History Film / CarryOnSeries

** Particularly Sid James, whose characters were sleazy wisecracking old men who lusted over young vulnerable JailBait women. When he was alive, some saw him as a bad example to men. After he died, he was constantly praised for being one of the funniest members of the recurring cast.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Being a long-running comedy series from the mid-20th century, it's unsurprising that this trope will occur in at least every movie. For example, bus conductors and buckets of water to put out fires (''Carry On Loving'').

* TropeCodifier: The confided AffectionateParody because of their movies based on other films and genres; it also broke barriers between claims of copyright from Hollywood, who threatened to sue them, eventually losing their case in court.[[note]]This is probably the reason why parody is filed under Fair Use.[[/note]] However, the movies were the TropeMaker of AwfulBritishSexComedy (the confiders were ''Film/ConfessionsOfA'' series) due to the use of explicit nudity [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar in a time when British media was against it]]. Ironically, when the Carry On franchise did a parody full of blatant {{fanservice}}, it was called [[FanonDiscontinuity one of the worst in the series]].

** ''Film/CarryOnHenry'' is a parody of ''Theatre/AnneOfTheThousandDays''. It was originally supposed to be named ''Anne Of A Thousand [[ReallyGetsAround Lays]]''.

** ''Film/CarryOnSpying'' was the first Franchise/JamesBond movie parody in movie ''history''. Some of the production team later moved on to work on other James Bond movies.

** The characters played by Creator/MargaretNolan, who were usually a [[EveryoneLovesBlondes blonde lusted by about every male]] (to put it in perspective, she was the curvacious woman who appears in the title sequence of the Film/JamesBond film ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', aside from appearing in the film itself as Bond's masseuse Dink) and Valerie Leon, who were usually {{Aloof Dark Haired Girl}}s before they [[LettingHerHairDown let their hair down]] (and who ''also'' appeared in a Bond film, two in fact: ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' and the "unofficial" ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'') deserve special mention too.

* {{Catfight}}: Barbara Windsor has one in ''Carry On Camping'', and then with Margaret Nolan in ''Carry On Girls''. The latter film's fight was over a stolen bikini.

* ChristmasCake: Most of the actresses, sparing Margaret Nolan, Valerie Leon and Barbara Windsor. [[InformedFlaw Characters]] that were this trope were often lampshaded. Take this scene from ''Carry On Dick'':

* DumbBlonde: Margaret Nolan, even though she made a few background appearances, was easily lured by perverted men.

* {{Fanservice}}: "In ''Carry On'', [insert 90% of the list of fanservice tropes here]".

** ''Carry On Cabby'' [[DeconstructedTrope presents the argument]] that in a free market, no amount of quality can compete with blatant fanservice, as a rival cab company arrives out of nowhere providing only drivers with low-cut tops, large breasts and long legs. One sequence features a succession of customers happily fixing their own cabs as the drivers lean against them idly.

** [[EveryoneLovesBlondes Margaret Nolan]] and [[AloofDarkHairedGirl Valerie Leon]] deserve special mention too.

* GainaxEnding[=/=]AmbiguousEnding: A lot of the films didn't really have a satisfying conclusion and mostly ended with many unanswered questions. This was mostly down to the series' love of the BigLippedAlligatorMoment YMMV.

-->'''Bettina''': You see, there's these two things...
-->'''Henry VIII''': Oh yes. [[MyEyesAreUpHere I noticed those.]]
-->'''Bettina''': ...They're called castanets.
-->'''Henry VIII''': Oh, [[ICallHimMrHappy that's a new name for them!]]
-->'''Bettina''': ...And all the time you're dancing, they keep knocking together.
-->'''Henry VIII''': Oh yes. [[{{Gainaxing}} I noticed that too.]]

-->'''Peter''': I was here before, you know. ...But you weren't here, though... just a young lady. [[ThatCameOutWrong And she gave me a bit]].
-->'''Innkeeper''': ''[angrily]'' Oh, she did, did she?!
-->'''Peter''': ''[smiling politely]'' Oh yes. That's why I've come back for some more.
-->'''Innkeeper''': ''[fuming]'' I'LL KILL YOU!!!
-->'''Peter''': Oh, no disrespect, sir. I'm quite willing to pay for it, this time!

* WorldOfSnark: Every character made a snide comment or two in order to make the puns flow easily. One of the worst offenders was any character portrayed by Kenneth Williams, who would not only snark, but make aside glances and comments, roll his eyes within character eye-shot and even put on a Simpleton Voice to belittle the people he couldn't stand. Others included Sid James when he didn't get his own way, occasionally a Charles Hawtrey character would have their moments too whenever he suffered from Not Now, Bernard, and lustful female characters when they weren't being satisfied by their spouses.

* {{Adorkable}}: A common male character that filled in the love interest part in the 1960s onwards, although there were many older-looking actors that had these moments, too. The typical ones were Peter Butterworth, Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Richard O'Callaghan, Terry Scott, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw, and Charles Hawtrey, to a lesser extent.

* ArtifactTitle: "Carry on, Sergeant" was a common order given by officers which English audiences would have been familiar with. After that there is usually no phrase or pun involved for subsequent films' titles, it's just sticking "Carry On" before the subject.

* TheDanza: [[invoked]] Common with characters outside of the period dramas. As mentioned before, Sid James commonly had characters that were named Sid.

* KitchenSinkDrama: Many of the films that weren't movie parodies.

* MistakenForBadass: Major plot points in a few films, especially ''Carry On Cowboy'' (Marshal is his name) and ''Carry On Cleo''.

* OfCorsetsFunny: In many of the films, particularly the period pieces.

* PuttingTheMedicInComedic: ''Carry On Nurse'', ''Carry On Doctor'', ''Carry On Again, Doctor'' and ''Carry On Matron''.

* WhatsAHenway: Many jokes in each movie are of this trope.

* WorldOfSnark: Every character was a DeadpanSnarker when the narrative called for it.

* AccidentalPervert: Generally at least one example per movie, often more. No character, no matter prudish or not, was safe from this.

* AffectionateParody: ''Carry On Cleo'', ''Carry On Jack'', ''Carry On Spying'', ''Carry On Henry'', ''Carry On Cowboy'' and ''Carry On Emmannuelle'', to name a few. See the movie list above for more information.

* ArmedFarces: ''Carry On Sergeant'', ''Carry On Jack'', ''Follow That Camel'', ''Carry On Up the Khyber'', and ''Carry On England''.

* ParentheticalSwearing: An inversion, usually when it comes to place names. Many place names in the movies are named after mild curse words (such as "The Blasted Oak" from ''Dick''.)

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: A lot of the movies could've had this and was especially played straight whenever a special guest was brought in to play a DirtyOldMan Sid James-esque character.
** Coincidence that the CampStraight Kenneth Williams, who couldn't make ''Carry On Up the Jungle'', was replaced by the even-camper Frankie Howerd for that film?
** The original MsFanservice female lead could definitely be seen as this. Look at it like: Creator/ShirleyEaton → Liz Fraser → Barbara Windsor → Amanda Barrie → Anita Harris → Barbara Windsor, until the end of the series.
** There were always [[ThoseTwoGuys two army officers]] in the ArmedFarces sketches who were either RedOniBlueOni or both OfficerJerkass (see DrillSergeantNasty): Captain Potts & Corporal Copping (''Sergeant'') → [[TreacherousAdvisor Lieutenant Howett]] & [[BeleagueredAssistant Mr Angel]] (''Jack'') → Captain le Pice & Commandant Burger (''Follow That Camel'') → Sergeant-Major [=MacNutt=] & Captain Keene (''Up the Khyber'') → [[TheNapoleon Captain S. Melly]] & Sergeant-Major Bloomer/Brigadier & Major Carstairs (''England'').
** The 6'7 Bernard Bresslaw was in the series for ten years. When the 6'4 Jack Douglas appeared, he would start to get bigger roles, whereas Bresslaw seemed to be demoted to background characters, eventually leaving the series for good in 1975.
** The PrettyBoy had this as well. Leslie Phillips → Jim Dale → Richard O'Callaghan. Sometimes when Jim Dale wasn't available, Julian Holloway would fill a similar role.
** The NiceGirl Angela Douglas left after ''Carry On Up the Khyber'', and in walked nice girl Jacki Piper at the beginning of the seventies.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Oh, where to start?
** How about ''Carry On Up the Khyber'''s title. It's BritishEnglish/{{Cockney rhyming slang}}: Khyber → Khyber Pass → Arse (Anus).
*** And "FAKIR! OFF!" from the same film.
** "One moment they want peace on, then the next -- peace off," from ''Carry On Cowboy''.
** In ''Carry On Henry'', after Guy[[note]]presumably; [[OneNameOnly his first name is never mentioned]][[/note]] Fawkes' plan to blow up Henry VIII with gunpowder has fizzled out (literally), Lord Hampton of Wick (whose name is another example, "Hampton Wick" being Cockney rhyming slang for... well, just guess) mutters, "Oh, ''Fawkes!''"
** Related to Lord Hampton of Wick, there are plenty of names across the series derived in some way from "Hampton"; for example, the hospital in ''Carry On Again Doctor'' is called Longhampton Hospital.
** In ''Carry On England'', when S.MJR. Bloomer derides SGT. Able's ability to recognize different aircraft, Able retorts, "I know a Fokker when I see one..."[[note]]This was notably deleted upon the first release by the censors in exchange for the movie's rating to not go further than a 15+.[[/note]]
** The oh-so-carefully-pronounced "Count" in ''Carry On Screaming!''
** Fircombe, the fictional seaside town in ''Carry On Girls''. On the signs shown in the opening shots, it even does look like a generic English place name, until it's actually said out loud...

Each ''Carry On'' actor tended to specialize in a particular type of role. Thus Kenneth Williams would usually play a snide, [[SmugSnake haughty]] character who would easily be outraged, Joan Sims started out playing young and desirable women then moved to older and [[AbhorrentAdmirer less-desirable]] women, Charles Hawtrey would be naive and effete, Sid James played [[TheCharmer lecherous]], [[LadyKiller leering]] Cockneys ([[TheDanza often named]] "Sid"), and so on.

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Over the years, different actors would join or leave the ''Carry On'' gang, or just take a break for a film or two. Creator/KennethWilliams was the actor who appeared in the most ''Carry On'' movies, but some of the other actors who regularly appeared included Creator/JoanSims, Creator/CharlesHawtrey, Bill Maynard, Creator/SidneyJames, Creator/KennethConnor, Creator/PeterButterworth, Creator/BernardBresslaw, Creator/HattieJacques, Creator/JimDale, Peter Gilmore, and Creator/BarbaraWindsor. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters And many others]].

These films are frequently shown on British television, only very rarely in the United States. This is probably due both to more stringent rules about sexual humour and nudity on American television, and also due to the very British quality of the humour.

* TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood: Gleefully parodied, often a TakeThat [[note]]The ''Carry On'' films had many clashes with Hollywood execs, especially when it came to the numerous {{affectionate parod|y}}ies. Hollywood was said to have taken the ''Carry On'' films to court many times to sue them over copyright, however, the court always ruled in Carry On's favour because they had no intentions of ripping off Hollywood movies.[[/note]]
** Most of the ''Carry On'' references are based on popular Hollywood movies that are linked with the genre, whether it was settings ("Stodge City" in ''Carry On Cowboy'', sounding similar to Film/DodgeCity) and character names (''Carry On Matron'' has Sid James pretending to be a transferred physician called Film/DoctorZhivago), plot points, or the genre itself (''Carry On Spying'' references several FilmNoir tropes, but doesn't follow the formula of a film noir).
** Most often, the ''Carry On'' movies were made in response to a new Hollywood movie that was released months before (both ''Carry On Cleo'' and ''Carry On Jack'' were released after Hollywood released the box office flops ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' and the 1962 remake of ''Film/MutinyOnTheBounty'', respectively).

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Sid James, Bernard Bresslaw and Amelia Bayntun are Jewish, and sometimes played roles that fit with the stereotypes (Amelia being the [[JewishMother pushy housewife]], Bernard often being the NiceJewishBoy, and Sid was [[JewishAndNerdy quick-thinking]]), but their characters were never stated to be Jewish.
** Phil Silvers' character in ''Follow That Camel!'' started to become {{greedy|Jew}} when it came to getting medals from Burger and Le Pice. Silvers himself was Jewish, but his character was portrayed as the typical LeeroyJenkins loud-mouthed American.
** There have been a few exceptions, if you can call them that. For example, in ''Carry On Matron'', Terry Scott jokingly calls the hypochondriac Sir Bernard "the rabbi", although Bernard shows no evidence of being Jewish, the neediness and complaining of the prudish Joan and Andrea in ''Carry On Camping'' (well, considering that Joan's mother is Amelia, and the fact that their boyfriends are Bernard and Sid), and Citizen Bidet stating that he got circumcised when he was born in ''Don't Lose Your Head''.

** The original MsFanservice female lead could definitely be seen as this. Look at it like: Shirley Eaton → Liz Fraser → Barbara Windsor → Amanda Barrie → Anita Harris → Barbara Windsor, until the end of the series.

* ShorterMeansSmarter: Kenneth Connor and Kenneth Cope were often one of/the smartest of a group.
* ShutUpKiss: These were common in the movies, mostly between either two young love interests or a married couple. The latter type was always from the husband, who usually "forgot" the kissing and went straight into the sex, which successfully [[RapePortrayedAsRedemption shut their wives up]]. In many cases, it made the wives less [[DefrostingIceQueen frigid]] and much [[AllWomenAreLustful more open]].

* WardrobeMalfunction:
** Nearly every film featured at least one scene where a male character either lost or split his trousers or a female character lost her skirt or top.
** The page image is from ''Carry On Camping'', and it provided the most famous example in the series -- sometimes referred to as the most famous scene in British cinema history. Barbara Windsor is doing aerobics with her classmates and flings her arms a bit too wide, making her bikini top pop off and fly into the face of her school principal. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0J9FdN8oqA Watch it on YouTube.]]

* SpecialGuest: There were several over the course of the series, leading to lots of tension over the guest's salary with the regular actors in series. [[note]]The regular cast were paid low salaries for each movie they did (Kenneth Williams' was known for being vocal about this in his published diaries; his highest salary he received was £6000 [roughly £78,000], which wasn't really high for a movie star back then), but Pinewood Studios shelled out up to ''£30,000'' [roughly £390,000] for a guest star that only had a couple of lines.[[/note]]

** Cecil Parker, who appeared in many blockbuster movies at the time, was promoted to AndStarring credits -- above regulars Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey -- when he appeared in ''Carry On Jack'', and was paid over £20,000 [[note]](roughly £257,000 in today's values)[[/note]] when all he did was appear in two scenes that {{book end|s}} the film and had less than ten lines.

* SpecialGuest: There were several over the course of the series, leading to lots of tension over the guest's salary with the regular actors in series. [[note]]The regular cast were paid low salaries for each movie they did (Kenneth Williams' was known for being vocal about this in his published diaries; his highest salary he received was £6000 [[note]](roughly £77,600)[[/note]], which wasn't really high for a movie star back then), but Pinewood Studios shelled out up to ''£30,000'' [[note]](roughly £390,000)[[/note]] for a guest star that only had a couple of lines.[[/note]]

** Cecil Parker, who appeared in many blockbuster movies at the time, was promoted to AndStarring credits -- above regulars Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey -- when he appeared in ''Carry On Jack'', and was paid over £20,000 [[note]](roughly £257,000 in today's values)[[/note]] when all he did was appear in two scenes that {{book end|s}} the film and had less than ten lines.

* SpecialGuest: There were several over the course of the series, leading to lots of tension over the guest's salary with the regular actors in series. [[note]]The regular cast were paid low salaries for each movie they did (Kenneth Williams' was known for being vocal about this in his published diaries; his highest salary he received was £6000, which wasn't really high for a movie star back then), but Pinewood Studios shelled out up to ''£30,000'' for a guest star that only had a couple of lines.[[/note]]

** Cecil Parker, who appeared in many blockbuster movies at the time, was promoted to AndStarring credits -- above Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey -- when he appeared in ''Carry On Jack'', and was paid over £20,000 when all he did was appear in two scenes that {{book end|s}} the film and had less than ten lines.

* SnobsVsSlobs: A common theme in many of the films, which mostly linked with the growing issues of [[ATouchOfClassEthnicityAndReligion social class]] in Britain at the time, and was seen as the most relate-able humour that was around.

* BackForTheFinale: Much of the characters that appeared in the movie would cameo in the final scene. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Except Charles Hawtrey, though.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: At least one or two of these appear in the movies. The most common ones are Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Williams and Patsy Rowland. Charles Hawtrey can be this, {{depending on the writer}}.

* TheFonzie: Sid James was the fans' (and maybe the producers') favourite regular ever since his first appearance as a supporting character in ''Carry On Constable'', which is probably why many of the films that he was the leading man in were written in his favour[[note]]even if he was a villainous serial killer, [[WrittenByTheWinners the movie would make him out to be the good guy]][[/note]].

* GreyAndGreyMorality: Although there is often a clear narrative that shows who is the hero and who is the villain of the story, most of the characters in the movies tend to fall into DesignatedHero or DesignatedVillain roles. This is very common with Sid James' characters, who are often the heroes, but are prone to doing morally questionable things.

** Barbara Windsor was not exactly a Hollywood beauty, though she did have a couple of things in her favour.[[note]] Although Windsor herself has noted that they looked bigger than they were due to her small waist and the fact that her small feet meant that she walked in a way that emphasised her bust. The BuxomIsBetter trope actually applied at a smaller cup size at the time anyway -- breasts were smaller on average and implants were almost unknown.[[/note]]

* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland: Some of Sid's wives (and the man himself) often suffer from this, which is why they both pine for other people.

* MassiveNumberedSiblings: The movies often used this trope to imply how much sex that a couple was usually having. The more children, the better. So it was often that Sid James' married characters had no children or a fully-grown adult child.

* VillainProtagonist: Sid James' common character forte.

* WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: A common theme with Charles Hawtrey's characters were that they would disappear out of the story when the climax reared its ugly head. It didn't help that his storyline wasn't far from being completed.

The ''Carry On'' films were a [[LongRunners long series]] of movies made with a diverse troupe of British comic actors from TheFifties to TheSeventies and an excellent example of a UniversalAdaptorCast. All were produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas.

** The films made prior to Talbot Rothwell's arrival (up to and including ''Carry On Cruising'') generally tended to have more situational-based humour rather than the puns and sexual innuendo the later films relied on.