Watch Your Stern is a brilliant little nautical comedy and although it was made by the Producer, Director, most of the production crew and many of the stars of the Carry On films, it feels more akin to an extended movie version of The Navy Lark than anything in the Carry On series....we even have Leslie Phillips!!!
What sets this film apart from the Carry Ons is that this is far less of an ensemble piece but a clearly defined starring vehicle for the amazing and versatile Kenneth Connor.
Connor plays a national service rating in the Royal Navy assigned to HMS Terrier. He's an electrical boffin who knows all the theory inside and out, but pretty much fouls up everything he touches when it comes to putting his knowledge into practice.
When he accidentally (and rather stupidly) sets fire to the ships only set of Top Secret plans for a new torpedo currently undergoing testing, he and his commanding officers have to lie, cheat and improvise as many ways as possible to conceal the loss from their cantankerous old Admiral until their back up copy is returned.
Kenneth Connor shows us what a rare talent and a consummate character actor he was as he dons various disguises and effects various accents to help throw the suspicious Admiral of the scent.
It is clear however that this screenplay was not written by the then regular Carry On writer Norman Hudis, or even the great Talbot Rothwell who went on to replace him. It was instead an adaptation of a play by Earle Couttie called 'Something about a Sailor' and it shows. It does have stage adaptation written all over it.
However as I've mentioned before it does have that Laurie Wyman Navy Lark feel to it.
HMS Terrier can so easily be HMS Troutbridge and Leslie Phillips' Lieutenant Commander Fanshawe could so easily be Leslie Phillips' Sub Lieutenant Phillips (although in this film Fanshawe is a lot more competent) Sydney James plays a Chief Petty Officer that could so easily have been CPO Pertwee and even Connor's Ordinary Seaman Blissworth could have been Ronnie Barker's Able Seaman 'Fatso' Johnson. This was also exactly the kind of plot that made The Navy Lark so great and so funny.
In fact this movie is more like The Navy Lark, than the film they actually made of it the year before which was on the whole pretty poor.
Aside from Connor, Sid James and Leslie Phillips, other regular Carry On alumni along for the ride are Eric Barker, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, David Lodge and Victor Madden and guest appearances by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes keep the laughs coming.
If I have one criticism of this movie though, is that all of the above mentioned acting talent, with the exception of Kenneth Connor are criminally underused and their characters underdeveloped, but they all do well with the screen time they have.
Special mention to Noel Purcell, who shines as the no nonsense short tempered Admiral.
My advice is don't try and compare it to the Carry On's despite the familiar faces you'll see, just go into it expecting something different, and you will not be disappointed.
What sets this film apart from the Carry Ons is that this is far less of an ensemble piece but a clearly defined starring vehicle for the amazing and versatile Kenneth Connor.
Connor plays a national service rating in the Royal Navy assigned to HMS Terrier. He's an electrical boffin who knows all the theory inside and out, but pretty much fouls up everything he touches when it comes to putting his knowledge into practice.
When he accidentally (and rather stupidly) sets fire to the ships only set of Top Secret plans for a new torpedo currently undergoing testing, he and his commanding officers have to lie, cheat and improvise as many ways as possible to conceal the loss from their cantankerous old Admiral until their back up copy is returned.
Kenneth Connor shows us what a rare talent and a consummate character actor he was as he dons various disguises and effects various accents to help throw the suspicious Admiral of the scent.
It is clear however that this screenplay was not written by the then regular Carry On writer Norman Hudis, or even the great Talbot Rothwell who went on to replace him. It was instead an adaptation of a play by Earle Couttie called 'Something about a Sailor' and it shows. It does have stage adaptation written all over it.
However as I've mentioned before it does have that Laurie Wyman Navy Lark feel to it.
HMS Terrier can so easily be HMS Troutbridge and Leslie Phillips' Lieutenant Commander Fanshawe could so easily be Leslie Phillips' Sub Lieutenant Phillips (although in this film Fanshawe is a lot more competent) Sydney James plays a Chief Petty Officer that could so easily have been CPO Pertwee and even Connor's Ordinary Seaman Blissworth could have been Ronnie Barker's Able Seaman 'Fatso' Johnson. This was also exactly the kind of plot that made The Navy Lark so great and so funny.
In fact this movie is more like The Navy Lark, than the film they actually made of it the year before which was on the whole pretty poor.
Aside from Connor, Sid James and Leslie Phillips, other regular Carry On alumni along for the ride are Eric Barker, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, David Lodge and Victor Madden and guest appearances by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes keep the laughs coming.
If I have one criticism of this movie though, is that all of the above mentioned acting talent, with the exception of Kenneth Connor are criminally underused and their characters underdeveloped, but they all do well with the screen time they have.
Special mention to Noel Purcell, who shines as the no nonsense short tempered Admiral.
My advice is don't try and compare it to the Carry On's despite the familiar faces you'll see, just go into it expecting something different, and you will not be disappointed.