Carry on Girls (1973) starring Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor,Bernard Bresslaw, June Whitfield, Peter Butterworth, Jack Douglas, Patsy Rowlands, Joan Hickson, Sally Geeson, Wendy Richard, Bill Pertwee, James Logan directed by Gerald Thomas Movie Review

Carry on Girls (1973)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw in Carry on Girls (1973)

Carry on does Girls, Girls, Girls

The seaside town of Fircombe is not doing well and Councillor Sidney Fiddler (Sid James - Carry On Matron) wants to stage a beauty contest in order to bring in more visitors. The trouble is councillor Augusta Prodworthy (June Whitfield - Carry On Abroad) is in opposition and so Fiddler has to resort to under hand methods to get his way, something his long time girlfriend Connie Philpotts (Joan Sims - Carry on at Your Convenience) is less than thrilled at because she doesn't trust Fiddler with a bevy of beauties. But when Prodworthy learns of what Fiddler is up to she does everything she can to ruin things for him.

Put simply "Carry on Girls" is your run of the mill "Carry on" movie, not as bad as some of those which were to follow but no where near as good as the earlier ones. Basically with a storyline about a beauty contest it is extremely obvious with plenty of sexual innuendo mixed with some slap stick but little else. It delivers what you expect from a "Carry On" movie and whilst featuring plenty of the "Carry On" regulars along with some nice guest performances from June Whitfield and Wendy Richard it is also ultimately forgettable.

Barbara Windsor and Sid James in Carry on Girls (1973)

Being notorious for their sexual innuendo it really is no surprise that at some point the "Carry On" movies would come up with a storyline surrounding a beauty contest with it being so ripe for plenty of risque comedy and scantily dressed women. Sadly the premise which fuels "Carry on Girls" with Councillor Fiddler setting up a beauty contest to boost trade in Fircombe is rather dull. Admittedly you don't expect a stunning storyline from a "Carry On" movie but the weakness of the "Carry on Girls" storyline lets it down. Oh it's funny when Fiddler comes up with a plan to have a man dressed as a woman to cause feminist Councillor Augusta Prodworthy problems but beyond that there is little which really drives "Carry on Girls" forwards.

So in reality "Carry on Girls" is a movie which with a bevy of buxom beauties is all about the gags and in particular the sexual innuendo. It's sort of amusing watching Sid James being a dirty old man whilst Joan Sims as his partner nags him for staring at the scantily clad contestants in particular Barbara Windsor. But it is also very tired because it's the same jokes and gags which filled so many of the "Carry On" movies during the 70s. And whilst having Bernard Bresslaw dressed as a woman is amusing it's still tired because the joke had been done before just with someone else. It's a case that for about the first 15 minutes "Carry on Girls" is amusing but then it does become tired and repetitive which was often the case of the "Carry On" movies from the 70s.

As for the acting, well like the comedy it's a case that those "Carry On" regulars such as Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Barbara Windsor carry on doing what they did in so many movies. So we have Barbara Windsor being small, shapely and flirtatious, Joan Sims nagging and Sid James being randy. The strength of "Carry on Girls" comes in the shape of June Whitfield who is amusing as the prudish Augusta Prodworthy especially in the scenes where she berates the weak minded mayor, so wonderfully played by Kenneth Connor. But sadly none of these performances are memorable and like the movie are really run of the mill.

What this all boils down to is that "Carry on Girls" is very much your run of the mill "Carry On" movie delivering what you expected and nothing more. That means you have a very simple storyline and plenty of sexual innuendo thanks to the story about a beauty contest. It's not a bad "Carry On" movie but neither is it a good one and frankly one of the least memorable except for the scenes where Bernard Bresslaw dresses as a woman.

Tags: Carry On Movies


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