Snowdonia in Wales doubled as the Khyber Pass with the rest of filming done at Pinewood Studios. When the film was released, an old soldier who had served in the Khyber Pass area wrote to the film studio, informing them that he recognized the area at once.
The scenes on the North West Frontier were filmed beneath the summit of Snowdon in North Wales. The lower part of the Watkin Path was used as the Khyber Pass with garrison and border gate. In September 2005, a plaque was unveiled in Snowdonia to mark the spot of where the film was shot.
Jim Dale was supposed to play Captain Keene but was unavailable due to a stage commitment, so Roy Castle took his place. The role of the Fakir was originally much bigger and was meant for Frankie Howerd, but he had a stage commitment.
The holiday camp scenes filmed at cold, wet Burnham Beeches, just a little northeast of Maidenhead in Buckinghamshire. Convenient for the studios, Burnham Beeches has been used in countless films, including Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.
The African Jungle scenes seen in the film were actually Pinewood Studios sets (albeit the use of any archive stock footage). Legend says that the jungle scenes were filmed in Kew Gardens, London. In fact, they were all filmed at Pinewood Studios, the same place all the "Carry On..." films were made.
Why wasn't Kenneth Williams in Carry On Up the Jungle?
The role of Professor Tinkle was written for Kenneth Williams, and the role of Jungle Boy was written for Jim Dale, but Williams was unavailable as he was preparing to star in his own series, The Kenneth Williams Show, and Dale turned down his part due to the character having limited dialogue.
The 31 films in the series (if you include That's Carry On , a compilation film released in cinemas in 1978) were all made by the team of producer Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas between 1958 and 1978, with the belated Carry On Columbus appearing in 1992.
Gerald Thomas informed the Board that the footage was taken from the film Nudist Paradise, which the BBFC passed A in 1959 (albeit with a different audio commentary), so there were no further issues.
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!).
Throughout the film tiffin is used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse: the Khasi rejects an offer of tiffin at one point and says "unlike you British, we are not tiffin-mad". The word 'khazi' or carsey means toilet. Khyber is Cockney rhyming slang for a part of the anatomy (Khyber Pass - arse).
Now, 80 years on, Peter Butterworth's recently discovered German prison identity card is going on display as part of an exhibition telling the story of his life as a prisoner of war.
Khyber Pass, mountain pass in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on the border with Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The pass connects Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, with Peshawar, Pakistan.
The "SS Happy Wanderer", including its interiors and decks scenes, is mostly a set constructed at Pinewood Studios. It is affixed atop a hydraulic rig, and is a life size mock-up, complete with all the features of a real cruise ship.
During World War II, James served as a lieutenant in an entertainment unit of the South African Army. Following the war, he pursued acting as a full-time career. In December 1946, he relocated to the United Kingdom, supported by his service gratuity.
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.
Hattie Jacques (/dʒeɪks/; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the Carry On films, where she typically played strict, no-nonsense characters, but was also a prolific television and radio performer.
Betty Marsden (24 February 1919 – 18 July 1998) was an English comedy actress. She is particularly remembered as a cast member of the radio series Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne. Marsden appeared in two Carry On films, Carry On Regardless (1961) and Carry On Camping (1969).
The scenes set in the suburbs were filmed at the Iver Heath housing estate in Buckinghamshire, a favourite location for Carry On films due to its proximity to Pinewood Studios.
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."
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.
Why was Charles Hawtrey dropped from the Carry On films?
Carry On Henry, Convenience (both 1971) and Matron (1972) all had strong line-ups, but the wheels started to come off with Carry On Abroad (also 1972). Charles Hawtrey's alcoholism had become such a problem that he was fired, making the film his 23rd and final appearance in the series.
