This Blog Has A New Home!

As the digital publishing date of A Write Carry On (Wholepoint.co.uk) draws ever nearer (1st May 2012), the forthcoming book on Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell - one of the great unsung heroes of British comedy writing (Carry On films, Up Pompeii! and The Crazy Gang) - now has its own dedicated blog.

So for all future posts head over to awritecarryon.blogspot.com - Contact me at editor@brighton.co.uk

My Life With Carry Ons. Part 2

Sid James was wandering the perimeter of the small paddock that sat at the rear of Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell's house. Tolly was, at the time, deep into his stint of being screenwriter to twenty-two of the iconic Carry On films series.

Sid was alone and looking somewhat haggard as I slipped out into the midday summer's sun and sat on a small bench at the side of the paddock.

He was dressed in khaki coloured slacks and an open lose fitting untucked check shirt. His sandals, like much of what he was wearing, looked very much on their last legs.

For at least ten minutes Sid kept his distance and remained deep in thought. From inside Tolly's house the sound of Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor holding court was clearly one of the reasons Sid was braving the direct intensity of the sun's rays. Kenny Williams wasn’t his cup of tea – that was common knowledge.

Later we were joined by Tolly. He patted me on the head and smiled and then ambled over to Sid and gave the actor a hearty pat on the back.

‘All right, old chap?’

‘That bloody Williams is getting on my tits, Tolly. I know I shouldn’t rise to it, but the way he looks down his nose at me and talks over the end of my sentences, drives me mad.’

‘He means well, Sid. Anyway, food's up and we are all about to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jim (Dale). Join us, come on.’

With that Sid wandered over, grabbed me by the arm and said: ‘If I ain’t getting out of this neither are you.’ With that, we entered the house, painted on our smiles, opened our mouths and sang ‘happy birthday’ to a rather squiffy looking Jim Dale.

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)

will get a full digital release on 1st May 2012.

My Life With The Carry Ons. Pt 1

The Dark Side Of The 'Carry On' Funny Man

One of this country’s true comedy writing geniuses, Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell, spoke little about his time in the Palestine Police Force, except, that is, for one sunny mid-summer’s day.

It might have been the heat that brought the outpouring of information, or then again it may have been the circumstances. After all, unbeknown to me, he’d just signed-off his very last Carry On script.

As we sat in his garden, I noted Tolly didn’t look well. Not just strained, but unwell. His usual spark seemed absent. His eyes, which always sparkled and engaged, seemed to be roaming in search of nothing in particular. It was then, as a lone siren wailed in the distance, that he embarked on a journey through his little known past.

He told me that there was a saying in the Palestine Police Old Comrades Association: "There is no promotion after Jerusalem." He said he adhered to the saying, but admitted to finding the training tougher than he’d expected.

He was young and not used to having to jump when someone barked for him to do so. He’d signed-up on a late-summer’s wet Wednesday, and over a year later he was still in training and only just nearing the end of his compulsory attachment to the mobile unit.

Tolly then smiled as he recalled that it hadn’t taken long for him to ingratiate himself into the very separate communities of the stallholders and shopkeepers from the city’s Moslem, Jewish and Christian Quarters. He said his natural way of being courteous and respectful had made him feel welcomed and seemingly above suspicion.

But one thing he didn’t’ take to was the chilly climate of the uplands of Jerusalem. He much preferred the more dependable summer and autumn seasons to be enjoyed in Tel Aviv.

Whilst on routine company patrols and manoeuvres Tolly recalled how he was a witness to the inner-workings and social-struggles of local families. Some mothers were raising as many as eight or nine children on an income of what Tolly classed as a pittance.

Initially it had taken him a while to gain the families’ trust. On spying Tolly’s uniform the children had been taught to run and hide, while their mothers would close shut their front doors and wait for ‘the law’ to pass.

But as he befriended their fathers and husbands in the workplace, it soon spread back to the families that Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell was an honourable man, and as such, he was, in time, to become an easily tolerated part of the fabric of the local community.

That didn’t stop what came next. January 13^th 1939 was set to be a pretty average day on tour of duty for Tolly. But it was to end in near death and a realisation that life was short and as such opportunities should be grabbed with both hands and exploited to the full.

To find out what happened on that fateful day, look out for:

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)  

Check-out some of our related posts:

Talking Extramarital Affairs: Between The Sheets With Barbara Windsor

My Life With The Carry Ons. Part 1

The Readers Write: ‘Carry On' Submissions Flood In!

‘I’m Gonna Do This If It Kills Me ..’