Connor gained a small role in the film The Ladykillers (1955) as a taxi driver. In 1958, he was cast in the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant, and became one of the regular cast in the series, appearing in seventeen of the original thirty films and many of the associated television productions.
The most prolific were the neurotic Kenneth Williams (26 appearances), the libidinous Sid James (19) and the campy Charles Hawtrey (23), while there was formidable female support from Joan Sims (24), Hattie Jacques (14) and Barbara Windsor (10).
Kenneth Williams appeared in 26 of the 31 Carry On films, the most for any actor. Williams played a range of character types, nearly always a lead character. Early roles were rather strait-laced; he then sometimes played his snide character: quite slimy and smarmy with a distinctive nasal voice.
Shot firstly in black and white, and then in colour from 1962 (with the exception of Carry on Cabby and Carry on Spying) each film was made using predominantly the same cast and crew.
Carry On (1958) Cast THEN AND NOW 2023, All the cast members died tragically!!
What was the last Carry On film ever made?
Emmannuelle marked the end of an era; not only was it the last film for fourteen years, but it was also the last film of the series to star Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Joan Sims.
From that initial outing to the dreadful Carry on Columbus in 1992, 31 films were produced in total, raking in a ton of money from limited budgets, turning its core “Carry On Team” into national treasures and, most importantly, making a lot of people laugh along the way. The series was an instant success.
How much was Kenneth Williams paid for Carry On films?
He was quick to find fault with his own work, and also that of others. Despite this, he spoke fondly of the Carry Ons in interviews. Peter Rogers, producer of the series, recollected, "Kenneth was worth taking care of because, while he cost very little—£5,000 a film, he made a great deal of money for the franchise."
Jim Dale appeared in 11 Carry On films, but he was convinced he'd ruined his prospects before he'd even started. Dale had a tiny role in Raising the Wind, which isn't officially part of the Carry On series but features many of its stars, including Kenneth Williams.
The role of the ship's cook Wilfred Haines was originally intended for Charles Hawtrey, but was re-written for Lance Percival, after Hawtrey quit in a dispute with the producer over billing and pay. He also demanded a gold star on his dressing room door.
The final surviving regular actor who had a lead role in the films is Jim Dale. Now aged 87, Dale - who is also a singer, comedian, narrator, and author - made his first appearance in 1963's Carry on Cabby.
James and Sims are ridiculously old for their roles as a courting couple still trying to get to first base (he was fifty-five, she thirty-eight), as is Barbara Windsor as a naughty schoolgirl (she was thirty-one!).
He also took leading roles in two Carry On films. In Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) he played Vic Spanner, the obnoxious shop steward central to the film's trade union and industrial problems storyline and the rival in the film's romantic sub-plot.
The cast were poorly paid—around £5,000 per film for a principal performer. In his diaries Kenneth Williams lamented this, and criticised several of the movies despite his declared fondness for the series as a whole.
The original Carry On films are owned by STUDIOCANAL, ITV - who own the Carry On name - and Warner Brothers. Further details about the new films will be revealed in due course.
'Carry On' legend Jim Dale, 79, has lifted the lid on the tensions between the cast of the classic British comedy series and revealed how they snubbed him when he was on 'This Is Your life'.
Terry was also part of the legendary Carry On film team and appeared alongside the likes of Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtree and Barbara Windsor in seven films including Up The Jungle, Loving, Henry and Matron.
Phil Silvers was paid £30,000 for his role, making him by far, the highest paid star in the history of the series, which provoked a great deal of animosity among the regular Carry On team. The location filming took three weeks, the longest in Carry On history.
Renowned for being low-budget, the producers didn't venture too far from Pinewood Studios with many of the locations being situated in Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead and other areas close to the world-famous studio.
Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors Ltd produced twelve films (1958–66), the Rank Organisation made eighteen (1966–78) and United International Pictures made one (1992). Producer Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas made all 31 films, usually on time and to a strict budget, and often employed the same crew.
Many of the famous regular cast have now passed away, with Dame Barbara Windsor dying at the age of 83. Her death has left means that there is just one of the regular cast members still alive 62 years after the series started. The final surviving regular actor who had a lead role in the films is Jim Dale.
Production. Production of the film ran from 10 January 1966 to 25 February 1966; it was filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Carry On Screaming was the second film in the series to have a sung main title theme.
With a worldwide box-office gross of over $2.9 billion, Avatar is proclaimed to be the "highest-grossing" film, but such claims usually refer to theatrical revenues only and do not take into account home video and television income, which can form a significant portion of a film's earnings.
