The 'Lost' Carry On Films


Carry On Smoking

Carry On Smoking (1961)

The story revolved around a fire station, and various attempts to train a bungling group of new recruits.

Carry On Spaceman

Carry On Spaceman (1961)

Carry On Spaceman was to be released shortly after Carry On Regardless, in 1961. It was scripted by Norman Hudis, and was to satirise interests in the Space Race from the Western world's point of view, and was to have been shot in black and white.

The cast was to consist of three would-be astronauts who constantly bungled on their training and their mission into outer space – most likely the trio would have been played by the trinity of Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, and Leslie Phillips that had been established in Carry On Constable.
Attempts to revive Carry On Spaceman in 1962 under Denis Gifford, again by Hudis, failed, and the project was subsequently abandoned.

Carry On Flying

Carry On Flying (1962)

Scripted by Norman Hudis, it was about a group of RAF recruits. It got as far as pre-production before being abandoned. Jim Dale was to have a starring role.

Carry On Robin

Carry On Robin (1965)

A planned spoof of Robin Hood starring the "Carry On regulars" was outlined by  Peter Rogers and registered with the British Film Producers Association but never pursued.

Carry On Escaping

Carry On Escaping (1973)

Scripted by Talbot Rothwell, it was to be a spoof of World War 2 escape films. The complete script was included in the book 'The Complete A-Z of Everything Carry On'.

Carry On Again Nurse

Carry On Again Nurse (1979)

Three scripts were written for an intended sub-sequel to the successful Carry On Nurse, the second installment of the Carry On series. The first film was renamed, and the other two never made.

A second attempt at Carry On Again Nurse came in 1979, after the franchise left Rank Films and moved to Hemdale. A completed script had been written by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn in 1977. It was cancelled due to the financial loss of Carry On Emmannuelle.
The final attempt to create Carry On Again Nurse came in 1988, with a script written by Norman Hudis. It was to revolve around a hospital set for closure, and set to star original actors Barbara Windsor, Jack Douglas, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor and Joan Sims, with Sims filling in the role of matron that was previously held by Hattie Jacques. The end of the film was going to be a tribute to Jacques, with Sims turning around a photograph of the actress and asking "Well, did I do alright?"  - see below for more information

Carry On Dallas

Carry On Dallas (1980)

 A planned spoof of the popular US series 'Dallas'. A script was written and casting offers made to Williams, Connor, Douglas, Sims, Hawtrey and Dale. The production was abandoned when Lorimar Productions demanded a royalty fee of 20 times the total production budget.

Carry On Down Under

Carry On Down Under (1981)

Gerald Thomas did some location scouting while on holiday in Australia and spoke to the Australian Film Commission. The production was abandoned when finance fell through. A complete script was written by Vince Powell and is included in the book 'Fifty Years of Carry On'.

Carry On Again Nurse (1988)

Carry On Again Nurse (1988)

A third attempt at the title came in 1988 with a script by 'Carry On' writer Norman Hudis. The cast was due to be made up of the main 'Carry On' stalwarts, with Joan Sims in the role of Matron this time due to the death of Hattie in 1980. Kenneth Williams was to play the surgeon with Charles Hawtrey earmarked for the role of the patient who was a self-deluded author. 

Production was scheduled to begin in June 1988, but the deaths of Williams and Hawtrey (in April and October 1988 respectively), combined with a budget of £1.5 million which was deemed too expensive, it proved to be the end of the film and it was cancelled.  However, the full unfilmed script (which is what my design is based on) is featured in the book 'The Lost Carry Ons' by Morris Bright and Robert Ross.

Carry On London

Carry On London (2008)

A new film, Carry On London, was announced in 2003 by producer Peter Rogers and producer James Black but remained in pre-production well into 2008. The script was signed off by the production company in late March 2008, and "centred on a limousine company ferrying celebrities to an awards show". The film had several false starts, with the producers and cast changing extensively over time. Only the rather unknown Welsh actress Jynine James remained a consistent name from 2003 to 2008.
Danniella Westbrook, Shaun Williamson and Burt Reynolds were also once attached to the project. In May 2006 it was announced Vinnie Jones and Shane Richie were to star in the film, which was to be directed by Peter Richardson, though Ed Bye later replaced him as the named director. At the 50th anniversary party held at Pinewood Studios in March 2008, Peter Rogers confirmed that he was planning a series of Carry On films after 'London', subject to the success of the first.

In early 2009, Carry On London or Carry On Bananas was once again 'back on', with Charlie Higson attached as director, and a different more modern cast list involving Paul O'Grady (as the acidic Kenneth 'Williamsesque' character), Jynine James, Lenny Henry, Justin Lee Collins, Jennifer Ellison (as the saucy Barbara Windsor type), Liza Tarbuck (Hattie Jacques), Meera Syal, James Dreyfus, and Frank Skinner (filling in the Sid James role). Despite new media interest and sets being constructed at Pinewood film studios, the film once again was put on hold, and the project was shelved after the death of Peter Rogers in April 2009.

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