Carry On Girls (1973)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A Disappointing Continuation

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Sidney James triumphs in the part of a lusty town councillor in the dull seaside town of Fircombe. Barbara Windsor shows us her assets, Bernard Bresslaw is in drag (again), Kenneth Connor excels in his role of the bumbling Mayor and Jack Douglas twitches his way through the entire film. What's not to like? The lazy, dowdy Mayor's wife is Patsy Rowlands's best part in the series and June Whitfield's performance is sublime. Definitely a one to watch.

Sid James plays the hotel owner of a town. He wants to bring people to his town and liven it up. He suggests a beauty contest to the town council. The women are against it, but the men vote for it. Joan Sims plays Sid's fiancé and she is always watching his every move. Sid calls his friend in another town(played by Bernard Bresselaw). He wants him to help judge the contest. His girlfriend(played by Valerie Leon) wants to go, but he convinces her to stay home. She is not aware that he is to judge a beauty contest. Barbara Windsor plays a lively character who rides into town on a motorcycle. She has come to enter the contest. I am not really attracted to her body. She does not have the best body in the world. The women try to destroy the contest and the men try to add publicity where ever they can. Valerie Leon decides to visit and finds Bernard kissing another woman. She finds out it was nothing. Valerie has a scene in her undies and a bikini. She looks great. The women sabotage the contest and Sid makes an exciting escape in a motor cart. He and Barbara leave town on her bike. Good ending to the last of the Carry-On's before they got too risqué.

I will admit I didn't pay full attention to everything going on in this film, but to be honest, I don't think it would have mattered. Basically local councillor Sidney Fiddler (Sid James) persuades the incompetent Mayor Frederick Bumble (Kenneth Connor) of Firecombe to hold a beauty contest, to improve the town's image. They face opposition from women's liberationist Augusta Prodworthy (June Whitfield) trying to sabotage the contest, but they do have publicity agent Peter Potter (Bernard Bresslaw) and Palace Hotel owner Connie Philpotts (Joan Sims). Soon enough the young, beautiful wannabe models show up, including Hope Springs (Barbara Windsor), Paula Perkins (Valerie Leon), Dawn Brakes (Goldfinger's Margaret Nolan), Debra (Sally Geeson) and Ida Downs (EastEnders' Wendy Richard). When the girls have cat fights, it does draw away regular residents, but after quite a while of some plodding not that funny innuendos and William (Jack Douglas) having over-active twitches, it does finally reach the competition, and it's just afterwards I couldn't be bothered. Also starring Patsy Rowlands as Mildred Bumble, Peter Butterworth as Admiral, Joan Hickson as Mrs. Dukes, David Lodge as Police inspector, Angela Grant as Miss Bangor, Arnold Ridley as Councillor Pratt, Robin Askwith as Larry, Patricia Franklin as Rosemary, Jimmy Logan as Cecil Gaybody and Dad's Army's Bill Pertwee as Fire brigade chief, Charles Hawtrey had obviously quit the Carry Ons, but where's Kenneth Williams? I suppose seeing Babs and young, beautiful looking Pauline Fowler in bikinis, but for comedy value, this fails miserably, and the overuse of the swanny whistle just gets on your nerves. Pretty poor!

In a run down English seaside town, Sid Fiddler (Sidney James) persuades the pompous mayor (Kenneth Connor) to hold a beauty contest in order to improve it's image.Above average farce in that it is often hilariously funny despite retreading every British sex joke in the book - very saucy and all the better for it. There is one hilarious moment where Sid James has Barbara Windsor in his room in her nighty and his nagging wife Joan Sims comes in and Sid has to hide her. However, he overlooked the nighty and puts it on in a pathetic attempt to persuade his wife that it's his. Cracking stuff! The Carry On team was beginning to break up by this stage, but while Sid James, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and Kenneth Connor were still there, they could carry the film without Charles Hawtery and Kenneth Williams though they are sadly missed.