Don't Lose Your Head
Encyclopedia
Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On
film (and one of only two not to have "Carry On" in the original title). It features regular team members Sid James
, Kenneth Williams
, Jim Dale
, Charles Hawtrey
and Joan Sims
. French actress Dany Robin
makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head
. It was released in 1966. Set in France and England in 1789 during the French revolution
, it is a parody of Baroness Orczy's
The Scarlet Pimpernel
.
and Jim Dale
respectively) decide to have some fun and save their French counterparts from beheading by the guillotine.
Enraged revolutionary leader Citizen Camembert (Kenneth Williams
) and his toadying lackey, Citizen Bidet (Peter Butterworth
), scour France and England for the elusive saviour of the French nobles, who has become known as The Black Fingernail. After abducting the Fingernail's true love, Jacqueline (Dany Robin
), Camembert and Bidet plot to lure the Fingernail to his death... oblivious that Desiree (Joan Sims
), Camembert's flamboyant mistress, is herself in love with the hero and will do all she can to save him from the guillotine.
Interiors:
Exteriors:
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
film (and one of only two not to have "Carry On" in the original title). It features regular team members Sid James
Sid James
Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
, Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
, Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
, Charles Hawtrey
Charles Hawtrey (film actor)
George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
and Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
. French actress Dany Robin
Dany Robin
Dany Robin was a French actress of the 1950s and the early 1960s who was married to fellow actor Georges Marchal.She performed with Peter Sellers in The Waltz of the Toreadors and co-starred opposite Kirk Douglas in the 1953 romantic drama Act of Love.Robin co-starred with Connie Francis, Paula...
makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On film . It features regular team members Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims. French actress Dany Robin makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head. It was released in 1966...
. It was released in 1966. Set in France and England in 1789 during the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, it is a parody of Baroness Orczy's
Baroness Orczy
Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian noble origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel...
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
.
Plot
It is the time of the French Revolution, and two bored English noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing and his best friend, Lord Darcy Pue, (played by Sid JamesSid James
Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
and Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
respectively) decide to have some fun and save their French counterparts from beheading by the guillotine.
Enraged revolutionary leader Citizen Camembert (Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
) and his toadying lackey, Citizen Bidet (Peter Butterworth
Peter Butterworth
Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
), scour France and England for the elusive saviour of the French nobles, who has become known as The Black Fingernail. After abducting the Fingernail's true love, Jacqueline (Dany Robin
Dany Robin
Dany Robin was a French actress of the 1950s and the early 1960s who was married to fellow actor Georges Marchal.She performed with Peter Sellers in The Waltz of the Toreadors and co-starred opposite Kirk Douglas in the 1953 romantic drama Act of Love.Robin co-starred with Connie Francis, Paula...
), Camembert and Bidet plot to lure the Fingernail to his death... oblivious that Desiree (Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
), Camembert's flamboyant mistress, is herself in love with the hero and will do all she can to save him from the guillotine.
Cast
- Sid JamesSid JamesSid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
as Sir Rodney Ffing/The Black Fingernail - Kenneth WilliamsKenneth WilliamsKenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
as Citizen Camembert - Jim DaleJim DaleJim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
as Lord Darcy de Pue - Charles HawtreyCharles Hawtrey (film actor)George Frederick Joffre Hartree , known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English comedy actor and musician.Beginning at a young age as a boy soprano, he made several records before moving on to the radio...
as Duke de Pommefrites - Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
as Desiree Dubarry - Peter ButterworthPeter ButterworthPeter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
as Citizen Bidet - Dany RobinDany RobinDany Robin was a French actress of the 1950s and the early 1960s who was married to fellow actor Georges Marchal.She performed with Peter Sellers in The Waltz of the Toreadors and co-starred opposite Kirk Douglas in the 1953 romantic drama Act of Love.Robin co-starred with Connie Francis, Paula...
as Jacqueline - Peter GilmorePeter GilmorePeter Gilmore is a British actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in the BBC Television period drama The Onedin Line. He also had roles in eleven Carry On films, and played the heroic lead in the adventure film Warlords of Atlantis...
as Citizen Robespierre - Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
as Landlady - Michael WardMichael Ward (actor)Michael Ward was an English character actor who appeared in nearly eighty films between 1947 and 1978.-Early life:...
as Henri - Leon Green as Malabonce
- Hugh FutcherHugh FutcherHugh Futcher is an English actor in theatre, television, and film. He was a member of the stock company of the Carry On films, with notable parts in Carry On Spying, Carry On At Your Convenience, and Carry On Behind...
as Guard - Richard Shaw as Captain
- David Davenport as Sergeant
- Jennifer ClulowJennifer ClulowJennifer Clulow is an actress and television presenter, best known for her appearances in a series of television advertisements for Cointreau....
as 1st lady - Valerie Van OstValerie Van OstValerie Van Ost is an English actress.She is best known for her appearance in four Carry On films - Carry On Cabby, Carry On Doctor, Carry On Again Doctor and Carry On Don't Lose Your Head.At school she became the youngest adult dancer at the London Palladium before moving into films and...
as 2nd lady
- Jacqueline PearceJacqueline PearceJacqueline Pearce is a British actress.-Career:Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles....
as 3rd lady - Nikki van der ZylNikki van der ZylNikki van der Zyl is a German voice-actress most famous for providing the voice of Ursula Andress in the movie Dr. No She also revoiced all the other female voices in that same movie, except that of Miss Moneypenny and that of a Chinese girl...
as Messenger - Julian OrchardJulian OrchardJulian Dean C. Orchard was an English comedy actor.-Biography:Orchard was educated at Shrewsbury School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama...
as Rake - Elspeth MarchElspeth March-Early years:She was born as Jean Elspeth Mackenzie in Kensington, London, England, the daughter of Harry Malcolm and Elfreda Mackenzie.-Career & marriage:...
as Lady Binder - Joan IngramJoan IngramJoan Ingram is a Scottish broadcaster, journalist and media company director.Ingram studied at the University of Dundee and Aberdeen University where she obtained a MA honours degree in politics & jurisprudence in 1981 and an MBA in 1996, respectively....
as Bald-headed Dowager - Michael NightingaleMichael Nightingale-Selected filmography:* The Man Who Watched Trains Go By * Man in the Shadow * Ice-Cold in Alex * The Stranglers of Bombay * Watch Your Stern * The Young Jacobites * The Silent Weapon...
as "What locket?" man - Diana MacNamara as Princess Stephanie
- Ronnie BrodyRonnie BrodyRonnie Brody was a British actor who appeared in many comedy television series and films.His film appearances included: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Carry On Loving and The Beatles film Help!....
as Little man - Billy Cornelius as Soldier
- Patrick AllenPatrick AllenJohn Keith Patrick Allen was a British film, television and voice actor.-Life and career:Allen was born in Nyasaland , where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during World War II where he remained to finish his education at McGill...
as Narrator - Monica Dietrich as Girl
- Anna Willoughby as Girl
- Penny Keen as Girl
- June Cooper as Girl
- Christine Pryor as Girl
- Karen Young as Girl
Crew
- Screenplay - Talbot RothwellTalbot RothwellTalbot Nelson Conn Rothwell, OBE was an English screenwriter.Rothwell was born in Bromley, Kent, England. He had a variety of jobs during his early life: town clerk, police officer, and Royal Air Force pilot....
- Music - Eric Rogers
- Song - Bill MartinBill MartinBill Martin is a Scottish songwriter, music publisher and impresario.-Biography:...
& Phil CoulterPhil CoulterPhil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland... - Performers - Michael Sammes Singers
- Production Manager - Jack Swinburne
- Director of Photography - Alan HumeAlan HumeAlan Hume, B.S.C. was a British cinematographer.Hume started work at Denham Film Studios in 1942, and in the late 1940s he worked for Cineguild production company....
- Editor - Rod Keys
- Art Director - Lionel CouchLionel CouchLionel Couch was a British art director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Couch was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
- Camera Operator - Jimmy Devis
- Assistant Director - Jack Causey
- Sound Editor - W Nelson
- Sound Recordists - Dudley Messenger & Ken Barker
- Continuity - Rita Davison
- Make-up - Geoffrey Rodway
- Hairdressing - Stella Rivers
- Costume Designer - Emma Selby-Walker
- Choreographer - Terry Gilbert
- Horse Master - Jeremy TaylorJeremy TaylorJeremy Taylor was a clergyman in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression and was often presented as a model of prose writing...
- Producer - Peter RogersPeter RogersPeter Rogers was a British film producer.Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper before graduating to scriptwriting religious informational films...
- Director - Gerald ThomasGerald ThomasGerald Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull.-Early life:Thomas was training in medicine when the Second World War began. He then served in the British army during the war, in Europe and the Middle East...
Filming and locations
- Filming dates – 12 September-28 October 1966
Interiors:
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, Buckinghamshire
Exteriors:
- Clandon HallClandon ParkClandon Park is an 18th century Palladian mansion in West Clandon just outside Guildford, Surrey, in the United Kingdom. It has been a National Trust property since 1956....
, GuildfordGuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey, England - Claydon ParkClaydon HouseClaydon House is a country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, close to the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust....
, Claydon, Buckinghamshire, England - ClivedenClivedenCliveden is an Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Set on banks above the River Thames, its grounds slope down to the river. The site has been home to an Earl, two Dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor....
, Buckinghamshire, England, UK - Waddesdon ManorWaddesdon ManorWaddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild . Since this was the preferred style of the Rothschilds it became also known as...
, Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK