Carry On Henry

Carry on Henry
Carry On Henry (DVD)
Directed by	Gerald Thomas
Produced by	Peter Rogers
Written by	Talbot Rothwell
Starring	Sid James Kenneth Williams Joan Sims Charles Hawtrey Terry Scott Barbara Windsor Kenneth Connor Peter Gilmore Derek Francis Bill Maynard
Music by	Eric Rogers
Distributed by	Rank
Release date(s)	February 1971
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£223,000
Preceded by	Carry On Loving
Followed by	Carry On at Your Convenience

Carry On Henry is the 21st of the Carry On series and was released in 1971. It tells a fictionalised story involving Sid James as Henry VIII, who chases after Barbara Windsor's character Bettina. The original alternative title was to be Anne of a Thousand Lays a pun on the Richard Burton film Anne of the Thousand Days and Sid James wears the exact same cloak that Burton wore in that film.

Plot Summary

The film opens with a passage which states:

This film is based on a recently discovered manuscript by one William Cobbler, which reveals that Henry VIII did in fact have two more wives. Although it was first thought that Cromwell originated the story, it is now known to be definitely all Cobbler's... from beginning to end.

Sid James plays Henry VIII as a lovable rogue who is surrounded by scheming courtiers. Peter Rogers originally planned on using Harry Secombe in the title role, and in the first draft of the screenplay Henry was going to be an avid composer of madrigals, but the idea was shelved and Sid James took the title role. The film opens with Henry's current wife (played by Patsy Rowlands) being beheaded. Henry quickly marries Marie of Normandy (Joan Sims) a marriage organised at the behest of bumbling Cardinal Wolsey (Terry Scott) as Marie is the King of France's cousin. Eager to get on with the wedding night frolics Henry is dismayed to find she reeks of garlic. He can't bear to be near her, so understandably Marie gets frustrated and she soon receives amorous advances from Sir Roger de Lodgerley played by Charles Hawtrey who, while still in his camp persona, is playing against type as a ladies man.

Henry is keen to be rid of Marie as he has met the lovely Bettina (Barbara Windsor, in her favourite Carry On role), who is the daughter of the Earl of Bristol (Peter Butterworth, in a one-scene cameo), a punning reference to Bristols. Henry variously attempts to free himself of Marie. Cromwell (Kenneth Williams) assists by organising Lord Hampton of Wick (Kenneth Connor) to kidnap the King in a staged plot, however both Cromwell and Lord Hampton also secretly plot to bring the king to harm as part of this escapade. The false kidnapping fails. Discovering Marie's infidelity with de Lodgerley, Henry seizes on this opportunity to be free of her, all he needs is a confession from de Lodgerley. He orders Cromwell to extract a confession using any means necessary. This leads to a running joke between Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey in the torture chamber as Henry keeps changing his mind about the confession due to political necessities requiring multiple changes and retractions of the original confession. Wolsey is baffled by all the intrigue, and Cromwell is driven to treason by all of Henry's unreasonable demands.

Business Data

• Filming dates - 12 October 1970 - 27 November 1970
• The budget for the film (£233,000) was higher than any previous Carry On film.
• Filmed on location at Knebworth House

External links

• Carry On Henry at the Internet Movie Database
• Carry On Henry Location Guide at The Whippit Inn