Interview with Janet Mahoney (2019)
Above: Janet as 'Gay' in 'Carry On Loving' (1970)
Janet Mahoney appeared in various film, theatre and television roles during the 1960's & 1970's. She appeared in the several films, including 'Doctor in Trouble' (1970), 'Carry On Loving' (1970) & 'Mutiny on the Buses' (1972). Her London stage roles included 'Carry on London', 'Cockie!', 'Anything Goes', 'The Maid of the Mountains', 'Ann Veronica', 'Come Spy with Me', & 'Irene'. She was also in episodes of the television series'The Dick Emery Show ' (1969), 'Up Pompeii!' (1970), 'Dad's Army' (1975) & 'The Two Ronnies' (1975- 1985).
Janet, like many of the supporting cast members from the 'Carry On' films, seemed to disappear from our screens in the 1980's & she went onto do more theatre & panto. Not a lot was known about her after the 80's and I often wondered why she only did one 'Carry On' film & if that was intentional or not. Her performance as 'Gay' in 'Carry On Loving' saw her in scenes alongside Julian Holloway, Jacki Piper & Imogen Hassall.
So, after a chance conversation with a fellow fan & some old fashioned good luck I was thrilled to finally make contact & chat with Janet in November 2019 about her career and of course 'Carry On Loving'...
CP: How are you?
JM: Well, I’ve been better! I currently have my arm in a sling. I went to a local event where bands were competing. One of the women got so excited that their band had won that as they were giving out the awards, she fell off the stage right on top of me! She was quite a large lady too!
CP: Oh wow! I am sorry to hear that, still, it could have been worse?
JM: Yes, although I was virtually flattened (laughs).
CP: Well, I wish you a speedy recovery! Now, I know that you have had a wonderful career but first of all I would like to ask you about ‘Carry On Loving’. Can you remember much about your time on it?
JM: I can remember us all throwing cakes at each other in the studio all day. It took AGES. Then the cream went off under the lights! I was sat with Joan Sims between takes and she said “poooo Janet, we smell!”. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they then resorted to topping us all up between takes with spray cream!
CP: Yes, I have heard that before about the cream going off, I think it was from Jacki Piper. Talking of co-stars what were the team like to work with?
JM: They were all wonderful to work with, really.
CP: Who did you get on with the best?
Above: My signed lobby card from 'Carry On Loving' showing Janet in a 'sweet' scene with Jacki Piper, Sid James & Joan Sims.
JM: Kenny Williams. We got on really well. We had the same sort of humour. I remember one day Kenny and I had been asked to do some publicity for the press for ‘Loving’. You know, like a press conference type of thing. We did our bit but we didn’t really want to be there. Over lunch with all the press there Kenny turned to me and said “Janet, did I ever tell you about my op?”. I said “No Kenny, you didn’t?”. We were all sat eating round this table and he went on, “Yeeeeeessss, well, they drilled up my nose on one side and all this green and yellow stuff came out! Then...they drilled up the other side!” (laughing). Everyone was so disgusted; we were in hysterics! He was naughty.
CP: That sounds like a typical Kenny anecdote! Wonderful!
JM: I also remember on the set of ‘Loving’ there was a scene that called for Kenny to break some glass in a window or door or something and reach through. He said to the Director, Gerald Thomas, “Ooooh nooooo, I’m not doing that!”. Gerald said “Kenny, it’s fine and perfectly safe, it’s only sugar glass”. But no, Kenny was having none of it. So Gerald did it to demonstrate that it was safe and ended up cutting his hand! (laughs). Kenny just quipped “See”.
CP Great anecdotes! ‘Loving’ was your only ‘Carry On’, was one enough or did you want to do more?
JM: Well I also did the ‘Carry On’ show at the Victoria Palace you know? I remember back then that I did an interview for the Daily Express and they asked me how many ‘Carry On’s’ I had done. I said “only one and I have never actually even seen one!”.
CP: So how did you get involved in ‘Loving’?
JM: I was actually already in the next studio doing a ‘Doctor’ film (this was in fact ‘Doctor in Trouble’ the seventh and last film in the ‘Doctor’ series) so I simply got asked if I wanted to do ‘Loving’. That is the way it used to work, you could hop from one set to another if another film was going on in the same studio and they needed people.
CP: I know a lot of people were ‘sniffy’ about the ‘Carry On’s’ but in fact they attracted some amazing talent from stage and television.
JM: They did and you know they used to believe that television actors were not good enough to do stage or film. That was just the belief back in the day.
CP: How did it all start for you in ‘the biz’?
JM: I started at the Palladium when I was 15!
CP: Wow, very young then.
JM: Yes. They did an open audition that I spotted. I thought "I can do this". I bunked off school and borrowed my sister’s clothes and went along as I wanted to have a go. So, I turned up and all day they slowly dwindled the dancers down. Then, towards the end of the day, the choreographer jumped up onto the stage and said “Janet, you have the job!”. I then panicked and said “But I can’t do it! I’m still at school!”. I never actually thought about what would happen if I was offered the job! He said “How long do you have left at school?”. So, I said “one year”. He replied “Well, you have a job here when you have finished school” and so that was that! It was strange seeing your name on billboards. You would of course start small at the bottom and as you progressed your name would get bigger and move up the billboard.
CP: That is a great story. Do you still get to the theatre much these days?
JM: Yes, I do. In fact, if you get chance you must go and see ‘Come from Away’ that is on at the moment. It really is good. It is about the 9/11 tragedy but it is not about the hijacked planed it is about the other lanes that were in the air at the time and the chaos it caused. They had no idea what was going on and lost communication and so ended up being grounded in Newfoundland in Canada and how the community helped them. It is a wonderful play.
JM: I know you had not been well, how are you now?
(Janet was aware that I had recently been unwell with diverticulitis, a stomach disorder).
CP: I am much better thanking you; I am learning to manage it the best I can.
Above: A panto poster from 1986/1987 for 'Jack & the Beanstalk' with Janet featured alongside Terry Scott & June Whitfield.
JM: I have it too! It generally starts in your 30’s. I used to get so nervous before shows that I would literally throw up in the wings before going on with nerves. I am sure that is where is started as it can be aggregated by a nervous stomach.
CP: Yes, anxiety and stress do make it worse.
JM: It can be controlled through diet and relaxation though. So, plenty of fibre and try and stay calm! A nervous stomach makes it worse!
After that wonderful advice, which I am sure Kenny Williams would have been proud of with his joy of discussing his own bowel habits, and a bit more general chit chat, we said our goodbyes and hopefully we will keep in touch.
Janet is a lovely warm and friendly lady with a great sense of humour. My sincere thanks to her for her time and for sharing her memories with me!
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