Pinewood’s finest, 1958-78. Interesting how the modern-day ones (hospitals, camp sites, etc) have now become period pieces in their own right. Also interesting is that, in real life, all the actors were cunts.
1.
Apparently Pinewood Studios has many unopened film cans which may contain interesting footage, but nobody can face trawling through them. A recent BBC documentary about Barbara Windsor (The Best Of British, 11/11/98) included a few seconds of production footage from Carry On Henry (1971) but neglected to explain its origins. ITV’s What Is A Carry On? (29/12/98, also released as a video in 1999) was similarly blasé about the same footage, but did show a spark of scholarship in their inclusion of an out-take from Carry On England (1976). This is the released version of the scene in question:
WINDSOR DAVIES Aircraft recognisance! I bet none of you can tell the difference between a Heinkel and a Bristol.
PATRICK MOWER Well, Bristols usually come in pairs.
This, however, was the original version suggested by Patrick Mower, which was cut by James Ferman of the British Board Of Film Classification:
WINDSOR DAVIES Aircraft recognisance! I bet none of you can tell the difference between a couple of Heinkels and a pair of Bristols!
PATRICK MOWER No...but I can recognise a Fokker when I see one.
The documentary showed an earlier version of the topless-nude-women-soldiers-on-parade scene where considerably more tit was visible. Cutting this meant an ugly jump during Davies’ dialogue with Kenneth Connor, for some reason presented without a cutaway. Since both this and the ‘Fokker’ scene were completed scenes we can assume that a full pre-censorship edit of the film survives.
[NOTE:
According to Robert Ross (author of 'The Carry On Companion'), all raw footage from the 'Carry On' films was junked as recently as 1995 by the Fokkers who work at Pinewood Studios. However, Ross - along with Morris Bright from the Carry On appreciation society - has since published 'Carry On Uncensored', a coffee-table book of edits. It features a chapter of cut scenes (taken from the original shooting scripts), and a photograph of Joan Sims where you can see right up her.]