Carry on Sergeant
Newly married Mary Sage (Shirley Eaton) is distraught when her husband Charlie (Bob Monkhouse) receives his call-up papers during their wedding reception. Both Charlie and his father forgot to file fo…
Carry on Sergeant
Newly married Mary Sage (Shirley Eaton) is distraught when her husband Charlie (Bob Monkhouse) receives his call-up papers during their wedding reception. Both Charlie and his father forgot to file for a 28-day extension with the Government on account of Charlie's wedding. He travels to Heathercrest National Service Depot by train, meeting fellow recruit Horace Strong (Kenneth Connor), a terminal hypochondriac who is devastated at having been passed as fit. Horace jumps at the sound of everything. Horace calls the army medical testing a complete farce. The new recruits are assigned to Sergeant Grimshaw (William Hartnell). Grimshaw is retiring from the army in the next 10 weeks and takes on a 50 pounds bet with Sergeant O'Brien (Terry Scott) that his last bunch of squad enlists will be his first Champion Platoon. Grimshaw has never had a Champion Platoon in his army career and wants to retire on a high. Sergeant O'Brien is the one who has the current Champion Platoon on base. Grimshaw knows that his squad, the Able Platoon, will take some work to put them into shape. 50 pounds are riding on the outcome and Grimshaw does not want to lose. With beady-eyed inspection from Captain Potts (Eric Barker) and disgruntled support from Corporal Copping (Bill Owen), Grimshaw decides to use some psychology and treat his charges kindly rather than simply shouting at them. Grimshaw tells Copping that his charges in the Able Platoon are delicate blooms and thus they need to be subtle. But basic training doesn't start well, and he struggles to take his squad through it. The squad includes failure Herbert Brown (Norman Rossington), upper-class cad Miles Heywood (Terence Longdon), rock and roller Andy Galloway (Gerald Campion), delicate flower Peter Golightly (Charles Hawtrey) and supercilious university graduate James Bailey (Kenneth Williams). Grimshaw's attempts seem doomed. Brown has been through 3 basic training courses and has managed to flunk each one of them. It is indicated that Brown had an injury to his head during childhood. Even the army considers him good for nothing and has excused him from doing anything dangerous on the base, where he can hurt himself or others. Now Herbert just lives on the base and is allocated to Able Platoon. James Bailey believes he has civilian rights in the army and refuses to follow any orders. James is determined to protect his individuality in the army. Horace is determined to be sick the entire time, but is reluctant to visit the camp doctor, who is a woman Captain Clark (Hattie Jacques). Horace is told to either see Captain Clark or not to report sick at all. Clark examines Horace and declares that there is nothing wrong with him, even though he complains of a floating knee problem. The platoon can't even do attention and at rest commands properly as Golightly is hard of hearing and fails to follow commands. He tries to anticipate commands and, in the process, goes easily out of sync with the rest of the platoon. Captain Potts arrives for a parade inspection and is determined to point out flaws in the platoon. He makes a cadet recite their serial number and rank as introduction, and then makes him recite it backward. He tells one cadet to go to attention and ease in rapid fashion and notes that the cadet is slow to respond. This is followed by a kit inspection in the Able Platoon's barracks. The barracks was lacking 2 fire extinguishers and Charlie wanted to impress Potts to be able to ask him for leave. He leaves with Golightly to get them. They borrow both from the kitchen, but as they enter the barrack, Golightly accidentally activates it and drenches Potts and Grimshaw with the extinguisher fluid. Mary is determined to spend her wedding night with her husband and smuggles herself into the depot inside a laundry van to get a job in the NAAFI. Mary meets Norah (Dora Bryan), who is a helper in the NAAFI kitchen. Norah knows that Mary doesn't belong in the kitchen but decides to help her. NAAFI stands for Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, an organization that provides social facilities and stores for British military personnel and their families. Charlie believes that he heard Mary on the base, but none of his mates believe him and believe that Charlie is having wedding fever on account of not being able to consummate his marriage with his wife. Charlie finally meets her at the officer's bar. Mary tries to meet Charlie in a room arranged by Norah but finds Grimshaw there instead. Charlie is eventually able to legitimize this situation when he is able get leave from Potts on compassionate grounds. Strong spends most of his time complaining to the Medical Officer, Captain Clark. Strong has reported sick every day for 10 weeks. Clark gets him examined by medical experts, who also say that there is nothing wrong with him. The platoon is in terrible physical shape and can't even do rope climbs. Bayonet practice is a disaster (Half the platoon misses the dummy; the other half get entangled in it) and so is slow march practice (they are not in sync and keep kicking each other). Week on week the scores only drop as target practice and ditch swinging all go badly. It is only the adoration of doe-eyed NAAFI girl Norah, which he initially rejects, that makes Horace realize his potential and inspires him to become a real soldier. Bailey helps Brown to learn the concepts of basic training and gets him over his failure to learn new things. Heywood comes from an illustrious military family and his ancestors have served as Generals, Admirals, and other high ranks. Potts offers Haywood the chance to move to the officer training school, but Heywood says that he is not a leader of men and decides to stay with his platoon. Grimshaw is proud. The platoon makes an absolute hash of the obstacle course. Potts is sure that the platoon will finish at the bottom of all the platoons that have ever passed the academy in history. The platoon knows that Grimshaw has treated him well. They want to give him a retirement present. On the eve of the final tests, Grimshaw is in despair, but he is overheard bemoaning his lot to Copping. The squad decide to win the best platoon prize at all costs. On the day, they indeed beat the other platoons at all tasks and Grimshaw is awarded the cup for best platoon.
Carry on Sergeant
Comedy,War
Film Details
Newly married Mary Sage (Shirley Eaton) is distraught when her husband Charlie (Bob Monkhouse) receives his call-up papers during their wedding reception. Both Charlie and his father forgot to file for a 28-day extension with the Government on account of Charlie's wedding. He travels to Heathercrest National Service Depot by train, meeting fellow recruit Horace Strong (Kenneth Connor), a terminal hypochondriac who is devastated at having been passed as fit.
Horace jumps at the sound of everything. Horace calls the army medical testing a complete farce. The new recruits are assigned to Sergeant Grimshaw (William Hartnell).
Grimshaw is retiring from the army in the next 10 weeks and takes on a 50 pounds bet with Sergeant O'Brien (Terry Scott) that his last bunch of squad enlists will be his first Champion Platoon. Grimshaw has never had a Champion Platoon in his army career and wants to retire on a high. Sergeant O'Brien is the one who has the current Champion Platoon on base.
Grimshaw knows that his squad, the Able Platoon, will take some work to put them into shape. 50 pounds are riding on the outcome and Grimshaw does not want to lose. With beady-eyed inspection from Captain Potts (Eric Barker) and disgruntled support from Corporal Copping (Bill Owen), Grimshaw decides to use some psychology and treat his charges kindly rather than simply shouting at them.
Grimshaw tells Copping that his charges in the Able Platoon are delicate blooms and thus they need to be subtle. But basic training doesn't start well, and he struggles to take his squad through it. The squad includes failure Herbert Brown (Norman Rossington), upper-class cad Miles Heywood (Terence Longdon), rock and roller Andy Galloway (Gerald Campion), delicate flower Peter Golightly (Charles Hawtrey) and supercilious university graduate James Bailey (Kenneth Williams).
Grimshaw's attempts seem doomed. Brown has been through 3 basic training courses and has managed to flunk each one of them. It is indicated that Brown had an injury to his head during childhood.
Even the army considers him good for nothing and has excused him from doing anything dangerous on the base, where he can hurt himself or others. Now Herbert just lives on the base and is allocated to Able Platoon. James Bailey believes he has civilian rights in the army and refuses to follow any orders.
James is determined to protect his individuality in the army. Horace is determined to be sick the entire time, but is reluctant to visit the camp doctor, who is a woman Captain Clark (Hattie Jacques). Horace is told to either see Captain Clark or not to report sick at all.
Clark examines Horace and declares that there is nothing wrong with him, even though he complains of a floating knee problem. The platoon can't even do attention and at rest commands properly as Golightly is hard of hearing and fails to follow commands. He tries to anticipate commands and, in the process, goes easily out of sync with the rest of the platoon.
Captain Potts arrives for a parade inspection and is determined to point out flaws in the platoon. He makes a cadet recite their serial number and rank as introduction, and then makes him recite it backward. He tells one cadet to go to attention and ease in rapid fashion and notes that the cadet is slow to respond.
This is followed by a kit inspection in the Able Platoon's barracks. The barracks was lacking 2 fire extinguishers and Charlie wanted to impress Potts to be able to ask him for leave. He leaves with Golightly to get them.
They borrow both from the kitchen, but as they enter the barrack, Golightly accidentally activates it and drenches Potts and Grimshaw with the extinguisher fluid. Mary is determined to spend her wedding night with her husband and smuggles herself into the depot inside a laundry van to get a job in the NAAFI. Mary meets Norah (Dora Bryan), who is a helper in the NAAFI kitchen.
Norah knows that Mary doesn't belong in the kitchen but decides to help her. NAAFI stands for Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, an organization that provides social facilities and stores for British military personnel and their families. Charlie believes that he heard Mary on the base, but none of his mates believe him and believe that Charlie is having wedding fever on account of not being able to consummate his marriage with his wife.
Charlie finally meets her at the officer's bar. Mary tries to meet Charlie in a room arranged by Norah but finds Grimshaw there instead. Charlie is eventually able to legitimize this situation when he is able get leave from Potts on compassionate grounds.
Strong spends most of his time complaining to the Medical Officer, Captain Clark. Strong has reported sick every day for 10 weeks. Clark gets him examined by medical experts, who also say that there is nothing wrong with him.
The platoon is in terrible physical shape and can't even do rope climbs. Bayonet practice is a disaster (Half the platoon misses the dummy; the other half get entangled in it) and so is slow march practice (they are not in sync and keep kicking each other). Week on week the scores only drop as target practice and ditch swinging all go badly.
It is only the adoration of doe-eyed NAAFI girl Norah, which he initially rejects, that makes Horace realize his potential and inspires him to become a real soldier. Bailey helps Brown to learn the concepts of basic training and gets him over his failure to learn new things. Heywood comes from an illustrious military family and his ancestors have served as Generals, Admirals, and other high ranks.
Potts offers Haywood the chance to move to the officer training school, but Heywood says that he is not a leader of men and decides to stay with his platoon. Grimshaw is proud. The platoon makes an absolute hash of the obstacle course.
Potts is sure that the platoon will finish at the bottom of all the platoons that have ever passed the academy in history. The platoon knows that Grimshaw has treated him well. They want to give him a retirement present.
On the eve of the final tests, Grimshaw is in despair, but he is overheard bemoaning his lot to Copping. The squad decide to win the best platoon prize at all costs. On the day, they indeed beat the other platoons at all tasks and Grimshaw is awarded the cup for best platoon..