Dame Barbara Windsor once branded Carry On bosses “immoral”, claiming the cast never saw a penny from the franchise’s telly repeats.
In a new documentary lifting the lid on the darker side of the bawdy comedy films, the late actress speaks out in an unseen 1998 interview about how many of the stars “didn’t earn a lot of money” as millionaire producer Peter Rogers cut costs.
Other stars – including actress Amanda Barrie – also vent anger at bosses, saying they were “humiliated” while filming racy scenes, risked death on set and struggled to get on with star Kenneth Williams.
In the 1980s, Rogers and director Gerald Thomas, edited the films into 30-minute compilations which became TV ratings hits – with a 1981 episode becoming the second most-watched show in the festive schedules.
Windsor, who died aged 83 in 2020, was interviewed for the 40th anniversary of Carry On in 1998 and told how cast contracts had no provision for repeats or TV.
She said: “It’s immoral what they did. They should pay us for those compilations. I don’t care about the films, showing them in their entirety on telly.
“There’s a lot of actors who didn’t earn a lot of money who could do with those few pennies, and Peter Rogers, I mean he doesn’t need it, for God’s sake.
“I get all this memorabilia of Carry Ons. The camping scene, the shower scene, showing the bum. Carry On Dick, looking out of the coach with Sid (James). Another one where he pulls my bra. So, there’s a big, big market and what the hell?
“Where does the money go? It’s wrong. We put a few quid together to go to a lawyer. He said we didn’t stand a chance.”
Rogers had a reputation for being frugal. At a 40th anniversary dinner, he joked: “Most important of all, of course, are the artists. I love them very much and would do anything for them except pay them more money.”
In Channel 5’s Carry On – Secrets and Scandals, ex-Corrie actress Amanda, 87, claimed that frugality even came at the expense of cast safety.
While playing Cleopatra in 1964’s Carry On Cleo, she had to be rescued by a crew member after entering a scalding hot bath due to a fault with the thermostat. She said: “It was a very hot bath. They said, ‘We’ve got to get this shot tonight’. I said, ‘I’ll do it but, just stand by.’ I was alright going down the steps, but as I got to the bottom two and it went past my heart, oh, jeez, I suddenly felt myself going. One of the prop guys got hold of my wig. Luckily, it was clamped to my head and pulled me towards the side. If I’d gone under, I’d have been a goner!”
Before filming the scenes, a “humiliated” Amanda was forced to visit a hormone specialist to boost her ‘assets’. She said: “They sent me to a specialist in Harley Street, who Frank Sinatra used. He told me: ‘You’re the nearest thing to a hermaphrodite I’ve ever seen’. It doesn’t fill you full of enthusiasm.”
Sherrie Hewson, 72, another former Corrie star, said she nearly froze filming Carry On Behind when she was forced to stand out in the snow in a bikini in 1975.
She said: “We were blue with cold, and they painted us this yellow colour to make our skin look normal. It was my baptism of fire. It wasn’t funny.”
Cast members were also frozen out of future films if they asked for a rise.
Hewson said: “Peter Butterworth taught me a big lesson. He said whatever they offer you, say yes, because he didn’t twice and he was taken out of a couple of films.”
Leading men are said to have earned around £5,000 per film, while female co-stars got around half that.
Charles Hawtrey asked for more cash and star billing for 1962’s Carry On Cruising. Wes Butters, his biographer, said: “They said ‘No, you’re alright Charles, we’ll use Lance Percival.’”
Hawtrey was allowed back for 1963’s Carry On Cabby and 1964’s Carry On Jack, but he had drink problems and struggled for money.
Windsor said: “I remember him saying to me, ‘I can’t afford to send fan mail back. I haven’t got the money.’”
Of the 31 Carry Ons made from 1958 to 1992, Kenneth Williams appeared in the most – 26.
Barrie told how the funnyman once tore off her dressing gown in front of the crew. She said: “He ripped it off and went, ‘It’s mine!’ I was left there stark naked. It was a shock, even in the 60s.”
Joan Sims revealed how she and co-star Hattie Jacques once went to visit Williams: “He said ‘I’m not having anybody in my flat’. He wouldn’t let us use the toilet.” Hewson admits Williams gained a reputation or being “grumpy” at times, and “funny and outgoing” on other occasions. She said: “Joan did say to me, Kenneth is a genius but has lots of sides to him.”
Carry On regular Sims admitted she felt “bitter”, saying: “Our salaries never went up in the 30 made.”
Sims died in 2001 aged 71 and co-star Valerie Leon, claimed Rogers refused to contribute to Sims’ medical bills – calling it “unbelievably awful”.
Rogers’ cost-cutting even included refusing to retake scenes and making stars pay their bus fares to work.
Comedy writer Julian Dutton told how acting legend Sir Laurence Olivier saw Hawtrey walking to the bus stop and told him to “hop in” to his Rolls Royce for a lift to Pinewood Studios.
Jim Dale, another regular, admitted producers legally had “every right” to hold onto the millions made from TV showings, but “morally” did nothing to help an ageing cast and crew.
He said: “It would be nice if somebody said ‘Hey, I’ve made enough money out of you guys to give you a few bob back to help in your old age’.”
Rogers died in 2009 aged 95.
- Carry On - Secrets and Scandals is on Channel 5 on Saturday, 8.40pm.
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