''Carry On Abroad'' is a 1972

British comedy Throughout film, television, and radio, British comedy has become known for its consistently peculiar characters, plots, and settings, and has produced some of the most renowned comedians and characters in the world. History British comedy history ...

film, the 24th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film features series regulars

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw (25 February 193411 June 1993) was a British actor. He is best known as a member of the '' Carry On'' film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, did recordings and wrote a series of poetry. Biography Bernard ...

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London, ...

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

and

Hattie Jacques Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...

. It was the 23rd and final appearance for Charles Hawtrey.

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy ''Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...

returned after appearing in ''

Carry On Nurse ''Carry On Nurse'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims (in her ''Carry On'' film debut), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Ha ...

'' 13 years earlier.

Jimmy Logan James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and director. Family Logan was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, a member of a family ...

and Carol Hawkins made their first of two appearances in the series. Along with the previous film in the series ('' Carry On Matron''), it features the highest number of the regular ''Carry On'' team, and actually surpasses it if you count Terry Scott, who had filmed a scene as an irate Wundatours customer, but his scene was cut from the final film. The only other member missing is

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

, who had left the series by this point, but would return belatedly for ''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's '' Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincid ...

'' in 1992. Dale and Scott were never in a ''Carry On'' film together.

Plot

The film opens with pub landlord and frequent holidaymaker Vic Flange (

) openly flirting with the sassy saucepot widow Sadie Tompkins (

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

), looks on with disdain. Their twitching friend Harry ( Jack Douglas), who is prone to elaborate and violent twitches, arrives and reveals that the

package holiday A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such as a rental car, activities or outings during the h ...

Vic has booked to the Mediterranean island Elsbels (a pun on the slang expression "Hell's Bells") which is on the Costa Bomm, also includes Sadie, much to Cora's outrage. Cora, who avoids holidays because she hates flying, suddenly decides to accompany her boorish husband on the trip, to ensure he keeps away from Sadie. The next day, Stuart Farquhar (

), the representative of Wundatours Travel Agency, and his sexy, seductive assistant, Moira Plunkett ( Gail Grainger), welcome the motley passengers. Among them are the henpecked and sex-starved Stanley Blunt (

Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London, ...

) and his overbearing, conservative, frigid wife, Evelyn (

); a drunken, bowler-hatted mummy's boy, Eustace Tuttle ( Charles Hawtrey); brash Scotsman Bert Conway (

); young and beautiful friends Lily and Marge ( Sally Geeson and Carol Hawkins respectively), who are each hoping to find a man to fall in love with; and a party of monks, including Brother Bernard (

), a timid young monk who has difficulty fitting into his new path of life. Unfortunately, upon their arrival they discover their hotel is only half-finished; the builders have just quit suddenly for unspecified reasons, leaving the remaining five floors unfinished. Distraught manager Pepe (

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

) desperately tries to run the place in myriad different guises – the manager, the doorman and the porter – and the chef is his irate, ill-tempered wife, Floella (

), who battles repeatedly with the temperamental stove while their handsome, womanising son Georgio ( Ray Brooks) idles behind the bar. The hotel also hides an assortment of faults, and Pepe is soon overrun with complaints: Evelyn finds Mr Tuttle in her bath, Vic discovers Sadie naked in his shower; Lily and Marge's wardrobe has no back to it, allowing them to be accidentally seen by Brother Bernard in the opposite room; sand pours out of Moira's taps; the lavatory drenches Bert. The phone system itself is faulty, and the guests end up complaining to each other for much of the time. Nevertheless, Stuart is determined to ensure everyone has a good time. Dinner on the first night is foul, and made even more unpleasant by the smoke from the burning food in the kitchen, which forces the motley group of holiday-makers to open the windows, prompting the arrival of mosquitos. Although agreeing to play

leapfrog Leapfrog is a children's game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs. History Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century.David Kernan) away from his jealous (and, it is implied, gay) friend, Robin ( John Clive). Meanwhile, Stanley attempts to seduce Cora whilst his nagging wife is not present, but Cora is more interested in keeping Vic away from Sadie, who grows fond of Bert. Vic tries to put Bert off Sadie by telling him that she is a black widow who murdered her two previous husbands, when in fact both were firemen who died on the job. The next day, the holidaymakers are awakened very early in the morning by the builders, who have returned to work. While most of the party go off on an excursion to the nearby village, Stanley ensures his wife is left behind so that he can spend the day attempting to woo Cora. Vic samples a local drink, "Santa Cecelia's

Elixir ELIXIR (the European life-sciences Infrastructure for biological Information) is an initiative that will allow life science laboratories across Europe to share and store their research data as part of an organised network. Its goal is to bring t ...

", which blesses the drinker with X-ray vision and he is able to see through women's clothing. However, the tourists are arrested for causing a riot at Madame Fifi's (

Olga Lowe Olga Lowe (14 September 1919 – 2 September 2013) was a British film, stage and television actress. She made her film debut in an uncredited role in the 1949 film ''Trottie True''. Described by ''The Stage'' as "an actress of extraordinary versat ...

) local

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...

after Vic, Bert and Eustace annoy the girls there; left-behind Evelyn is seduced by Georgio, which leads to her abandoning her frigid manners. In the local prison, Miss Plunkett seduces the Chief of Police, and the tourists are released. Back at the hotel, Mrs Blunt resumes her sex life with a surprised Stanley after having a brief affair with Georgio. The last night in the hotel starts as a success, with all the guests at ease with each other thanks to the punch being spiked with Santa Cecelia's

. Midway through the night it begins to rain, and the hotel is shown to have been constructed on a dry river bed. As the hotel begins to collapse Pepe finally loses his patience and sanity with the guests, intoxicated by the spiked punch, party on oblivious to the fact the hotel is disintegrating around them. The film then shifts forward an unspecified period of time, and shows an Elsbels reunion at Vic and Cora's pub. Farquhar has also lost his job at Wundatours and started working at the pub. All the guests are happy, and reminisce about the holiday they barely survived.

Cast

as Vic Flange *

as Stuart Farquhar * Charles Hawtrey as Eustace Tuttle *

as Cora Flange *

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Co ...

as Pepe *

as Stanley Blunt *

as Floella *

as Brother Bernard *

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Jimmy Logan James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and director. Family Logan was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, a member of a family ...

as Bert Conway *

as Evelyn Blunt * Sally Geeson as Lily Maggs * Carol Hawkins as Marge DawesKenneth Williams's character refers to her as "Miss Dawes" * Gail Grainger as Moira Plunkett * Ray Brooks as Georgio * John Clive as Robin Tweet * David Kernan as Nicholas Phipps *

Patsy Rowlands Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredit ...

as Miss Dobbs *

Derek Francis Derek Francis (7 November 1923 – 27 March 1984) was an English comedy and character actor. Biography Francis was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in '' The Tomb of Lig ...

as Brother Martin * Jack Douglas as Harry * Amelia Bayntun as Mrs Tuttle * Alan Curtis as Police Chief * Hugh Futcher as Jailer *

Gertan Klauber George Gertan Klauber (5 March 1932 – 1 August 2008) was a British bit part character actor. Klauber was born in Czechoslovakia, and after training at the Birmingham Theatre School, his stage appearances included with the RSC and the Nati ...

as Postcard seller * Brian Osborne as Stall-holder *

as Madame Fifi

Crew

*Screenplay – Talbot Rothwell *Music – Eric Rogers *Production Manager – Jack Swinburne *Art Director – Lionel Couch *Editor – Alfred Roome *Director of Photography –

Alan Hume Alan Hume, (16 October 1924 – 13 July 2010) was an English cinematographer. Life and career Hume arrived at Denham Film Studios in 1942, and worked for Cineguild Productions during the late 1940s. His early credits, prior to being called up t ...

*Camera Operator – Jimmy Davis *Continuity – Joy Mercer *Assistant Director – David Bracknell *Sound Recordists – Taffy Haines & Ken Barker *Make-up – Geoffrey Rodway *Assistant Art Director – Bill Bennison *Set Dresser – Don Picton *Hairdresser – Stella Rivers *Costume Designer – Courtenay Elliott *Dubbing Editor – Peter Best *Assistant Editor – Jack Gardner *Titles – GSE Ltd *Processor – Rank Film Laboratories *Producer –

Peter Rogers Peter Rogers (20 February 1914 – 14 April 2009) was an English film producer. He is best known for his involvement in the making of the ''Carry On'' series of films. Life and career Rogers began his career as a journalist for his lo ...

*Director –

Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director, best known for the long-running '' Carry On'' series of British film comedies. Biography Born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, Thomas was educated ...

Notes

The film's opening credits also include 'Sun Tan Lo Tion' (sun tan lotion) as 'Technical Director'. The brothel keeper is played by Olga Lowe, one of the first actresses to work with

when he arrived in the UK in 1946. Lowe was also the actress on stage with James on the night he died in Sunderland.

Filming and locations

*Filming dates – 17 April–26 May 1972 (The previous entry – '' Carry On Matron'' – was released during filming) Interior/exterior film locations: Bagshot, Surrey: The road to the airport. High Street, Slough: The Wundatours travel agency shop (the site has since been redeveloped and is now Cornwall House).

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to ...

: Elsbels airport terminal building (the studios' security block); the Whippit Inn pub; Elsbels hotel interior and exterior scenes. (The hotel was constructed in the studio backlot with a matte added to represent the upper floors and sections of scaffold.)

References

External links

* *
''Carry On Abroad'' at The Whippit Inn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carry On Abroad 1972 films Abroad Films directed by Gerald Thomas Films set in hotels 1972 comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Peter Rogers Films with screenplays by Talbot Rothwell Films about vacationing Films set on fictional islands 1970s English-language films 1970s British films

Plot

Cast

Crew

Notes

Filming and locations

References

Further reading

External links