Carry on Abroad

A hilarious low budget romp for the carry on team. This film sends up both foriegners and Brits. The new idea of package holidays was a rich vein for comedy in the early seventies (see also the brilliant 'Are You Being Served' film), a time when most British people had never been abroad before (except perhaps during the war), so there was much scope for humour.

Amazingly the British weather held up long enough for the island of Elsbels (Camber Sands) to look convincingly like a mediterranean resort (well...in winter anyway!) but a large number of scenes are indoors anyway, so it doesn't matter. All the usual smut, innuendo, and gags about falling down hotels are there, and I defy anyone not to chuckle a few times. The only slight downside is the rather poor acting by Kenneth Williams' assistant, but she is extremely 'easy on the eye' so gets away with it.

My favourite scene is when the prison guard gives the gang the 'fine old British gesture' of two fingers up, to which Kenneth Connor replies 'Damned FILTH!'.

Lots of people dismiss this as one of the weaker entries in the 'Carry On' series, but I think it represents the typical storyline and characterisations which showed the team at their best.

Here, Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, June Whitfield, Kenneth Connor, Jimmy Logan, Barbara Windsor, Charles Hawtrey, Peter Butterworth, Bernard Bresslaw, and Hattie Jacques liven up proceedings when they take a holiday in the most horrendous hotel and resort there is to stay in.

With a character name like 'Stuart Farquhar', Williams gets the brunt of a lot of the jokes with the hotel host (Butterworth) constantly mispronouncing all or both. And throw in a rainstorm, a bowl of punch, some monks, randy husbands and stuffy wives, and busty blondes, and you have the ingredients for a 'Carry On' success!

To begin with, I had previously caught a bit from this one on TV while channel-surfing when in London in September 1999! Like CARRY ON DOCTOR (1967), this is another multi-title offering: CARRY ON ABROAD, OR WHAT A PACKAGE, OR IT'S ALL IN OR, SWISS HOLS IN THE SNOW! While this is essentially a second-tier "Carry On", it proved to be consistently enjoyable – which is why I went for a higher rating than I had myself anticipated; even so, there are a bit too many gay stereotypes here and it's marred somewhat by the flat TV-style look.

Incidentally the hotel shenanigans which take up most of the running-time anticipate the FAWLTY TOWERS (1975) TV series. By the way, this turned out to be Charles Hawtrey's final "Carry On" – unfortunately, he doesn't get to do much…but, then, neither does Kenneth Williams as the tour leader (he's even given an unconvincing romance with a pretty young colleague). On the other hand, Peter Butterworth is at his best as the multi-purpose hotel manager who speaks in broken English (with Hattie Jacques as his massive and grumpy backwoods wife). Among the guests are Sidney James, who's married to Joan Sims but his eyes are constantly on Barbara Windsor!; Sims herself draws the attention of gallant but henpecked Kenneth Connor. There are also a number of youngsters thrown into the fray, as well as a manly Scot, and a group of monks (one of whom, Bernard Bresslaw, is allowed to strike a friendship with one of the girls – her companion, incidentally, is played by Sally Geeson from Norman Wisdom's WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE [1969], which I watched recently).

As I said, many hilarious gags revolve around the run-down condition of the unfinished hotel – but the scene shifts halfway through to an outing in town (which turns into a massive scuffle and lands the group in jail); the climactic farewell party, then, sees the hotel – literally on its last legs – as it's flooded and crumbling around them. CARRY ON ABROAD (on which a certain Sun Tan Lo Tion served as technical adviser) is one of the more satisfying latter-day efforts from the gang – but, ultimately, it's a notch below classic series titles such as CARRY ON COWBOY (1965), CARRY ON SCREAMING! (1966) and CARRY ON...UP THE KHYBER (1968).

I don't know how well perceived the Carry On's are in the States, but I like to think us Brits consider them a national treasure. This is on the usual format, lots of characters, lots of silly antics, etc, but again the British films of these genre are always getting on the wrong end of critisism, they are harmless fun, and the Carry On's are the best for this, put them on if you are feeling down, or ill, they are guaranteed to make you feel better, whether you're a fan of the King of cool himself (Sir)Sidney James, Kenneth Williams' overly campness, Charles Hawtrey's ability to mock himself, Barbara Windsor's amazing sexiness,Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth etc etc, this has it all. buy them all*******

They didn't just make a great movie with Carry On Abroad, they nailed it. This is my favourite of the films; I think it's up there with Screaming.

So they didn't have a big budget, and it wasn't filmed in Spain, but it doesn't matter. Filmed entirely in England, during what appears to be the colder months, they somehow manage to get away with it. It's not the first time a leap of faith is needed in a film. You'll also need that faith for Barbara's wig.

Package holidays really took off for Brits in the 70s, so it was only natural that the gang had one of their own. One of the strongest casts of all time-pretty much everyone is there, and all on top form. The cast all seem to get on well, and Sid and Joan genuinely seemed to adore working together.

Noted for being the last Carry On film to feature Charles Hawtrey, there's a bit of an in-joke for the production team, having his character, Mr Tuttle, as an alcoholic with an overbearing mother. It's a sad way for him to bow out, but he's brilliant here.

Kenneth Williams is awesome, and of course it's the 70s, so he's playing a straight man. Although we do have one gay man, so let's at least credit them with that. My favourite Carry On outing for Kenneth Connor, he plays the sexually repressed husband very well. Only Gail Grainger was a little off with the timing, but it was her first acting role and she looked the part.

Some of the funniest lines and humour in any of the Carry On films appear here. Yes, in parts it's smutty and quite rude, with mild nudity, but at times it's brilliant. The best part for me is the dialogue between Sid and June Whitfield: "I tried it once and didn't like it." Genius.

The humour is very much of its time-wonderfully silly. You can switch off and genuinely enjoy a holiday of a laugh-time. I think it looks authentic; they definitely captured the vibe of a 70s holiday resort somewhere north of Benalmádena.

An out-and-out classic-bawdy, laugh-out-loud funny, and perfect to make you smile on a cold December night.

10/10.