Carry on Cabby

Cabby is generally regarded as one of the best of the series and it was to be said it is a very good film. Hattie Jacques has probably her finest part and her and Sid James always made a good team. That said even though this was Talbot Rothwell's first Carry on script and there are some bawdy lines and very funny situations it still has that Norman Hudis feel to it. Now i was never a fan of the Hudis Carry on's i feel they were no different to any other harmless stiff upper lip British comedy film's that were being made at the time despite their somewhat high reputation. This was a decent warm up for Rothwell and after a couple of silly follow ups Jack and Spying he really hit home with the hilarious and brilliant Cleo (the first great Carry on film). Cabby is harmless fun with great support from Hawtrey and Connor, but much better was to come.

Made in the days when Cortenas were considered exotic; this is an unusual 'Carry On' in that the humour is gentler (Sid James - fresh from a TV series called 'Taxi' - isn't yet the coarse lecher he later became) and the woman more nuanced, possibly because it started life as a non-'Carry On'.

Written under the title 'Call Me a Cab' by Morecombe & Wise's old writers Sid Green & Dick Hills, this was one of the last 'Carry On's in black & white, the last to feature Cyril Chamberlain, Esma Cannon, and the lovely Liz Fraser (unless you count the unspeakable 'Carry On Behind', which I don't), the first to feature Jim Dale and Amanda Barrie and be scored by Eric Rogers. And one of the VERY few without Kenneth Williams.

Carry on Cabby is directed by Gerald Thomas and adapted to a screenplay by Talbot Rothwell from a story by Richard Hills & Sidney Green. It stars Sidney James, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Esma Cannon and Liz Fraser. It's the 7th film of the long running Carry On film franchise. Plot finds James as Charlie Hawkins, a man so obsessed with his taxi business he severely neglects his wife Peg (Jacques). At the end of her tether, Peg sets up her own taxi company called Glam Cabs, the draw being that all the drivers are female, all are gorgeous and all are taking the trade away from Charlie's business. The men try and strike back, but these girls are not for turning.....

Aside from the fact that the cast list is missing big hitters such as Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw, Carry on Cabby also stands out from the other series entries for another reason. If it feels a little different, maybe even a touch too tame for the bawdy loving crowd, then that has to do with the fact that Talbot Rothwell actually scripted it as a non series entry. It was to be a standalone picture titled Call Me A Cab, but with the series starting to gain momentum it was reworked as a Carry On movie.

The film is a breezy battle of the sexes comedy built around a more than decent plot. On a list of genuinely funny Carry On movies it most likely struggles to get in the top ten, but if we can judge it away from the series? It has a warm 60's appeal whilst throbbing with classic black and white capery. It's also one of the few Carry On film's that enjoys a pro feminist angle, whilst it's a joy to see Jacques get a decent and touching role some way away from the big bruiser character's she was known for. As the lady viewers enjoy the fun "womans" angle in the plot, the red blooded male is naturally (for a Carry On movie) catered for with plenty of woof-whistle moments (Amanda Barrie-oh my). And the robbery based finale is well constructed by genre legend Gerald Thomas.

Innuendo light, but in this case it's not a bad thing. 7/10

Well almost! There is a real battle of the sexes in this carry on and if you don't mind the expression the women come out on top. This is not a very funny carry on, in fact quite the contrary. There are moments that are actually quite touching. THe marriage between Hatti and husband Sid is a troubled one and its nece to see real character development. Its actually quite poignant. Hatti is playing for truth rather than being cast as the fat funny lady.The climax of the movie when all the cabs start chasing the bad guys who are abducting Hatti Jacques and Liz Frazer is actually very exciting. Those taxis and other "relics" of the time look wonderfully nostalgic. The interior sets look cute too and its all in glorious black and white. The music is wonderful and the script is character driven but still has a strong story line. Although it may not be very funny it is extremely entertaining and its a fine movie. The script is excellent and the characters are beautifully developed. This is a good story. We are given a break from the fabulous Kenneth Williams but there is plenty of talent. Great to see Hatti Jacques get more to do and she gives a brilliant performance. The ever reliable Liz Fraser does great work too. Sid James is wonderful in this role and its easy to see why he became so popular. Jim Dale in a small role is great and later its interesting that he became so sexy. Charles Hawtry is in fine form and the normally annoying Kenneth Connor gives his best under stated performance without the annoying mannerisms that detracted from many of the carry on movies. Esma Cannon plays it quite straight for a change and as always still steals every scene she is in. The real star of this is Hatti Jacques who really makes this fine movie a totally enjoyable experience.

Carry on Cabby is quite good, there are definite strengths to the production. It's nice to see Sid James and Hattie Jacques as a wife and husband and we get Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser and Charles Hawtrey but no Kenneth Williams this time round which was a shame but still had a strong cast.

The plot's about the women setting up a rival cabby group to the men, it's got a cool girl power message and it's one of the only Carry on films that has a definite start, middle and end instead of just sketch type things. I feel like it could have had some funnier moments but it was strong.

7/10: Good