Richard Webber - The Complete A–Z of Everything Carry On

London-born Alec Bregonzi’s professional acting career began, like many of his contemporaries’, in repertory theatre in the mid-1950s. In venues at Farnham, York, Bromley and Leatherhead he learnt the ropes of the profession before West End opportunities came his way, including parts in Camino Real and understudying Ronnie Barker .

While his theatre career progressed, offers to appear on television came his way, including parts in the small-screen version of Hancock’s Half Hour . During the 1970s and ’80s, he worked with a host of comedians, including Cannon and Ball, Kenny Everett and Little and Large. Other credits during this period range from The Two Ronnies, Filthy Rich and Catflap and London’s Burning to The Barchester Chronicles, Great Expectations and The Recruiting Officer. For four years he read viewers’ letters on BBC’s Points of View , presented by Barry Took, which spawned a radio series, Joke by Joke. More recently, he supplied many voices for the 1990s animated children’s series, The Treacle People.

Bregonzi has also appeared in a handful of films, such as Face of a Stranger, Ricochet, Downfall from the Edgar Wallace series, and Revenge of the Pink Panther. Sadly , one of his best parts was in a French film, L’Etincelle , which has never been screened in Britain. He’s also done a lot of theatre work, including several plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

BRENNAN, J.

The unseen Second Officer on the Happy Wanderer in Cruising. His name is seen on the crew list.

MEMORIES

‘Alas, my memories of Carry On Sergeant are few and not happy ones. I was one of the storemen who had a little scene with most of the principals. Mine was with Gerald Campion, with whom I’d worked in a stage version of Billy Bunter at the Victoria Palace.

‘We rehearsed the scene in Sergeant , which was a two-shot, and as the director walked away Gerry told me to change position slightly, which would have meant he would be favoured more by the camera and my ear and nose would be more prominent than my face. Gerald Thomas overheard this and said: “We’ll do it exactly as rehearsed!” So we did. The scene was cut, though, probably at the last minute because my billing in the credits is much too good for an – ultimately – non-speaking character. I was very disappointed, as you can imagine, especially after the good credit and then just a glorified walk-on part.

‘Later, I played a beach photographer, where people put their heads through funny cut-outs, at Brighton in At Your Convenience. This time all of me ended on the cutting-room floor. I asked Peter Rogers at a Carry On do once why I was always cut and he said Eleanor Summerfield had suffered the same fate, only more so!’

ALEC BREGONZI

BRESSLAW, BERNARD

Roles: Little Heap in Cowboy , Sockett in Screaming! , Sheikh Abdul Abulbul in Follow That Camel , Ken Biddle in Doctor , Bunghit Din in Up The Khyber , Bernie Lugg in Camping , Upsidasi in Up the Jungle , Gripper Burke in Loving , Bernie Hulke in At Your Convenience , Ernie Bragg in Matron , Brother Bernard in Abroad , Peter Potter in Girls , Sir Roger Daley in Dick and Arthur Upmore in Behind

TV: Christmas (69), Christmas (70), What a Carry On! , Christmas (73), Under the Round Table , Short Knight , Long Daze , And In My Lady’s Chamber , Who Needs Kitchener? and Lamp Posts of the Empire

STAGE: London! and Wot a Carry On in Blackpool

Bernard Bresslaw was born in London in 1934. His mother, who was fascinated by the theatre, was keen for her son to become a tap dancer and enrolled him at local dancing classes, which didn’t last long.

While at school – he attended Coopers School, Mile End – his English master recognised Bresslaw’s love and talent for English Literature and drama and coached him ready for his drama entrance exam. He studied at RADA after winning one of two annual London County Council Awards, and was awarded the respected Emile Littler Award for Most Promising Actor.

After graduating, one of his first jobs was appearing as an Irish wrestler in MacRoary Whirl , a production staged by Laurence Olivier. He later asked Bresslaw to replace him in Home and Beauty , when Olivier was in need of a break.

Bresslaw was gaining valuable experience at various repertory theatres and as part of a touring company playing RAF camps, Borstals and even mental institutions, and before long he received offers to appear on television and in films. Credits on the big screen included Men of Sherwood Forest, Up in the World, Blood of the Vampire, Too Many Crooks, It’s All Happening, Up Pompeii and Krull , while on television he was seen in, among others, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Vise, Danger Man, Arthur of the Britons, The Goodies, Sykes and, what he’s best remembered for on television, The Army Game. National Service as a driver-clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps had provided an insight into life in the services and he used it to good effect in the long-running series.

Playing Private Popplewell in the highly successful comedy series, The Army Game , propelled him to national prominence but saw him typecast in goofy roles, which continued throughout his time with the Carry On series. But Bernard, who was proud of his classical training, possessed the talent to turn his hand to any job he was offered, and was particularly proud of his time in, among others, Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing . It was whilst appearing at Regent’s Park in Taming of the Shrew , in 1993, that he collapsed and died, aged fifty-nine, after suffering a heart attack.

Although people will always remember him for his screen work, Bernard’s preferred medium was the theatre, and he never declined the chance to return to the stage.

MEMORIES

‘Bernard was such a gentle giant of a man. Very sweet-natured, very calm and everybody that knew him loved him. I met him at the London Palladium, just after he’d left The Army Game. I was dancing in the Royal Variety Show at the Palladium with the George Sanders Dancers, while Bernard was appearing in a sketch.

‘Like most actors he had periods of unemployment but, thank God, not many. There would only be a couple of weeks between jobs and he enjoyed a nice, steady career.

‘It was while he was performing in Taming of the Shrew at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park that he died. It had been quite a stormy day and Bernard was sitting in the dressing room, enjoying a cup of tea, awaiting the weather reports. He suddenly turned to one of the cast and asked for a couple of Aspirin because he had a terrible headache – that was unusual for him. When the person turned round to give him the tablets, Bernard suddenly fell forward, the cup of tea falling out of his hand. That was it. By the time he arrived at the hospital he was dead. Only three months before he’d been declared perfectly fit, having had a thorough examination.

‘His first Carry On was Cowboy and he had a joke played on him. Bernie was scared of heights. He’d always say: “Considering I’m so tall myself, it’s a ridiculous thing to admit, but I do hate heights.” In Cowboy he played an Indian and had to go up a tree. Apparently it took quite a time to coax him up the tree. He said to Gerald Thomas: “You’re not going to leave me up there long, are you?” Gerald reassured him that they’d get him down as quickly as possible. He eventually perched himself on a high branch at which point Gerald said: “OK everybody, break for lunch.”