Don't Lose Your Head (AKA Carry On Don't Lose Your Head)

Dir: Gerald Thomas

1966

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Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth film in the Carry On series but it was the first to drop the 'Carry On' from the title, although it was added years later. After twelve films, producer Peter Rogers was forced to look for a new distribution company and the Rank Organisation were interested but there was a legal question over the ownership of the 'Carry On' title. Rogers later commented that they dropped the 'Carry On' from the title because the film didn't need it, due to the film being more 'visual' than the previous films in the series. Both Rogers and Rank stated that they were both so confident that their film was so good they didn't need the 'Carry On' title any longer. In a contradictory move, the film opened up with the line 'Carry On laughing until you have hysterics but Don't Lose Your Head'. There were various title ideas, many of them long and few of them catchy. To avoid confusion, the American release simply called it Carry On Pimpernal and the British distributors followed suit soon after, realising that, after thirteen films, branding does actually play a big part in a franchise. There has been lots of talk of poor working conditions and issues between cast members but I've always thought Don't Lose Your Head is one of the under-sung entries to the series. A spoof of The Scarlet Pimpernal, the Carry On team puts Sid James in the main role, as the dandy to the rescue, The Black Fingernail. It's certainly one of the Carry On's better parodies, but it is Charles Hawtrey who steals the show this time. As his character, the Duke de Pommefrite, is laying on the guillotine awaiting the blade to fall he is suddenly handed a telegram, to which he replies "Oh just pop it in the basket, I'll read it later". It is as crude as you'd expect from the franchise but it does have some cracking one-liners in it.