Trivia / Carry On Teacher

• Actor-Inspired Element: Joan Sims based Miss Allcock's walk (described by her in her autobiography as "a sort of half run, half trot") on the walk of Miss Goodwin, her gym mistress when she was at school.
• Blooper: One of the students looks directly into the camera during the inspection of Mr. Milton's classroom.
• The Cast Showoff:
  • It was no accident that Charles Hawtrey was cast as Mr. Bean, the music master, as he was a classically trained pianist and former boy soprano.
  • All the child actors in the orchestra could actually play their instrument, and Richard O'Sullivan in particular was known as an excellent pianist.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Hattie Jacques was first set to play Felicity Wheeler (back when the character was known as Cornelia Wheeler) before Rosalind Knight got the part and Jacques was cast as Grace Short instead.
• Completely Different Title:
  • Hungary: Go on, Teacher!.
• Creator Backlash: Overall Norman Hudis didn't think this script was as successful as his first two, and in particular wasn't happy with how old the children in the film were, believing that at that age they wouldn't have cared whether their headmaster was leaving or not as they would be out of school in only a year or so. He also didn't like a line added to the script that someone else added where the students mention that Mr. Grigg and Miss Wheeler are "the ones we have to get rid of", as it created a Plot Hole.
• Creator's Favourite Episode: This was Leslie Phillips' favourite Carry On.
• Dawson Casting: The "children" in the movie are meant to be the equivalent of 6-8th graders, but actually they are played by young adults. This was no mistake - the producers wanted to avoid having to ask the children's mothers for a fee for their appearance as required under Britain's child labour laws.
• Deleted Scene:
  • The BBFC had issues with the scene of Mr. Milton trying to teach Romeo and Juliet to his class, particularly due to the line "By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh and the demesnes that there adjacent lie".
  • Larry Dann recalls that during the orchestra scene, the band did a jazz number with the students quickly turning it chaotic (he was playing the drums) and was later upset that the scene had been cut short.
• DVD Commentary: With Carry On historian Robert Ross talking to Richard O'Sullivan (Robin Stevens), Paul Cole (John Atkins), and Larry Dann (Student).
• Dyeing for Your Art: In order to play Miss Allcock, the gym mistress, Joan Sims booked herself into a health farm in Hertfordshire to lose weight.
• Enforced Method Acting:
  • A practical joke was played on Kenneth Connor by Kenneth Williams and camera operator Alan Hume. In the scene where he sniffs a glass jar and makes a face, a stink bomb had been placed in the jar, making him disgusted for real.
  • Connors got Williams back, however, when he put real itching powder in Williams' costume during the itching powder scene.
  • None of the child actors were told they would be drenched during the School Play scene.
• Follow the Leader: The film was an attempt to emulate the highly successful St. Trinian's series.
• On-Set Injury: Joan Sims had hurt her leg while filming Upstairs and Downstairs earlier that year, and while filming for this film went along, the pain worsened, and she developed thrombo-phlebitis. Sims was hospitalised for ten days, and filming had to be rescheduled.
• The Pete Best: Radio comedy veteran Ted Ray played the beloved headmaster "Wakie" Wakefield. The role of Sergeant Wilkins in Carry On Constable was intended for him, but a conflict with his contract with Associated British Cinemas meant he had to be dropped from the film and replaced with Sid James, who went on to make 19 Carry On films; Ray never returned to the series.
• Real-Life Relative: Students Sheila Dale and Irene were played by sisters, Carol and Jane White.
• Referenced by...: Morrissey named his song "Late Night, Maudlin Street" after the school from the film.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: Peter Rogers was very fond of Ted Ray and his performance but wasn't allowed to use him in any further films after this one; ABC had him under contract for two years, only they hadn't used him, and were now embarrassed that they had been sitting on hidden talent all this time.
• Surprisingly Lenient Censor: The name Allcock was questioned by the '50s censors, especially how much the characters constantly say it with such precision on the "cock" part, but they eventually allowed it to pass.
• Uncredited Role: A young Larry Dann and Diane Langton as two of the students.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Shirley Eaton found out that she was pregnant during the filming of Carry On Nurse and thus wouldn't have been able to return for this film.
  • Norman Hudis' preliminary notes show that the characters of Alistair Grigg the school psychologist and Felicity Wheeler the school inspector were originally intended to be young teachers from the United States who were concluding their study tour of British educational establishments. In addition, their names were originally Ellis Hackenschmidt and Cornelia Wheeler, and were to be played by Michael Medwin and Hattie Jacques rather than Leslie Phillips and Rosalind Knight.
  • Norman Hudis' notes also show other original ideas for casting:
    • Wilfrid Hyde-White as William Wakefield rather than Ted Ray.
    • Dora Bryan as Sarah Allcock rather than Joan Sims.
    • Harry Locke as Alf Hodgson rather than Cyril Chamberlain.
    • Terence Longdon as one of the teachers, later changed to Bill Owen.
  • Peter Rogers wasn't sure if Ted Ray would be available to play William Wakefield, and so had Eric Barker lined up as his second choice.

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