Ooh... You Are Awful

A real hoot as barefaced on artist Charlie Tully (Dick Emery) goes on the run after pulling a fast one on the Mafia.

To cop it all, old pal Reggie has gone and bedded Jo Mason, nubile sister of London gangster Sid Sabbath. Reggie stashes their money in a Swiss account before tattooing the number on his girlfriend's bottom, only to find his own number is well and truly up.

Learning of his friend's plight Charlie sets to work for his share of the cash, donning an array of disguises as he makes the best of a bum deal.

It's seaside humour all the way as he ticks off the gags one by one on his way to claiming back the loot.

But of course, not everything goes according to plan. "I'm not that sort of girl," Jo Mason primly warns his bogus solicitor. Then again, however ... a share of the spoils calls her bluff, and as she bares all for the camera a quick peep at her bare bottom proves very costly as her psychotic brother catches him at it, leaving him more than just the Mafia to worry about.

This is one the Carry On team would have killed for. Enjoy

Just watching this on Talking Pictures TV Channel, its just my cuppa char as I have always loved Dick Emery.

The movie plot is totally inconsequential and only really serves as a vehicle, for some of Dick Emery's most famous and for me favourite characters.

It's absolutely yonks since I've seen his show on the box or him for that matter, it was one of my favourite TV comedies.

Of course now it is surprising that any TV channels will bother to screen it all, and the Channel even announced a Disclaimer before the film started. 'Some of the films scenes could cause offence, to modern audiences' or some such tosh was announced. Presumably to warn current movie goers of the perils of viewing, let alone heaven forfend actually enjoying a 1970's comedy film.

March 2022

The Uk version is called "ooh you are awful" rather than the title thats on imdb.

A British comedy starring Dick Emery as a con man and on the whole its very likeable, good but not great.

The main interest for me about this now is the fact that there was a film made in Hong Kong called "aces go places" or "mad mission" depending on the version you are watching, that uses this as its template, that is superior to this film and features lots of James Bond gadgets as well as the comedy and action. Aces go places was very successful and in fact was followed by 4 sequels, i think those 5 films are all great.

As for OOh you are awful, yes i like it but as i said its not the best.

7.5 out of 10.

Just before he died Dick Emery in a television interview lamented his forays into film were not successful, commercially and critically and it was now too late.

Emery died several months later. Ohh... You are Awful is now a rare chance to see Dick Emery's comic creations as his shows are so rarely repeated.

This is a saucy caper comedy with Emery playing chirpy con man Charlie Tully who is always on a swindle which includes persuading the son of a wealthy Italian family that marriage to Princess Anne is available at a price or a dowry.

With the aid of his womanising friend Ronald Fraser they swindled £500,000 out of the Italians who have hotfooted to the Mafia for revenge.

Charlie gets arrested at the Airport as he tries to sell a bulldog to some American tourists when he meets up with Fraser after his release from prison all he knows that Fraser deposited the money in a Swiss bank account before the Mafia henchmen knock Fraser off.

Charlie needs to track down some tattoos on some ladies Fraser has had in recent months which is actually on their rear and will tell Charlie the actual bank and account number. As he tries to track down the ladies he also falls foul of a local cockney gangster.

Emery gets to play his famous comedy characters such as Mandy and Lampwick during his quest.

For non Emery fans this would just be a dated British comedy with plenty of Carry On innuendo. Some of it really feels icky. Ronald Fraser looks revolting with all those poor tattoos supposedly with the names and phone numbers of his conquests.

Only in the mind of a desperate casting agent would Fraser ever be regarded as a ladies man. Derren Nesbitt who plays the cockney gangster would had been more suitable in that role.

Emery is having a hoot playing his comedy characters but really it is not funny enough despite a decent story.

If you are a fan of Dick Emery then this will appeal to you. I was 10 when this film first came out so it was the normal thing on television to see the kind of jokes and cheeky innuendo that was typical of the 70's.

And of course we get to see a lot of bums as Charlie(Emery) looks for tattoos on the girls bums that added together give him a swiss bank account where his partner in crime stashed the cash after they conned an Italian by getting him to pay up front for a supposed wedding to Princess Ann!

The best joke has to be where he told Pat Combes what happened to his partners ashes.. I wont say , watch the film..I think it was a classic for Emery fans, maybe now, the jokes appear a bit dated, but I love it.

Similar jokes alongside the Carry On films..but this has a proper story..