Carry On Cowboy Film Review

While alot of people rather rightfully think that the James Bond films is the longest running series of British made films ever made. They would be wrong as the Carry On films has the James Bond films beat by about five films and since I had such a good time with watching Carry On Spying a few weeks ago I thought that i'd take a look at another Carry On film and so then join me as I review the film that sees the Carry On team take on the western genre with the film in question being called simply just "Carry On Cowboy" enjoy.

The plot of this film is when the Outlaw Johnny Finger otherwise known as The Rumpo Kid arrives and takes Stodge City the Mayor and a drainage engineer have to try to find away to get him out of town before it's to late. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad as while the films plot is rather outrageous almost to the point where it could be considered the plot of a cartoon and not really something that you'd expect to work in a live action movie and yet because of the fact that this series of films is known for having rather outrageous plots and just having fun with them this kind of plot does work for this film with it being helped by the fact that the plot of this film doesn't take itself all that seriously which is something that really does help to make the plot of this film all the more fun then what it really had any right to be as by all rights this films plot should have been so dumb that it's not enjoyable to watch and yet again due to the fact that these films have rather lighthearted plots to them that's not the case with the plot of this film at all as this plot that really is the right kind of dumb as it doesn't require you to think to make it enjoyable in anyway shape or form with this plot also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this film is Sid James as Johnny Finger / The Rumpo Kid and Kenneth Williams as Judge Burke. Also starring in this film is Jim Dale as Marshal P. Knutt , Charles Hawtrey as Big Heap , Joan Sims as Belle Armitage , Peter Butterworth as Doc , Bernard Bresslaw as Little Heap , Angela Douglas as Annie Oakley , Percy Herbert as Charlie , Sydney Bromley as Sam Houston , Edina Ronay as Delores , Lionel Murton as A Clerk , Peter Gilmore as Curly , Davy Kaye as Josh , Jon Pertwee as Sheriff Albert Earp , Alan Gifford as A Commissioner , Brian Rawlinson as A Stagecoach Guard , Michael Nightingale as The Bank Manager , Simon Cain as Short , Sally Douglas as Kitikata , Cal McCord as Mex , Garry Colleano as Slim , Arthur Lovegrove as An Old Cowhand and Margaret Nolan as Miss Jones.

Now then interms if what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. With all of the actors that you expect would turn in a good performance in one of these films giving us exactly that and even the likes of Jon Pertwee who is a really good actor in his own right and he turns in a really good performance when he's acting against the more established stars of the Carry On films and even Kenneth Williams who is really good in these films does a pretty good American accent even tho he's playing the same type pf character that he usually plays in these films with the true stand out performance in this film being the very lovable Sid James who usually plays the loveable hero type of character is now playing the villain that we all love to hate and yet he plays him with the same lovable energy and charm that you'd expect from all of his other characters which is something that really does go to show you just what a great comedic actors and what a great actor he really was in all of these films with this films acting really being helped by the fact that this films script is just so good that all this films actors really have to do is just say the lies as they are written and a good performance really will come out of them more naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very film.

Much like how Kenneth Williams was playing against type in Carry On Spying in this film it's Sid James who is playing against type by playing the villain of the film. With him making for a really convincing villain that it really does make you wonder why he never cast as a villain in any of the other Carry On films as even tho he plays The Rumpo Kid with the same charm and charisma that he does with all of his other characters he also adds a touch of menace to the characters which is something that does make this character seem all the more threatening and while his villain isn't that well written it could also be argued that that's part of the charm as alot of villainous characters from other western films aren't that well written either and given that this film is pretty much meant to be a send up of those films it does make sense that The Rumpo Kid wouldn't be all that well as a character either with this film making the best use of the character that they could of done as even it's still the same lovable Sid James playing him he is a character that does across as being very much in charge and knows full well what he's doing so much so that he does get frustrated when he fails to kill who he thinks is the towns new marshal which is something that does make him an entertaining villain and seeing him and Joan Simms just bounce off of each other and show the chemistry that there both known for having n this film does make The Rumpo Kid a really entertaining character to watch in his own right when the character himself could have com across as being really a very one note and boring character in this film.

While this film does have alot of positive aspects to it there is one major negative to the film and that's the fact that they cast two very white British men in Charles Hawtrey and Bernard Bresslaw as Indians. Which don't get me wrong does allow for some really funny sight gags with the two and it is funny seeing two actors who aren't usually paired up in these films act in scenes together but at the same time it is something that does make the film across as being racist as they don't even explain why there Indians with white skin in the movie which is something that would have taken the sting off it a little bit but since they don't do that it does make there characters seem racist when the makers of this film could have excluded there characters all together and wrote them different roles for this film as the chances of them being any Indian actors in the Britain in the nineteen sixties might be a bit of stretch let alone any good ones and while there characters aren't stereotypes of other Indians either it is a shame that there inclusion in this film does add a mark on what is a really good film even more so when you take into account that Carry On Spying even tho it had characters of different nationalities in it's cast of characters they weren't done in a way that felt racist where as here whilst the jokes made about them aren't mean spirited it could be read as being racist given the fact that there being played by two white actors with this kind of issue being something that would have been avoided by having a simple re-write of the films script and yes aptitudes back then were different but at the same time there casting in these roles does also take you out of the film jut a little bit as well.

Even tho this film does do the whole inept person gets a job with lots of power schtick that alot of comedy films to tend to do. Here in this film they do at the very least try to put a spin on it by actually explaining away the fact that Marshal isn't meant to be the towns marshal as he thought that he was there to clean up the town sewage problems only or him to find out that they actually wanted a Peace Marshal which is something that does explain why he's not good at things like shooting or even telling when a bad guy is trying to fool him into something bad which is something that alot of comedies just wouldn't explain and that would have the add on effect of making there films main hero character look really dumb because of it and yet here because of the fact that they do explain it all a way in a way that does make sense it makes the villains look smarter and it makes the hero look smart as well as of course he wouldn't know how to shoot a gun because he was never used to handling one and the whole not being able to tell when a bad guy is tryin to play a trick on him can be chalked up to the character being very naive as he is a young character and yet it's both of those things that do make the character of Marshal P. Knutt a very enduring character as not only do you not know what he's going to be doing next you also don't know just how it's going to backfire on him in anyway shape of form which does add to the films comedy aspect by quite alot with this also makin alot of a really likable character as well when he so very easily could have come across as being one of the more really annoying characters in this film.

For some strange reason this film decides to have a romance subplot involving Annie Oakley and Marshal P. Knutt. Which while they do make for a cute couple as she is the only one that he willingly tells his secret to at the start of the film there relationship does come across as being a bit forced especially since the only reason that she's going to Stodge City is avenger the death of her father Sheriff Albert Earp and that's really it with that aspect of her character rather rightfully taking up alot of the characters screen time and focus and as such it really does make it feel weird and out of place when the two characters do start showing an attraction to one another as that's something that neither character should be focusing on right now as they both have a far more serious issue to content with and that's with getting The Rumpo Kid out of the city with there romance feeling like it put in because of the fact that this films writer and Carry On regular writer Talbot Rothwell must have thought that since both Marshal and Annie are the films heroes that they must fall in love with each other since both Johnny / The Rumpo Kid and Belle who are the films villains also fall in love with each other and while it makes sense for both Johnny and Belle to fall in love with each other as there both pretty much the same kind of character it doesn't make sense for Annie and Marshal to get together as there better of as being good friends and that's all that they really needed to stay as not every male and female hero needs to fall in love with each other by the end of the film sometimes just staying as good friends is what works for both characters and that's something that's very much the case for these two characters in this very film as well.

Now then this film ha / had an exact grand total running time of exactly one hour and thirty minuets and thirty nine seconds. Which is a really solid running time for this film to have and to this films credit it really doesn't need to be all that long in the first place as this film really does have the right amount of plot there to cover that amount of running time and plus the Carry On films are usually around the one hour and thirty minuet mark with it being helped by the fact that this film really does take as good of an advantage of it's running time that it possibly could have dine given the films running time as all pf the characters that need to be fleshed out are fleshed out and all of the films jokes are properly set up and paid off in solid ways if there's any issue to come from the films running time it's the fact that they could have spent a bit longer in hiding the fact that Annie Oakley is the one that's actually pulling off all of these impressive shots and not Marshal as then you could have had a small mystery going on surrounding who it is that's doing these shots and helping Marshal out alot of the time as well and heck you even could have had Annie wear a simple disguise to go out and help out Marshal as well as that would then add to that mystery aspect as well but it's not something that's really needed with the films running tome being just fine as it is with there not really being anything that's worth changing that would improve upon this films running time but I really will admit that this film really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 

So now then as this is comedy that really does mean that I gave to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty really good. With alot of this films jokes being genuinely laugh out loud funny which is really nothing new for the carry On films at this point in time as this film was made and released during the time period when they were at there height and they only continue to get funnier and funnier during the rest of the sixties with the best joke in the film oddly enough being one of the first jokes in the film where three men are seen gambling only there not gambling with money and so when the town Mayor wins a pot he literally wins a pot which is just such a simple gag and yet it's one that works really well and tat this film is filled to the brim with with simple jokes that work really because of the fact that there simple jokes heck even the fact that the Mayor has lots of signs up all around town basically telling the townsfolk not to have any kind of fun is a funny and simple sight gag in this film and while the film does all of the franchises trademark double entendres which are still funny here tho there's so many of them that they do start to kind of loose there charm and cheekiness a bit with the films actual jokes being more funnier then what the films double entendres are in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall while this film is not as good as Carry On Spying was this is still a really good film that people who are perhaps interested in these Carry On films could very easily sit and watch and get alot laughs out of as it has all of the things that the typical Carry On film has only now there done in a western setting with this film just being a really good film in it's own right in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very film in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very film really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where In personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official Carry On fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get images really from this very film being the really great the official Carry On fandom wiki page this is really because of the fact that really all of the images that I really indeed got and really used from the really great the official Carry On fandom wiki page are all really high quality really with  all of the images that really are all and of course really currently up and on the really great and the really solid the official Carry On fandom wiki page really are all being really fairly high in quality and really as well as them all really being fairly high in definition.