''Don't Lose Your Head'' is a 1967

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

swashbuckling A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

film, the 13th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It features regular team members

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mid ...

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Car ...

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

, Charles Hawtrey, and

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

. Set in France and England in 1789 during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, it is a parody of

Baroness Orczy Baroness Emma Orczy (full name: Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci) (; 23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947), usually known as Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends as Em ...

's ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

''. The first ''Carry On'' to be produced by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

, ''Don't Lose Your Head,'' was not conceived as a part of the series and was first released without the ''Carry On'' prefix. However, the ongoing popularity of the series persuaded Rank to add the prefix to the titles of this and the following film, ''

Follow That Camel ''Follow That Camel'' is a 1967 British comedy film, the 14th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Like its predecessor ''Don't Lose Your Head'', it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title (though for screenin ...

'', when they were re-released. French actress

Dany Robin Dany Robin (; 14 April, 1927 – 25 May, 1995) was a French actress of the 1950s and the 1960s. Career Robin was born Danielle Robin in Clamart. She performed with Peter Sellers in ''The Waltz of the Toreadors'', and co-starred opposite Kirk D ...

makes here her only ''Carry On'' appearance.

Plot

It is the time of the French Revolution. Whilst the French aristocracy is losing their heads (literally), two bored English noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing (pronounced "Effing") and his best friend Lord Darcy Pue (played by

and

respectively), bored with the endless rounds of country pursuits, decide to have some fun and save their French counterparts from beheading by the guillotine. The enraged and incompetent revolutionary leader, Citizen Camembert (

), and his toadying lackey, Citizen Bidet (

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

), scour France for the elusive saviour of the nobles, who is nicknamed “The Black Fingernail” after his calling card of “two digits rampant”. After a series of audacious rescues, the Fingernail succeeds in rescuing the Duc de Pommfrit ( Charles Hawtrey) whilst disguised as an insurance salesman, and in the process, tricks Camembert into guillotining his own executioner. Camembert is chastised by his superior

Maximillien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

(

Peter Gilmore John Peter Gilmore (25 August 1931 – 3 February 2013), known as Peter Gilmore, was an English actor, known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in 91 episodes of the BBC television period drama ''The Onedin Line'' (1971–1980), cre ...

) and threatened with the guillotine, unless he captures the Fingernail. During his escape from France, Sir Rodney meets his true love, Jacqueline (

), leaving her with a silver locket containing a set of his mother’s false teeth. On discovering Jacqueline, Camembert and Bidet imprison her. Using the locket as a trap, they travel to England to uncover the real identity of The Black Fingernail. They are accompanied by Camembert’s lover, Desirée (

), who is on the lookout to marry a man with a title, disguised as the Comte and Comtesse de la Plume de ma Tante. Desirée pretends to be Camembert's flamboyant sister, whilst wearing the locket. After a series of intrigues at a ball at Ffing House, everyone’s identity is unknowingly revealed. Foppish Sir Rodney challenges Camembert to a rigged duel in order to get a head start on his journey to Paris to rescue Jacqueline. Desirée is now herself in love with the hero and will do all she can to save him from the guillotine in return for his promise that she will marry her titled man. On arrival in Paris, the Fingernail discovers that Jacqueline has been moved from the Bastille to the Château Neuf (

Waddesdon Manor Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation, it is one of the National Trust's most visited properties, with over 463,000 visitors i ...

), the former home of an avid art collector and member of the aristocracy, recently presented to Citizen Camembert - by himself. Ffing, Lord Darcy, and the Duc de Pommfrit travel there to rescue her. During the ensuing fight between the rescuers and the French soldiers, most of Camembert’s new art collection is destroyed. With the help of Desirée, Jacqueline is rescued. All five flee the collapsing château to safety, whilst Camembert and Bidet attempt to stop it from falling down. For their incompetence, Robespierre orders the execution of Camembert and Bidet on a double guillotine. They are relieved to know that the Fingernail is not there to see it, until the executioner reveals that he ''is'' The Black Fingernail himself. Afterwards, in England, Ffing marries Jacqueline, who becomes Lady Ffing, whilst he keeps his promise to Desirée, who has married the Duc de Pommfrit (as he has a title), much to her own chagrin.

Cast

as Sir Rodney Ffing/The Black Fingernail *

as Citizen Camembert *

as Lord Darcy Pue * Charles Hawtrey as Duc de Pommfrit *

as Desiree Dubarry *

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

as Citizen Bidet *

as Jacqueline *

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

Marianne Stone Marianne Stone (23 August 1922 – 21 December 2009) was an English character actress. She performed in films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, typically playing working class parts such as barmaids, secretaries and landladies. Stone appe ...

as Landlady * Michael Ward as Henri *

Leon Greene Lenard George Green (15 July 1931 – 19 June 2021), better known as Leon Greene, was an English actor and singer. At the age of 20, Greene joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and sang bass with them for just over a year. After leaving the D' ...

as Malabonce * Richard Shaw as Captain *

David Davenport David Davenport (born c. 1950) is an American academic administrator. He served as the president of Pepperdine University from 1985 to 2000. Early life Davenport was born around 1950 in Kansas. A graduate of Stanford University, he earned a J.D ...

as Sergeant * Jennifer Clulow as 1st lady *

Valerie Van Ost Valerie Van Ost (25 July 1944 – 10 September 2019) was an English actress. Acting career At school, Van Ost became the youngest adult dancer at the London Palladium before moving into films and television at age 18. She appeared in four Carry ...

as 2nd lady *

Jacqueline Pearce Jacqueline Pearce (20 December 1943 – 3 September 2018) was a British film and television actress. She was best known for her portrayal of the principal villain Servalan in the British science fiction TV series ''Blake's 7'' (1978–1981), ...

as 3rd lady *

Hugh Futcher Hugh Futcher (born 29 October 1937 in Portsmouth, Hampshire) 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 Convenien ...

as Guard (uncredited) *

Nikki van der Zyl Monica "Nikki" van der Zyl (27 April 1935 – 6 March 2021) was a German actress based in the United Kingdom, known for her dubbing work on the ''James Bond'' film franchise. Early life Nikki van der Zyl was born on 27 April 1935 in Berlin, t ...

as Messenger (uncredited) *

Julian Orchard Julian Dean Chavasse Orchard (3 March 1930, in Wheatley, Oxfordshire – 21 June 1979, in Westminster, London)GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1979 15 1935 WESTMINSTER – Julian Dean C. Orchard, DoB = 3 March 1930 was an English comedy actor. He ap ...

as Rake (uncredited) *

Elspeth March Elspeth March (5 March 1911 – 29 April 1999) was an English actress. Early years March was born as Jean Elspeth Mackenzie in Kensington, London, England, the daughter of Harry Malcolm and Elfreda Mackenzie. She studied speech and drama un ...

as Lady Binder (uncredited) * Joan Ingram as Bald dowager (uncredited) *

Michael Nightingale Alfred George Cyril Michael Nightingale (6 October 1922 – 8 May 1999) was an English stage, film and television actor. He appeared in 13 (9 credited and 4 uncredited) of the ''Carry On'' film series - the tenth highest number of appearan ...

as "What locket?" man (uncredited) * Diana MacNamara as Princess Stephanie (uncredited) *

Ronnie Brody Ronnie Brody (6 November 1918 – 8 May 1991) 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'', '' Don't Lose You ...

as Little man (uncredited) * Billy Cornelius as Soldier (uncredited) *

Patrick Allen John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor. Life and career Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada ...

as Narrator (uncredited) * Monica Dietrich as Girl (uncredited) * Anna Willoughby as Girl (uncredited) * Penny Keen as Girl (uncredited) * June Cooper as Girl (uncredited) * Christine Pryor as Girl (uncredited) *Karen Young as Girl (uncredited)

Filming and locations

*Filming dates – 12 September–28 October 1966 Interiors: * Marble Hall,

Clandon House Clandon Park House is an early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey. It stands in the south east corner of Clandon Park, a agricultural parkland estate which has been the seat of the Earls of ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England *

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

, Buckinghamshire Exteriors: *

, England * Claydon Park, Claydon,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, England *

Cliveden Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern H ...

, Buckinghamshire, England, UK *

, Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK *

Black Park Black Park is a country park in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England to the north of the A412 road. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Council, formerly County Council. It has an area of , of which two separate areas totalling have been designated a ...

, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{Gerald Thomas 1966 films British parody films British historical comedy films 1960s English-language films Carry On films Films directed by Gerald Thomas Scarlet Pimpernel films 1960s parody films 1960s historical comedy films Films set in 1789 Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Peter Rogers 1960s British films