Carry On Abroad

Carry On Abroad is the twenty-fourth Carry On film, released in 1972. The film features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Hattie Jacques. It was the 23rd and final appearance for Charles Hawtrey. June Whitfield returns after appearing in Carry On Nurse 13 years earlier. Jimmy Logan makes the first of two appearances in the series.

Plot
The film opens with pub landlord and frequent holidaymaker Vic Flange (Sid James) openly flirting with the much-married saucepot, Sadie Tompkins (Barbara Windsor) as his battleaxe wife, Cora (Joan Sims), looks on with disdain. Their twitching friend, Harry (Jack Douglas) arrives and lets slip that the package holiday Vic has booked to the Mediterranean island Els Bels (a pun on the slang expression "Hell's Bells") 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, the nasally Stuart Farquhar (Kenneth Williams), the representative of Wundatours, and his seductive assistant, Moira Plunkett (Gail Grainger), welcome the motley passengers. Among them the hen-pecked and love-starved Stanley Blunt (Kenneth Connor) and his prudish, overbearing wife, Evelyn (June Whitfield); a drunken, bowler-hatted mummy's boy, Eustace Tuttle (Charles Hawtrey); brash Scotsman, Bert Conway (Jimmy Logan); the young and beautiful Marge (Sally Geeson) and Lily (Carol Hawkins); and Brother Bernard (Bernard Bresslaw), a young monk who has difficultly fitting into his new path of life.

Unfortunately, their hotel is only half-finished; the builders have just quit suddenly. Distraught manager Pepe (Peter Butterworth) desperately tries to run the place in a myriad of different guises and his shrewish wife, Floella (Hattie Jacques), struggles with the temperamental stove while their Lothario son Georgio idles behind the bar.

The hotel also hides an assortment of tricks and Pepe is soon overrun with complaints: Vic discovers Sadie naked in his shower, sand pours out of Moira's taps, and the lavatory drenches Bert. Although agreeing to play leapfrog with Tuttle, Lily and Marge have their eyes on other things. Marge takes a shine to Brother Bernard, while Lily lures the dashing Nicholas (David Kernan) away from his jealous (implied) gay friend, Robin (John Clive). While most of the party go off to the village and get arrested for causing a scene at Madame Fifi's (Olga Lowe) establishment, left-behind Evelyn is seduced by Georgio, which leads to her resuming her sex life with Stanley. The last-night bash swings--thanks to a local mixture that blesses the drinker with X-ray vision--until the hotel collapses! But all's well that ends well, when the holidaymakers reunite at Vic and Cora's pub.

[edit] Cast and crew
This was the last film featuring Charles Hawtrey.
 * Sid James as Vic Flange
 * Kenneth Williams as Stuart Farquhar
 * Charles Hawtrey as Eustace Tuttle
 * Joan Sims as Cora Flange
 * Peter Butterworth as Pepe
 * Kenneth Connor as Stanley Blunt
 * Hattie Jacques as Floella
 * Bernard Bresslaw as Brother Bernard
 * Barbara Windsor as Sadie Tomkins
 * Jimmy Logan as Bert Conway
 * June Whitfield as Evelyn Blunt
 * Sally Geeson as Lily
 * Carol Hawkins as Marge
 * Gail Grainger as Moira Plunkett
 * Ray Brooks as Georgio
 * John Clive as Robin Tweet
 * David Kernan as Nicholas Phipps
 * Patsy Rowlands as Miss Dobbs
 * Derek Francis as Brother Martin
 * Jack Douglas as Harry
 * Amelia Bayntun as Mrs Tuttle
 * Alan Curtis as Police Chief
 * Hugh Futcher as Jailer
 * Gertan Klauber as Postcard seller
 * Brian Osborne as Stall-holder
 * Olga Lowe as Madame Fifi
 * Screenplay - Talbot Rothwell
 * Music - Eric Rogers
 * Production Manager - Jack Swinburne
 * Art Director - Lionel Couch
 * Editor - Alfred Roome
 * Director of Photography - Alan Hume
 * 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
 * Director - Gerald Thomas

The brothel keeper is played by Olga Lowe, one of the first actresses to work with Sid James when he arrived in the UK in 1946. Lowe was also the actress on stage with Sid the night he died in Sunderland.

[edit] Filming and locations
Interiors: Exteriors:
 * Filming dates – 17 April-26 May 1972 (The previous entry - Carry On Matron - was released during filming)
 * Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
 * Slough, Berkshire