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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Swinging Seventies, 3 May 2006
Carry On Loving exploded onto British cinemas in 1970 and scored one of its biggest success stories in the series. Though variable in quality, Carry On Loving hit contemporary times perfectly in this mildly risque offering and was entering into the more liberal times which was something director, Gerald Thomas and producer, Peter Rogers intended to loosley draw upon.
Carry On Loving is now, perharps one of the more dated entries in the series but fans of the series will undoubtedly lap up all this laughably innocent, old fashioned comedy that retains its ultimate feel-good factor that had made the Carry On's such a winner in the first place. You know that there are better things out there than this but yet theres something about the cozy little world of the Carry Ons that remains refreshingly amusing and often provides perfect escapism.
Carry On Loving is slightly similar in its content to an earlier addition in the series, Carry On Regardless (1959) with a series of sketches, loosley connected to the same initial centre of the plot. In this case the centre is a fradulant dating agency, run by Sid James and Hattie Jaques. Their characters, Sid and Sophie Bliss are a couple who pretend they're married as a ploy to make their shoody dating agency look more genuine. They have a wide variation of clients on their database such as a bachelor who just happens to be a marriage guidance councillor who seeks a girlfriend and a young, naieve man who's desperate to lose his virginity. Its all as daft as usual and character plotlines such as these could only have come from a Carry On film but yet even though you know you shouln't, they still can raise plenty of laughs with all the chaotic madness, fun and games to always endure. This one is much the same as always and the formula was beginning to wear admitedley a little thin at this stage and despite a few nondescript scenes where the pace becomes a little tedous on occasions, it overly is entertaining, ending with a great custard-pie fight scene where the cast are all gathered together in one big mass ceremony final that is just great fun and a classic ending.
Some of the regualrs on show in this offering are looking a little older now whilst some are unfairly restricted to minor supporting turns. Sid James is basically Sid James in this entry, beefing up his usual masculine charms on any woman that takes his fancy whilst Hattie Jaques, who always bought a sense of grace with her inimitable characterisations, plays his pretend wife, Sophie, and shares some sparkling scenes with both Sid James and Kenneth Williams.
Joan Sims is unfairly pigeon holed in a supporting though effective role as the amorous spinster, Esme Crowfoot who lives in the constant shadow of her fiercful partner, known as Gripper Burke (as he's a wrestler of course). Joan Sims shares some fun scenes with Sid James and has one hyserical one with Kenneth Williams, towards the climax of the film.
Kenneth Williams is another stalwart of the series who is restricted to a background role as the typically pompous marriage guidance councillor, Percival Snooper. His superior demands for him to become married after a series of complaints from his clients who all believe he knows nothing about married life (which is evidently true). He quickly succumbs to the advances of the formidable Hattie Jaques.
Charles Hawtrey, the skinny one with the glasses, turns up as a private investigator, hot on the trail of Sid James following Hattie Jaques suspicions of her husbands shady relationship with Joan Sims. Is as amusing as always but is given limited screen time and doesn't overly feel like a real participant in the film as he has very little interaction with anyone of his fellow Carry On colleagues.
Terry Scott, who had appeared in various Carry On entries, plays Terence Philpot, an accident-prone man with a youthful innocence, ressurecting a role that was seemingly tailor-made for Jim Dale and gets to play some great scenes opposite Imogen Hassall who is wonderfully transformed from a dowdy creature to a luscious beauty. The scenes they share when Terry Scott goes to visit her for the first time at her familys stately home are of significant comic value and Joan Hickson turns up in a fantastic cameo here, playing the stern, no-nonsense mother of Imogen Hassall. Theres also the fun sequence of the two trying to enjoy a quiet night in together but are continually disturbed by the rest of his girlfriends flatmates and their trivial domestic matters.
Jaki Piper, who had previously starred in 1969's, Carry On Up The Jungle, turns up in a role that was obviously intended for Barbara Windsor, but Jaki Piper certainly has enough sparkle of her own, so carries the role off well and blends into the spirit of the Carry On madness brilliantly and has plenty of screen time in this entry. She plays a model who through a comic misunderstanding, ends up falling in love with the dopey and accident-prone Richard O' Callaghan. Their is some nice scenes between the two as their romance hastily builds up.
Other stars that show up include Bernard Bresslaw as the manic wrestler, Gripper Burke who has a possesive hold over his straying girlfriend, Esme, played by Joan Sims. and also a great role here for Patsy Rolands who sparkles in all of her few number of scenes as the dowdy housekeeper to Percival Snooper (Kenneth Williams). Feeling threatened that her job will come to an end after Percival announces to her that he will be marrying Sophie Bliss (Hattie Jaqes), she hilariously does her very best to split the two up after it becomes blatantly obvious that she is infact in love with him herself. The transformation of her from dowdy to glam is fantastically played by Patsy Rolands who is in possibly her best role in a Carry On film here and deserved to have starred in many more in far bigger roles than she was ever actually given.
Though by no means is this one of the best, but Carry On Loving, overall, is still defintely worth a look and really captures a certain era (the dawn of the swinging seventies) impeccably well
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A truly great film, 24 Sep 2000
By A Customer
This time Sidney James and Hattie Jaques run a dating agency together called The Wedded Bliss Agency and put couples together using their 'computer'. The two of them pretend to be a loving married couple for the buisness, but really they despise each other and want to murder each other. They put some strange couples together and things start to go haywire. Meanwhile Sid has taken a liking to Esme Crowfood (Joan Sims), a client of theirs, and Hattie has taken a liking to Kenneth Williams character, soon enough the two of them start going behind each other's back and both hiring a detective (Charles Hawtry) to spy on one and other. Another great film in the Carry ON Collection and Sid James and Hattie Jaques are marvelous as the main roles.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a statement of the times , 21 Mar 2007
carry on loving and the year is 1970,a new ethos as i understand had creeped into a new decade,a new social train of thought had blossomed ,those who lived the 70s first hand will say that this was a great and hip time,the swinging 70s indeed and carry on loving embraced that with open arms in my humble opinion.
Carry on loving explores dating agencies,sid james and hattie jacques have a facade where they own a dating company and pretend they are man and wife when they aint,throughout the film a series of customers ask for help to find a partner and the mishaps roll out in all their glory,the cast here is brilliant again ,no babs though which is a shame as she would have enjoyed this film,nevertheless,terry scott excels as a man who wants to find a wife,he has the attitude of the time and wont settle for anything less than what he wants,there are other stories which intert play into one another and the finale here is a classic food fight moment which would have been enjoyed by one and all,a great start to the 70s for the series.
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