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Carry On Cabby

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Carry On Cabby
Original UK quad poster
Directed byGerald Thomas
Screenplay byTalbot Rothwell
Story byDick Hills and Sid Green
Produced byPeter Rogers
Starring
CinematographyAlan Hume
Edited byArchie Ludski
Music byEric Rogers
Production
company
Peter Rogers Productions
Distributed byAnglo-Amalgamated/
Warner-Pathé Distributors
Release date
  • 7 November 1963(1963-11-07)
[1]
Running time
91 minutes[2][3]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£149,986

Carry On Cabbyis a 1963British comedyfilm, the seventh in theseries of thirty-oneCarry Onfilms(1958–1992). Released on 7 November 1963,[1]it was the first to have a screenplay written byTalbot Rothwell(although the first screenplay "Tolly" submitted to Peter Rogers was developed asCarry On Jack) from a story byDick Hills and Sid Green(script writers forMorecambe and Wise). RegularsSid James,Hattie Jacques,Kenneth ConnorandCharles Hawtreyare all present.Liz Frasermakes her third appearance (and last for more than a decade) and bothBill OwenandEsma Cannonmake their final (and in both cases, fourth) appearances. This was the first film in the series to featureCarry OnregularJim Dale,and the first not to featureKenneth Williamsin the cast. Williams turned down the role of Allbright due to what he considered an inferior script. The part was scaled down, and given toNorman Chappell.

Carry On Cabbywas originally planned as a non-Carry On film, calledCall Me A Cab(after a stage play) but midway through development it became part of theCarry Onseries. The film is notable from others in the series for its dramatic plotline of a troubled marriage. The film was followed byCarry On Jack1964.

Plot

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Austin FX3taxicab
Ford Cortina

Charlie Hawkins is the workaholic owner of thriving taxi companySpeedee Taxis,but his wife Peggy feels neglected by him because he works long hours. When Charlie misses their fifteenthwedding anniversarybecause he is out cabbing, after promising Peggy a night out, she decides to punish him. For tax reasons, all the company funds are held in Peggy's name, so she tells Charlie that she is going to 'get a job', then uses the money to establish a rival company,GlamCabs.The cars are brand newFord CortinaMk1s driven by attractive girls in provocativeuniforms.Flo, the wife of one of Charlie's drivers, is appointed to the post of office manager.

Charlie continues to coach his mainly inept drivers, including the clumsy Terry "Pintpot" Tankard (Charles Hawtrey), whilst Peggy refuses to tell Charlie about her new job. Charlie feigns a lack of interest, but he is dying to know what she is up to, particularly as he gets a taste of his own medicine because she now works long hours. He struggles to cope while Peggy's company becomes a thriving success due to the large number of male taxi passengers preferring to ogle her sexy drivers during journeys. Speedee rapidly starts losing money and faces bankruptcy. Peggy feels terrible for what she has done. Charlie and his drivers attempt tosabotagethe rival company, but they are chased off.

In desperation, Charlie suggests amergerwith his rivals, but is furious to discover who the real owner is and storms off.

A month later, Peggy is living at the office and Charlie has turned to drink, allowing his company to collapse around him. Peggy and Sally arehijackedby gangsters. Peggy manages to use thetaxiradio to subtly reveal their situation and location. Charlie intercepts the broadcast and rallies the otherSpeedeedrivers in pursuit. The outlaws are cornered and captured.

Peggy and Charlie are reconciled, especially over the fact that she is expecting a baby.

Cast

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Crew

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  • Screenplay –Talbot Rothwell
  • Idea – SC Green & RM Hills
  • Music –Eric Rogers
  • Associate Producer –Frank Bevis
  • Art Director –Jack Stephens
  • Editor – Archie Ludski
  • Director of Photography –Alan Hume
  • Camera Operator – Godfrey Godar
  • Unit Manager – Donald Toms
  • Assistant Director – Peter Bolton
  • Sound Editor – Arthur Ridout
  • Sound Recordists –Bill Daniels& Gordon K McCallum
  • Hairdressing – Biddy Chrystal
  • Make-up Artists – Geoffrey Rodway & Jim Hydes
  • Continuity – Penny Daniels
  • Costume Designer – Joan Ellacott
  • Producer –Peter Rogers
  • Director –Gerald Thomas

Filming and locations

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  • Filming dates: 25 March – 7 May 1963

Interiors:

Exteriors:

The scene in which "Pintpot" (Charles Hawtrey) drives a cab (PEG 1) round and round a roundabout was filmed at the junction of Goswell Road and Arthur Road, Windsor, with the railway arches of Windsor & Eton Central Station visible in the background. This area has changed considerably since 1963 with the building of King Edward Court and Ward Royal. Some filming was also undertaken in Farm Yard opposite Windsor & Eton Riverside Station.

The filming ofCarry On Cabbyis portrayed in the BBC dramaHattie,a dramatisation of the life of Hattie Jacques.

Release

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First screened to the trade (cinema distributors) on 22 August 1963, the film went on general release across the UK later the same year on 7 November.[1]

See also

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  • Taxi!– contemporary TV series with Sid James in a similar role toCarry On Cabby

References

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  1. ^abc"Carry On Cabby".Art & Hue.2018.Retrieved5 June2018.
  2. ^Rigelsford 1996,p. 38.
  3. ^Ross 1998,p. 141.

Bibliography

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