Winsome bar wench Sally (Juliet Mills) steals the identity of bumbling midshipman Albert Poop-Decker (Bernard Cribbins), taking his place aboard frigate HMS Venus in the hope of sailing to France to find her missing sweetheart Roger. Meanwhile, the real Albert is press-ganged into service on the same ship, but no-one will believe his unlikely story.

The mere thought of the lovely Juliet Mills being able to pass for a man is, of course, utterly ridiculous (reminding me of a similarly silly episode of Blackadder), but despite this preposterous conceit, the notable absence of many of the series' major players, and a lack of any truly classic gags, I can't help but enjoy this movie. With its well-realised period setting, Miss Mills obvious charms (she looks great even posing as a man), Jim Dale's brief but hilarious turn as a money-grabbing sedan chair operative, and some of the scurviest pirates ever to set sail for the seven seas, this rousing Carry On tale is still good for a Yo Ho Ho!

The Carry On comedy team takes on all those sagas of the British Navy from the Napoleonic Era with Carry On Jack. The title comes from what they used to call British sailors, Jack Tars.

Midshipman Albert Poopdecker played by Bernard Cribbins is little thrown out of sea school just to make room and given his first assignment on the HMS Venus a frigate ship of the line. But on his way there Cribbins is waylaid in a cat house where one of the girls played by Juliet Mills steals his uniform and credentials. To make matters worse a press gang comes along and takes Cribbins and Charles Hawtrey.

The HMS Venus has a Regency fop for a captain in Kenneth Williams and a first officer in Donald Houston who'd like to take his place. And Juliet Mills on board playing a midshipman named Albert Poopdecker. Her breasts are just super spectacular man boobs if she'd let the crew see them and confirm their beliefs.

In the end after surviving a mutiny, a capture by pirates and saving the United Kingdom from invasion, Hawtrey, Cribbins, Mills, and Williams, are national heroes.

But it's how they do it that provides loads of laughs in this Carry On classic.

Watched this for the first time since I was 5 or 6 last night and it pre-dates Carry On's golden age and is a bit boring to be honest, okay I was watching it at midnight, but I dozed through the third quarter and considering I was wide awake and laughing out loud through an episode of the IT crowd at 1am the movie has to take some of the blame! The film struggles because most the carry on team are missing! Bernard Cribbins is hog tied by a bad script with few laughs. Not even the usually watchable Keneth Williams can spark much interest. In fact the best moments come from Jim Dale's cameo right at the start of the movie. His hilariously OTT west-country accent and plain charisma steal the movie. No wonder he became the leading man a few years later! Coming from Plymouth I did enjoy the opening scenes. there is a great line about Plymouthians later in the film. Jim Dale does a generic west country accent rather than a proper Plymouthian "Janner" accent which would've been amazing, but he's still the best thing in the movie.

To summarise, awful script, few laughs, few carry on stars, too long. Sadly, you can watch the first 15 minutes and then turn it off safe in the knowledge that you've seen the best bits and its going down hill from here... I've given it 2/10 rather than 1/10 for Jim Dale's cameo.

If you are looking for Carry On movies at their hilarious best then, try Carry on Sergeant, Cowboy, Cleo, Up the Kyber and Screaming. Pure British comedy gold, Don't let this turkey colour your judgement of a wonderful comedy institution.