Carry On Don't Lose Your Head
Carry On laughing until you have hysterics, but... Don't Lose Your Head!
1966 | 90m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Gerald Thomas |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Talbot Rothwell |
| Staring: |
| Amidst the French revolution, Citizen Robespierre is beheading the aristocracy! When word gets to England, noblemen Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy Pue take it upon themselves to aid their French counterparts. Sir Rodney is a master of disguise, and becomes 'The Black Fingernail' scourge of Camembert and Bidet, leaders of the French secret police. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 10, 1966 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Gerald Thomas |
| Writer: | Talbot Rothwell |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | france, england, beheading, narration, legend, french revolution, brother, sister, guillotine, sword fight, parody, carry on, spoof, duel, wig, aristocrat, 18th century, chateau, society ball |
| Production Companies | The Rank Organisation, Adder |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Sid James | Sir Rodney Ffing |
| Jim Dale | Lord Darcy Pue |
| Dany Robin | Jacqueline |
| Kenneth Williams | Citizen Camembert |
| Charles Hawtrey | Duc de Pomfrit |
| Joan Sims | Désirée Dubarry |
| Peter Gilmore | Citizen Robespierre |
| Marianne Stone | Landlady |
| Michael Ward | Henri |
| Leon Greene | Malabonce |
| David Davenport | Sergeant |
| Richard Shaw | Captain of Soldiers |
| Valerie Van Ost | Second Lady / Girl at Execution |
| Jennifer Clulow | First Lady |
| Peter Butterworth | Bidet |
| Monika Dietrich | Girl |
| Jacqueline Pearce | Third Lady |
| Patrick Allen | Narrator |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Gerald Thomas | Director |
| Talbot Rothwell | Screenplay |
| Lionel Couch | Art Direction |
| Weston Drury Jr. | Casting |
| Eric Rogers | Original Music Composer |
| Rod Nelson-Keys | Editor |
| Emma Selby-Walker | Costume Design |
| Stella Rivers | Hairstylist |
| Geoffrey Rodway | Makeup Artist |
| Jack Swinburne | Production Manager |
| Jack Causey | Assistant Director |
| Ken Barker | Sound Recordist |
| Dudley Messenger | Sound Recordist |
| James Devis | Camera Operator |
| Terry Gilbert | Choreographer |
| Alan Hume | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Rogers | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| 2024 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 4 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 4 |
| 2024 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 4 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Trending Position
I found this to be one of the cleverer "Carry On" films with Kenneth Williams on good form as the revolutionary "Citizen Camembert" aided by his sidekick "Bidet" (Peter Butterworth) making sure that all the nasty aristos turn up for their appointment with madame guillotine. The fly in their ointment ... soon becomes the enigmatic and chivalrous Brit "Sir Rodney Ffing" (Sid James) and his aide-de-camp "Pue" (Jim Dale) who are bent on frustrating their French nemeses and rescuing the "Duc de Pommfrit" (Charles Hawtrey) before trying their best to ensure that the famous vertical chopper gets two, more appropriate, victims. Instead of the "Scarlet Pimpernel" we have the "Black Fingernail" but otherwise, it's a fairly enjoyable parody of the Orczy story with some good one-liners, a nice dynamic between James and Butterworth and, mercifully, little of the annoying Dale to clutter up the proceedings. It looks good, the jokes are frequently quite pithy and for my money this is James at his best. Good fun.