jjcarr-49015 Self-styled criminal mastermind George Brain (Sid James) and his gang (Emery as Binns and Percival as Day) somehow manage to rob a bank, only to be caught by the police. Just before he's caught Brain manages to hide the loot in a hollow in a tree trunk. Because they won't tell where the money is the gang get fifteen years. After their release they determine to recover the money, with the aid of Brain's long suffering girlfriend Myrtle (played by the beautiful Sylvia Syms), only to find that a housing estate has been built on the farmland where the tree was. The tree still stands - behind the wall of the new police station. Mildred (Joan Sims), a widow with a grown daughter has two double rooms to let in a house opposite the station. Myrtle uses the double rooms and the 'respectable' widow to trick Brain into marrying her, though he's more interested in the money than consummating the marriage. Two further complications hinder their efforts. One is that the other lodger is an enthusiastic young policeman. The other is that they learn the tree is due to be cut down. The rest of the movie is taken up with the gang's increasingly elaborate efforts to recover the money. This cross-plays with the male-female relationships. The hapless Day has his eye on the daughter while the desperate widow has her eye on Binns. All the while the despairing Myrtle just wants Brain to spend the night with her instead of on his latest 'brilliant' idea. The film is unexceptional being neither particularly good nor particularly bad. What might have made a decent two part episode of a half-hour comedy show is drawn out to make a feature film. Some of the humour has dated badly. A mildly risqué remark that might have drawn a titter half a century ago won't do so now. The acting is as solid as the cast suggests with Emery, Syms and Sims the pick.

Spondonman Or, Carry On Where You Left Off. This Rogers/Thomas British comedy used to be on UK TV regularly up to 30 odd years ago, along with other films such as Two Way Stretch. While that and many others still get shown this has got forgotten, it's not hard to see why: it's sub-Carry On humour in dreary black and white surroundings with only some of the usual cast.Bumbling gang of crooks steal £50,000 in 1950, get caught, hide the loot in a tree, go to jail, get out 15 years later to find the tree now in the backyard of a new police station. And so it goes on – how to get that money out with various ultimately slapstick ideas conjured up by George The Brain (the inimitable Sid James). His over-loyal gang of Sylvia Syms, Dick Emery and Lance Percival back him up through thick and thin, mainly thin – it might have been an interesting plot move for Percival to have to get married as well…What a shame Deryck Guyler didn't get some more lines. There's some good mundane and comedic ideas buried in here, I thought the film was pretty cool when I was 11 but that world has long gone. The only 3 women in this were all sex-mad superficial stereotypes. Favourite bits: Sid continually demanding tanners for the telescope; hiding the earth from the digging a la Great Escape, some typically coarse – but side-splitting – solutions to that particular problem! Flat humour for most of the film, just when it seemed to be getting going it was gone – obviously abiding by the maxim to always leave 'em asking for more.Especially for any Brit over 40 it's easy viewing, an enjoyable familiar farce featuring familiar faces.

pbbuffyhugs Totally agree with all other reviewers of this brilliant film that it's a Carry On film in everything but name. Made between the filming of Carry On Cleo and Cowboy and starring the usual batch of actors at the time there's probably 2 reasons why this wasn't given the 'Carry On' title - 1 it's in black and white, the carry on series had by now already moved and would stay in colour and 2 - what could it have been called? Carry on Criminal/ Thieving/ Stealing all send out a message that crime is fun so are probably unsuitable, 'Carry on the Big Job' doesn't really work so maybe that's why it's not included in the series proper but let's face it this IS pure Carry On and a fantastic addition to the films the team were making at the time and easily the funniest non Carry On title made by Gerald Thomas and Peter Rogers. I have all the carry on films (and this on DVD) and every year or so I watch them in order and I always include this between Cleo and Cowboy, as far as I'm concerned there were 32 Carry On films - Don't Lose Your Head and Follow That Camel were quickly re-released with the Carry On prefix - although that was just because of a change of distributer, it's a shame this wasn't added because it sits perfectly into the series. Chances are everyone involved treated this as a continuation of the series anyway. A very funny film.

General Urko Another homegrown gem from the director (Gerald Thomas ), producer (Peter Rogers) & writer (Talbot Rothwell) of the Carry On movies. This is very similar to those classics as it also has a cast of Carry On regulars such as Jim Dale, Joan Sims & the irrepressible Sid James! After finishing their porridge at her majesties pleasure a gang of crooks attempt to retrieve the loot they hid before being caught. Unfortunately the tree they hid it in is now within the grounds of a police station! They hole up in a neighbouring B&B and so begin many bungled attempts to retrieve it. To make matters worse their fellow lodger is a policeman. D'oh! A top comedy with that must have ingredient, good characters (often lacking from more recent so-called comedy films). A great hour & a half for fans of Carry On. It would be a crime to miss it!