Trivia / Carry On Henry

• Acting for Two: Terry Scott as Cardinal Wolsey and the Deleted Role of Queen Marie's baby.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey's last lines of "Carry on, executioner!" were suggested by Kenneth Williams and Terry Scott.
• Billing Displacement: Julian Holloway was added to the list of stars on the original VHS release and "The Classic Carry On Film Collection" DVD boxset despite only playing a supporting role.
• Completely Different Title:
  • Brazil: Send See, Henry.
  • Germany: Henry's Bed Stories or How Garlic Came to England.
  • Hungary: Go on, Henry!.
  • Portugal: The Seventh Wife of Henry VIII.
  • Sweden: Check Now we Take the Garlic.
• Creator Backlash:
  • Kenneth Williams wrote harshly of the script in his diaries:
    I read the script of Carry On Henry and I think it's abysmal. My part (Cromwell) seems to equate to the thing I did in Don't Lose Yr. Head. It is liberally sprinkled with filth.
    • However his in diary entries from 1979 he seemed to have changed his tune:
      We saw the TV and it was Carry On Henry... amazing how well this was made! Everyone in it was competent and the sheer look of the thing was so professional.
    • Despite this, he was back to hating it by 1988:
      ITV showed Carry On Henry. Oh, dear! it was so bad in places... truly chronic dialogue... dreadful acting. Sid James had never been quite as bad as this. A collection of such rubbish you're amazed it could ever have been stuck together. Only an audience of illiterates could ever have found this tripe amusing.
  • Julian Holloway later admitted he wasn't remotely proud of his involvement with any of the Carry On films.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Barbara Windsor named this as her favourite Carry On film.
• Deleted Role:
  • A pre-fame David Essex was filmed as a young man at Speaker's Corner who interjects a comment ("I intend to!") when Lord Hampton suggests "having it off" during the anti-Sex Enjoyment Tax argument. However, his role was cut from the finished film due to a banner prominently visible throughout the scene reading "Ban S.E.T. Tax", which would have made it "Ban Sex Enjoyment Tax Tax". Anthony Sagar's heckler, John Clive's dandy and another dandy known as Cedric were also part of the cut scene.
  • Others who had parts cut from the film were Brian Wilde as a warder, Valerie Shute as a maid, and Jane Cardew as King Henry's second wife.
  • In addition to playing Cardinal Wolsey, Terry Scott had a scene as Queen Marie's baby that was cut.
• Deleted Scene:
  • Patsy Rowlands confirms on the Carry On Girls DVD Commentary that the Queen's execution scene was much longer and she had given a long, dramatic speech, only for Gerald Thomas to cut the scene short for being too dramatic.
  • Some of the marriage scene between King Henry and Queen Marie was cut to keep Joan Sims' reveal as the Queen until later.
  • A line where Lord Hampton tells Fawkes his gunpowder will never work and he should leave it to his heirs was cut, making it seem as if Fawkes was actually Guy Fawkes alive before he should have been.
    Lord Hampton: Oh for heaven's sake, Fawkes! Forget about your damned barrels of gunpowder!
    Fawkes: Well, I feel I ought to do something with them...
    Lord Hampton: Leave them to your heirs! Let them find something to do with them!
  • King Henry and Cardinal Wolsey looking at portraits of potential new wives:
    Cardinal Wolsey: Now this one should suit your Majesty quite well. Anna-Marie. She'd make an excellent Queen, I feel.
    King Henry: Umm, I don't know. Bit on the big side. What make?
    Cardinal Wolsey: The Schleswig-Holstein's.
    King Henry: No, no, I don't like German stuff. All right for a while but they don't build 'em to last.
  • Cardinal Wolsey being tempted to pinch a maid's bottom before the arrival of Conte di Pisa.
  • The scene where Cromwell explains the Sex Enjoyment Tax to King Henry was cut down, as Cromwell's mouth can still be seen moving when the scene fades out.
  • The scene where King Henry explains his family motto lost its ending, which featured an appearance from his second wife.
  • Lord Hampton advocating against the Sex Enjoyment Tax at Speaker's Corner while being heckled:
    Lord Hampton: Knowing that with S.E.T. you've got to pay up for every little kiss and cuddle? No! Let's have it off, I say!
    Young Man: I intend to!
  • Sir Roger briefly joining Queen Marie in the Tower.
  • King Henry and Bettina playing strip croquet in the gardens.
  • Cromwell and a warder moving Sir Roger from the rack to the Iron Maiden after he gets too stretched for it:
    Cromwell: What do you mean "He won't fit it any further"?
    Warder: The rack won't go any further! He's outgrown it!
    Cromwell: But that's ridiculous! There must be some way...
    Sir Roger: Make a bigger one.
    Cromwell: Would you please mind your own business?!
    Sir Roger: I should have thought it was my business. I've got to go on it.
  • Queen Marie's baby's true father being revealed to be Cardinal Wolsey.
• DVD Commentary: With Carry On historian Robert Ross talking to director of photography Alan Hume.
• Edited for Syndication: The scene in the barn where King Henry has a rough and ready encounter with the buxom lass is often trimmed or completely removed for television screenings.
• Enforced Method Acting: Joan Sims ate real garlic in the bedroom scene, Gerald Thomas used mints for the rehearsals and then surprised her for the filming which explains her facial reaction. This was also done to her in Carry On Regardless, ten years prior (albeit with real gin instead of real garlic).
• Fake Brit:
  • The South African-born Sid James plays the British King Henry.
  • The Polish John Bluthal as royal tailor Moshe Montmorency.
• Fake Nationality:
  • Joan Sims, Julian Orchard, Peter Gilmore, Gertan Klauber, and David Davenport play French characters.
  • The Italian Conte Filippo di Pisa is played by the British Alan Curtis.
• Never Work with Children or Animals: One of the horses threw Julian Holloway off while he was riding it, leaving him with a noticeable limp.
• One-Take Wonder: Sid James and Barbara Windsor did their dance scene in one take, having just learned it the morning before filming.
• On-Set Injury: Julian Holloway was thrown off a horse during filming and can be seen limping in several of his scenes.
• Orphaned Reference: A portrait is visible on the floor in one scene, which was once in a Deleted Scene where King Henry and Cardinal Wolsey look through new wives for the King.
• Promoted Fanboy: Before being in this film, Alan Curtis was a fan of the previous Carry On films. In particular, he considered Carry On Up the Khyber to be a masterpiece.
• Prop Recycling: This is the second time that Sid James has played a character that was originally portrayed by Richard Burton, as well as worn the same costume (wearing his costume from Anne of the Thousand Days). The first time was Carry On Cleo as Mark Antony.
• Saved from Development Hell: The film had been in development as far back as 1966 but wasn't released until 1971.
• Stunt Double: When King Henry leaps over the hedge to escape the farmer and is pulled up a tower by a horse-pulled rope, he isn't played by Sid James, but rather a stunt double.
• Throw It In!: Terry Scott ad-libbed Cardinal Wolsey's line "Mind me 'at!" when he is being taken away to the Tower.
• Uncredited Role:
  • John Bluthal as Moshe Montmorency.
  • Peter Butterworth as Charles, Earl of Bristol.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Harry Secombe was considered the role of King Henry because the production team didn't think that Sid James would be available for the filming.
  • Early versions of the script had the composing and performing of popular madrigals as a major part of the plot.
  • Jacki Piper was hoped to return after appearing in the previous two films but was unavailable as she had just gotten married and was also busy in the West End.
  • Peter Butterworth was unable to take a larger role due to his stage commitments, so the small role of Charles, the Earl of Bristol, was written especially for him.
• Working Title: Anne of a Thousand Lays.

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