Having a Carry On in Monklands cinemas

My affection and love for the Carry On movies began when I saw all the early films, beginning with Carry On Sergeant, at the New Cinema in Airdrie when I was just seven-years-old.

From that point on I was destined to be a seasoned, life-long Carry On fan.

In 1966, I was a first-year apprentice projectionist at the ABC Cinema in Coatbridge when Carry On Screaming opened for a six-day run to record business.

As a long-standing fan of the franchise, it was a delight to present this classic comedy for more than 12 screenings.

It was interesting to see that the film differed from its predecessors as it had a song sung over the title sequence.

The only other title where this was done was Carry On Cowboy and it really added something new to its opening.

The Carry On movies presented a Britain that never existed but perhaps one we would all like to see.

They are more popular than ever in a world that has become very serious as they remind us to ask,“whatever happened to laughter?”there used to be so much of it in the world.

The swansong in the series was Carry On Emmanuel in 1978. In 2004 a feeble comeback effort was made with Carry On Columbus, which was a flop and regarded as one of the worst British films ever made, proving that without the original team, the franchise couldn’t survive.

And there would never be anything like it ever again. The series really is a collection of cinematic gems to stand the test of time.

Special screening William was a first-year projectionist at Coatbridge’s ABC Cinema when it showed Carry On Screaming in 1966