Kenneth
Williams Trivia
- Kenneth Williams was offered the part of Albright in
Cabby, but turned it down due to an inferior script. The part was cut
down and the best lines given to Charles Hawtrey. Norman Chappell
played Albright.
- The regulars were very wary of the imported talent on
Follow That Camel, Phil Silvers, and none more vocal about this than Kenneth
Williams. He would be irritated that Silvers had to work with idiot
boards. When Silvers found this out he came in the next day with
learned lines, they became tolerant to each other for the rest of the film.
- Kenneth Williams' immortal line "Infamy, Infamy,
they've all got it in for me", in Cleo, was actually taken from the Jimmy
Edwards radio show Take It From Here, written by Talbot Rothwell's friends Frank Muir and
Denis Norden.
- Kenneth Williams was recalled for some dubbing to a
line that the censor wouldn't allow though in Cleo. Concerning the
lack of women abroad, he originally commented to Joan Sims "They don't
have them abroad you know, they're a very backward people there".
Backward had to be changed to bashful due to it's homosexual connotations.
- The bit where Jim Dale and Bernard Cribbins arrive in America in Columbus, was the filmed at the same place as The Bernard
Cribbins/Kenneth Williams scene from Jack.
- Kenneth Williams vocal character is almost the same as
his Rambling Syd Rumpo character from Round The Horne, when playing
Dandy Desmond in Dick.
- Kenneth Williams was very unhappy about the script for
Emmanneulle, and continually refused to do it. After numerous rewrites
he still wasn't happy, and only did it out of friendship for the film
makers. He got £6000 to take the role, his highest fee ever
- Professor Tinkle, eventually played by Frankie Howerd
in Up The Jungle was offered to Kenneth Williams, but due to the writing schedule for
The
Kenneth Williams Show, he declined. Peter Rogers keen to have Kenneth
in the film offered him the part of King Tonka, played eventually by Charles
Hawtrey. Kenneth was disgusted that the part wasn't on screen until
almost the end and refused.
- When Carry On Nurse became as big a hit as Carry On Sergeant, Peter Rogers
announced that the next four films would be Carry On films. He decided
to offer the Carry On team (Kenneth Connor, Leslie Phillips, Kenneth
Williams, Hattie Jacques, Terence Longden, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey and
Bill Owen) a percentage of the takings, as opposed to a fee, but they
declined. Years Later whenever anyone complained about the money he
just reminded them of this fact.
- Kenneth Williams kept falling asleep due to the
combination of warm studio lights and acting on a bed. When Gerald
Thomas would wake him up, Kenny would swear blind that he wasn't asleep.
So the next time it happened, Thomas put a sign around his neck, and took a
photograph. When Kenny tried to wriggle his way out of it again with
protestations of not being asleep Gerald showed him the photograph -
apparently Kenny's language became very colourful.
- Kenneth Williams' character of Dr Watt was originally
going to be Virula's father, but Kenny wanted to play the part nearer his
own age.
- Kenneth Williams' first wage packet , according to his
diaries, was £800. It only increased when Sid James joined the series in
Carry On Cabby, and then it was raised to £5000.
