Rating: C+
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Star: Jim Dale, Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Charles Hawtrey
After the massive success of Carry on Doctor, hardly a surprise to see the franchise go back to the same well. Though this time, the focus is more on the staff than the patients. In particular, Doctor Jimmy Nookey (Dale), an accident-prone physician who is forced out of the country after an unfortunate series of events, including his drinking some spiked punch at a hospital function. This takes him to a mission on the far-off Beatific Islands, which initially seems like a tropical hell. However, he discovers his orderly there, Gladstone Screwer (James) has a miracle weight-loss cure, which allows Dr. Nookey to return and make his fortune. But former boss Doctor Frederick Carver (Williams) wants the elixir’s secret, and will stop at nothing to get it.
By “nothing,” in particular we mean getting his subordinate, Doctor Ernest Stoppidge (Hawtrey) to pretend to be a woman, in order to infiltrate Nookey’s clinic. This is pure British panto damery at its finest, and stands in contrast to Stoppidge, which is likely one of Hawtrey’s straightest roles in the franchise. Though to the modern viewer, what stands out is that it’s only women who could possibly be interested in losing weight, hence the need for Stoppidge to dress up in drag. Beyond this, you have the usual supporting cast, including Barbara Windsor as model Goldie Locks, Hattie Jacques once again playing the matron, and way down the cast, future Mrs. Michael Caine (and former Miss Guyana) Shakira Baksh.
It’s Dale who holds this together, getting the bulk of the screen time; James may be top-billed, but he doesn’t show up until almost the half-way point. Dale delivers a very physical performance, doing all his own stunts. This came at no small cost, tearing a muscle in his arm and contributing to chronic back issues. It may be a factor in why this was his last appearance in the franchise for almost a quarter of a century, until Carry On Columbus. He makes for a very likeable hero, and there is genuine character development here, as he descends into alcoholism before returning, the toast of Harley Street.
It does continue the slow tendency towards unsubtlety. I doubt a name like “Screwer” would have passed the censors at the start of the decade, or even the lengthy, joke alternate title, “If You Say It’s Your Thermometer I’ll Have to Believe You, But It’s a Funny Place to Put It.” As in Camping, Windsor’s breasts being almost exposed is a memorable moment (top), though Talbot Rothwell’s script has some good lines. For example, Nookey admiring an item in his tropical office, “That’s a good skeleton. Did the last doctor leave it here?” only to be told by Screwer, “That is the last doctor…” The overseas setting for the second act does provide a novel twist, yet a lot of the characters feel recycled from the notably superior Doctor. As a result, it feels too close to its predecessor.