Carry on Matron (1972)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writer:

Talbot Rothwell (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1972 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Plot:

A gang of thieves plan to make their fortune by stealing a shipment of contraceptive pills from Finisham maternity hospital...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Carry On | Medical | Hypochondriac | Maternity Ward

Cast

Sid James	...	Sid Carter (as Sidney James)
Kenneth Williams	...	Sir Bernard Cutting
Charles Hawtrey	...	Dr. Francis A. Goode
Joan Sims	...	Mrs. Tidey
Hattie Jacques	...	Matron
Bernard Bresslaw	...	Ernie Bragg
Kenneth Connor	...	Mr. Tidey
Kenneth Cope	...	Cyril Carter
Terry Scott	...	Dr. Prodd
Barbara Windsor	...	Nurse Susan Ball
Jacki Piper	...	Sister
Patsy Rowlands	...	Evelyn Banks
Amelia Bayntun	...	Mrs. Jenkins
Brian Osborne	...	Ambulance Driver
Valerie Shute	...	Miss Smethurst

Also Known As:

Carry on Matron or From Here to Maternity or Familiarity Breeds or Womb at the Top or The Preggars Opera (UK) (long title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987)

Filming Locations:

Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

Jack Douglas didn't receive a fee for his cameo appearance. Instead producer Peter Rogers sent him a crate of twelve bottles of Dom Perignon champagne.

Goofs:

Continuity: Mrs. Tidy and the lady opposite are shown in Bunn ward. But when Matron tells Nurse Ball to take Nurse Carter to bed, the lady who was in the opposite bed to Mrs. Tidy is in Oven ward.

Quotes:

Twitching Father: [returns from delivery room and picks up the telephone] Could you get me the Guinness Book of Records, please?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Can We Carry On, Girls? (2001) (TV)

Autumnal excellence

There were some great Carry Ons produced during the '70s, but the fact that the series was in it's autumn years means that the era will never be looked upon as favourable as the '50s and '60s. Matron is a case in point - meandering and gentle, but with some absolutely classic scenes. Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims and Sid James are wonderful. Jack Douglas make his series debut. Charles Hawtrey gives a restrained and stunning performance. Kenneth Cope and Bernie Bresslaw both get into drag, one looking oddly convincing and the other strangely terrifying. Valerie Leon makes a bit-part memorable. The London bus routes argument is superb, a classic scene that too often gets overlooked. Autumnal, but excellent.