Carry On Dick

Adventure, Comedy

Sid James	Dick Turpin/Rev. Flasher (as Sidney James)
Kenneth Williams	Capt. Desmond Fancey
Barbara Windsor	Harriett/Harry
Hattie Jacques	Martha Hoggett
Bernard Bresslaw	Sir Roger Daley
Joan Sims	Madame Desiree
Peter Butterworth	Tom 'Doc' Scholl
Kenneth Connor	Constable
Jack Douglas	Sgt. Jock Strapp
Patsy Rowlands	Mrs. Giles
Marianne Stone	Maggie
Margaret Nolan	Lady Daley
Bill Maynard	Bodkin
Billy Cornelius	Tough man
Kenny Williams	Captain Desmond Fancey
Michael Nightingale	Squire Trelawney

Director	Gerald Thomas
Producer	Peter Rogers
Writer	George Evans; Talbot Rothwell

The 18th century, with its frills and bawds, was ideal territory for the Carry On movies: Carry On Dick is one of the few of the series where one notices the quality of the art direction in intervals between terrible old Talbot Rothwell jokes and the creaking of standard farce moments. Captain Fancy (Kenneth Williams) is sent to the remote village of Upper Denture to arrest Big Dick Turpin (Sid James) and makes the mistake of confiding in the local Rector, the Reverend Flasher (who is Big Dick's secret alter-ego). Dick has troubles of his own: his liaison with his housemaid and henchperson Harriet (Barbara Windsor) is perpetually interrupted by his amorous housekeeper Hattie Jacques). Meanwhile, Joan Sims struts around the plot as the proprietor of a touring show of scantily clad young women. This is not one of the best of the series--a certain mean-spiritedness creeps in to the humour as does the self-conscious awareness that 1974 was a date a little late for some of the more sexist jokes--but any film with Kenneth Williams discussing satin coats with his tailor has something going for it.

On the DVD: Sadly, the DVD has no frills: it is presented in mono and 4:3 screen ratio.--Roz Kaveney