It has some hilarious moments - particularly the opening trial sequence and the striptease to the soliloquy from "Hamlet" - but it's on the same level as the first two films. As I said yesterday, Alastair Sim's virtual absence from "Blue Murder at St. Trinian's" was a blow to the film while his complete absence from this one is a major blow to it. Considering the importance of Miss Fritton to the first film and the fact that the school burns down, it's bizarre that she isn't even mentioned.
The idea of the sixth formers being kidnapped and becoming a sheik's harem is a belter but the script isn't as well developed as it could be. Miss Harker-Packer and Alphonse O'Reilly are established as important characters but they both just disappear from the film. The fact that Miss Harker-Packer was only recently released from a mental institution could have led to some fantastic jokes but, like herself, it's more or less forgotten about. One thing about the film that bothered me was that it focused on the adults as opposed to the students. Those criticisms aside, however, there is a steady stream of good jokes throughout the film, such as Flash Harry's unique way with words.
In Sim's absence, Cecil Parker - a wonderful character actor who is best known for his role as Todhunter in "The Lady Vanishes", which was also written by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat - is a very worthy substitute as Professor Canford (who is not a woman). He is hilarious in the role and has great chemistry with Joyce Grenfell as Ruby Gates, who makes her third and final appearance in the "St. Trinian's" film series. The same is true of Lloyd Lamble as Sammy Kemp-Bird, her characteristically and increasingly reluctant fiancé. As well as those already mentioned, the film has a great cast, particularly George Cole, Thorley Walters (who played a major in "Blue Murder at St. Trinian's"), Dennis Price, Sid James, Raymond Huntley, John Le Mesurier and Michael Ripper.
The idea of the sixth formers being kidnapped and becoming a sheik's harem is a belter but the script isn't as well developed as it could be. Miss Harker-Packer and Alphonse O'Reilly are established as important characters but they both just disappear from the film. The fact that Miss Harker-Packer was only recently released from a mental institution could have led to some fantastic jokes but, like herself, it's more or less forgotten about. One thing about the film that bothered me was that it focused on the adults as opposed to the students. Those criticisms aside, however, there is a steady stream of good jokes throughout the film, such as Flash Harry's unique way with words.
In Sim's absence, Cecil Parker - a wonderful character actor who is best known for his role as Todhunter in "The Lady Vanishes", which was also written by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat - is a very worthy substitute as Professor Canford (who is not a woman). He is hilarious in the role and has great chemistry with Joyce Grenfell as Ruby Gates, who makes her third and final appearance in the "St. Trinian's" film series. The same is true of Lloyd Lamble as Sammy Kemp-Bird, her characteristically and increasingly reluctant fiancé. As well as those already mentioned, the film has a great cast, particularly George Cole, Thorley Walters (who played a major in "Blue Murder at St. Trinian's"), Dennis Price, Sid James, Raymond Huntley, John Le Mesurier and Michael Ripper.