GusF It's not as hilarious as the best films in the series but it's still extremely funny. Replacing the contractually tied up Ted Ray as Sgt. Wilkins, Sid James makes a very impressive debut in his first of 19 Carry On films. In this instance, he plays the put upon straight man to Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Leslie Phillips (making his last "Carry On" appearance until "Carry On Columbus" in 1992) very well. Of the four films that I have seen, Carry On Teacher has the best plot but this is not far behind. This is basically an improved upon remake of "Carry On Sergeant".As ever, Williams and Hawtrey are the best with the former once again playing a supercilious incompetent to perfection. Their scene in drag is one of the funniest in the film. Phillips gets up to wackier antics than in either "Carry On Nurse" or "Carry On Teacher" and excels given the opportunity. The film also sees the welcome return to the series of Eric Barker, Shirley Eaton, Terence Longdon and Joan Hickson, all of whom were absent from one or both of the previous two films. I have never liked Miss Marple but I'm growing to like Joan Hickson! However, it was a little disappointing that Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims were sidelined slightly after having some of the best material in "Carry On Teacher".

ianlouisiana Mr Eric Barker is sublime as the put - upon Police inspector forced to put out a number of rookie constables on the beat when most of the station has gone down with the flu.Mr Sidney James,stuck in a limbo between his "serious" and "comic" styles is also very good as his No2,a weary veteran who has to make coppers out of Messrs Phillips,Hawtrey, Connor and Williams whose enthusiasm is exceeded only by their ignorance of the law,common sense,knowledge of their powers and just about every other ingredient needed to make them efficient officers. They bumble along,full of good intentions,meeting the requisite seductive young women,batty old ladies and crafty crooks that are a hangover from Ealing days. "Carry on Constable" is a good - natured film from a time when it was just becoming clear that not all coppers were like good old George Dixon;some contemporary scandals involving all ranks revealed that sufficient numbers of Old Bill were as venal and violent as those whose collars they were meant to be feeling as to distort the cosy image British movies generally portrayed. But here there is no hint of such darkness.Kenneth Williams might be a buffoon,but he was an honest buffoon. Most ordinary coppers of the time would have recognised Sid and Eric as old - school guv'nors who knew their men and knew their ground,were kind,utterly staunch and reliable,and - importantly - dead straight. This sort of officer would have died out when they retired a few years up the road. I salute them both for,however briefly,bringing that time back.

bob the moo With a flu epidemic decimating the ranks of the local bobbies, the police are forced to quickly take on some new recruits who in other circumstances may not have quite made the ranks – a decision made by Inspector Mills and then dumped on Sergeant Wilkins to deal with. However not even Wilkins' low expectations are met when at least a handful of the new recruits turn out to be barely able to manage themselves, never mind the wider community.This is quite an enjoyable little film that is never funny but manages to be amusing if you are in the mood for a light, dated comedy. The story is simply a rerun of Carry on Sergeant in the way that an efficient Sergeant (in this case Sid James) is charged with turning a bunch of bumbling, inept recruits (this time into the police) into an effective unit of men, encountering much amusing bumbling along the way (with even some of the same actors playing the same sort of characters). In this regard it is pretty much a cookie-cutter of a story but to look down on the film for being unoriginal and basic is to really miss the point when it comes to the Carry On films. Aside from the poor story, the film is actually quite amusing but never really made me laugh more than once or twice; certainly those not in a forgiving mood will dislike this because it doesn't have much life to it but those looking for a movie for a wet Saturday afternoon will maybe enjoy it.The cast are a selling point and do manage to do quite a bit with the basic material even if they don't raise it that much. Sid James has a minor role in his first Carry On film and, although he is a good presence, he is less effective than he was in other films. Barker is a nice straightman and holds up that side well enough while the main comedy is brought off by the recruits themselves. Connor repeats his "uptight and resisting love" performance to reasonable effect. Hawtrey and Williams do good work with their usual stuff (Williams playing upper-class early in the series) while Phillips makes a nice addition with his usual stuff. Sims and Jacques are OK but have very little to do around the edges but are nice filler.Overall this is nothing special but it is amusing in its own way despite never making me laugh. The script does throw up a few nice touches and is cheeky rather than smutty or anything like that and, despite being a rerun of Carry On Sergeant, it is still enjoyable in a rather amusing and light sort of way.

dis-6 This was the fourth of the Carry On series and although dated by the police uniforms is one of the best simply because all of the regulars are equally well used and for once Sid James is kept under control and used as a foil for some of the situations which works well with his expressive face. Kenneth Williams is still in the intellectual role which eventually gave way to the over-the-top persona in the later films. Leslie Phillips gels well with the others ( even better than he did in Carry On Teacher )If anything this film underuses the female stalwarts with Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims being love interests.