Trivia / Carry On Cleo

• Actor-Inspired Element: Seneca's line "And she's got gallstones an' all!" was thought up on set by one of the actors (believed to have been either Kenneth Williams or Charles Hawtrey) as a replacement for the original line "And she's got gallstones, too, so there!".
• Billing Displacement: When the film was released on Blu-Ray in Australia, Warren Mitchell and Jon Pertwee were given mentions on the back of the box despite only playing small roles.
• Blooper:
  • When Hengist pours Horsa a drink, there is no liquid in the jug.
  • Caesar's legion chant "Sinister, dexter" as they march, but call out the wrong term for the wrong side.
  • Caesar claims that "Nihil expectore in omnibus" is Latin for "No spitting on public transport", when in actuality it translates to "There expectore all".
  • Bilius' sword's hilt changes colour from white to black once Horsa steals it.
• Completely Different Title:
  • Belgium: Ok, Cleo.
  • Denmark: So, So Cleopatra.
  • France: Stop Your Chariot, Cleo.
  • Greece: Heroic Suckers in the Country of the Pharaoh.
  • Hungary: Go on, Kleo!.
  • Portugal: Way to Go, Cleopatra.
• Corpsing: After Charles Hawtrey's "gallstones an' all!" line, Joan Sims can be spotted breaking into a smile before quickly turning away from the camera.
• Creator Backlash: While initially pleased with the script, Kenneth Williams was having second thoughts about the quality once filming began, and said so in his diaries:
  It's all an incredibly tired echo of the beginning of the series. Surely the wheel can't turn much further?
• Deleted Scene:
  • Caesar questioning if Seneca even knows what "ides" are:
    Caesar: What are they then?
    Seneca: What are what?
    Caesar: "IDES"!
    Seneca: Well, that's easy. They're the skins you get off animals.
  • A shot of Mark Antony wriggling his legs on top of Cleopatra was cut.
  • Caesar asking Agrippa how long the voyage to Egypt will take, followed by Seneca having another vision:
    Seneca: It's indistinct... no, I see something now. A large area of darkness... there's lots of little lines across it like rivers... there's a smell of fish... (Beat) Oh no, sorry, it's me. I had sardines for breakfast.
  • Some more discussion at the meal table on the voyage to Egypt between a seasick Caesar, horny Seneca and mischievous Mark:
    Mark: One of 'em did a dance with seven veils. They called her "Salami".
    Seneca: I thought "salami" was one of those long thin things covered in skin.
    Mark: She was.
• DVD Commentary: With Carry On historian Robert Ross talking to Amanda Barrie (Cleopatra) and Julie Stevens (Gloria).
• Looping Lines: Kenneth Williams was recalled for some dubbing to a line that the censor wouldn't allow though. Concerning the lack of women abroad, he originally commented to Joan Sims "They don't have them abroad you know, they're a very backward people there". "Backward" had to be changed to "bashful" due to its homosexual connotations.
• Milestone Celebration: The movie poster was one of the Carry On posters that appeared on Royal Mail stamps in 2008 when the film series celebrated 50 years.
• On-Set Injury:
  • Amanda Barrie had to be rescued from a scalding hot bath by a crew member. No one knew how hot it really was (the thermostat wasn't working) until she stepped inside. She claims that if she went under, she'd have been a goner.
  • Barrie's Stunt Double Nikki Van der Zyl broke her nose when she was rolled out of the carpet into the collapsing table.
• Prop Recycling: Sid James wore the costumes that Richard Burton wore to play Mark Antony. He wears Burton's costumes again in Carry On Henry to play Henry VIII.
• Recycled Set:
  • When filming for Cleopatra moved from Pinewood Studios to Cinecittà Studios in Rome, the Carry On producers decided to use the abandoned sets for their own comic take on the story. Some of the costumes from the movie were also used for the characters.
  • For Victor Maddern, appearing in his fourth Carry On film, the interior scenery was familiar:
    I'd just been in a play in London called Caligula. At the end of the production, I asked the producer what happened to sets like the one we were using, which had been built for the play at a huge cost of £40,0000. Sold £150, that's all we could get, he said. I offered £155. I no sooner got the lot than I heard that a film called Carry On Cleo was being made soon. I loaned the set out for £800!
• Referenced by...:
  • The Smiths' song "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" has the line "As Anthony said to Cleopatra, as he opened a crate of ale, oh, I say", referencing this film.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) has a square-wheeled bike briefly visible in one scene.
• Screwed by the Lawyers:
  • Marks and Spencer considered suing the film for its "Marcus et Spencius" parody for the use of the firm's trademark green and gold colours. Luckily, this was resolved before any legal action was taken.
  • 20th Century Fox actually did take the filmmakers to court, as one of the film's posters was reused from a poster for Cleopatra with the Carry On team's faces plastered over.
• Stunt Double: The famous scene where Cleopatra is unrolled from a carpet was actually performed by double Nikki Van der Zyl doubling for Amanda Barrie.
• Throw It In!: While Hengist is fighting the Nubian slave, Caesar and Horsa can be seen in the background backed into a corner. What is harder to see in the sped-up footage, however, is Kenneth Williams rubbing his rear on a thoroughly embarrassed Jim Dale.
• Uncredited Role: Wanda Ventham as a pretty bidder.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Bernard Cribbins was originally offered the role of Hengist Pod, but he chose to do a play instead.
  • Fenella Fielding turned down the film so she could go to New York.
  • The famous "infamy" line was the replacement for another line that Talbot Rothwell wasn't happy with.

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