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Carry On Girls
Carry On Girls
	Original UK quad poster
Directed by	Gerald Thomas
Written by	Talbot Rothwell
Produced by	Peter Rogers
Starring	Sid James; Barbara Windsor; Joan Sims; Kenneth Connor; Bernard Bresslaw; June Whitfield; Peter Butterworth; Jack Douglas; Patsy Rowlands; Jimmy Logan; Margaret Nolan; Valerie Leon
Cinematography	Alan Hume
Edited by	Alfred Roome
Music by	Eric Rogers
Distributed by	Rank Organisation
Release date	9 November 1973;
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£205,962

Carry On Girls is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992).^[2] The film features regulars Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth.^[3] This Carry On featured neither Kenneth Williams nor Charles Hawtrey; Williams was unavailable because of stage commitments and Hawtrey had been dropped from the series.

Patsy Rowlands makes her seventh appearance in the series. Robin Askwith makes his only appearance in the series. Jack Douglas makes his third appearance, this time upgraded to a main role. This is the final of six Carry On films for Valerie Leon and Jimmy Logan makes the second of his two Carry On appearances.^[4]^[5] The film was followed by Carry On Dick in 1974.

Plot

The seaside town of Fircombe is facing a crisis – it is always raining and there is nothing for the tourists to do. Councillor Sidney Fiddler hits on the notion of holding a beauty contest. The mayor, Frederick Bumble, is taken with the idea but feminist councillor Augusta Prodworthy is outraged and storms out of the meeting. The motion is carried in Augusta's absence, and Sidney contacts publicist Peter Potter to help with the organisation.

Sidney's girlfriend, Connie Philpotts, runs a local hotel and soon her residents—including the eccentric Mrs Dukes and the randy old Admiral – are outnumbered by putative models, including diminutive biker Hope Springs and tall, buxom Dawn Brakes. A catfight orchestrated by Hope after thinking Dawn has stolen her bikini provides better newspaper copy than bringing a donkey off the beach which, despite the bucket and spade of hotel porter, William, ruins the plush carpets. Augusta's son, press photographer Larry, is hired to document the donkey stunt and snaps the catfight that has the Mayor losing his trousers, then gulps his way through a nude photo shoot with Dawn. The Mayor's wife, Mildred, joins Prodworthy's bra-burning movement and plots the downfall of the Miss Fircombe contest on the pier. Peter Potter reluctantly becomes a man in a frock for another publicity gimmick for the television show Women's Things, presented by Cecil Gaybody and produced by Debra. Prodworthy and butch feminist Rosemary call in the police to investigate the male pageant contestant but Peter's previously prim girlfriend, Paula, has a makeover and turns out to be very buxom and glamorous and steps into the breach as the mysterious girl.

Prodworthy's gang put "Operation Spoilsport" into action, sabotaging the final contest with water, mud and itching powder. With an angry mob after his blood, Sidney makes his escape on a go-kart, finds Connie has taken all the money and then speeds away with Hope on her motorcycle.

Certification

The film marked a slightly more risqué treatment of the topic with more nudity and openly sexual jokes than previous films. Discreet cuts by the BBFC (mainly to saucy dialogue and the hotel fight sequence between bikini-clad contestants played by Barbara Windsor and Margaret Nolan) enabled the film to gain the more commercially acceptable A certificate (open to families) than the more restrictive AA certificate, barring entry to the under-fourteens.

Cast

Sid James as Sidney Fiddler
Barbara Windsor as Hope Springs (real name Muriel Bloggs)
Joan Sims as Connie Philpotts
Kenneth Connor as Mayor Frederick Bumble
Bernard Bresslaw as Peter Potter
Peter Butterworth as Admiral
June Whitfield as Augusta Prodworthy
Jack Douglas as William
Patsy Rowlands as Mildred Bumble
Patricia Franklin as Rosemary
Valerie Leon as Paula Perkins
Robin Askwith as Larry
Margaret Nolan as Dawn Brakes
Angela Grant as Miss Bangor
Joan Hickson as Mrs Dukes
Sally Geeson as Debra
Jimmy Logan as Cecil Gaybody
Wendy Richard as Ida Downes
David Lodge as Police Inspector
Arnold Ridley as Alderman Pratt

Bill Pertwee as Fire chief
Marianne Stone as Miss Drew
Brenda Cowling as Matron
Zena Clifton as Susan Brooks
Laraine Humphrys as Eileen Denby
Pauline Peart as Gloria Winch
Caroline Whitaker as Mary Parker
Barbara Wise as Julia Oates
Carol Wyler as Maureen Darcy
Mavis Fyson as Frances Cake
Brian Osborne as "Half a quid" citizen
Billy Cornelius as Constable (uncredited)
Edward Palmer as Elderly resident (uncredited)
Michael Nightingale as City gent (uncredited)
Hugh Futcher as "There's Fiddler" citizen (uncredited)
Elsie Winsor as Cloakroom attendant (uncredited)
Nick Hobbs as Stunt double (uncredited)
Ron Tarr as Bearded man in audience (uncredited)

Crew

Screenplay – Talbot Rothwell
Music – Eric Rogers
Production Manager – Roy Goddard
Art Director – Robert Jones
Director of Photography – Alan Hume
Editor – Alfred Roome
Camera Operator – Jimmy Devis
Assistant Director – Jack Causey
Sound Recordists – Paul Lemare & Ken Barker
Continuity – Marjorie Lavelly
Make-up – Geoffrey Rodway
Hairdresser – Stella Rivers
Costume Design – Courtenay Elliott
Set Dresser – Kenneth MacCallum Tait
Dubbing Editor – Patrick Foster
Assistant Editor – Jack Gardner
Title Sketches – Larry
Titles – GSE Ltd
Processor – Rank Film Laboratories
Producer – Peter Rogers
Director – Gerald Thomas

Production

Pre-production

An early version of the script featured Kenneth Williams in the role of Mayor Bumble which would ultimately be played by Kenneth Connor in the finished film. Williams was appearing in a West End play, My Fat Friend.^[6] The role of Cecil Gaybody was written for Charles Hawtrey, however he had been dropped due to his unreliability. It was then offered to Kenneth Williams, who turned it down because of stage commitments.

Filming

The movie was shot from 16th April to 25th May, 1973. All the interiors were shot in Pinewood Studios, in Buckinghamshire.

The Clarges Hotel in Brighton (the exterior of which was used in the film) was then-owned by actress Dora Bryan who had appeared in the first Carry On, Carry On Sergeant. The hotel was previously used (also exterior only) in the 1971 film Carry On at Your Convenience.^[7] Another filming location these two movies have in common is Brighton's West Pier (the Palace Pier had been used a couple of years earlier in Carry On at Your Convenience). Brighton Beach was another Brighton location for this movie.

Other filming locations include the Slough Town Hall, in Slough, Berkshire; and the Marylebone Railway Station in London.

Post-production

Valerie Leon's voice for the film was dubbed by co-star June Whitfield.^[8]

Reception

In a 2018 retrospective on the series, the British Film Institute named Carry On Girls as one of the series' five worst films, alongside Carry On England (1976), That's Carry On! (1977), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), and Carry On Columbus (1992).^[9]

References

^ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 246.
^ "Carry On Girls (1973) - Gerald Thomas | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
^ "Carry On Girls (1974)". BFI. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017.
^ "Valerie Leon". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016.
^ "Jimmy Logan". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020.
^ "Production of My Fat Friend | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
^ "Dora Bryan OBE: Blue Plaque unveiled". www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
^ "Carry on Girls 1973". The Whippit Inn. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Mitchell, Neil (23 November 2018). "The 5 best Carry Ons… and the 5 worst". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.

Bibliography

Davidson, Andy (2012). Carry On Confidential. London: Miwk. ISBN 978-1908630018.
Sheridan, Simon (2011). Keeping the British End Up – Four Decades of Saucy Cinema. London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-0857682796.
Webber, Richard (2009). 50 Years of Carry On. London: Arrow. ISBN 978-0099490074.
Hudis, Norman (2008). No Laughing Matter. London: Apex. ISBN 978-1906358150.
Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema by Simon Sheridan (third edition) (2007) (Reynolds & Hearn Books)
Ross, Robert (2002). The Carry On Companion. London: Batsford. ISBN 978-0713487718.
Bright, Morris; Ross, Robert (2000). Mr Carry On – The Life & Work of Peter Rogers. London: BBC Books. ISBN 978-0563551836.
Rigelsford, Adrian (1996). Carry On Laughing – a celebration. London: Virgin. ISBN 1-85227-554-5.
Hibbin, Sally & Nina (1988). What a Carry On. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 978-0600558194.
Eastaugh, Kenneth (1978). The Carry On Book. London: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0715374030.