Carry On Up the Jungle *** (1970, Frankie Howerd, Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Terry Scott, Bernard Bresslaw) – Classic Movie Review 1135

In his second and final appearance in the series, Frankie Howerd joins Sid James (Bill Boosey), Joan Sims (Lady Evelyn Bagley) and the rest of the Carry On gang to send up the classic Tarzan stories and African safari pictures. Director Gerald Thomas’s Carry On Up the Jungle is the 19th Carry On film, released on 20 March 1970.

Cast in a role obviously written for Kenneth Williams, who is missing this time, Howerd fits in nicely and is a huge asset as puritanical ornithologist Professor Inigo Tinkle, who seeks the oozalum bird, while lascivious white hunter Boosey hunts ladies and Lady Evelyn tries to find her missing child.

The three stars, plus Kenneth Connor (as Claude Chumley), Charles Hawtrey (as Walter Bagley/King Tonka), Terry Scott (as Ug the Jungle Boy and Cecil Bagley) and Bernard Bresslaw ( as Upsidasi) are funny and delightful as always. But Williams is missed and several of the other regulars are missed too (especially Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor), while regular writer Talbot Rothwell’s screenplay is even smuttier and less witty than usual.

In contrast to some of the well-produced Carry Ons, it is tackily made in obvious Pinewood Studios sets, standing in for real exteriors as well as interiors, also in Kew Gardens, with the odd cut to wildlife archive film, plus a fancy-dress gorilla standing in for the real thing. And that’s despite having a classy art director in Alex Vetchinsky. Though, to be fair, they did also film in the exotic location of the now demolished Maidenhead Library – it provided the location for Professor Tinkle’s lecture.

Sims plays Terry Scott’s mother, though she is three years younger.

Bresslaw learned all his orders in Swahili, but the supposedly African extras were of Caribbean origin and didn’t understand, though South African-born Sid James did and congratulated him.

Valerie Leon co-stars as Leda. Also in the cast are Jacki Piper, Reuben Martin, Valerie Moore, Edwina Carroll, Nina Baden-Semper, Danny Daniels, Yemi Ajibadi, Cathi March, Heather Emmanuel, Willie Jonah, Chris Konyils, Verna Lucille MacKenzie, Roy Stewart, Lincoln Webb and Ashley Alexander.

Carry On Up the Jungle is directed by Gerald Thomas, runs 89 minutes, is made by Peter Rogers Productions and The Rank Organisation, is released by J Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1970) (UK), is written by Talbot Rothwell, is shot in Eastmancolor by Ernest Steward, is produced by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas, is scored by Eric Rogers, and designed by Alex Vetchinsky.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1135 derekwinnert.com