Carry on Girls [DVD] [1973]

The seaside resort of Fircombe is struggling to attract the tourists, so Sid Fiddler {Sid James} proposes a beauty contest to draw some much needed punters into the town. Getting the inept Mayor {Kenneth Connor} to agree was easy enough, but opposition comes in the form of Augusta Prodworthy {June Whitfield} and her league of feminists.

Lurid, smutty and just about average in the pantheon of the Carry On series. No Kenneth Wiliams for this one, but a point of interest is that Robin Askwith appears for the only time. Askwith ironically would become the star of the "Confessions" series of film's which would take the sex comedy to a whole new plateau from 1974 onwards. Carry On Girls has its moments, Bernie Bresslaw in drag brings quite a few gags, while Peter Butterworth as a lecherous old man steals the film. Also pleasing for the franchise faithful is that the Sid James and Barbara Windsor {Hope Springs} pairing gets a nice arc befitting the relationship the pair built up during the series. Beauty contests and feminist whiles are given the treatment in Talbot Rothwell's screenplay, and the dying seaside town in need of a boost has a certain warmth to it {filmed on location in Brighton on England's South Coast}. But really it's mild Carry On fare outside of the flesh and double entendres that are laced in humorous stereotypical cheapness. 5/10

Carry On Girls (1973) was the 25th entry in this staggeringly long-running British comedy film series. The Carry On films were beginning to slide in popularity at this stage and where as at one point at least three Carry On films were made per year, by 1973 the productions had slid down to just once a year.

Charles Hawtrey (who had been disposed off after his drunken antics on the Carry On Abroad set and after continual disagreements with producer, Peter Rogers over wanting his name elevated above the title which no Carry On star was ever rewarded), Kenneth Williams and the formidable Hattie Jaques are all sadly missed but there is surprisingly enough fun, laughter and games to enjoy throughout and the main regulars in the series that are present liven it up no end.

In Carry On Girls, the typically thin plot is centered around a tacky, end-of-pier beauty contest which faces opposition immediately from the town's womens libbers group, led by Councillor Prodworthy, played marvelously by June Whitfield. Sid James organises the whole farce and lets the girls involved in the beauty contest stay at his reluctant girlfriend, Chole's (Joan Sims) hotel for free! Sids eye soon strays onto the bubbly Barbara Windsor who arrives on a motorbike in complete tomboy mode and when taking part in the first photo shoot is unveiled to be stunningly beautiful.

The films climax is where it really scores best, where the beauty contest ends in complete disaster. The girls costumes are all laced with itching powder, the floor is made slippery and to top if off, Councillor Prodworthy turns on the sprinklers that completely showers the entire audience. This is followed by a fun go kart chase as Sid James flees all of the enraged customers who all want their money back, having been soaked in the theatre. Barbara Windsor is hot on Sid's trail on a motorbike. The last scene sees Sid James and Barbara Windsor riding merrily along a motorway on Barbaras motorbike. If you wander why Barbara looks so terrified as she rides the bike, its because she had only learnt to ride a motorbike specifically for Carry On Girls and was not happy in doing so. Those anxious looks on her face as the film ends with a shot of Sid and Babs on the motorway on the scooter are all genuine! Silly but great fun.

The cast are all on top form, though any scene which Sid James and Barbara Windsor share raises a smile and a laugh with their undeniable chemistry shining through (even though Sid James was nearly twice Barbaras age).

Joan Sims is underused in this one and is unfairly pigeon holed into a supporting performance which she plays efficently where as Kenneth Connor plays the towns Mayor, a blatantly incompetent and pompous figure who causes some amusement though is mainly th butt of a joke.

Patsy Rolands has a meatier part in this one and comes into her own. She plays the Mayor's frustated and down trodden wife to utter comic perfection and her character rebels in the end joining forces with June Whitfields team of womens libbers.

Loveable giant, Bernard Bresslaw pops up as Sid James sidekick in organising the beauty contest. The scenes wre he dresses in drag, deliberately to attract attention from the media in a bid to drum up publicity and generate interest in the contest are quite hilarious!

The sultry Valerie Leon plays his dowdy fiancee who joins the beauty contest in the end and is transformed into the glamorous and stunning beauty she always truly was. For some odd reason however all of Valerie Leons lines are dubbed over by June Whitfield! Bizarre!

Carry On Girls is a classic entry in the series and a highly enjoyable one at that.

From the glaring absence of regular Kenneth Williams to the surprisingly subdued theme music, this 1973 entry sits somewhat uncomfortably in the Carry On canon. However, bright performances and an improbable but engaging storyline make Carry On Girls one of the last vintage films before the decline of the series.

The cast of stalwarts works hard in a strong ensemble of characters. Sid James stars as businessman Sid Fiddler, convincing Kenneth Connor's mayor Frederick Bumble to host a beauty contest in the seaside town of Fircombe. Barbara Windsor is at her busty best as contestant Hope Springs while a band of feminists, led by June Whitfield as Augusta Prodworthy, launches an hilarious campaign of opposition.

Carlton have done a sterling job of cleaning up a vibrant print. Some of the worst editing exhibited in the series has been carefully tidied up, although nothing can remedy the strange overdubbing of glamourpuss Valerie Leon's voice with June Whitfield's. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen with a nice complement of extras, including a commentary by surviving cast members, including Whitfield - who also presents a wonderful 'On Location' documentary. There is also a stills gallery, awful theatrical trailer and interesting trivia notes.

Carlton have issued Special Editions of all 18 Rank Carry On films and Carry On Girls is an excellent example of the care they have taken in the preservation and presentation of these rough diamonds in the history of British cinema.