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Fifty Years Of Carry On
Fifty Years Of Carry On
Apr 20, 2025 12:35 AM

Author:Richard Webber

Fifty Years Of Carry On

In August 1958, the opening scenes of a low-budget black and white film flickered onto cinema screens up and down the country. No one could have foreseen what impact Carry on Sergeant would have then and in the future. Not only did it become one of the top three grossing films for that year, it also kick started the longest running and most successful comedy series of all time.

Here, for the very first time, is the essential biography of this most treasured institution in the world of British cinema. Complete with exclusive interviews with cast and crew, and the debut publication of Vince Powell's script of Carry On Down Under, Fifty Years of Carry On is a must for any fan of the unique and ever hilarious spectacle that is Carry On.

Reviews

One for Carry On naysayers as well as the fans, this anniversary insight into a very British world is filled with waspish bon mots, extensive interviews and lots of amusing detail. A comprehensive and warm biography of the key players, as well as the films themselves.

—— Empire

Richard Webber's book is a chronological trawl through the Carry On series covering everything from early successes like Carry On Sergeant, to classics like Carry On up the Khyber ... our most enduring films have been about getting nookie at all costs and the consolations of the biscuit tin. The French got Truffaut, we got Bisto. Bring it on

—— Sunday Times

enjoyable

—— Sunday Telegraph

In this sympathetic, well-researched history, Richard Webber retrieves some of the more lubricious lines lost to the British Board of Censors ... the Carry Ons have become a part of British film history, like Hitchcock and Hammer horror. As vulgar as flock wallpaper, as cheap as fish and chips, they hold a special place in the hearts of young and old alike

—— Telegraph

fascinating

—— GT (Gay Times)

Webber understands the Carry On phenomenon entirely: how it's all about the oddness, the dowdiness, the sheer physical uncomfortableness of the British - and their frank terror of sex, best coped with by laughing at it.

—— Sunday Times

A trip down what's to many of us a happily familiar lane

—— Sunday Telegraph

Captivating . . . an emotional memoir . . . The author takes readers on a roller-coaster ride from the height of Hollywood fame to his darkest days . . . In one heartbreaking passage, Reeve writes how he wanted to die after his Memorial Day accident until his wife urged him to live

—— New York Daily News

Inspiring

—— Los Angeles Times

Generously illustrated ... definitely a book for reading... such is Merton's exhaustive affection, you'll feel a pang when the talkies come in

—— Word

Beautifully produced and contains some remarkable illustrations ... as a professional, he provides plenty of insight

—— Spectator

A powerfully honest and very moving insight into the life of a rock legend

—— The Herald (Glasgow)

Clapton bares his soul. Fascinating. It's an absorbing read, like you've been granted access to a mind finally coming to terms with itself.

—— The Sunday Tribune (Ireland)

Difficult to put down

—— Sunday Times

Clapton provides an orderly account of life in which all other considerations are secondary to the frequently selfish needs of The Artist'

—— Guardian

Gold-plated tales of sex, drink, drugs and fame and moments of musical incandescence.

—— Observer Music Monthly

A warm portrait

—— FT Magazine

A harrowing and searingly honest book about the unreal rock star life.

—— Daily Express

Clapton lays bare his life story in this witty but also painfully honest autobiography. Compelling and accomplished.

—— Sunday Express

A painfully honest insider's account of an age all too often portrayed as one long party

—— Daily Mail

A glorious rock history.

—— New York Post

This book does what many rock historians couldn't: It debunks the legend...puts a lie to the glamour of what it means to be a rock star.

—— Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

Strong stuff. Clapton reveals its author's journey to self-acceptance and manhood. Anyone who cares about the man and his music will want to take the trip with him.

—— Anthony DcCurtis, Rolling Stone

Clapton is honest...even searing and often witty, with a hard-won survivor's humor...an honorable badge of a book.

—— Stephen King, New York Times Book Review

Riveting

—— Boston Herald

An even, unblinking sensibility defines the author's voice.

—— New York Times

An unsparing self-portrait.

—— USA Today

Both the youthful excesses and the current calm state are narrated with an engaging tone that nudges Clapton's story ahead of other rock'n'roll memoirs.

—— Publisher’s Weekly

Clapton is a confessional, an addiction memoir, and a glorious rock history rolled into one, with a smidgeon of guilt and, ultimately redemption thrown in for good measure.

—— New York Post

Clapton fills in many gray areas, recounting his highs and lows with a thoughtfulness often lacking rock memoirs.Methodically he whittles away at the larger-than-life rock god until a vulnerable, messed-up mortal emerges...Clapton is an absorbing tale of artistry, decadence and redemption.It's also an important reminder of the guitarist's imprint on rock music, as a sideman, solo artist and bandleader.Not bad for a blues snob from Surrey.

—— Los Angeles Times

Clapton: The Autobiography does what many rock historians couldn't: It debunks the legend, de-mythologizes one of the most mythologized electric guitarists ever, puts a lie to the glamour of what is means to be a rock star...It's a cautionary tale that spills over into tragedy several times as love, lives and talents are all wasted.

—— Chicago Tribune

Like the bluesmen who inspired him, Clapton has his share of scars...his compelling memoir is... a soulful performance.

—— People

Charming and surprisingly candid.

—— Entertainment Weekly

Absolutely brilliant

—— Daily Express
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