across roads whether they want to go or not.

Wilkins’ only support in all this is the formidable Sergeant Moon (Hattie Jacques), the one person who seems to understand what a terrible job he faces. However, when all looks at its blackest and the raw recruits seem to be about to leave Wilkins’ reputation in tatters, the local area is beset with wages heists and Wilkins’ clumsy rookies get to show what they have learned…

production details
UK / Anglo Amalgamated / 86 minutes / 1961

Director: Gerald Thomas
Writers: Brock Williams, Norman Hudis,

cast
Joan Sims as W.P.C. Gloria Passworthy
Charles Hawtrey as S.P.C. Timothy Gorse
Kenneth Williams as P.C. Stanley Benson
Joan Hickson as Mrs. May
Irene Handl as Distraught Mother
Sid James as Sergeant Frank Wilkins
Hattie Jacques as Sergeant Laura Moon
Eric Barker as Inspector Mills
Kenneth Connor as P.C. Charlie Constable
Leslie Phillips as P.C. Tom Potter
Shirley Eaton as Sally Barry