Carry On Nurse

 Laughter Is The Best Medicine


Carry On Nurse was the second in the long line of Carry On comedies that started in the late 1950s, continued throughout the 1960s and ended in the late 1970s, turning its stars into household names, entertaining millions and finding it's way into the hearts of the nation and abroad. After the surprise success of Carry On Sergeant in 1958 the team both infront and behind the camera were reunited for what would be the most successful of all Carry On films, Carry On Nurse, becoming the most successful film at the British Box Office in 1959, proving that laughter really is the best medicine with over 10.4 million tickets sold, roughly a fifth of the population at the time.


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Charles Hawtrey Improving His Immune System


The early Carry On films seemed to poke fun at British institutions, its army, its education system and its police force but nothing is more of a British institution than it's health system and the NHS. Among the returning actors were Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Conner and Hattie Jacques, while Leslie Phillips, Joan Hickson and Terence Longdon have supporting roles, blonde bombshell Shirley Eaton also returned for her second of three Carry On Films and Carry On Queen Joan Sims made her series debut.


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Joan Sims Inflates A New Career As Carry On Queen


The plot, although thin is substantial enough to keep the film moving at a good pace and revolves around a men's ward with troublesome patients, young nurses to send the men's temperatures up even higher, doting visitors and a betting orderly, all under the watchful eye of a domineering matron. A reporter is sent to the ward with appendicitis whilst there he is persuaded to investigate the workings of a modern hospital, this being 1959 it is very different to the health system of today but even back then it seemed our NHS was doomed if things were to be run as they are in Haven Hospital.


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Matron is Not Amused


The reporter (Terence Longdon) not content with just writing articles also finds time to fall in love with nurse Shirley Eaton (this is prior to her turning gold for James Bond). Other patients on the ward included Mr Hinton (Charles Hawtrey) who seems to like nothing better than listening to the radio, Oliver Reckitt (Kenneth Williams) an intellectual about to have his own study in love, a colonel (Wilfrid-Hyde-White) who being posh of course has a private room to himself where he likes to place bets, eat biscuits and seems to think the nurses have nothing better to do than to dote on him hand and foot and also Bernie Bishop (Kenneth Conner) a boxer with an injured hand. 


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No Smut In Here Please


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What Do You Mean They Make Me Look Like Charles Hawtrey


When another patient Jack Bell (Leslie Phillips) arrives to have a bunion removed and his operation is postponed the ward's drunken patients decide to remove the offending bump themselves, thankfully after inhaling large amounts of laughing gas the patients are stopped before any damage can be caused. The comical ending involves the nurses getting their own back on the annoying colonel by taking his temperature with a daffodil inserted somewhere to the rear and personal.


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The Beautiful Nurse Hawtrey


Carry On Nurse would be the first medical themed film in the series and as with other early entries is a more gentle film than those that came later, with the innuendo filled adventures of the Carry On gang and as a result for most of the film you would hardly recognise it as Carry On film at all, it is interesting to see the actors in a script that didn't require extra sauce (saucy). Charles Hawtrey is forever the scene stealer, Joan Sims displays her comic, talent by making the most of her clumsy character, Kenneth William hams it up as the intellectual while Kenneth Conner gets a tougher than you might expect role, despite his sympathetic boxer and Hattie Jacques seems born for the role of uptight matron.


Carry On Nurse is a healthy comedy and I would personally give it a robust 8/10, its age may mean it's not for everyone's tastes but for those willing to watch a film in black and white (oh just the thought of it!) it's rewards grant an enjoyable hour and half with laughs along the way.


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No Wonder All The Patients Have High Temperatures It's Nurse Shirley Eaton 



Carry On Nurse Screenshots




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Oh Hello! Carry On Comic Charles Hawtrey



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It Helps To Have Good Patience When Becoming A Nurse



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Hiding From Matron


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Is That Success I Hear Calling?

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